SB Nation User Blog: TheGreatDane17

Adrian Gonzalez - Questions from a Padre Fan

TheGreatDane17 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:36:20 -0000

Congratulations on landing Strasburg. Was a pleasure to watch him excel this year at SDSU. I am not going to lie, I was hoping you could not get a deal done. Sorry about that :) We(The Padres) are currently in a pickle in that we don't want to spend money, seems like we never do. After hiring the young Jed Hoyer away from Boston, talk around town is that Adrian Gonzalez may be traded. Consecutive gold glove wins over Albert Pujols, went for 40HR & his BB numbers were astounding. What value does he have to the Nationals? Because I really would hate to see him moved to a team like the Red Sox or ugh Mets.

What do you think the chances are the Padres could put a package together to send A-Gonz to DC & send Strasburg back home. If you noticed last year, the Padres have them self quite a young pitching talent in Mat Latos - Not Strasburg type of course but a talented young player none the less. Padres are also trying to rid themselfs of the towering Chris Young, who has proven when healthy to be a hell of a pitcher. So let me ask you, do you think the Padres got the stuff to put a package together to bring Strasburg back home?

Thanks for your time & take it easy on me.

Poll

Could the Padres acquire Strasburg with a package of players, starting with A-Gonz? If so, who would you want in addition to Adrian?

Yes

7 votes

No

17 votes

24 votes | Poll has closed

Rubio trying to send a message?..

TheGreatDane17 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:51:17 -0000

Rubio trying to send a message?..

As some already know Ricky Rubio the Über talented young Spanish Point Guard. Known for his knowledge of the game & defense, recently signed with Real Madrid. Drafted 5th overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Minnesota T'Wolves. Let me ask you a question. Who are the two biggest names in the history of the Real Madrid Basketball team? Arvydas Sabonis(Blazer) & Dražen Petrović(Blazer) Among the teams he mentioned that he would like to be a part of pre draft(in the midst of many big market teams) was Portland. Playing along side his countryman, knows this team needs a PG... Rumors were flying about Pritchard attempting to move up, for the Wizards #5 pick(Costed the T'Wolves Mike Miller & Randy Foye, talent I believe the Blazers could matched or exceeded). Numerous times by the Blazers staff they have mentioned that Rubio has been on their radar for years. It is quite scary to think how far ahead he is, compared to Tony Parker when he came over from France. What do you think it would cost the Blazers to acquire the rights to Ricky? I have a feeling Przybilla going back to his home-state would be involved as their backup pivotman.

What a wonderful day at the Portland Antique Show, at the Expo center. I was meandering the rows,...

TheGreatDane17 — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:59:23 -0000

What a wonderful day at the Portland Antique Show, at the Expo center. I was meandering the rows, looking for Blazers merchandise as I do every year. Leaned up against a wall in the back, I I found the latest addition to my collection.

Feast your eyes on a Limited Edition Sabas Rookie Poster, framed. For ONLY 10 $ I was truly excited, it is already hung up on my wall. Tell me your thoughts on it & since its the off-season feel free to reminisce about classic Sabonis moments.

Question about the Spaniards...............

TheGreatDane17 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:11:52 -0000

Question about the Spaniards...............

Take a look at what Pau Gasol looked like as a rookie... http://www.nba.com/media/gasol1_627.jpg(For some reason I can't link 3+ photo's on Blazers edge) Now look at him... I mean, Rudy already has a pretty decent beard. What is he going to look like, when he is 30+?

The "Icing On The Cake" Revealed

TheGreatDane17 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:37:01 -0000

Pritchard was planning something big, something that will use our free cap space this year. It appears Turkoglu is going to get signed, by the Blazers. But is he going to play for the Blazers? I am wondering to my self, how much of a better fit would The Matrix be ? He looked much better in Toronto then Miami. His per game average has some pretty good company .(Kersey, KG, Nance)

Turkoglu VS Marion

Turkoglu - Better passer, Better shooter.

Marion - Far better defender, Superior(+3rpg) rebounder. A much more effecient player(1.8TOV vs 2.6TOV. Does not need the ball in his hands to be effective, will benefit from having Portland's post presence(Never really played with dominant posts in his career).

They compliment each other very well in my opinion, because they are both so effecient, but play different games. Roy's passing game compliments Marion's rebounding & defense. He doesn't need the ball in his hands nearly as much as Turkoglu does. Since Roy is usually just the shooter on the fast breaks, Marion would provide some versatility in that regard that we simply do not have right now. Would allow for a much more effective team fast break. He is miles ahead defensively(Over Turkoglu) & I think could help Batum develop some veteran defensive tricks early in his career. Yes his rebounds will be down because of our post presence, but I think he will really benefit from them defensively. Especially since he is now 30(Getting increasingly more effecient) & Marion has never really played with "dominant" big men before. I would not mind letting him also backup Aldridge. I don't have any doubts he would be more effective then Frye, Outlaw or Turkoglu !

Seeking records of team pace info

TheGreatDane17 — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:14:12 -0000

Seeking records of team pace info

I would like to see the average stats of players on the teams that are historically slow like ours. Anyone know where I can find that?

Warren Moon Celebrity Bowling Event(Oden's been gambling)

TheGreatDane17 — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:09:02 -0000

Warren Moon Celebrity Bowling Event(Oden's been gambling)

This weekend was the Warren Moon Celevrity Bowling Event in Las Vegas. The event raised money for scholarships for kids who dont have the chance to go. Friday there was a recption and interviews, saturday was the event then after party. There was alot of celebrities there i had a great time plus it was my first time in Vegas since ive been 21. I didnt lose too much money but im not gonna lie i really like blackjack. Im very thankful to Warren Moon for inviting me to the event. Barkley was another big man who gambles & he had a nice career(probably didn't have the surrounding talent Oden does)...

Warren Moon Celebrity Bowling Event

Roy's 52 Point Game - Legendary?

TheGreatDane17 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:35:02 -0000

Roy's 52 Point Game - Legendary?

Only Jordan, Kobe & LeBron have recorded games of a similar caliber.

The Real PG Of The Future

TheGreatDane17 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:40:20 -0000

The Real PG Of The Future

Jamelle McMillan SUN DEVIL DATA:Pure point guard who improved who progressed last year and made some big shots down the stretch, as you will see in other's bios that "best clutch shot" is answered by a few as Jamelle's left-handed drive in Tucson. With just over two minutes to play and the shot clock winding down and ASU leading by six, McMillan drove the lane and used the hoops as a protector to give ASU an eight-point lead (57-49) that would be the last field goal ASU would score in its come-from-behind win at Tucson on Feb. 11, marking ASU's first sweep of the Wildcats since 1995. Had a great summer experience, as he spent 16 days with Team USA in China as dad Nate was an assistant coach. One of the top point guard recruits on the west coast from last year who led his high school team to three state titles (2007, 2005 and 2004) in his four years and gained a reputation as a great lockdown defender and a terrific distributor. Once scored 64 points in Boys & Girls Club game...okay, it was second grade, but you get the feeling of how long he has been around the game. Played high school hoops in the talent-rich Seattle area and his team won more than 100 games in his four years. Last summer, in its "Best of the Pac-10" with regards to recruiting classes, Rivals.com gave McMillan its best defender award. He is the son of former NBA player and current Portland Trail Blazer head coach Nate McMillan and was ranked as the top point guard on the west coast by Rivals.com and was No. 99 overall player by Scout.com heading into last year.

The Case For Ron-Ron

TheGreatDane17 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:22:44 -0000

In this post I am going to be making my case for the Blazers to sign Ron Artest. Rather then other 10 million dollar options, like Andre Miller, Kirk Hinrich or Hedo Turkoglu.

Ron Artest

Offense: Compared to Turkoglu(A name often thrown around as someone the Blazers could sign at the 3). Shot selection(.401% last year, but .453% in Sacramento the year before). Regular season wise, not much worse then Turkoglu(.413%). A better 3pt shooter(.399% with 5.2 3's per game) then Turkoglu(.356% with 4.9 3's per game). Was not very clutch last year(As we know, that is Roy's department. At that point, Artest should be focused on shutting down the opposing SF), but the Rockets didn't have many close contests, so its tough to tell. A usage rate of 22, compared to Tony Parker who logged 30 average on the season. With the scorers here & McMillan as coach, I think his shooting % goes back up, somewhere between .425%-.450%
Defense: Intense, borderline crazy. Very strong. Very active. Great post defender against other SF's(Just about the only SF in the NBA who can post him up is LeBron). Holds opposing 3's to an average of 12.3 PER rating, while he puts up 17.6 PER. Won defensive player of the year in 2003-2004. It is debateable but I would say he is top 3 at defending the SF spot in the NBA.(Behind LeBron, Pierce). High number of steals, while not gambling too much.
Artest's Insanity: He is very crazy. That is for sure. However, plenty of crazy people have had great success in the NBA. Dennis Rodman(Multiple championships) in the 90's & most recently, Kevin Garnett(NBA Champion 2007-2008). I don't think he is an issue off the court, seems to have matured since the suspension.
Minutes/Shot Distribution: How it would work. Lets look back to 2007-2008, Outlaw took 11.8 shots per game, Webster took 8.7 shots per game. Artest is a better 3pt shooter then both Outlaw & Webster. Better rebounder, better defender & a better passer. Give Artest 15 shots per game, 35mpg(Can also play some 4, at least as much as Outlaw did, but more on that in a bit). Between the salaries of Outlaw/Webster potentially being gone, we can cover Artest pretty well in that department. Give him a two year deal, with the 3rd being a team option.
Versatility: I see him most definitely being able to have more success sliding to the 4 when Aldridge is out, then Outlaw did. He can do the same thing Outlaw did, in terms of attempting to drag the opposing 4 out to the 3 line, but again Artest is better from deep.
Added Bonuses: Opens the championship window next year. Camp competition. Batum; Teaches him he needs to bulk up if he is going to stand a chance against the bigger 3's of the NBA. Oden; Forces his hands to become better when handling the ball in the post, when Ron-Ron is attempting to slap it out of his hands down low. Roy; Would provide him a bigger/tougher perimeter defender to compete against then we have on the roster, think of Artest as a medicine ball. Roy will be better prepared to score/defend against bigger players & when he goes against smaller players, even more domination. Has the utmost respect for Roy.

via images.nicekicks.com