SB Nation User Blog: erastus25

Bill Simmons gives JQuick some national recognition.

erastus25 — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:14:10 -0000

Bill Simmons gives JQuick some national recognition.

Scroll about 2/3 of the way down and Bill Simmons makes an interesting point about why Brian Windhorst in Cleveland and Jason Quick in Portland are two of the best beat writers in the NBA. It basically boils down to the fact that they're the only ones who properly use their courtside/locker room access. Hard to argue that considering Quick's recent Behind the Locker Room Door series.

URGENT: 2v2 tourney with Cleveland is TIED!!

erastus25 — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:10:50 -0000

URGENT: 2v2 tourney with Cleveland is TIED!!

I hate to post about this again but the 2v2 NBA Jam style tourney against cleveland on ball don't lie is tied with just a few hours to go. Go and vote everyone!

Don't forget to keep voting in 2v2 against Spurs on BDL!

erastus25 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:23:32 -0000

Don't forget to keep voting in 2v2 against Spurs on BDL!

Blazers have 70% of the vote but there's still another 15 hours to go or so. Don't let the Spurs come back! Keep voting!

Sorry for posting about this again but Ben's reminders are pretty far down the main page now.

Bibby trade rumor...no, seriously....

erastus25 — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:09:40 -0000

Bibby trade rumor...no, seriously....

Scroll down to the Mike Bibby section of the first point. Supposedly KP has been pursuing him. Somehow I doubt it.

Who would you protect in an expansion draft?

erastus25 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:04:18 -0000

There's been a lot of talk in the media about whether or not Seattle deserves to get another NBA team. The most likely scenario would seem to be the relocation of a current franchise (e.g. Da Grizz, Bobcats). The other option would be an expansion franchise.

Another NBA team would be could potentially be an extreme nuisance for our beloved Trail Blazers. Not because it would create NBA competition in the PNW, the team has dealt with that for years, but because it would result in an expansion draft.

Here are the details on how the expansion draft would work:

http://www.insidehoops.com/nba-expansion-rules.shtml

To summarize, each existing NBA team protects 8 players, and the expansion team gets to select any unprotected players. Teams can only lose one player. Unrestricted free agents are considered unaffiliated and thus do not need to be protected. Unsigned draft picks cannot be selected so teams don't need to waste protection on talent stashed overseas. Teams get no compensation for their lost player.

The Bobcats took a number of highly competent role players in 2004, including: Jason Kapono (Cleveland would love to have him right now), Zaza Pachulia and Gerald Wallace. Back in the day, our own Blazers lost Jerome Kersey to the Raptors. Obviously, this becomes a bigger issue for the Blazers than other teams as KP has done an excellent job building a talented roster 10-deep. For example, Imagine if Jack had been swiped in an expansion draft this year prior to the actual draft. All of the sudden KP can't get Jerryd Bayless without giving up a more coveted player. That's a problem.

Soooo...the big question, who would you protect? Here's my list broken down in to categories:

The Obvious:

1. Roy

2. LMA

3. Oden (assuming he's the second coming of Hakeem and not Sam Bowie).

Obvious as long as they perform near or at expectation levels:

4. Outlaw: Talented swingman who could potentially become a good defender and is already a multi-faceted scorer.

5. Rudy: Awesome shooting guard who (if he lives up to the hype) could be a starter most anywhere but is possibly a #3 guard here.

6. Bayless: Starting PG of the future? Only time will tell...

On the bubble:

7. Webster: Blazers need the shooting. Underrated athlete who has shown some potential as a slasher and could also morph into an above average defender. Less valuable than Rudy or Outlaw because he is pretty much locked in to the SF role. If his ball handling improves he could play the 2 guard, but Nate and KP seem to be set on having two combo guards on the floor at most times, so that would preclude Webster.

8. Blake: Has proven he can be an excellent facilitator and was extremely valuable to the offense last year. He'd be my 8th guy because it's always good to have a true PG on the roster, he can shoot the ball well, and if any of the other three guards go down with injury or foul trouble he'd be able to step in seamlessly. If this hypothetical draft occurred a couple years down the road Peteri could easily bump Blake off this spot, especially considering Blake's age. Also, if he's not protected I almost certainly would expect him to be gone. New teams need veteran point guard who have shown they can lead an offense effectively.

On the outside:

Batum: Not proven at this point, but if he pans out he could bump Webster. In addition, somebody else would have to develop into a legit three-point threat. Possibly Outlaw? OTOH, it would be very tough not to protect a young up and comer. He is just the type of guy an expansion team would be looking for.

Joel: Unfortunately, his lack of offensive ability will be his downfall here. I have ranked him above Blake because with the ability of Outlaw, Aldridge and Frye to play multiple positions it's easier for the frontcourt to compensate for injuries or foul trouble to one of the principles. This is especially true if Freeland pans out. Also, it's less likely Joel will be selected as he is slightly older and has little offensive skill. I think there are other guys on the roster that a new team would want more.

Frye: Aldridge clone. Nice guy, good teammate, but you just can't protect a guy who's essentially redundant. I think he would be second on an expansion team's list behind Batum or Blake (whichever isn't protected).

Sergio: He's going to have to show a lot of improvement this year to break the top 10. And if some GM wants to roll the dice with him as a starter, by all means take him!

Did I forget anyone relevant?

This list also ignores contracts as we're not sure when it would be happening. RLEC would actually be surprisingly attractive to an expansion draft as the salary space could be a big asset to a new team. KP could also possibly work out a deal where he can indirectly protect 9 guys by not resigning an unrestricted free agent until after the draft, thereby not wasting a protected spot. He would then be free to sign that guy after the draft. But for the purposes of this exercise I have ignored that fact as we don't know who this would be possible with.

I think the bottom line is that if an expansion draft happens it would mess up some of the excellent work KP has done. It would absolutely suck to give up a valuable role player with a decent trade value, like Blake, for nothing.

A crazy idea to save basketball in Seattle

erastus25 — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:05:11 -0000

Right now, it looks like David Stern is either unable or unwilling to intervene and block the Sonics move to OKC. I, like many fans, think this is a bad PR move, a bad business move and a bad basketball move.

However, there may be a way to save the NBA in Seattle. If Jeff Green and Kevin Durant both go on record saying that they will not play unless they are traded or the move is halted, the Sonics' departure could be stopped. Both players would benefit from this gamble by endearing themselves to the fanbase in Seattle. Perhaps more than any other players in professional sports, Green and Durant would become the face and identity of their team. The good will from fans and sponsors across the NBA would more than make it worth their while financially and emotionally.

Of course, the Sonics owner could choose to ignore such demands. However, ignoring the problem comes at the price of alienating the two players the franchise has built its entire future around. To gut the team as they have done and then lose their two building blocks to either trade or bad attitudes would be disastrous. Imagine if Brandon Roy and Greg Oden were to demand trades at the end of this season. After all the good will and positivity the team has created such a blow could be fatal. The same is true for the Seattle franchise.

Some may argue that players holding their teams hostage is inappropriate. Unfortunately, many players in the NBA have already done this and a culture approving, or at least tolerating, such acts already exists. Surely Green and Durant would be acting in a much more noble and tolerable manner than all the players who have refused to play or demanded trades in the past. Considering the current state of the Sonics such an act of cowboy diplomacy could be considered the correct and appropriate course of action.

I realize that this would most likely never happen as such a gutsy and politically bold move by a player is an extremely damaging and potentially costly gambit, but it certainly does not hurt to at least consider the possibility.

Downside to Roy being really good

erastus25 — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:47:21 -0000

My first reaction when Roy made the all-star team was HE MADE IT!!! YES!!! FINALLY!!! NATIONAL RECOGNITION!!!, etc. However, my second thought was, "great, this also means he'll get more rest because he won't play as much as he would have in the rookie /sophomore game." Am I the only one that feels this way?

Next, consider this idea on a long-term basis. As players get better aren't perennial all-star appearances a bad thing? That extra rest would likely be especially nice as one gets older and, ironically, more likely to make the all-star team. And, to make matters worse, if you back out the league has some punishment, or something, I believe, so refusing to show up isn't an option. In ten years if Roy has become a regular participant in this showcase I'm going to really hope that the coach (hopefully Nate, knock on wood) puts some serious limits on his minutes.

Now, take this one step further - what if Roy were to make the national team? He was already offered a spot on that practice squad thing this summer. I, for one, hope they overlook him and he never gets the chance. The additional wear and tear must be draining, especially if a player goes deep into the playoffs (crosses fingers). Look at Clyde Drexler and Michael Jordan the season after they made the finals and then spent the summer with the Dream Team for evidence of the strain of constant high-level basketball. Further, Toronto already lost a player to injury in international competition.

I guess, the bottom line is that I'm selfish and don't want to share Brandon, GO, LaMarcus and potentially lower their effectiveness while playing for the Blazers. Does this sound ridiculous? Or is it a legit concern as the Blazers improve?