SB Nation User Blog: ajinoregon

Did Pritchard "Jump the Shark" this past off-season?

ajinoregon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:55:16 -0000

Did Pritchard "Jump the Shark" this past off-season?

It used to be that the Blazers had this major piece (RLEC - Reaf) that was going to allow them to make a major impact move. It was part of their tremendous potential. Then we end up with Andre Miller.

I hate to say it, but I think the Blazers may have "jumped the shark" in the off-season, and it's Pritchard's fault. I supported him on the Turkoglu attempt. But after that fell through he should have had the balls to risk letting our cap-space go to waste. If he had waited (instead of jumping on Miller - who is old & doesn't fit) the Blazers WOULD have clearly been able to out-bid everyone in Ramon Session's restricted free-agency. We would have a legit, young, up & coming, true point guard.

Then - in the draft Pritchard should have had the balls to take DaJuan Blair. We had two shots at him - Could have gotten Victor with the first pick and STILL gotten Blair with our second pick!! Pritchard got Pritch-Slapped by San Antonio, along with the rest of the league, on that one. Imagine Blair cleaning the glass like a vacuum cleaner on the second unit and scoring points in the paint instead of Travis Outlaw jacking up jump shots and never rebounding. I believe Blair is putting up numbers similar or better than Oden right now. Well at least we have Jeff Pendegraph.

Or how about Ty Lawson?? Couldn't we have traded up a few spots to get him (given all the assets we had)?? I would much rather have Ty Lawson as our back-up point guard than Andre Miller.

I like Pritchard. He has made some good moves in the past - getting Roy, Aldridge, and Rudy for us. Drafting Oden over Durant was clearly a mistake (lets just be honest about it, shall we?) but I can't blame him for that one. But the bottom-line is that this team as currently constituted will likely not succeed at the level Blazer fans expect, and it's up to Pritchard to redeem himself by making an impactful early-season or mid-season trade. (May I suggest Travis Outlaw be included?)

Pritchard I love ya, but if you don't man-up and make a big move soon, you may find yourself out on your a$$ along with McMillan in a couple years.

Also - McMillan is rapidly losing my support. I'd hate to see him fired in the middle of the season, but if this season continues to go down-hill, I would support a change at the end of the year.

Ok all you patient, level-headed, B-Edgers out there. Let me have it. :)

Trade Drawer - Independence Day, Post Hedon't Edition

ajinoregon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:08:58 -0000

On this July 4th many of you are celebrating the Blazers' independence from Hedo and his bloated contract. As I was one of the earliest and most ardent supporters of Hedo becoming a Blazer, unfortunately I don't have the luxury of saying, "I never really wanted him here anyway." But regardless of where you stood on the Hedo/Hedon't debate over whether He fit with Portland, its time to get up, dust ourselves off and intrepidly look to the future.

Ever since it became clear that he Hedo is a money-grubbing, duplicitous, douche who can't stand up to his wife....aahheeemm....I mean ever since it became clear that Portland was not the best destination for Hedo and his family, (sorry, it still hurts) I've been trying to fill the void with some genuine hope that KP can come up with a move that makes us all say that this whole episode turned out for the best.

And my mind keeps coming back to something I read from a recent Wendell Maxey post about the Nets being willing to consider offers for Devin Harris.

"Back to Devin Harris real quick: would you like to see him running the break with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge? Many would. Because he could have been had on draft night. The New Jersey Nets were reportedly shopping him for expiring contracts and draft picks. Not sure if he is still on the market, but it’s worth Kevin Pritchard inquiring about with Rod Thorn." 7/2/09 Beyond the Beat

To me, a move of this magnitude would be just about the only thing that would erase the sting of Hedo leaving us at the alter. So I'm wondering what you think it would take to pull it off. Personally I'd be willing to part with Rudy, Outlaw, and Bayless if it meant getting a young All-Star point guard like Devin Harris. I'll admit that I don't know whether this could be achieved under the trade/salary cap rules. Maybe you can help me out with that. It doesn't work using the trade machine, but I doubt that means it couldn't be done somehow (ie: exceptions).

Anyway, this isn't just focused on Devin Harris. I'd love to hear all ideas for lopsided trades and other moves that KP could consider. As Dave pointed out, "This may be the biggest challenge of KP's career." So lets help our boy out. Thanks.

NBA Admits Referee Mistake in Celtics Game

ajinoregon — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:13:45 -0000

Well not exactly. That is the headline of a story that appears on the Boston Globe web-site:

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2009/01/01/nba_admits_referee_mistake/

Here is what I posted on the site in response to the story:

"This is hilarious. Apparently people in Boston don't understand math or the English language.

QUOTE
NBA Admits Referee Mistake
"While the NBA's head of officials admitted that an "unfortunate incident" affected the Celtics' 91-86 loss at Portland Tuesday, the game's result will not be changed."
END QUOTE

First to the math -- How could the result of a five point loss be reversed due to a play that only cost Celtics two points?

Now to the English language -- The contents of this article contradict the headline and the very basis of the story. According to the article, the NBA did not admit any mistake. They said, "the play was administered properly by our crew."

Yes it was an "unfortunate incident" for the Celtics, and maybe the rule should be changed in the off-season, maybe not.

What a joke of an "article".

Rip City "

I felt so strongly about this that I e-mailed Marc Spears the author of the article and copied my post into the e-mail. He was nice enough to respond to my e-mail (which I respect very much) and here's what he wrote:

"I don't write the headlines. Happy new year. Celtics believe mistake ruined momentum they had going.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld."

He makes a decent point that he doesn't write the headlines, but some Bostonian did, and the thesis of the article is pretty clear even without the headline. I still maintain it is an article in search of a story.

Here is a link to the Boston Globe article about the game, written by Spears in which Doc Rivers admits that his players let that call affect them for the resto of the game:

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/12/31/blazers_rattle_celtics/

Here is what I posted in response to that article:

What is the point of all the whining about that one call? It only netted the Blazers one point, and the Celtics lost the game by five. Rivers admitted that the one call took the players out of the game, and yet they were still whining about it after the game, eventhough it didn't even affect the outcome. This is the mentally tough Championship team?

I used to root for Garnett, but now it has become clear to everyone around the league that he is a punk player. The way he tried to slap around LaMarcus Aldridge was one small example. Some players mature and mellow after winning a Ring, Garnett has done the opposite, and that doesn't say much about his character.

Do Boston fans realize that Garnett's antics are quickly making him the biggest joke around the NBA? He acts like a tough guy when everybody knows he's probably never been in a real fight in his life. He was reportedly staring down Blazer players as they walked through the tunnel at the end of the game - what a joke. He knows he's protected by the rules of the NBA and by the law. I'd love to see him in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere with either Joel Pryzbilla or Greg Oden.

As a Blazer fan, I look forward to the next few years when the Blazers have Pryzbilla (The Vanilla Gorilla) and big Greg to keep Garnett's mouth shut.

LaMarcus vs Hedo - RLEC (and the "Big 3")

ajinoregon — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:35:33 -0000

I have been reading a lot of posts about RLEC and the possible trades that could be devised around it. People seem to be completely dismissing the possibility of letting the contract expire and using the resulting cap-space to sign a free agent in the off-season. I think this might be the best course of action. I think KP will strongly consider signing Hedo Turkoglu who will be an unrestricted free agent. You may disagree with what follows, but just remember who said it first.

Signing Turkoglu is one of the best possible uses of RLEC.

Everyone wants to make sure that we receive that "major impact player" in exchange for RLEC. Yet everyone seems to be only fixated on the trade possibilities. This is somewhat understandable because the '09 free agent class is not overwhelming, but - what about Hedo Turkoglu?

I think people dismiss him for illogical reasons such as the fact that he is butt-ugly, or perhaps they are just unaware of the level of ball he has been playing over the last few seasons. Here are some facts:

He was voted Most Improved Player last season.

He is currently averaging 17+ points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game this season.

He has shot 43% from 3pt range over his entire career.

He scored 35 points on our Blazers this season.

He is a veteran with solid playoff experience.

Turkoglu and Dwight howard run that team - (which isn't such a bad eastern conference squad.)

Now, everyone likes to talk about teams' "Big Threes." Our Big Three, in order is - 1) Brandon Roy 2) LaMarcus Aldridge - and eventually 3) Greg Oden.

Well, lets take a look at 2) LaMarcus Aldridge's stats:

He is currently averaging 15.8 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and under two assists per game. We all love LaMarcus, and I'm not dissing him. My point is - we can bring in a player on the level of any team's "Big 3" by signing Turkoglu. And yet no one is giving him the time of day (except perhaps KP himself.)

We can debate whether the Small Forward is a position of need at all. (I personally believe that, although we have a tremendous glut of talent at the 3 spot, there is still room to use that position to take our team to the next level.) However, I don't know how anyone could simply overlook the pure numbers that this player could bring to our team.

Please - Tell me where I'm going wrong here. Thanks.

PS - I would keep Batum as the back-up :)

Buffet of Not-So-Goodness?

ajinoregon — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:23:45 -0000

I hate to be negative in any way about our team this year (especially with regard to an interesting and intelligent guy like Channing Frye) But -- it seems to me that Frye is a prime candidate for a mid-season trade:

I had an open mind about Frye coming into this year, but after seeing him play substantial minutes throughout the first month of the season, it has become clear to me that the Blazers will need to make an upgrade at the back-up power forward position in order to get to where they want to be.

Channing will have some good shooting nights along the way, but that doesn't change the fact that he is soft in the post, and he gives away far too many cheap fouls which end up putting us in the penalty too quickly.

Personally, I would love to see the Blazers make a move for David Lee of the Knicks. Here is a player breakdown on him from John Hollinger:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/players/hollinger?playerId=2772&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fplayers%2fhollinger%3fplayerId%3d2772

I'm not an expert at such things, so I don't know how this might be achieved. Hollinger mentions that the Knicks will likely look to trade Lee before next season rather than re-sign him because they are looking to free up additional cap-space.

So, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on whether Channing will be an important contributor to this team long term -- And/Or

If not, who would be a good candidate to fill the back-up power forward position. (ie - possible trade scenarios.)

Poll

Will Channing Frye be a part of the Blazers' future success?

Yes, the Buffet of Goodness will be served up in a Championship run

29 votes

No, the Blazers will need an upgrade at back-up power forward

66 votes

95 votes | Poll has closed

Josh Smith to PDX?

ajinoregon — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:40:03 -0000

Josh Smith is obviously one of the most impressive young talents in the NBA. At just 22 years old, he is already a four year veteran of the NBA with solid playoff experience. The 2005 slam dunk contest winner and defensive specialist at the small forward position would certainly fit in nicely with the Blazers' young athletic group.

According to this article by ESPN's Marc Stein from yesterday, Smith (a restricted free agent) wants out of Atlanta. (The article also talks about the Darius Miles situtation.)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=NBA-Notes-080719

The article mentions a sign and trade as a possibility. While it specifically mentions the Mavericks and Josh Howard as the focus of some speculation, I couldn't help thinking that Portland has a lot to offer in the way of trade fodder. (I'm thinking Martell Webster plus Raef's expiring contract, and maybe other assets such as Sergio, Kopponen, or those four 2009 second round draft picks that the Blazers now own.)

I think Smith would fit in perfectly as the starting small forward for the Blazers. A future line-up of Bayless, Roy, Smith, Aldridge, and Oden would have the entire league shaking in their boots (if they aren't already.)

Here is an article from 7/10/08 that talks about how Smith visited with the Clippers after Elton Brand vacated for Philadelphia.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2008-07-10-moves-roundup_N.htm?csp=34

I realize this is all rank speculation, but it's fun. I hope KP has an eye on this. Let me know what you think.

Finally, here is the relevant text from the first article in case the link doesn't work:

"Josh Smith's increasing reluctance to return to the Atlanta Hawks has little to do with Mike Woodson, despite repeated media suggestions that Smith is eager to play for a new coach.

Smith and Woodson are fine, one confidante insists. Smith's frustration with the Hawks is the slow-moving state of negotiations, with Smith apparently still waiting for a serious contract proposal nearly three weeks into free agency.

Not that this is a grand surprise given the Hawks' rep for spending or a quandary exclusive to Smith. The only team in the league with salary-cap space to throw at premier restricteds such as Smith, Charlotte's Emeka Okafor and Chicago's Luol Deng is the Memphis Grizzlies, who have no plans to make their money available this summer, preferring to focus on trade possibilities. So the Hawks, Bobcats and Bulls are naturally proceeding slowly and conservatively, figuring that their prized assets have limited leverage.

Which is true. Threatening to sign a one-year qualifying offer that would lead to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2009 is pretty much the only way Smith can apply pressure on the Hawks now.

Yet I suspect the sign-and-trade chatter will begin to pick up, maybe in all three cases, with Smith said to be especially eager to move on.

I wonder, for example, if my coaching pal who asked me why the Dallas Mavericks aren't trying to assemble a deal that features former ACC player of the year Josh Howard going to Atlanta in some sort of package for Smith isn't onto something."