Thursday, May 7, 2009

Voooteee Meee!

If any of you have been following Oregonlive.com’s “You be the GM” series, you will have already read this, and considered it. Here is what I think.

In the Rudy Fernandez “Stay or Go” portion of the article, Dwight Jaynes makes a great point. He says that he fears Rudy is going to be too good. How is that bad you ask? Well, it means that you will not be able to keep him on the bench much longer playing only 25 mins a game before he gets pissed. Not to mention the salary cap implications of keeping him long term. With Roy, Aldridge, Oden, Batum, and possibly Bayless, Outlaw, and Webster, all looking to make significant money in the future do we have money to keep Rudy? We are currently safe, because he is under his rookie contract for the next 3 seasons, so the Blazers will not have to pay him much, but after that he could be poised to make some serious money.

So I pose this question. Do you trade Rudy Fernandez before this happens? What would you need out of the deal to make it worth while? Here are my answers.

Personally, I would trade him before that crossroad point. Now this also assumes that Rudy matures into the star that I think he is going to be. Also, it assumes that Brandon Roy is able to play injury free for the foreseeable future. The dilemma that I find myself in, is anyone who is worthy of trading Rudy for is most likely in the upper tier in regards to salary. So, that doesn’t really solve the issue of going into the luxury tax. What trading Rudy would fix, would be the logjam of all-star talent at the 2 guard. While Rudy and Roy’s game aren’t that similar, they both thrive at the 2 spot. So who do you think is going to be better? Roy right? Do you think Rudy would be happy being a career backup? Cause I sure don’t. So what you do by making this trade is addressing another position by unloading one you have duplicates in.

So who would I need to make this deal work? Well, my asking price would most likely be higher then most teams would be willing to pay. But in my eyes, the Blazers are in the position of power from a negotiating stand point. We have the young, talented, charismatic star. And if we don’t trade him, then no skin off our backs, we’ll figure it out when it comes time. I personally wouldn’t give Rudy away for anyone less then an elite PG. Someone like Rondo, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Beno Udrih (ok that was a joke). Obviously the swap wont be strait up, but if we could sprinkle in a draft pick or two along with another young piece it would be tempting for someone like New Orleans who is struggling to make ends meet financially (see failed Tyson Chandler trade). I don’t think it’s time to make a deal quite yet, because Rudy is still seen as a “potential” star, but I think he will make a significant improvement next season, and elevate himself into Manu Ginobli, 6th man type status.

What do you guys think? Can you ever imagine parting ways with Rudy?

4 comments:

  1. i would hate to trade him away, but i can see him becoming a star and us not being able to give him enough time. I think that it is in the best intreats of the Blazers to hold on to him until he gets hot, and instead of another Jermaine O'neil where we trade low and he blows up, we trade him high while he has some of his prime, and get someone worthwhile like a CP or Deron

    As the devils advocate, if Roy becomes hampered with injuries, would we trade him and keep Rudy? Would there be any instance where the blazers should trade Roy?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Personally, I think its a little premature to have Rudy trade talks. While he is starting to develop into a star, he is still a ways away. With that being said, I dont think he has nearly the trade value right now that I think he should be worth. I think once he puts together at least two solid seasons, then we could probably get a decent value for him. I do agree with the PG trade idea though.

    I think the only point you would start to think about trading away Roy is if he started having symptoms of McGradyism (or Pennyism). If he starts to be consumed with injuries, then maybe, but I hope we dont have to make that decision.

    This may be jumping ahead a little, but what do you think about trading Outlaw/Webster to free up some space at that spot...furthermore, who would you rather put in a package (yeah, I said it) Outlaw or Webster?

    One Love,
    Fox

    ReplyDelete
  3. I deff agree with foxes first statement. Its a little premature to talk about rudy for trade talks. Three seasons is a long ways down the road, and there are so many variables that could happen over the next three seasons it seems pointless to discuss the millions of scenarios that could playout. I also think that saying Rudy is a season away from "manu" status is a stretch at best. Manu is a nightmare for teams to defend because of how he well he can take the ball to the hole and he can also stroke from downtown and play solid d. Rudy right now is a legit scorer and a fun guy to throw lobs too. In order for Rudy to elevate to a "manu" type player he has to become a threat to take the ball to the hoop and finish, which im not convinced will happen next year or even the year after. I really hope he adds that to his game...but....

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with all of you that talk of trading Rudy right now is a little pre-mature. Because I do not feel like we would get the best value out of him.

    JT great analogy with the Jermaine O'Neal trade.

    Goose, don't be a hater, because you know hypothetical's are fun, and you could tear any of them apart by saying "there are a million other possibilites, so there is no point in speculating" Speculating is the fun part!

    And while I acknowledge that Rudy will not be on Manu's level for sometime, he does remind me alot of Manu early in his career, in regards to his role on the team.

    Fox, as of now, I think I would rather trade Webster. I think people take for granted Outlaw's late game shot making ability. How many other people in the league can you roll the ball out to and say "create a shot by yourself and win the game for us"? Not many, and I am guessing that there are next to none who do that for $3.6 mil a year...

    ReplyDelete