Monday, July 19, 2010
And Now, An Early Entry in the Trail Post Valentines 5:09 PM
Blazers Go For Cho 11:07 AM
It's damn nice to know that the Blazers are back in good hands. I've made my argument earlier for why and how Rich Cho is the perfect fit as a GM for this team, and how choosing him is the ideal move not just from a strategic perspective but also a public relations perspective. It's just great to see the organization make the right move. More than being the guy we wanted, Rich Cho is the guy we needed.
Summer League in Review 9:29 AM
So long, Patty.
Despite the team's impressive record, this year's summer league came down to a point guard duel between two (as of right now) marginal NBA talents. Sure, it was fun to watch this team march to a 4-1 record (with that only blemish due to three last-second misses). Even better, it was great to see Caleb Kanales pick up the record in only his first year coaching. Still, the league's there for player evaluation, so let's get to the evaluatin'.
Jeff Pendergraph was a little lost out there. His last game of the tournament was his best, as he was everywhere, and completely owning the glass. In his second year, his shot still has not come around yet. That's going to make it difficult to get any playing time. If he can't play past Dante Cunningham, good luck trying to get past Marcus Camby. As he showed last year, though, he's a decent spot replacement for the big man position, a great practice player, and the best hype man in the league.
Dante Cunningham seems like the same player he was a few months ago. He's the guy that can knock down the open shot and hustle for the ball. He was the team's most veteran influence.
Luke Babbitt has work to do. He led the team in scoring a couple of times, but his field goal percentage, save for the last game, was in the crapper. Due to the last game, his free throw percentage bounced back to a respectable 85%. I feel like I didn't see enough of Luke during this to peg down a real judgment on him. He needs to be against real NBA talent to be judged.
Patty Mills is done. He is not the right player for this team. He's far too selfish, which will not mesh with the team at any time. No matter who he's with on the floor with the Blazers, he won't even be one of the top three options. He's a good player, and a fun player, but not one for the Blazers. He's a Nate Robinson All-Star, a guy that's fun to watch, but you would never want on your team. I heard a story about how he wanted to lead the league in assists coming in. That idea went out the window after his first game, when he tallied 9. He never topped 4 the rest of the way. The Blazers need someone who can defend, create for others, and stay out of the way. Patty doesn't do that.
Armon Johnson does do that. He hit his shots at a better clip than Patty, racked up more assists, and played much better defense. If there's one way Johnson could make an impact, it's through his D, which is already comparable, if not better than that of Bayless. And this is his first go-around in the league. Patty has played in the NBA for a season, and has years of international play under his belt, yet was totally outperformed by a rookie. I wish the best to Patty in his NBA future, and hope he catches on with a decent team, but he needs to be jettisoned, and Armon needs to be signed soon.
Despite the team's impressive record, this year's summer league came down to a point guard duel between two (as of right now) marginal NBA talents. Sure, it was fun to watch this team march to a 4-1 record (with that only blemish due to three last-second misses). Even better, it was great to see Caleb Kanales pick up the record in only his first year coaching. Still, the league's there for player evaluation, so let's get to the evaluatin'.
Jeff Pendergraph was a little lost out there. His last game of the tournament was his best, as he was everywhere, and completely owning the glass. In his second year, his shot still has not come around yet. That's going to make it difficult to get any playing time. If he can't play past Dante Cunningham, good luck trying to get past Marcus Camby. As he showed last year, though, he's a decent spot replacement for the big man position, a great practice player, and the best hype man in the league.
Dante Cunningham seems like the same player he was a few months ago. He's the guy that can knock down the open shot and hustle for the ball. He was the team's most veteran influence.
Luke Babbitt has work to do. He led the team in scoring a couple of times, but his field goal percentage, save for the last game, was in the crapper. Due to the last game, his free throw percentage bounced back to a respectable 85%. I feel like I didn't see enough of Luke during this to peg down a real judgment on him. He needs to be against real NBA talent to be judged.
Patty Mills is done. He is not the right player for this team. He's far too selfish, which will not mesh with the team at any time. No matter who he's with on the floor with the Blazers, he won't even be one of the top three options. He's a good player, and a fun player, but not one for the Blazers. He's a Nate Robinson All-Star, a guy that's fun to watch, but you would never want on your team. I heard a story about how he wanted to lead the league in assists coming in. That idea went out the window after his first game, when he tallied 9. He never topped 4 the rest of the way. The Blazers need someone who can defend, create for others, and stay out of the way. Patty doesn't do that.
Armon Johnson does do that. He hit his shots at a better clip than Patty, racked up more assists, and played much better defense. If there's one way Johnson could make an impact, it's through his D, which is already comparable, if not better than that of Bayless. And this is his first go-around in the league. Patty has played in the NBA for a season, and has years of international play under his belt, yet was totally outperformed by a rookie. I wish the best to Patty in his NBA future, and hope he catches on with a decent team, but he needs to be jettisoned, and Armon needs to be signed soon.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
GM Watch: Cho to Interview 9:00 AM
Though I'm sure that the last blog post had little to zero to do with the decision (most likely zero or below), the Blazers have added the Thunder's assistant GM, Rich Cho, to the list of candidates to be interviewed for the GM position here.
It's good to see that the organization is looking at new guys, rather than the staid options we've had shuttled into the city so far during this process. Hiring Cho is good karma.
It's good to see that the organization is looking at new guys, rather than the staid options we've had shuttled into the city so far during this process. Hiring Cho is good karma.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Summer League Game One 4:55 PM
Summer League games occupy an NBA importance standing that ranks somewhere below a preseason game and above All-Star Weekend's 2Ball (RIP). The game means nothing, but at least you learn something about guys that hope to occupy one of the last three spots on the team. Of course, there are exceptions, with touted first rounders, but mostly it's a carnival of desperation. Still, that's what gives the Summer League its appeal. These guys won't be dogging it because they simply can't afford it. The game means almost nothing to the people watching it on television or from the stands, but means everything to the guys on the floor, the guys begging to get called off the bench just so they can show they can knock down the three to anybody who can see them. Summer Leaguers, I salute you.
Let's get down to the Blazers.
Patty Mills is the easiest guy to go after because he has by far the most to gain or lose in this round of Summer League. He's in the best position to make a run for another NBA contract. No matter what though, it's safe to assume that contract won't be paid for by Paul Allen. Anyway, last night he played the best of any outside player, with a surprising number of assists. If he leads Summer League in assists, while putting up respectable turnover and point numbers, he should catch on somewhere. The Heat are looking for a PG to take the minimum.
Babbitt neither impressed nor distressed. His shot looked pretty (Martell-esque, I may dare to say) and he took it whenever he had any space. He wasn't afraid to put the ball on the floor, but that may be more of a result of his level of competition than of his actual ability.
Dante looked like he was a step above anyone on the floor. His numbers weren't that eye-popping, but he did what he's always done. He also led the team in +/- at +24. I cannot wait for year two of the Inferno.
Jeff looked lost. Let's just take a mulligan.
Armon Johnson fit in nicely, filling up the stat line and making plays for himself.
Overall, with such a dominating performance over the team thought to be the best at the tournament, this may be the best Summer League team the Blazers have fielded since that Brandon Roy-LaMarcus Aldridge juggernaut from 2006. Then again, being a dominant Summer League team is like having the world's greatest collection of commemorative plates. Some work went into it, but overall, it really doesn't matter.
Let's get down to the Blazers.
Patty Mills is the easiest guy to go after because he has by far the most to gain or lose in this round of Summer League. He's in the best position to make a run for another NBA contract. No matter what though, it's safe to assume that contract won't be paid for by Paul Allen. Anyway, last night he played the best of any outside player, with a surprising number of assists. If he leads Summer League in assists, while putting up respectable turnover and point numbers, he should catch on somewhere. The Heat are looking for a PG to take the minimum.
Babbitt neither impressed nor distressed. His shot looked pretty (Martell-esque, I may dare to say) and he took it whenever he had any space. He wasn't afraid to put the ball on the floor, but that may be more of a result of his level of competition than of his actual ability.
Dante looked like he was a step above anyone on the floor. His numbers weren't that eye-popping, but he did what he's always done. He also led the team in +/- at +24. I cannot wait for year two of the Inferno.
Jeff looked lost. Let's just take a mulligan.
Armon Johnson fit in nicely, filling up the stat line and making plays for himself.
Overall, with such a dominating performance over the team thought to be the best at the tournament, this may be the best Summer League team the Blazers have fielded since that Brandon Roy-LaMarcus Aldridge juggernaut from 2006. Then again, being a dominant Summer League team is like having the world's greatest collection of commemorative plates. Some work went into it, but overall, it really doesn't matter.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Has-Been GMs and Future Success 12:23 PM
You know what's soul-crushing? Okay, the oil spill. And the Uruguay goalkeeper's weak Dikembe Mutombo finger wag. Even more so, our GM search. When I heard Mike Dunleavy's name on the radio, I honestly thought it was a joke. We're a team trying to make the next step, make the jump into the upper tier of contenders and all we have available to us are guys who've fallen flat on their faces in creative and depressing ways.
That's why I'm advocating some new blood. We know what we're getting with the proven commodities we're interviewing: crap. They'll do some mediocre deals and leave the franchise hamstrung when they inevitably are fired for doing such an abysmal job. (Say hello to a five-year extension for Andre Miller) Pritchard got us to where we are now because he was young, new, and creative. We shouldn't be trying to court a bunch of has-beens to take us to the next level. We should be going for young and hungry talent.
When you build a team, or even more importantly, when you rebuild a team, what do you aim for? Quality and youth. You want the guy to be good, and you want him with your team forever. Right now, the Blazers are rebuilding their front office, and the way I see it, they have two options. They can either sign the GM equivalent of Drew Gooden, or they can make a splash and grab someone unproven but daring and smart, the NBA equivalent of a lottery pick. Sure, the lottery pick can bust out, but at this point, can Paul Allen really care about looking bad to the media? At this moment, he's being portrayed as an egomaniac, or insane, and most often, both. That's why the Blazers should go after Rich Cho, the Thunder's current assistant GM.
It makes sense for Allen to want to rebuild his reputation with a so-called "safe" maneuver. Still, how safe is it to hire a guy you will absolutely fire and part with acrimoniously within the next three years? You're Paul Allen, you don't need to be safe. Allen spends a couple of million dollars on a few picks and he's the best owner in the NBA again. Flex the deep pockets and all is forgiven. With Cho, we have a chance to the next step by continuing in the footsteps left by Kevin Pritchard. We want creative and smart analysis, rather than the staid "pile up veterans and cross your fingers" strategy from the unemployed GMs.
Of course, the idea behind this came from the TrueHoop post in reference to the Sports Illustrated article that featured Cho. He's a numbers guy with experience on the business side of running a basketball franchise along with the personnel side. How can this not be the most attractive option to Allen? It's like he's getting one of his Vulcan guys but minus all that pesky complete lack of basketball knowledge.
Let's cancel the interviews with the failures and continue that Kevin Pritchard started on the court with someone completely new running the front office. Let's go for Cho.
That's why I'm advocating some new blood. We know what we're getting with the proven commodities we're interviewing: crap. They'll do some mediocre deals and leave the franchise hamstrung when they inevitably are fired for doing such an abysmal job. (Say hello to a five-year extension for Andre Miller) Pritchard got us to where we are now because he was young, new, and creative. We shouldn't be trying to court a bunch of has-beens to take us to the next level. We should be going for young and hungry talent.
When you build a team, or even more importantly, when you rebuild a team, what do you aim for? Quality and youth. You want the guy to be good, and you want him with your team forever. Right now, the Blazers are rebuilding their front office, and the way I see it, they have two options. They can either sign the GM equivalent of Drew Gooden, or they can make a splash and grab someone unproven but daring and smart, the NBA equivalent of a lottery pick. Sure, the lottery pick can bust out, but at this point, can Paul Allen really care about looking bad to the media? At this moment, he's being portrayed as an egomaniac, or insane, and most often, both. That's why the Blazers should go after Rich Cho, the Thunder's current assistant GM.
It makes sense for Allen to want to rebuild his reputation with a so-called "safe" maneuver. Still, how safe is it to hire a guy you will absolutely fire and part with acrimoniously within the next three years? You're Paul Allen, you don't need to be safe. Allen spends a couple of million dollars on a few picks and he's the best owner in the NBA again. Flex the deep pockets and all is forgiven. With Cho, we have a chance to the next step by continuing in the footsteps left by Kevin Pritchard. We want creative and smart analysis, rather than the staid "pile up veterans and cross your fingers" strategy from the unemployed GMs.
Of course, the idea behind this came from the TrueHoop post in reference to the Sports Illustrated article that featured Cho. He's a numbers guy with experience on the business side of running a basketball franchise along with the personnel side. How can this not be the most attractive option to Allen? It's like he's getting one of his Vulcan guys but minus all that pesky complete lack of basketball knowledge.
Let's cancel the interviews with the failures and continue that Kevin Pritchard started on the court with someone completely new running the front office. Let's go for Cho.
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