Portland Trail Blazers Unnecessarily Target Andre Miller, Hedo Turkoglu

Why are the Portland Trail Blazers salivating over 30-year-old Hedo Turkoglu when they already have three young small forwards? Good question.

The Portland Trail Blazers are the deepest team in the NBA. They have:

• Two quality centers: Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden
• Three talented small forwards: Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez, and Nicolas Batum
• Two shooting guards: Brandon Roy and Martell Webster
• Two power forwards: LaMarcus Aldridge and rookie Jeff Pendergraph
• Three point guards: Steve Blake, Jerryd Bayless, and rookie Patrick Mills.
  

Yet, despite having the equivalent of two solid starting lineups, rumors swirl that General Manager Kevin Pritchard will be busy on the free agent market.

The only thing Pritchard should be doing this summer is signing Roy and Aldridge to long-term contracts. Yet, though extensions for Roy and Aldridge are distinctly possible, Pritchard’s aggressive nature will draw him into the free-agent pool, where he will find players he feels too tantalizing to pass up.

One of the free agents they are considering is forward Hedo Turkoglu. Another player on their radar, whom Portland’s brass adores so much that they would be willing to trade for, is point guard Andre Miller.

Turkoglu is a proven scorer, but would not fit in Portland. He was very versatile with the Orlando Magic, where he could score inside and out, grab rebounds, and distribute the basketball. He played well in the playoffs, but had a sub-par season overall, shooting an anemic 41 percent from the field, including 35 percent beyond the three-point line. He was very streaky offensively, porous defensively, and wanted the ball in crucial situations, making Orlando’s under-two-minute-offense predictable.

The Blazers already have Mr. Clutch, Roy, as well as his sidekick, Outlaw. Turkoglu can be unselfish—he averaged nearly five assists per game last season, but would take too many shots away from Roy and others. Portland may want some veterans, but they don’t need a star player.

This pertains to Miller, as well. He averaged 16 points and six assists per game, but though Portland would like such production out of their point guards, they don’t necessarily need it. There is a reason why they were so successful last season while getting only 19 combined points per game from three point guards. It was because they received balanced scoring from every other position.

So, unless the Chicago Bulls dangle Derrick Rose to Pritchard, the Blazers should stray away from a point guard upgrade. To me, a depth chart featuring Blake the veteran, Bayless the aggressor, and Mills the rookie is adequate.

Another thing against Turkoglu and Miller is their age. Turkoglu is 30-years-old, while Miller is 33. Turkoglu is on the edge of his prime and has been so inconsistent year-to-year that he’s hardly dependable. Miller is past his prime, is a terrible three-point shooter (though he doesn’t shoot many, 21 percent for his career and 28 percent last season) and, given he skipped a mandatory Philadelphia 76ers' meeting following the season’s final game, has a poor attitude to boot.

Turkoglu would love a five-year deal worth $70 million, meaning he, instead of Batum, Fernandez, or Outlaw would be their future.

Miller would be acquired for short-term purposes. Still, he would most likely demand a three-to-four-year contract at $12 million per season. Even that contract would disrupt the development of Bayless, who, with another year of seasoning, could be their starting point guard.

The Blazers have money to spend, but if they were going to open their checkbooks, why target Turkoglu and Miller? If Portland is stupid enough to ruin the team's chemistry and halt the growth of Outlaw, Batum, and Bayless, why not break the bank for small forward Linas Kleiza and guard Ramon Sessions?

All the Blazers need this off-season is a back-up power forward. They declined to give Channing Frye a qualifying offer, so their depth at this position has diminished. Last season, Portland used Outlaw in some sets as Aldridge’s backup, which did not give them the rebounding and post presence they needed.

Jeff Pendergraph, whom they selected in the NBA Draft, should provide a boost, but he isn’t the physically imposing figure they need.

Dejuan Blair, whom they passed up, would have fit perfectly. Barring an occurrence of a previous knee injury, he could have filled the void right away. Alas, now, because of their inability to draft appropriately, which is uncharacteristic of Pritchard, the Blazers will have to hop on the free agent train. He'll get his power forward, Paul Millsap, for example, but players such as Turkoglu and Miller are higher on his wish list.

Pritchard knows the talent at his disposal, and knows what is best for his team. Yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made a rash and unnecessary decision. So, as a worried Blazers fan, when he says Portland has a player ready to sign at 12:01 AM, he'd better mean either Aldridge or Roy.