so all the poor jump shooters have a reason to keep shooting.

and select the players the other club wants. You just can’t get a Stern stamp of approval until after July 1.

and said that too.

Too bad Paxson isn’t an illusionist. The Blazers need help, lots of it. You have to sell them on moving Pryzbilla to get your second scoring threat at the guard position.

I knew the Blazers applied for that injury waiver, I didn’t know it was accepted.

in order to get them to accept a trade of let’s say…Martell for Hughes. Or something.

Our main man Hollinger? Ahhh, couldn’t find the link. Anyway, whoever it was was talking about the difference in the rebuilding for the Pistons and the Spurs and mentioned how the weakening U.S. dollar, but keeping the same salary structure, is killing the Euro to NBA chance for mid- to low-first-rounders. He specifically mentioned Tiago Splitter making more money over the next few years than if he came to the U.S.

But yeah, that’s weird how it affects teams. As quick as the trend for good teams to “draft and stash” (did I make that up or read it somewhere?) players in Europe started, maybe it’s ending. I suppose the U.S. could bounce back. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

He’s announcing that he’ll be in the NBA next year.

The word in Blazer land is very different, and according to the various scheming Spaniard sources, Fernandez is announcing his move to the NBA in a few days.

The money thing was tough, as not only is the American dollar weaker than the Euro, but he could make 5+ million Euro a year if he stayed over there and not have to be reined in by the rookie scale (about 1 million for him). But, if he’s as good as they say, he’ll make a lot more here, and the only way he can get out of the rookie scale is to get those years over with in the NBA.

After Pritchard and his team went to Spain, it’s been nearly a given that Rudy was coming over. I was kidding with the Pritchard = Jesus stuff before, but he is very charismatic and Rudy seemed to respond to the show of love by the Blazer franchise. Paul Allen met with Rudy’s dad, KP and his team had a few dinners and meetings with Rudy, they got along famously and will be summering together at Martha’s Vineyard yearly.

Since then, KP won’t comment out of respect to Rudy’s current team (they’re still playing, or were) and no Euro teams have made any offers to Rudy since everyone believes he is coming to the NBA. Non-management types related to the Blazers say it would be a monumental upset if Rudy didn’t come to the Blazers now, and it has already been decided and is just waiting for the right time to announce it (and according to our Spanish friend(s) on Blazers Edge, that time has been announced as ‘in a few days’).

A while back, like months ago, I remember the worry about the money and everything, but those close to Rudy always maintained that being good in the NBA was always more important to him than the money. He’s the Kobe of Europe (in terms of relative skill, and in how he is either hated or loved), and wants to prove he can be a star in the NBA too.

The rookie scale and weak dollar will definitely hurt Euro players who don’t figure on ever being good enough in the NBA to make much more then they’d make in Europe (such as Fran Vasquez… I think that pick is wasted for good, and I don’t believe Tiago Splitter actually exists). I’d be fine with Euro veterans, if drafted out of the lottery, being able to sign with an NBA team for around (or a little less) than whatever the MLE is.

Obviously, Rudy’s drive to be great helped the Blazers out, because he is fine giving up 30 million Euros (tax free, also, cuz Euro basketball players get taxes paid by their team) for the chance to prove himself and make buckoo bucks after a few years. Hopefully, now the Blazers got a good player for very cheap. I’m tellin’ ya, KP is good at his job.

He’ll take time to adjust (he is skinny and a Euro after all) but I think he’ll be pretty good. At least at scoring.

Mortimer

After 5 seasons I would hope so. Too bad coming into his own still involves playing less than 30 minutes a game, which means he’s a role player with potential, AKA Thabo Sefolosha.

Some people may overvalue Gordon as anything more than just a scorer, but to say Outlaw has a potential higher than Gordon that somehow hasn’t been fulfilled after 5 seasons on a team that has been developing young players the entire time…..yeah that’s just a tad askew.

As long as whichever rookie they draft shows flashes of being a dominant player. Screw Elton Brand consistency, I want a #1 pick that’s going to elevate his game for years.

You can’t teach height.

Morty-murr

i think the bulls should keep Ben he will get alot of open looks with D Rose running the show…dont like the kirk to the blazers deal that much either

But honestly, most believe it all worked out for the better.

First off, let me say drafting Martell Webster, even though I’m a fan, was the exact wrong move. Chris Paul or Deron Williams should have been the obvious choice (and adding to his mystique, Kevin Pritchard argued vigorously for Chris Paul before being overruled by the dummies who ran the Blazers then, GM John Nash and Prez Steve Patterson.) and this is a perfect example of how you should draft BPA (best player available) over NEED every single time—especially at the top of the draft.

BUT, here is what the wrong choice accidentally kicked off—

Since we didn’t draft Chris Paul, the Blazers really really sucked and had the worst record in the league. Paul led a previously weak Hornets team near the playoffs.

The Blazers lose the lottery and get the worst possible spot for having the worst record, #4. They Trade Telfair (the reason Nash didn’t draft Paul) and Theo Ratliff’s Expiring Contract (TREC) to Boston for pick #7 and Raef LaFrentz’s longer contract (even during Roy’s rookie year when he had long wrapped up rookie of the year, Danny Ainge would still say he believed Roy will still never be a star and Telfair had more potential). Minnesota drafts Roy for a planned trade to Houston at #9, and Houston would draft Foye.

Pritchard learns of this plan, and since he wanted Roy more than anyone he foiled those nefarious schemes by drafting Randy Foye with Boston’s 7th pick, forcing Minnesota to deal with Portland becaue Foye was who Minny wanted all along. End of the day, Telfair turned into Foye turned into Roy.

(And Houston decides if they can’t get Roy they don’t want no one, trading Rudy Gay to Memphis for Battier)

With the #4 pick, as you guys know, Pritchard swaps with the Bulls, getting LMA and giving up glue guy Viktor Khryapa. I know Viktor didn’t get much time for you guys, but Blazer fans have fond memories of him.

If we had Chris Paul, we woulda’ been a better team, and only been in a position to get Roy, maybe. And that woulda’ taken some similar wheeling and dealing, and if we had Paul we might not even think we need Roy (not to mention the old Blazers GM would look smarter than he was and Pritchard wouldn’t have been able to take over the drafting).

Also, with Chris Paul, Telfair would have rode the bench and lost much of his value he still had with GMs.

So no Chris Paul leads to LMA and Roy. They have good rookie years, Blazers improve 11 wins, and hit lady lottery lock and win the Oden sweepstakes. If the Blazers had Paul and Roy, I think it isn’t unreasonable to believe they wouldn’t have had any sort of mathematical chance at winning the lottery. They were bucking the odds enough at 5.6% chance, though the Bulls this year blew that luckiness out of the water with 1.3% or so.

Making the WRONG choice to not draft Chris Paul led to the bad GM getting fired, Kevin Pritchard taking over and getting Roy, LMA, and Oden. I think 99% of current Blazer fans feel our current core is stronger and better than having Paul and various others—though obviously having the chance to add Oden to the mix makes the biggest difference.

Another happy accident in my opinion is now Martell Webster fits the Big 3 perfectly with his outside shooting, athleticism, and much improved defense. Martell was 100% the wrong choice then, but again, it worked out in the long run because of the player he is becoming is exactly what the Big 3 needs.

Obviously, Chris Paul is amazing. Individually he is better than Roy, LMA, and we’ll see how good Oden is soon (I think Best Big Man always beats Best Point Guard, but with Paul the big man has to be really damn good to beat him). However, I think the core of Roy/LMA/Oden is better than just Paul and Roy (or Paul and Gay, etc), plus the management changes that drastically improved the Blazers likely wouldn’t have happened had they drafted Paul.

None of what I outlined is unreasonable or purely homer-rationalizations to me, as I don’t think we’d be in the same position if we had drafted Paul merely because Paul would make us too good, and being bad is what made us better. Sounds dumb, but it’s true.

If the Bulls didn’t have such a disappointing season, they wouldn’t be able to get Rose, and Rose might be the best thing to happen to the Bulls. So, it’s true for you guys too.

As far as Roy playing with another player who is best when handling the ball, I pretty much agree. Roy can play off the ball and has a good post game which obviously takes a PG to throw into him, but I think we all agree we are best served having the ball in Roy’s hands and letting him create. I don’t know if he excels like he has if he played alongside a Paul or Deron, for better or worse.

Anyways, I’m happy with where the Blazers are at. It all worked out for the better.

Sure was dumb back then, though.

Mortimer

I love this quote

I hate how long Mortimer’s posts are and how he’s usually right but I can’t tell because I never bother to read them”.

No doubt it would be scary.