With tourney time here, it got me thinking, who in the tournament could help the Blazers next year? Well, first of all I think you need to look at our needs first. What do the Blazers need?
1. A Physical Backup Power Forward
2. A Savvy Wing Defender Who Can Shoot 3’s
3. A Solid Backup Point Guard Who Can Shoot 3’s and Defend
So now that we established what the Blazers need, which one do we need the most? I personally lean towards a backup PF. I think these guys are easier to find later in drafts, and it’s a little different when you are drafting for a backup rather then drafting to find a long term starter.
On a side note, I think this year’s draft will be very interesting. Will Pritchard break his own credo of drafting the best player available, regardless of postion? Or will he address the needs/weaknesses of the team. I have to believe at some point you have to start drafting for need and fill in holes rather then pickup another SG (Roy and Rudy). But who knows. It’ll be fun to watch.
Do you agree with me? What position would you like to see addressed? Throw out some suggestions! I am going to try to do this is 4 parts total, this as the intro, and then 3 more detailing players who the Blazers should look at to address the previously stated 3 needs above. Stay tuned for that.
1. A Physical Backup Power Forward
I think we need someone in the mold of Paul Milsap or Carl Landry (sans the gun shot wound to the leg). We need our generations Buck Williams. A guy who can rebound, play tough, and guard players like Nene and Carlos Boozer. I think everyone and their Mom know’s that Frye is gone after this season, so we will need someone to replace him as our backup PF.
2. A Savvy Wing Defender Who Can Shoot 3’s
You could argue that Nicolas Batum is this player in the making, and I would have a hard time coming up with good reasons why he is not. However, this feels more like a need that needs to be addressed through free agency rather then the draft. And that is not even mentioning the fact that Martell Webster is coming back soon, and the minutes that Travis Outlaw takes off the bench. It will be interesting to see what the Blazers decide to do this offseason
3. A Solid Backup Point Guard Who Can Shoot 3’s and Defend
While Steve Blake has done an admirable job this year, and Bayless and Sergio have had their moments, wouldn’t it be nice to have a PG come into the game and not make you nervous? Maybe we already have this player in Jerryd Bayless, but as you can see, he is still a ways off from being a consistent contributor. I think with the recent demotion, the writing is on the wall for Sergio, and he will be gone after this season. Are you comfortable with Bayless as your backup point guard full time? I know Nate probably isn’t, but would a rookie PG be any better? Would that just stunt Bayless’ growth even more? Would this be better addressed via free agency? Those are tough questions that I do not have the answers for.
So now that we established what the Blazers need, which one do we need the most? I personally lean towards a backup PF. I think these guys are easier to find later in drafts, and it’s a little different when you are drafting for a backup rather then drafting to find a long term starter.
On a side note, I think this year’s draft will be very interesting. Will Pritchard break his own credo of drafting the best player available, regardless of postion? Or will he address the needs/weaknesses of the team. I have to believe at some point you have to start drafting for need and fill in holes rather then pickup another SG (Roy and Rudy). But who knows. It’ll be fun to watch.
Do you agree with me? What position would you like to see addressed? Throw out some suggestions! I am going to try to do this is 4 parts total, this as the intro, and then 3 more detailing players who the Blazers should look at to address the previously stated 3 needs above. Stay tuned for that.
I guess I'll get the ball rolling.
ReplyDeleteI think the Blazers have a near complete roster and at least 2 of the needs you mentioned can be filled with the roster now. The backup PF spot is an interesting one. I agree that we need a banger on the second unit. Assuming Greg stays healthy and develops, he is going to be the starting center and that leaves Joel to man the second unit. With Pryz as the backup center you already have the toughest backup center in the league, do we need a banger at the PF and the center spot? I think bumping Outlaw to the backup PF makes a nice second unit with Bayless/Sergio, Rudy, Batum/Webster, Outlaw, Joel. It will also provide rest to LaMarcus, which he needs, because he already plays a team high minutes and will allow Outlaw to have the constant mismatch advantage that he thrives with. However if there is too few minutes for Outlaw at the position I'm sure we could score a great backup PF for Outlaw in a trade. The draft could be ok with Blair or Pendergraph.
SF is something I think we are set at. We don't need a high scoring SF and we already have 2 that fill needs. Webster is a solid defender and deep threat. I really thought he was going to break out this year but the injury situation sucked. Then even if Webster never really breaks out we still have Batum who is awesome and will some hard work and dedication over the summer could become a really really good starting SF for us. His potential is just awesome and even Michael Jordan said that Batum reminds him of a young Scottie Pippen. This is the position that I feel like Pritchard should just leave be for at least one more season. I want to see Webster and Batum battle it out as well as grow more as players.
The backup PG is the most important position I think. Blake has done an amazing job this year but our backup PG spot will all the inconsistency and flip-flopping who is playing has hurt the bench production. I don't know much about the PG market or the PG's in the draft but since we have drafted backup PG's 2 out of the last 3 drafts shouldn't we look for one in the market now? Or maybe Bayless can just start dominating sooner, that would be nice.
One quick thought, kinda sorta related. Bibby I hear is not set in stone in atlanata. He is an unrestricted free agent and Atlanta let Josh Smith test the market without signing him right away to a huge deal, and they are expecting to do teh same with bibby. Im a big blake guy, and i know that Bibby does not solve our defensive issues at PG but he would be a nice PG with playoff experience who can stroke from 3. Just a thought!!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty late to this one so i'll keep it brief. I think PG is the spot we need to fill first followed quickly by a strong PF in the second unit. I think we should do anything we can to get Blair out of the draft and trade sergio, outlaw, and fry for a solid point guard. just my thoughts!
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