Blazer news: The Blazers front office gets busy

Besides everything going on with Mo Williams over the last few days, the Blazers' front office also managed to get a lot of work done.

They have been eager to contact stretch-4's throughout the league, Joe Freeman says: big men who can shoot and still stretch the floor.  They are apparently expressing interest, he continues, in Boris Diaw, who demonstrated his amazing versatility during the NBA Finals.  He would make a wonderful addition to the team, though it is unlikely he'd leave the Spurs, where he fits so well already.  If Diaw turns them down, though, they have a list of other people in mind.

One of those is Spencer Hawes, the 7'1 sure shot who ended up on the Cavaliers last season, and averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds. Both Neil Olshey and Terry Stotts contacted Hawes yesterday night down in Los Angeles, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.  Joe Freeman followed up the story and reports that a source with knowledge of the meeting said it "went very well."

Still, many teams are gunning for Hawes--Golden State, Woj also reports, met with him today as well (possibly thinking ahead to try and replace David Lee if he gets traded for Kevin Love to the Wolves).  The Cavaliers, too, would like to keep him.  Stotts in the meeting laid out for Hawes exactly how he might use him in the offense.

Getting a big man who could play the same role as Aldridge coming off the bench would help the Blazers immensely, should this be what Stotts was planning.  Thomas Robinson struggled to fill that role last year and the offense by and large had to run differently whenever Aldridge was out.  Robinson is an amazing passer, but he did not prove the reliable release-valve that Aldridge is for the offense whenever a play breaks down: putting someone like Hawes in there would make everyone breathe a little easier.

Thinking along slightly different lines the Blazers also went and contacted Detroit’s Greg Monroe, Mark Stein says.  Monroe put up 15 points and snared 9 rebounds a game last year, and would definitely add some robustness to the roster at the power forward/center spot.

They also contacted Josh McRoberts of the Charlotte Hornets, according to Chris Haynes.  Fans will remember Portland originally drafted McRoberts in 2007, though he only played a few games with the team.  They will also remember him elbowing LeBron James in the throat like a professional wrestler--only he made actual contact with said throat.  He also has glorious long hair, and puts up a very respectable average of 9 points, 4 assists, and 5 rebounds a game.

There is no news yet about whether the Blazers have contacted Channing Frye of the Suns, though the possibility has interested many, including Frye himself, Freeman reports.

Frye was mentioned by Damian Lillard in answer to a question by Chris Haynes about who was asked who in free agency excited him most.  His first response was Mo Williams.  But after a moment he listed Frye, Vince Carter, Spencer Hawes, and Trevor Ariza.  It is probably no mistake that the Blazers have contacted each one of those players, except Frye and Ariza so far.

All in all the front office did indeed get busy.  More developments are surely to come.