Bleacher Report - Articles by kurt valentine

Looking Ahead: Portland Trailblazers Brass Will Be Very Busy Very Soon

kurt valentine — Sun, 24 May 2009 00:46:27 -0400

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

It's the Portland Trailblazers offseason—and that's Kevin Pritchard's Christmas.

This offseason has the makings to be spectacular.

There is, of course, the NBA draft to prepare for. KP will start with five picks.

Then there is the pending contract expiration of Raef LaFretnz, which likely will force the Blazers to make a trade.

Don't forget free agency. The Blazers have to make decisions on Channing Frye and Sergio Rodriguez. Travis Outlaw has an option that will need to be looked at as well.

And also, Portland has the opportunity to lock up Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge early with a six-year deal. But what about a contract extension for Nate McMillan?

Mock Draft sites have virtually given up on predictions for the Blazers. That or they are just terrible at their jobs. One site has them taking three SGs. Another has them drafting every player on the Spanish national team not named Ricky Rubio.

The main thing the Blazers need to do in this draft is to get tougher. Selecting Jeff Adrien in the second round would be an ideal fit. He passes the eyeball test—and despite only standing 6'7", he has a 7'0" wingspan and is a terrific rebounder. He averaged 13.6 ppg and 10 rpg while playing alongside the gigantic Hasheem Thabeet.

The first-round pick though is really a luxury. Picking at 24 for the second time in the last three years could bring back as quality a player as it did in 2007 when Portland selected Rudy Fernandez.

It's hard to blame the mocks for not really doing any homework on that pick, because I don't see Portland making that pick for themselves anyway.

That brings us to Raef's contract. Something has to be done with this. Teams that didn't value the contract enough at the trade deadline will be far more envious of that contract now that it would only be on the books for a few weeks—then, poof! Eleven million dollars right at the start of free agency.

Speaking of free agency, Portland has some money and needs a PG. PGs need money—and there are a few unrestricted free agents who would make the Blazers better now. Guys like Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, or Mike Bibby could open a championship window in Portland instantly.

On the restricted side, there are PGs Ramon Sessions, Raymond Felton, and Nate Robinson. Sessions would be a very nice addition but Milwaukee may be able to match an offer sheet of the estimated $7 million the Blazers could put on the table.

Raymond Felton would be less expensive, but he may not be a large enough upgrade over current PG Steve Blake—and certainly can not shoot the ball as well.

Nate Robinson has expressed interest in heading west to play alongside Roy again, but Portland hasn't seemed too interested in extending an offer his way. CryptoNate is an obvious upgrade over Steve Blake in a vacuum—but he may not be an upgrade in the eyes of hard-nosed Head Coach Nate McMillan.

If toughness is a concern that Portland addresses through free agency, Ron Artest could be the answer. Many people in Portland and around America have become more and more enamored with the man that once was the most-hated player in all of basketball. The talent is there, he is a severe upgrade at SF, but is the franchise once tagged as the "Jail Blazers" able to forgive or forget what happened in Detroit?

It is safe to say that Frye and Sergio are gone. The Blazers would like to include them in any trade they may make, but that would be the only way those two get re-signed.

That leaves the Travis Outlaw decision. His fate this offseason has to be the most liquid of all the Blazers'. Outlaw had a solid season this year and was the teams third-leading scorer.

If the Blazers are looking to get better via a trade, it would likely include Travis. He is beloved by the organization, but is really the only proven commodity the Blazers may be willing to part with.

Now as far as trades go, the rumors are endless and spectacular. I don't expect anything roster altering by any means.

The Phoenix Suns are reportedly shopping PG Steve Nash. That is very intriguing—but likely too expensive. Nash makes any team a contender, but who knows how long Nash will stick around? He is, after all, 35 years old and headed into his 13th NBA season—and has been plagued with a back injury for years.

But you can't argue his talent. He could take the reigns of the most efficient offense in the NBA in 2009 (Portland averaged 113.9 points per 100 touches) and make it one of the best ever. Imagine if Portland had a transition game run by Steve Nash.

I'm all in favor of bringing in Nash, but I would hate to see Jerryd Bayless involved in that trade. Perhaps the best thing Nash could bring to this team would be the mentoring that he would provide for Bayless.

Lastly, the Blazers can and should give a max contract to Brandon Roy as soon as next year's roster is set—and not a moment later.

LaMarcus, on the other hand, may or may not be a max player in the NBA. If he could get his rebounds up to around eight per game, there would be no questions. It's clear that he is a top-notch player, and his agent will likely stick to max or bust. The decision on him may be put off a year but lets hope that doesn't create ill will between his camp and the Blazers. Good thing Tom Penn stuck around to handle this one.

Coach Nate needs a new contract as well. It may make him the highest-paid coach in the NBA. He certainly needs to be in the top five. What his teams have done has been simply incredible.

No matter what free agents decisions are made, who is drafted or who gets traded, next year a first-round loss is not an option. The Portland Trail Blazers have just the people in place to make sure that does not happen again.

Travis Outlaw: Sixth Man or Not, Here He Comes

kurt valentine — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:13:01 -0400

Jason Terry may be a lock for the sixth man of the year award, but Travis Outlaw has already won something far more valuable this season. He has won the trust of his team and Trailblazer fans everywhere.

Gone are the days of holding your breath when he touches the ball. Gone too are the days of gasping when he elevates for a jump shot. No longer do fans question why Nate drew up "that play for Travis."

He is after all "Big Shot Trav" aka "Mr Fourth Quarter".

Outlaw's season has been filled with many highs. His 9 20 plus point performances this year have bolstered his average to 12.7 points per game he is the Blazers' third-leading scorer. He has scored in double figures in 54 games this year. Oh, by the way, he is doing that in less than 28 minutes per outing.

His success goes hand and hand with the team's success. In Trailblazer wins he averages 13.4 ppg, as opposed to 10.8 ppg in losses. The Trailblazers are an impressive 8-1 when Outlaw scores 20 or more.

He is shooting a career high 45 percent from the field this season, a very good number for a jump shooter.

His defense has improved as well. The majority of his 55 blocks this season have been absolute highlight reel material bringing the Rose Garden crowds to their feet.

Today's NBA finds guys like Outlaw and Terry coming off the bench, but getting more minutes then the person they replace.

The traditional roles of starters and reserves gets blurred by such players. Outlaw may not be a "starter" but he definitely has thrived in his "reserve" position.

Outlaw is the key reserve on bench filled with key reserves. Combined with Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriquez, Greg Oden, Channing Frye and Jerryd Bayless, Portland's bench is outscoring opposing benches by over eight ppg.

At 6'9” and 207 lbs, Outlaw is the perfect utility player serving as the backup Small forward as well as the back up Power Forward. His speed, athleticism and shooting range are a nightmare for opposing big men. His size and strength is overwhelming for smaller swing men. His versatility has allowed Coach Nate McMillan to play small or big and still maintain maximum talent on the floor.

Outlaw jerseys are popping up more and more around Portland. Fans love the fearless way he approaches the game.

Its hard not to pull for the 24-year-old from Starkville, Miss. His smile is contagious and genuine. His demeanor is calm and collected on and off the court.

His jumper is nearly impossible to block which makes him an obvious option to take game winning shots, which he takes and makes as much as anyone in the league including teammate and All-Star Brandon Roy.

So the accolades may be headed to Jason Terry by the voters this year and that's fine, because really Travis Outlaw is a starter on this team. He just happens to come off the bench.

The Blazers Standing Pat Has Some Portland Fans Standing Scratching Their Heads

kurt valentine — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:00:48 -0500

This is the first time I have ever felt this way.

It's the pain equal to finding out that your partner has been unfaithful.

It's the way you feel when you realize that your Dad isn't Superman or that Santa and the Easter Bunny aren't coming around anymore because you're too old.

Wednesday, I went to the Rose Garden with three purchased tickets in hand. I bought four $8 domestics, while witnessing an uninspired, embarrassing basketball contest against a significantly less than sub-par basketball team.

I sat through Sergio Rodriguez getting minutes that should have been used to reward the fans with Jerryd Bayless dunks.

I watched as Nate McMillan stubbornly ran a futile pick and roll with Brandon Roy and Joel Pryzbilla (anyone who knows anything about basketball knows why that was unsuccessful).

I was, however, able to catch glimpses of former overall number one draft pick, Greg Oden, in a suede blazer and jeans. In the end, the Blazers were victorious simply because they are more talented.

But my pain, my real pain, comes from a missed opportunity away from the court.

Kevin Pritchard let me down. I never thought that day would come, and I'm still in disbelief. That's the first stage of accepting a trauma right? Denial?

Another trade deadline has passed. Rumors can be put to rest, and the hopes and dreams of Portland fans have plummeted down a notch.

Portland had a tremendous opportunity to become great now. They could have made themselves a contender—not a team that will get manhandled in the first round of the playoffs, but an honest to goodness contender.

The experts said that Portland had a can't miss asset that would bring back an All-Star caliber small forward. And that asset doesn't even play.

It is simply an acronym. RLEC (Raef Lafrentz Expiring Contract). A $12.7 million acronym. We were told that the current economy has made RLEC more valuable than Amare Stoudemire, a man who was a starter in the All-Star game.

The rumors we heard had Portland landing Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, David Lee, Caron Butler or my personal favorite, Gerald Wallace.

I understand that in a perfect world, RLEC would be enough to get those guys, but this is basketball, and teams will require more than an acronym to part ways with wins, and let's face it, those guys mean wins.

So names like Nicolas Batum and Sergio, Travis Outlaw and even Rudy Fernandez, were being thrown into deals. OK, I agree, Travis and Rudy are off limits for the above named players, but are Batum and Sergio? Really?

Those guys aren't exactly Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge or Joel Pryzbilla—three guys that I'm willing to bet would welcome a reliable scorer and wing defender. Brandon Roy is asked to do more than enough right now, and it will age him sooner than fans want.

Nicolas Batum plays the same position as the guy you were going to get in return for him. If you had Wallace on your team, why would you need Batum, Travis, and Webster at the same position? When would Batum play? How was he “untouchable”?

And don't even get me started on Sergio. I think the only person who is less of a fan of his play than me is Nate McMillan.

So what was it? Why didn't Portland get a small forward that fans could believe in to be a viable third option? Where is the happy ending?

This is your fault, KP. Where was the “Pritch Slap” we were all waiting for? I'm starting to wonder why we even coined the phrase “In KP we trust."

Some analysts have said that KP has placed too much stock in his own players. I say those analysts have read my mind, stolen my thoughts and made a profit off of it.

Nicolas Batum is not a starter, he is merely a player who starts. Sergio Rodriguez is not a better point guard than most teams' second option, and he's not even better than our second option.

Rudy Fernandez is horrendous from two to 20 feet, slight in stature and a liability in half court defense. Travis Outlaw makes terrible decisions at times and on defense, he gets overpowered at the four and runs ragged at the three.

Again Travis and Rudy are special talents who deserve to be significant producers on a bench that gets a ton of minutes. None of them should have been untouchable, none of them.

So again, Portland will see no return from a terrible contract they picked up.

Steve Francis getting waived was supposed to free up cap space once his contract came off the books, but Darius Miles robbed KP of that gold mine.

I know Darius is not KP's fault, and we shouldn't blame him for what happened, but he did have a chance to salvage the situation by trading RLEC for a small forward or maybe even Shaquille O' Neil, as late rumors would have had you believe.

I'm not sure how long after the season KP has to move RLEC before it becomes extinct, but for that reason and window of time alone, I'm holding out hope that.....

Perhaps KP had a conversation with Joe Dumars in an attempt to get Tayshaun Prince.

At which time Dumars said “Kevin, we both know you're not going to give me the players I would need from you in order to finish this season and still sell tickets without Tayshaun. However, I really covet RLEC and will be more than willing to make a deal with you for RLEC and Tayshaun when the season is over. If you can wait and give me and my city enough time to come to grasps with not having any star power next year in order to land LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosch in the summer of '10, then you, my friend will have yourself an eager opponent awaiting you for the 2010-11 NBA Finals.”

If that is the case, KP, well then "In KP I Trust!"

If not, then you should have drafted Durant.