I keep hearing over and over how whoever we get via free agency or through trades, they HAVE to have a killer jumpshot or be a 3pt threat (especially if they are a PG) and that the guys with suspect jumpers or limited 3pt range should not even be considered. I'm NOT saying shooting isnt important, obviously it is, but there are other ways to score besides shooting Js and 3pters. We've already got a lot of 3pt firepower as it is, more than most teams I'd say (Roy, Rudy, Blake, Webster, Travis, occasionally Batum and even LA) So is adding another jumpshooter/3pt threat an absolute necessity?  How many guys do we have (besides Brandon) who can regularly put the ball on the floor, drive to the basket, get fouled and convert the bucket? ...........exactly my point.

Does anyone else here recall how many times last year (and earlier) the criticism that the Blazers were solely a jump shooting team who rarely got to the free throw line? We've all heard the saying "live by the jumper, die by the jumper" well with the exception of Roy, we have been living and dying by the jumper for years. How many times would you watch in horror as Travis faded to the top of the key and hoisted up a wild, contested shot, the whole time screaming for us to "drive to the basket, drive to the basket" I know I did it several times a game, and not just with Travis.  

I don't think there have been enough (any?) mentions about the importance (and in the Blazers case lack of) drives to the hoop that result in fouls and us shooting free throws. This is one of the areas that the Blazers could definately improve upon  This is a way that we can diversify our half court offense and add valuable extra points/possesion. Not to mention drawing those fouls gets the opposition into the penalty quicker which leads us to more free throws and more points. Besides running the fastbreak for layups and dunks, this is the best way to get "easy" points.

So while I am NOT saying shooting is something we dont' need or couldn't use more of, what I AM saying is that we might want to give more consideration to the guys out there who make a living at the free throw line, can consistently drive to the rim and draw fouls. Adding a guy like that would be a great way to mix up our offense, make defenses sag off a bit and ultimately create more room for our existing shooters, not to mention the extra points we'd gain from fouls. Just a wrinkle that I think we haven't mentioned enough.

Now I'll let you discuss who we can attain that would bring this to the table

If you were to consider Lamarcus seeing some mintues next season playing the 3 spot, this opens up all kinds of possibilities for our roster (rotations, FA negotiations, etc.) Can he guard the 3? he did have to guard pgs at times last season and did a good job, so why not? He has great end-to-end speed for a 6'11" dude, and his length makes up for any lack of lateral quickness (not that he's lacking there) why not have him guard 3s (which could move Batum to guard 2guards - which would be awesome) Then we could have David Lee, or the Twin Towers play the front line. So many possibilities. What do you guys think?

SO with Toronto basically spending all their $ to acquire Turky-Glue, Detroit having made it's 2 acquisitions, and Oklahoma City apparently choosing to sit pat on their cap$ until 2010, that puts us in control of the remainder of the FA signing period, at least as far as teams having and willing to spend potentially $10mil on a free agent (which I DON'T recommend we do) So....

We can still address our need for a tough backup PF by going after Brandon Bass for the MLE(?), which I consider a Good Deal, or possibly Antonio McDyess (who seems to want to resign with Detroit - but who knows?) or even Joe Smith (for less then the MLE? - which I would consider a BARGAIN!) Forget about David Lee (whom I love, but not for $50mil/5yrs as a backup - same for Milsap if he would even consider it)

The other FA options would be at PG with J Kidd being an option, albeit unlikely, or perhaps RAMON SESSIONS. What do you think about him> I know he isn't the best outside shooter, but he can dish assists and drive to the rim (which we are lacking) plus his D isn't bad, plus he is young, could be had for relatively cheap and could blossom into a potential star (He has had a 20+ assist game AND has gone off for 40+pts - Has Blake done either!?!) Whjy not take the gamble on him?

SO, Bass AND Sessions, reasonable contracts that fill some of our needs, what do you think?

This post should address the notion of NOT trying to make a "HOME RUN" deal (because as far as free agents go, there isn't one - that includes Turkoglu when he was available) but rather being sensible with our Cap $ and either making some REASONABLE moves to address known weaknesses (playoff experience, tougness, 3rd scoring option, No backup PF) or my preference, make a lop-sided trade for someone who is NOT the "best of whats available" but a specific target that we want in order to address the aforementioned "weaknesses".

The idea of perhaps holding off on Free Agency and using our cap space for trades can be risky for a number of reasons, but unless we can sign 1 or 2 free agents for the MLE who address immediate needs (of which our options at this point are limited) I say be smart, take our time and perhaps hold back for now.

The reason I feel this way is because if you look at our roster as it is now, and are willing BELIEVE in 1) The development of Batum, Bayless, and Oden, and  2) The full recovery of Martell Webster, then the only thing we really need is a backup PF to help out LaMarcus.  

If we assume that Bayless can make the jump to starting PG, and Batum will blossom into a future superstar, and Oden becomes a fraction of the player we dreamed about before the knee surgery,  then we already have the making of a championship team right there, and i haven't even mentioned what a healthy Martell could add to the equation!

Its easy to get caught up in the push to try to win a championship right away, but if we keep our current guys (give or take 1 or 2  smart trades) we have the pieces we need to be championship contenters 2-3 years down the road.  The only pieces I would add would be REASONABLE FA contracts now, OR a big trade for a true stud that we could really use.

In short, I'm not saying let our Cap $ go to waste, but rather use it wisely and dont force an addition, but make the SMART choice(s) that wont haunt us for years to come when we are making our championship push or looking to repeat. What do you think?