Portland Trail Blazers: You Be the GM—Cut Roy, Matthews, or Fernandez?
After a relatively successful regular season for the Portland Trail Blazers, being led by LaMarcus Aldridge (despite all adversity in the form of injured knees) to the sixth seed in the Western Conference, and a rather disappointing first-round elimination at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, the time has come where Coach Nate McMillan, General Manager Rich Cho, and the rest of the Portland front office has to decide who stays and who goes.
At the center of the cutting list are the three Portland guards: Brandon Roy, Wesley Matthews, and Rudy Fernandez. It has been quite evident that the combination of guards in Rip City wasn't working out, but finally coach McMillan decided to say something.
According to blazersedge.com, McMillan said, "I think there are a lot of questions that we have to answer. The first thing is to balance the roster. The combination of the twos that we have—with Wesley [Matthews], Rudy [Fernandez] and Brandon [Roy]—that combination is just... really... there's no way we can play the three of those guys."
With a clear sign that someone is going to get cut this offseason, three guards are all jockeying for their spot in the roster. You be the GM. After reviewing each player's progress, stats, and contributions to the team this season, who would you keep, and who would you cut?
Wesley Matthews
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Salary: $5,765,000
Age: 24
The Stats:
Wesley Matthews averaged 15.9 points, 1.2 steals, and two assists per game in 33 minutes of action on the court each night. He was a sharpshooter from downtown, making the defense pay by shooting 40 percent from behind the arc and 84.4 percent from the free throw line.
Matthews' numbers, however, did drop in the playoffs, as he only averaged 13 points, less than one steal, and only one assist per game in the postseason in the same amount of minutes. His three point percentages also dropped in the postseason, but he still shot 38 percent from downtown.
The Facts:
The Portland Trail Blazer WOULD NOT have made the playoffs had it not been for Wesley Matthews' explosive offensive prowess. Time and time again, Matthews has knocked down big shot after big shot, filling in for the absent, injured Brandon Roy and has made the most of his minutes alongside Lamarcus Aldridge.
He plays excellent defense and, aside from shooting, Wes Matthews knows how to get to the hole and draw a foul, where he shoots a high percentage. He's had 11 25-plus-point games this season, along with a plethora of other high scoring nights. He scored 25 points, shooting an incredible 4-of-6 from downtown in Portland's key Game 3 victory over the Mavs. How can you let go of him?
Rudy Fernandez
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Salary: $1,246,680
Age: 26
The Stats:
Rudy Fernandez averaged 8.6 points, 1.1 steals, and 2.5 assists in his 23.2 minutes each night for the Blazers. He shot a lackluster 32 percent from deep, the worst of his career, and 37 percent from the field (2.7-of-7.4 each night).
The Facts:
Rudy's been seeing a steady decline in his numbers since his rookie year, and it's about time he found his game, wherever it may be. Fernandez is often referred to as "a shooter who can't shoot." He's like a European Roger Mason; he can handle the ball, he makes good passes, but his confidence in his jumper doesn't match the results. He came into the league shooting 39.9 percent from downtown; now he's just missing shot after shot.
Controversy: Earlier in the season, Rudy Fernandez alluded to returning to Spain and playing basketball there again. He asked for a trade, claiming to be unhappy in Portland several times this season, but he took the trade request back and now wants to stay in Portland.
Brandon Roy
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Salary: $13,603,750
Age: 26
The Stats: Roy's knee injuries definitely took a toll on his productivity this season. In 47 games, B-Roy averaged 12.2 points and 2.7 assists each night.
The Facts:
Brandon Roy is a two-time All-Star who sat out his third appearance because of a hamstring injury. Though LaMarcus Aldridge has become the focal point of the Portland offense, the Portland Trail Blazers is still Brandon Roy's team.
After his dual arthroscopic knee surgery, Roy had a slow start, but he's shown progress in the right direction. He showed shades of his All-Star days in Game 4 against the Mavs, where he put the team on his back, scoring 18 of his 24 points in the fourth, leading Portland to an 84-82 home win.
However, in Games 5 and 6 of the same series, Roy scored a combined 14 points in two losses, effectively eliminating his team from further contention. He's been very inconsistent with his play, and is not living up to his huge, $13.6 million contract.
The Choice Is Yours—Who Do You Move?
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What's next?
Obviously, Rudy Fernandez is a dub. He hasn't been productive in his time on the floor and he brings unnecessary quarrels to the team. Wes Matthews seems to be a shoo-in, putting up the best numbers out of all of the guards on the team. But what about Brandon Roy?
He's the hometown hero. The fans love him and he loves the fans. Roy is the franchise player and you love to see him in a Blazers jersey, but his $13 million contract raises my eyebrow. What do you do with the injured talent?
Do you keep him and risk an injury while wasting that huge chunk of cash, or do you release him and risk losing the fans and, possibly, the rebirth of a superstar.
You be the GM.
