News in the off season will turn around four things, it seems.
First, the fate of LaMarcus Aldridge and the Blazers. Aldridge
is in talks to sign a new max contract with the Blazers. He was expected to rework things with the
organization this year, foregoing signing a 3-year contract extension at $55 million and renegotiating for something different that would take into account. Aldridge turned down that extension, keeping
him open for the 2015 free agency season, along with several other
Blazers. To try and lock him in to the
team for the long run, Neil Olshey, Portland’s savvy General Manager, is offering Aldridge a max contract: the current offer is five years, $108 million.
Some find this controversial, but if anyone showed this year that he was owed a max contract--besides LeBron James--it is Aldridge. These debates need to be had about a player like Kyrie Irving, not the man who opened the playoffs as he did, putting up 89 points in two games (on the road!). He is the center of the Blazers team, a leader in the locker room, and the most important part of its success: without him, there are no Trail Blazers. A max deal is appropriate. At least that's the logic it seems Olshey and owner Paul Allen are following, as they approached Aldridge's representatives in person with it, in a wonderful show of respect for everything the big man does for the team.
In the end it’s expected that Aldridge will stay, after everything that the organization has done to keep him already (getting Robin Lopez, for example), the team's ability to come through with a significant playoff run, and the promise of even more improvement next year. He expressed his satisfaction with the franchise's effort this year at its close, and generally seems happy in Portland now.
But Aldridge also is arguably the most sought-after big man in the league, and several teams could be in the waiting next year—the Spurs in Aldridge’s native Texas in particular, if Timmy Duncan ever decides to retire, but also a host of other teams. One has only to look at the interest in Marcin Gortat, Pau Gasol, and (probably most similar to Aldridge, except better on defense) Chris Bosh this year, to be able to see what a huge, huge demand for him there would be.
Some find this controversial, but if anyone showed this year that he was owed a max contract--besides LeBron James--it is Aldridge. These debates need to be had about a player like Kyrie Irving, not the man who opened the playoffs as he did, putting up 89 points in two games (on the road!). He is the center of the Blazers team, a leader in the locker room, and the most important part of its success: without him, there are no Trail Blazers. A max deal is appropriate. At least that's the logic it seems Olshey and owner Paul Allen are following, as they approached Aldridge's representatives in person with it, in a wonderful show of respect for everything the big man does for the team.
In the end it’s expected that Aldridge will stay, after everything that the organization has done to keep him already (getting Robin Lopez, for example), the team's ability to come through with a significant playoff run, and the promise of even more improvement next year. He expressed his satisfaction with the franchise's effort this year at its close, and generally seems happy in Portland now.
But Aldridge also is arguably the most sought-after big man in the league, and several teams could be in the waiting next year—the Spurs in Aldridge’s native Texas in particular, if Timmy Duncan ever decides to retire, but also a host of other teams. One has only to look at the interest in Marcin Gortat, Pau Gasol, and (probably most similar to Aldridge, except better on defense) Chris Bosh this year, to be able to see what a huge, huge demand for him there would be.
Second on the news front: there is news about what the Blazers do with current
pieces in the roster, the most crucial piece being Mo Williams. Williams enters free agency tonight. It is also expected that Portland will try
and re-sign him, but he could be an improvement for many teams. Still, Williams knows how the Blazers work,
Stotts uses him often, and he is a reliably efficient option from the
bench. There is every reason to keep him
and look for upgrades not at his position but elsewhere.
Besides Mo, the Blazers don’t seem to be looking for any huge moves with existing personnel on the roster: the only extremely moveable piece is The People’s Champ Will The Thrill Barton, though is optimistic it will happen and has developed a superlative rapport with the team. Also helping his case: his absolutely amazing Game 4 against the Spurs in the playoffs, which encapsulated everything he brought to the team during the season and what he promises to bring more of in the future.
Besides Mo, the Blazers don’t seem to be looking for any huge moves with existing personnel on the roster: the only extremely moveable piece is The People’s Champ Will The Thrill Barton, though is optimistic it will happen and has developed a superlative rapport with the team. Also helping his case: his absolutely amazing Game 4 against the Spurs in the playoffs, which encapsulated everything he brought to the team during the season and what he promises to bring more of in the future.
Third, there is news of what is developing over at the
training facility as members of the team do workouts and prepare for the Summer
League to begin. Currently the Blazers
are adding men to their roster to play with them. Sam Dower, the undrafted player from Gonzaga,
will be added to the roster. It isn’t
clear yet whether OSU forward Eric Moreland and guard Roberto Nelson, both of
whom did not hear their names called in the 2014 Draft, will be added, though
this is some news to follow as the team prepares for Las Vegas.
Finally, we will be hearing news about the search to fill out the space in the
roster vacated after the previous season.
Being Free Agency Eve, there’s all sorts of Blazer news afoot here. The most interesting as of yet emerged today from Tim McMahon at ESPNDallas.com: Vince
Carter has had the Blazers show interest in him, along with many other teams.
It is a fascinating possible addition, and shows that the Blazers are going to be even more committed to keeping opposing teams’ defenses stretched on the rack with the three ball going into next season: as the Spurs were made aware, Carter has turned from a strange explosive athlete into one of the most annoyingly clutch precise three-point shooters in the league. He’s arguably the new Derek Fisher. He would be a strange, but an effective fit.
The only thing the Blazers have to worry about in Carter is age and speed, but Vince has shown he can keep up with the Mavs offense, which is in many ways similar, and even come in off the bench Ginobili-style and consistently burn things up for a short span. To be able to have that quick burst of offense would be extremely useful.
It is a fascinating possible addition, and shows that the Blazers are going to be even more committed to keeping opposing teams’ defenses stretched on the rack with the three ball going into next season: as the Spurs were made aware, Carter has turned from a strange explosive athlete into one of the most annoyingly clutch precise three-point shooters in the league. He’s arguably the new Derek Fisher. He would be a strange, but an effective fit.
The only thing the Blazers have to worry about in Carter is age and speed, but Vince has shown he can keep up with the Mavs offense, which is in many ways similar, and even come in off the bench Ginobili-style and consistently burn things up for a short span. To be able to have that quick burst of offense would be extremely useful.
Those are the four main fronts on which news is
developing this off-season. Expect to hear news of Mo soon, as well as Carter. In the meantime, we'll just have to keep
our eyes peeled, and keep reading the tea leaves, trying to figure out what exactly the team is up to
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