NLL Insider - Fixing the Past: Portland Blazersby vt, updated on Saturday, September 30 2017, 05:31 am EST (by VT and Laddas) Current Depth Chart: C- Mahinmi/Plumlee/D.Johnson/Bryant PF- Gay/Yabusele/B. Johnson SF- Brown /Layman/Iwundu SG- Rivers/Korkmaz/Thornwell PG- Rozier/Wright/Christon/Evans The Story So Far: The NLL has had its share of bad GMs, but have any
wrecked a team as bad as former Portland GM DJ Drew? Yes, the “Professor†is in
contention for longest-lasting bad GM, but DJ Drew inherited a championship
team in the Blazers and dismantled the hell out of them with one bad move after
another. Lest we not forget Jarell Martin for the team’s 2018 1st
round pick? But seriously, when the dust settled and the league FINALLY kicked
out DJ Drew, the Blazers had more or less nothing left than Jaylen Brown for
poor new GM Toby to clean up. Actually, the Blazers are in better shape than
the Heat, but not much. Fixing the Blazers will be a daunting task and some GMs
are concerned that Toby might not be up for the task. In his first months as
the new GM, he has demonstrated that his trading skills are somewhat rough
around the edges. The Blazers, like the Heat, won’t be a quick fix. A new GM
shouldn’t be too proud to ask for advice. Well, he doesn’t need to ask as here
are some ideas to get the Blazers up and off on their feet again! Ian Mahinmi- The Blazers had hoped Mahnimi would help them move
ahead when they inked him to a four-year, $64 million deal last summer.
However, the center missed most of the season with knee issues. His value is at
an all-time low right now, but he supposedly entering the season in great
shape. If the Blazers can get value now for him, push the trade button.
However, his big salary is likely keeping the team above the minimum. We advise
that Toby wait for Mahinmi to start performing and then trade him to a
contending team needing a big. Rudy Gay- Okay, let’s hope Toby isn’t showing some bad signs by
trading for Gay, a long-time favorite of the “Professor.†They gave up a
handful of nothing for the player (who missed most of last season with an
Achilles issue). Now, the Blazers have to convince him to sign with them. Like
Mahinmi, they should bring Gay along slowly and then, if he returns to his old
form, move him for a pick or a good young piece. This is Gay project is a risky
move, but sometimes a team in the dumps needs to take a risk. Justin Anderson- Anderson hasn’t lived up to expectations yet in the
league. The Blazers currently have him slotted in the starting SF slot, but we
all know that’s not going to be where he ends up. He isn’t a starting caliber
SF and he will be competing for minutes with a few other players. On the
upside, he’s cheap and young, so the Blazers can afford to keep him and play
him off the bench. If needed, he could be a good sweetener in a deal that’s on
the edge. However, Anderson isn’t the player you want to build your franchise
around. Jaylen Brown- All right, we can say it, the Blazers are in better
shape than the Heat. Does that mean DJ Drew was a better GM than the
“Professor� Well, there is a chance if DJ Drew was still here, he would have
traded Brown for something dumb, like Ramon Sessions. At least the “Professorâ€
would have traded him for Rudy Gay. This one is easy, though. Don’t move Brown
unless you can get a king’s ransom. He is showing positive development and you
can build around a player like this one. The sky is possibly the limit for this
kid. Terry Rozier- Rebuilding often takes time and sometimes that means
sitting on players who develop a little slower than others. Rozier was supposed
to break out last season, but he didn’t. While he’s definitely not a starting
quality PG, he has potential and has shown flashes of brilliance. The problem
is his NBA counterpart doesn’t get much PT. If you get a good offer for Rozier,
take it. Otherwise, see how he goes and maybe wait out his rookie deal before
you make a decision. Austin Rivers- One thing everyone should know is that Rivers probably
won’t be listed as PG next season. This is one player Toby should be shopping
and hoping to get some value back. The team needs a starting quality PF or PG.
Try to get one of those. If nothing worthwhile is out there, keep Rivers and
see how he goes this season now that Paul and Redick are out of town. Like the
other vets on the team, don’t make any panic moves. If they do well in the NBA
this season, their value will go up. If you get a good offer, take it.
Otherwise, you have a strong (if somewhat overpaid) role player on your squad. Brice Johnson- This season is sort of like Johnson’s real rookie year
after he missed almost all of last year’s campaign. Another a young player with
lots of potential, Johnson is a solid athlete with good length. He also plays a
position (PF) where the Blazers are pretty thin. If Toby is lucky, Johnson
could become a Taj Gibson-type player. Delon Wright- Like Rozier last season, Wright is expected to have a
break-out season in the NBA. We wouldn’t say he’s starting quality at this
point. He is definitely on to hold onto at this point and monitor how things
go. Jake Layman- Layman is one of those fringe guys who will likely
vanish at some point in the NBA. He can shoot all right and he’s a decent
athlete. Best of all, he’s dirt cheap. That makes him worth a look, but once
again, he will likely only be an average player at best and could be used a
throw-in or a deal sweetener. Semaj Christon- The Blazers will likely have to cull some players to
get down to 15 guys before the season starts. If they have one thing in
abundance it’s point guards. Right now, Christon is the odd man out. The team
should look to move him for a 2nd rounder. Miles Plumlee- This ain’t the Plumlee you want on your squad. Hell,
MARSHALL Plumlee is better because he costs $11 million less. This is one of
the worst contracts in the league. He is overpaid and underskilled. Take
anything you can for him! He was also busted for pot this summer. Great start
to the new season! Furkan Korkmaz- Let’s get this straight. Most rookies ain’t gonna fix
your team. Korkmaz aint’ gonna fix the Blazers. He’s finally coming over to the
NLL but on most teams, he would unlikely make the rotation. That may not be the
case in Portland. Either way, Korkmaz could be a nice piece for rebuilding
Portland. Guerschon Yabusele- Could be the next Draymond Green…..or the next Anthony
Bennett. Either way, the Blazers are a team with the time and space to see if
Yabusele pans out. Giving up a player like Nance for him is a risky, but
Yabusele has a higher ceiling. Hopefully, he will work out for the Blazers. Jawun Evans- A PG who specializes in pick and roll, Evans has a
chance to earn minutes on Portland since the team has no true lock at starting
PG. Wesley Iwundu- A decent prospect with three and D potential. He was
stinky in Summer League, but who goes by Summer League? His three-year guaranteed
deal is nice. Dakari Johnson- Johnson is an
intriguing prospect because he seems poised to get some playing time in the
NBA. A big, strong player, he earned comparisons to Aaron Gray. Remember him?
The Blazers are going to have trim some players off their roster. Johnson may
be the one to go. Sindarius Thornwell- Since the Blazers don’t have many shooting guards,
Thornwell could possibly see some minutes this year. Though he was the SEC
Player of the Year, there is a good chance he will spend a lot of time shoring
up his game in the G-League. Thomas Bryant- Bryant was a late pick and the Blazers need to cut
down their roster by two. However, Bryant may force Dakari Johnson to be the
odd big man out. He has an incredible 7’6†wingspan and can play some good
defense. On the downside, he isn’t in the best shape. He will have a guaranteed
deal with an option. With Miles Plumlee your competition, Bryant may get some
looks in Portland. |
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