SB Nation User Blog: KP Corleone

Patterson withdraws from draft

KP Corleone — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:46:20 -0000

Patterson withdraws from draft

Given the Blazers much publicized need for a physical presence at the back up four spot, Patterson's name had been mentioned frequently as a possible target. Now, he's out... and it's Dejuan Blair or bust.

Oden, Rudy, Nic: three of the top seven most productive rookies in the NBA according to Berri

KP Corleone — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:11:40 -0000

Oden, Rudy, Nic: three of the top seven most productive rookies in the NBA according to Berri

According to Dave Berri's win score formula, three of the top seven rookies were Blazers.

Of the rookies who logged 1,000 minutes, Kevin Love, Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Brook Lopez, Marc Gasol, Anthony Randolph, Nicolas Batum, Mario Chalmers, and Rose were all better than the average NBA player.

Rose was the worst of that group (average in just about every category). Oden and Rudy were second and third best behind K-Love.

This was an unusually productive class - most rookies struggle to reach even half of an average player's productivity.

Durant was well below average last year (but well above average this year).

Thorpe with a swing-and-a-miss scouting B-Rex...

KP Corleone — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:24:36 -0000

Thorpe with a swing-and-a-miss scouting B-Rex...

"To me, Bayless always looks too cool. That's a problem for a young guy who hasn't performed consistently in the few times he's gotten a chance to play. I'd rather see red-hot passion in someone getting spot minutes. And nobody plays with more passion than Kobe, who is willing to take risks and brings great desire to the court."

"Even though Bayless is in a much different position than Kobe is, he could still emulate those attributes."

I thought this was priceless. I'm worried that Bayless might read this and actively cultivate more intensity. He could become pyschologically unstable. If he's not already.

On the list of things Bayless needs to work on, dialing up the intensity ranks... um... last. Dead. Freaking. Last.

If anything, I'd like to see Bayless do yoga or something and try to calm the heck down. The tension is palpable. He's second only to Oden in his ability to channel his "I need to do well I need to do well I need to well" brain waves straight through the tv at you. Relax, Jeryyd!

I generally like Thorpe, but wow. Just wow.

Back Up Point Guard "Battle" - Hollinger Weighs In... "One interesting position battle I'm...

KP Corleone — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:42:38 -0000

Back Up Point Guard "Battle" - Hollinger Weighs In...

"One interesting position battle I'm watching is for the Blazers' backup point guard position, which is rapidly degenerating into the battle of which young guard can be the most disappointing. Sergio Rodriguez held down the job much of the year but lost it a few weeks ago with lackluster shooting and a series of horrid defensive performances, most notably a five-minute matador impersonation in the Indiana game two weeks ago.

But since then, rookie Jerryd Bayless has done little to claim the spot handed to him. Bayless played double-figure minutes for four straight games this past week, but by the end, all he had to show for it was four points, two assists … and six turnovers.

With neither player making much of an impression, coach Nate McMillan used both last night and again got little from either, leaving open the question of who will be the backup point guard once the playoffs start.

However, my money is on none of the above. In the postseason I'm thinking that Brandon Roy will be the point guard whenever Steve Blake checks out, that Rodriguez won't play at all, and that Bayless will be used only in end-of-quarter defensive situations.

All of which is fine as long as Blake is healthy and doesn't pick up fouls. And if he does? It's an area where Portland suddenly looks very vulnerable, despite having two promising young players at the position."

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiemInsider-090320

Dallas Loss - Postgame Discussion Thread

KP Corleone — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:55:57 -0000

Well, that game sucked really bad at first, then it looked like it was going to not suck, and then it sucked after all. For whatever reason, the Mavs seem to have the Blazers' number.

Definitely one of the biggest losses of the year, and a missed opportunity to all but lock up a top seven playoff spot. That being said, losses happen, and the 12-1 over the past 13 home games ain't too shabby.

The frustrating thing was that SO MANY TIMES the Blazers were right there and just needed ONE big shot to get over the hump. Every time, that shot rattled out (or, in Sergio's case, careened towards the bottom of the backboard), and the Mavs responded by sinking back to back buckets and pushing the lead back up to seven or so. Blake had two wide wide wide open threes to tie, and both of them seemed to scrape the bottom of the net and somehow pop back out.

On the bright side, Lamarcus's game was one of the best he's played this year, no question. His dunk on Dampier (and I mean ON DAMPIER) was one of the best in the league all year. His 15 for 21 (or whatever) line was ridiculous. He played phenomenal D on Dirk down the stretch.

My question is this. Brandon was obviously sick. LMA was playing out of his mind. How in the world do the Blazers go the entire stretch run without getting him the rock inside 22 feet? Somehow. Anyhow. Figure it out. Make it happen.

Another thing - as Dirk was lighting up the Blazers in the first half, and Mike and Mike were commenting that the Blazers don't match up well with him, I kept thinking, if only the Blazers had one of the most athletic 6'11" guys in the league, capable of keeping up with Dirk on the perimeter AND shutting him down on the block. Oh, wait, they do. Loved the D down the stretch, but why were other guys guarding Dirk at certain points of the game? And why was Dirk allowed to catch the ball inside 20 feet anytime he wanted it all through the first half? Makes no sense to me.

Another point, and then I'll shut up: zone offense, or the lack thereof. The Blazers looked about as adept at attacking the zone as my city rec league team looks. And that's not very adept. There was either (a) no real plan, or (b) a plan that was an epic failure in execution. Smart money's on (b). I saw guys trying to pick the corner to open up a three a few times, but generally, everybody was clueless. It shouldn't be this hard.

All in all, the loss is no big deal, but the win would've been sweet. Hopefully Roy gets healthy, Rudy comes back, and LMA keeps playing like he's playing. If so, things are looking very good.

Free Agent Class of 2009

KP Corleone — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:12:26 -0000

Free Agent Class of 2009

Nice breakdown by Chad Ford of the top free agents available or potentially available this summer. An interesting name I hadn't considered: Trevor Ariza. Great defender, with range. Outlaw and/or Marty would probably have to go to make room for him.

In a companion piece available on espn insider, Ford says the Blazers will have $8 million in cap room, asssuming they renounce their rights to Channing.

That's AFTER accounting for the reduction in the cap this year. That was my point in the earlier fanpost about salary - the Blazers will be $8 million under the reduced cap, giving them the ability to take advantage of teams that are $6 million or so over the cap (but weren't planning to be, and can't afford to be) due to the reduced figure.

Obviously, if the Blazers go that route (using the cap space to facilitate a trade with a team looking to get under the cap), the list of free agents really doesn't matter.

Ford: Blazers turned down two first rounders and VC for RLEC

KP Corleone — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:39:41 -0000

Ford: Blazers turned down two first rounders and VC for RLEC

Ford: "One source told me the Nets agreed to send two future firsts (Dallas' and Golden State's) along with Carter to the Blazers for Raef LaFrentz. The Blazers, however, turned them down."

What KP knew and we didn't

KP Corleone — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:18:00 -0000

When the trade deadline came and went, just like many of you, I felt cheated. I felt wronged. I refreshed espn.com and blazersedge approximately 134 times in the hour before the deadline. I felt like my internet MUST be broken.

How, oh how, could Mr. Pritchard fail to cash in on RLEC? How. Could. He. Let. It. Just. Expire. Whoa is Blazernation.

Many of us thought: KP's gunshy. He's lost his nerve. He overvalues his players. Missed opportunity. His first big mistake. Sure, the Blazers could have a little cap space this summer as a result. Maybe $7 million or so.

But how the h-e-double-hockey-sticks could $7 mil in cap space be worth more than a $12 million expiring deal partially paid with insurance money Paul Allen doesn't need? In this economy?!? Wasn't everybody, somebody, ANYBODY desperate for that golden ticket?

The answer? Probably.

But not as desperate as they're going to be this summer for that cap space.

As Hollinger explains today, the cap next year will likely be about $5-6 mil below where it was expected to be. That means teams planned on being able to spend $5-6 mil more and still get revenue sharing.

That means between the lost revenue sharing and the luxury tax bill, teams that planned to under the cap spending $75 mil or so on their 2009-2010 payroll could stand to lose $10-15 million (or more) due to the shrinking cap. That's $10-15 million they absolutely cannot, cannot, cannot afford.

You're a small market owner. You thought $75 million would put you under the cap. Oops. It won't. Suddenly you're $5 million into luxury tax hell. You have to escape.

The upshot? You're DESPERATE to shave off $5 million in cap space this summer.

Hollinger mentions several scenarios in the article where, essentially, teams would give away their top-three pick just to shave off that little bit of dough.

How much cap space will the Blazers have? Oh, about $7 mil. Doesn't sound like a lot.

But that's enough to get other teams under the cap and take advantage of all that desperation.

How many teams are in similar situations? Very few. How many of those are willing to take on extra money? Even fewer.

Maybe KP's not slipping just yet, after all...

Excuse me, waiter? I'll have the Salmons, please...

KP Corleone — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:32:32 -0000

Depending on how into the trade deadline scene you are (I know, it was SOOO 2008), you've probably heard between ten and two-hundred names tossed around in trade rumors.

One of the more concrete? John Salmons. Rip City Reign made a case for him last week.

The Salmons idea has generally been met with a large dose indifference. As jksnake said, "I’m not anti-Salmons but the deal doesn’t get me super-excited either." Ditto for most of the Edge.

He's not sexy. He's like the girl in the 80's movie wearing the horn-rimmed glasses with her hair up in a bun.

Why? Because he played for a football school (Miami). Because he was a late first round pick. Because he plays for the Sac-town Sackofpoo.

But Salmons would be a nice, affordable piece for this team, and he would fit in perfectly.

First, look at the numbers. Salmons TS% is 57.1. Strong to very strong. "Power" forwards are supposed to score more efficiently than wing players, and LMA has a TS% of 52.1. Trout is having a career year from three, and consequently a career year in terms of TS%. But at 53.7, his TS% is still FAR behind Salmons.

Salmons is more comparable to the gold standard, B-Roy. Roy has a TS% of 56.4. (Don't get me wrong - Salmons is not Roy. But he scores as efficiently as Roy.)

But what we need is defense, right? Let's look to Hollinger's scouting report. Here's what he says about Salmons D:

In addition to his slashing ability, Salmons is a very good defender who can guard three positions. He's quick and has good size at 6-7, and ranked in the top third of shooting guards in both blocks and steals per minute. The Kings often used him as the primary stopper against elite scorers, even when Ron Artest was on the court with him, and he held his own in those matchups.

So, basically, what I'm saying is screw Hollywood. The Blazers don't need a big name (Richard Jefferson). They don't need somebody with a ring (Tayshaun). They don't need a leader (Butler). The latter two of those guys would be great, but that's why they're probably untouchable.

The Blazers need a guy who can step into the three spot, play solid D, and score efficiently given the opportunity. That guy could be John Salmons. I wouldn't give up Bayless or Rudy, but if Trout or Martell + RLEC could get a deal done, the trigger needs to be pulled.

Poll

How would a little Salmons work as a new ingredient in the cake?

Nicely. Once you let the hair down and lose the glasses, those girls in 80's movies are always hot.

39 votes

Meh. I'm still indifferent. Numbers are fishy.

35 votes

Poorly. Sacramento has mercury in the water. If you like kids without ears or noses, eat up.

27 votes

101 votes | Poll has closed

2K9 Trade Drawer, aka The "Wright" Stuff

KP Corleone — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:27:37 -0000

You may recall that, way back in the mid-eighties, when many of us were either in diapers or elementary school (hopefully not both), or just a gleam in our parents' eye, a ground-breaking rhymic sensation that called themselves New Kids On The Block ("NKOTB" - you may recall all the "I heart NKOTB" buttons; that was back when it was normal to wear buttons outside of TGI Fridays) released a smash hit called "You Got It (The Wright Stuff)."

It was misspelled on their album cover, unfortunately - obscuring the fact that the classic anthem was actually about potential trade prospects for the Blazers prior to the '09 trading deadline. We should've known.

Flash forward to the present. Now, the official NKOTB website has an announcement: "We're back."

All this time, the world has been waiting. And, it just so happens the best two available young players to provide some depth and rebounding at the SF/PF spots are Julian Wright and Brandan Wright.

Coincidence? No. NKOTB foresaw more than the future of pop... they foresaw that Channing Frye, Travis Outlaw, and Ike Diagu would not be the longterm answer for a young dynasty developing in PDX.

Hollinger had this to say today about Julian Wright, the young Hornets SF who looked great last year in limited minutes but can't seem to crack Byron Scott's rotation at all this season.

In looking at the non-Lakers contenders in the West, one important question is: Which teams have the pieces in place to make further upgrades to their rosters? With that in mind, here's a name to file away: Julian Wright.

Wright is a talented forward for the Hornets who can handle the ball, defend, rebound and score in transition. He's also not playing. The Hornets are big on floor spacing so that Chris Paul has plenty of room for his pick-and-roll magic, and Wright can't shoot. He's also had some difficulty remembering assignments, according to recent comments by coach Byron Scott, and that might also be affecting his playing time.

Either way, it makes him an interesting commodity as we head toward the trade deadline. The Hornets don't have large expiring contracts or other enticements to put into a deal for some much-needed frontcourt help -- if they do anything, it's with Wright as the bait. I wouldn't expect New Orleans to surrender him cheaply, but if the Hornets make any deals, he almost has to be the centerpiece.

Meanwhile, Brother Brandan (listed as a SF for some reason but really a pure PF) has been mired on the bench for much of the season in Golden State, and when he has played his PER has been through the roof at almost 20. He has also been mentioned (more directly) by the media as being on the market.

Which guy would you be interested in, if either? Would another "prospect" with "potential" be one (or two, or four) too many?

Here's a potential deal: Channing Frye (maybe plus the rights to the Finn) for Julian plus filler.

Here's another: Travis Outlaw (though they might be more interested in Sergio) for Brandan plus filler.

Poll

Which deal whets your pallet?

Channing for Julian. Good prospect, Channing's gone anyway, seize the opportunity.

22 votes

Trout for Brandan. Love you Travis, but you gots to go, we need at least one PF who's not allergic to glass.

7 votes

Both deals - they work in tandem. Ship out a PF and a SF, bring one of each back.

19 votes

For the last time... NO %#$&@ TRADES!!!!

32 votes

80 votes | Poll has closed