1) Summertime is the right time ...

First of all, I think it's pretty clear that KP isn't afraid to pull the trigger and make a big trade, but so far, all of his big deals have come during the Summer, either during the Draft itself (Brandon, LaMarcus, Sergio, Rudy, Jerryd etc.) or just after (Channing). Once the season has started, it's been all about just learning to play together.

Each of the past couple years, there have been significant new additions to incorporate. Two years ago, Brandon took over as the starting SG. Last year, LaMarcus took over as the starting PF. This year, not only are Greg and Rudy getting big minutes, but Nicolas is starting at SF, and Martell hasn't played a game yet. That means that when Martell comes back (December 5th ?), there will be yet another adjustment period for the team.

Making a trade during the Summer is MUCH less risky. There are literally months to incorporate a new player into your system, and even so, there still might be an adjustment period once the season starts. Look at how much LaMarcus has struggled so far this season. It will likely take some time for LaMarcus to be able to learn when to assert himself when he and Greg are on the floor together, and it will probably take even longer for Greg's game and LaMarcus' game to really compliment each other.

2) Depth is a GOOD thing ...

The NBA Season is very long, and there are lots of injuries on every team. Before Greg had even played a game, there were several people over the Summer saying that Joel was now expendable. What are those people saying now ? Not only is it important having a player like Joel on the roster when things like a foot sprain cause Greg  to miss two weeks, but over the last four games, Joel and Greg have combined to score 98 points (24.5 per game), grab 65 rebounds (16.25 per game) and block 16 shots (4 per game).

3) Competition is a REALLY GOOD thing ...

Jerryd Bayless hasn't played any meaningful minutes so far this season, but when you watch Sergio play, you should probably give Jerryd at least a little credit. Even before ttraining camp started, it was documented how hard Jerryd and Sergio were going at each other during the scrimmages.

Jerryd is making Sergio a better player.

When you look at how Sergio is able to handle pressure defense, you can imagine the number of hours he's had Jerryd right up in his grill. When you look at how much improved Sergio's defense looks, you can imagine the number of hours that he's had to try to stop Jerryd from driving around (or through) him.

4) Every player on this year's roster  is important ... THIS year

The Blazers motto this Season is 15=16. All 15 players are important. All 15 players contribute. However, only some of the contributions are seen during the games. Will next year's roster be the same ? Absolutely not. There will likely be one significant player brought in next Summer. That player will certainly be a key rotation player, and might even be a Starter, depending upon where that person best fits in, but I doubt that there will be as many significant roster changes as there were this year.

Phil

The Blazers started a tradition last year by making a conscious decision to stop using the terms "Starters" and "Reserves". The players on the court at the beginning of the game became the "Black" Unit and the next group of five players to come in became the "White" Unit, referencing the color of their practice jerseys.

It's actually not too well publicized, but the other five players, who wore red practice jerseys, were secretly called the "Mighty McBob's", mostly by the members of the White and Black Units, but I digress ...

The current members of the Black Unit are:

Joel - C
LaMarcus - PF
Nicolas - SF
Brandon - SG
Steve - PG

The current members of the White Unit are:

Greg - C
Channing - PF
Travis - SF
Rudy - SG
Sergio - PG

In the 4th Quarter, when it's Crunch Time, the Blazers bring out yet another combination that has lit up the scoreboard for over 30 points in the last two games. In the 4th Quarter, the Blazers turn to their "WIN" UNIT

LaMarcus - C
Travis - PF
Rudy - SF
Brandon - SG
Sergio / Steve - PG

Phil

The Blazers are not at full strength, and they still have more than a few weaknesses to address. However, they're winning. They've played some very good teams, but they're finding a way to play well enough to win.

Why do so many people seem to care more about the number of minutes their favorite player is getting, rather than the final score ? Why should it matter ?

Does it matter whether it's Sergio hitting a "3" rather than Steve ? It's still three points for the Blazers, right ?

If Sergio plays 30 minutes, has 15 assists and 12 points, but the Blazers lose, is that going to be OK for all of the Sergio fans ? What if the Blazers win, but Sergio only plays 5 minutes ? Is that going to feel like a hollow victory ?

I'm a big fan of Sergio, and I would like nothing better than for him to play well enough to be able to win the Starting job. For that to happen, Sergio would really have to improve, but that would be great for the Blazers, because players playing better should lead to more victories.

If Sergio was to win the Starting job, then I'd be rooting for Steve to get better and take it right back ...

I like all of the Blazer players, but I like the Wins a heckuva lot more !

Phil

There is a pattern to the vast majority of trade suggestions that pop up on this site. Invariably, a player (or players) is identified who is either not playing much, or not playing well enough, and a trade is suggested. The trades usually consist of a package of Blazer players, viewed as being completely expendable, offered in exchange for a much better player. The motivation is basically disatisfaction. " ... What can I get for this no-longer-valuable Blazer ? ... " 

The classic example is Ben's post on Sergio ... " What's the absolute minimum that you'd be willing to get back in a trade ? ... "

Sigh ...

Contrast that line of thinking with how KP has approached the draft. First identify a target player of interest, and then determine what has to be done to get that player. The question being asked is " Who do I want ? " That's a very different question from " What can I get ? ". In order to make a trade to get the target player, a valuable player might need to be traded, and then it becomes a question of whether or not the taget player is seen as being worth the price.

Assume for a minute that the Blazers are looking to get a Point Guard. In addition, assume that certain key young players are not going to be available because the price would be way too high (Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Devin Harris, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Jose Calderon, Rodney Stuckey). You could make the argument that one or more of those players might be available in a few years, but neither a top tier PG on a playoff team (Williams, Paul, Parker, Rondo and Calderon) nor a player viewed as the cornerstone of the future (Rose, Harris and Stuckey) are going to be traded unless Brandon Roy is part of the package, and everyone knows that's not going to happen.

With those parameters in place, the question is " ... Who do you want ? "

Make a case for the Point Guard you'd like to see in Blazer uniform this year before the Trade deadline.

Phil

The Blazers won 41 games last year without Greg, and they're at .500 so far this year with both Greg (other than 13 minutes) and Martell nursing injuries. The Blazers are not just one of the youngest teams in the NBA, but they're one of the deepest. The NBA season is a long grind, and having the depth to be able to overcome injuries is obviously very important. However, that's only one reason why depth is so important.

KP and Nate both talked during the Summer about how it was great that there was going to be some much needed competition for playing time this year. Having depth forces players to play to the best of their ability. They have to earn their playing time.

Why are so many people so anxious for the Blazers to trade players when they're not starting ? It's KP's job to stock the Blazers roster with players who can play. If there's someone who's good enough to play, but isn't getting minutes simply because someone else is playing better, then KP has done his job.

Why is Sergio getting limited minutes ? Steve is better at doing the things that Nate needs from the starting PG (defense, running the offense, taking care of the ball & hitting open shots). Why is Jerryd getting essentially no minutes ? Sergio is better at running the offense than Jerryd right now.

When Martell comes back, does that mean that Nicolas might go from the Starting unit, to seeing only spot minutes ? Probably. Nicolas has been doing a great job, and has actually been much better at hitting the open shot than anyone could have hoped, but Martell will likely be back in the Starting lineup once he's able to play.

What if the Blazers decide that Nicolas needs to play, and that Travis is better as a PF than a SF ? That might result in Channing getting little to no minutes. In all scenarios, a player who can play (and play well) is likely to get little action due to depth.

What's wrong with that ?

If a player isn't playing, then it's up to them to improve enough to force their way into the rotation. Despite the fact that people seem to like conspiracy theories, Nate is like every coach in the NBA. The players who are playing the best will play, and it won't be a surprise to anyone. At the start of the pre-Season when Steve pulled his hamstring, people were surprised to find out that Sergio was number 2 on the depth chart at PG. However, none of the players seemed surprised. Sergio was playing better than Jerryd, and everyone knew it. Jerryd didn't like it, but it's up to him to learn to run the team well enough in order to be able to take minutes away from Sergio.

Depth is a huge asset for the Blazers right now. The Blazers shouldn't trade anyone just because they're not playing. If the Blazers can make a trade to improve themselves, then that's something to consider. However, is anyone naive enough to think that KP is going to make a trade to "solve"  a logjam at a particular position ? Depth isn't a problem, it's a luxury. Reducing depth would make the Blazers weaker, and more susceptible to injuries. KP is way too smart to even consider some of the ridiculous knee-jerk trades that have been suggested after only six games, with two key players still sitting on the sidelines in street clothes.

If the Blazers do make a trade, it's very likely that their depth will stay the same. Suppose that the Blazers trade RLEC and one of their young players. They're likely to get back a key rotation player. The bottom line is that Blazer fans should get used to seeing "good" players who are not getting much playing time. Having players on the bench, who belong on the bench is a very bad thing. Steven Hill lost out in his bid to get a roster spot with the Blazers because the coaching staff felt that Shavlik was a player who might be able to come in and play if needed. Steven was seen as more of a project. Steven would have been a bench player who belonged on the bench, at least at this point in his career.

Depth is something that KP has worked very hard to achieve for the Blazers, and hopefully that depth will continue to be an asset for years to some. That's not to say that there won't be some changes to the roster, but I trust that KP will continue to bring in players who are going to provide competition for both roster spots and playing time.

Phil

When you take a look at the Blazers roster, you have to believe that most of the positions are set:

Center: Greg & Joel - The Blazers are extremely fortunate. Injuries and foul trouble are a part of life in the NBA, and having two quality Centers is a luxury.

Shooting Guard: Brandon & Rudy - Once again, I can't think of a team with better depth at the "2". I think over time, the two of them will play together more, and once they are better able to take advantage of their strengths, they're going to cause a lots of sleepless nights for opposing coaches.

Power Forward: LaMarcus & Channing (& Travis ?) - Both Travis and Channing have been mentioned quite a bit in trade rumors, but at least one of them will undoubtedly be kept. I think either one of them can do a more than adequate job of backing up LaMarcus.

Small Foward: Nicolas, Travis & Martell - This was once a position of concern, but once Martell comes back, this could actually be a position that will be set for the foreseeable future. Who starts and who finishes ? Will it matter ? Even though his minutes are likely to dwindle to almost nothing, Nicolas might end up getting credit for getting Travis and Martell to focus on defense and rebounding first.

So, that leaves only one position ....

Point Guard: Steve, Sergio, Brandon, Rudy & Jerryd ? - The fact that there's so many possibilities, and no clear cut answer for the future says it all.

Steve would be perfect in the role that Joel has - an experienced, steady young veteran, who can start when needed. Steve provides leadership, and is everything you would want in a teammate, but he has his limitations. To his credit, Steve became a very good spot-up shooter last year when Brandon wanted the ball in his hands. Steve's a decent defender, but probably not good enough. Steve doesn't look to get his own shot, and that's good, because that's not ever going to be a part of his game.

Sergio is not nearly as good of a defender as Steve, and that's a big concerm, since it's pretty clear that Steve isn't good enough. Sergio also is not nearly as good of a spot-up shooter as Steve, but probably isn't any worse at trying to get his own shot. Unfortunately, that just means that he can't. Sergio would be great in an uptempo system playing for a coach that didn't mind occasional turnovers. That's never going to be the Blazers. If Sergio isn't happy with a role of being a change-of-pace PG, then he's the most likely of the PG's to be moved.

Brandon will always play the Point in crunch time, but I'm not sure that he'll ever be the full time PG. However, Brandon will determine who plays the PG for the Blazers. The PG of the future for the Blazers will not only need to play well with Brandon, but will need to defer to Brandon during all of the most critical game situations. One thing that I don't think will happen, however, is Brandon checking opposing PG's, even when he's running the Point.

Rudy handled the Point at times during the Gold Medal game, but when he and Brandon have been in the game together, Brandon has always initiated the offense. I like how Rudy moves his feet on defense, and against Phoenix, I thought he did as good of a job against Steve Nash as anyone else for the Blazers. I would like to see what Rudy could do at the Point for the Blazers. Hopefully, he'll get the chance, but I think Rudy will continue with his current role - check the opposing PG when he and Brandon are in the game together, but defer to Brandon on offense during those stretches of the game.

Jerryd is probably last on the depth chart at Point for the Blazers right now, but he has all of the tools to be everything that the Blazers need. Jerryd is probably the best defender right now, and he'll get better as he gets more experience. Jerryd also is able to get his own shot better than anyone in the backcourt not named Brandon. Jerryd is a very good spot-up shooter, but he does not get the ball where it needs to get to very quickly. Jerryd doesn't look like a natural PG. However, the Blazers desperately need Jerryd to develop into a PG. Jerryd has all of the physical tools to be the perfect Point opposite Brandon, but he has a long ways to go.

The question is, who could the Blazers realistically trade for who would end up being better than Jerryd could become ? How quickly can Jerryd learn to effectively run the team  ? If this were two years ago, Jerryd would be playing, because the Blazers would be willing to let him develop, knowing that the Playoffs were not realistic. Times have changed. Jerryd needs to learn how to be a PG, but the Blazers can't afford to lose games while he does so.

Poll

Who will be the Starting PG for the Blazers next year ?

41%

Jerryd Bayless

76 votes

12%

Steve Blake

23 votes

10%

Sergio Rodriguez

19 votes

1%

Brandon Roy

3 votes

7%

Rudy Fernandez

14 votes

25%

Someone Else ?

47 votes

182 votes | Poll has closed

LaMarcus has played 105 minutes in the first 3 games, and he has a whopping 6 Free Throw Attempts (2 per game), and 15 Rebounds, of which only 8 are on the Defensive glass (less than 3 per game).   Brandon leads the Blazers with 13 Free Throw Attempts (of which he's made 11, which is ~ 85% - much better than last year !)   Joel (obviously) leads the Blazers with 27 Rebounds, of which 19 are Defensive (over 6 per game), in only 78 minutes of action. Joel has also been to the line 7 times, even though he's only had 6 Field Goal Attempts (to LaMarcus' 52 FGA's !!!!!)   Here's another way to look at the difference, Joel gets a rebound once every 2.9 minutes that he's out on the floor. LaMarcus only gets a rebound once every 7 minutes !!!!!   LaMarcus and Brandon have played nearly the same number of minutes (105 to 110), and have taken nearly the same number of shots (51 to 52), but Brandon has more than twice the number of Free Throw Attempts, as a Guard, than LaMarcus does as a Power Forward. Is LaMarcus going to get better at drawing fouls and grabbing rebounds ?   I think that this is a BIG issue .... LaMarcus has so much skill, but he's got to put more pressure on the opposing PF's. He's got to win the physical battles .... Phil

At the end of last year, when Nate indicated that Travis was going to have play exclusively at the "3" this year, some people assumed that meant that Travis was being handed the starting SF position. I always assumed it meant that there wouldn't be any minutes at the "4" this year. Mr 4th Quarter did a lot of his damage as a PF with LaMarcus playing Center. Travis is getting the opportunity to play some PF right now with Greg out, but eventually both Greg and Martell will be back. The big question is ...

 

 

Poll

Is Travis more effective as a PF (for the White Unit) than a SF ?

17%

Yes, and this means that Channing will not get many minutes after Martell comes back

11 votes

53%

Yes, but Channing will still back up LaMarcus, and Travis might be headed out the door by the trade deadline

34 votes

10%

No, and that's why Nicolas will sit once Martell comes back

7 votes

18%

No, but Nicolas is the SF of the future, and Travis has hit his ceiling

12 votes

64 votes | Poll has closed