Reply With QuoteAll I see on Portland's website is PF, Bobcats PF. If they expect him to hold down the 4 consistently, they have something coming to them. And it's not gonna be pleasant.
Shawn "My knee is fine now, Thank you very much" Livingston
Wallace will thrive in Portland.
I've always posited that Gerald Wallace's numbers have been on a decline this season largely because of Stephen Jackson. I think that the locker room was divided and there was probably some resentment growing because Jackson was viewed as the number one option. Don't be shocked if he plays in Portland and completely fills up the stat sheet.
To be frank, I think the wrong player was traded. I'm fully aware that Wallace's numbers are down and he is injury prone, but he was invaluable as the face of the franchise. The team's first all star, well liked by fans, and was active in the community. It's obvious that Stephen Jackson can't be propped up in the same way because of his on the court antics and his past brawl.
I still think to this day that Gerald Wallace's numbers would have increased greatly if Stephen Jackson were traded.
One last thing. Jordan should not have traded unless he got Batum back. Portland's front office is full of shit when they say Batum is untouchable. If they believe that then they're truly delusional. The only reason why they wanted to keep him is because he also plays SF and they know that Gerald Wallace has an injury filled past. So Batum is there for insurance and nothing more.
Look at it this way, the young team would have looked something like this (if you omit players like Jackson, etc.)
PG Augustine
SG Henderson
SF Batum
PF Tyrus Thomas
C Brown
Not a bad young team to build around, but by letting them keep Batum they're essentially getting two late first rounders. How is that going to make an impact, exactly? If the front office can't draft well in the lottery position what makes fans they're going to get diamond in the rough talent in the late first round? They completely fleeced us by bullshitting that Batum was "untouchable".
Kemba Walker Texas Ranger. Coming soon on FOX.
All I see on Portland's website is PF, Bobcats PF. If they expect him to hold down the 4 consistently, they have something coming to them. And it's not gonna be pleasant.
Get at me on twitter @dcarnys
Shawn "My knee is fine now, Thank you very much" Livingston
Wallace will either come off the bench as the sixth man or he'll start as the SF. It will be one of the two. He'll rarely, very rarely, play the power forward position when they play small ball. Aldridge is their PF through and through. I thought this Bill Simmons article was interesting:
THE FUTURE OF PRO BASKETBALL IN CHARLOTTE: D-minus-minus
In the past six months, the Bobcats gave away three of their best four players (Ray Felton, Gerald Wallace and Tyson Chandler) with two first-round picks to show for it: New Orleans' 2011 first-rounder (in the 20s) and Portland's 2011 first-rounder (ditto). That's a catastrophe. Even worse, you can't totally blame them: Nobody goes to their games, nobody watches them, and if they can't compete for a title, what's the sense of competing at all? Why not bottom out and hope for a miracle? Contract these guys. Move them to Vancouver. Move them to Seattle. Do something. The only way this situation could get worse is if Stephen Jackson decides to run into the stands and start inexplicably punching people.
Meanwhile, Portland stumbled into a front line of Marcus Camby, LaMarcus Aldridge (playing out of his freaking mind), Wallace and Nicolas Batum. Super-duper intriguing, especially from a rebounding standpoint: Camby and Wallace crash the boards as well as anyone at their positions. If Brandon Roy gives them anything, wouldn't Portland be lurking as a late bloomer this spring? Portland's crunch-time scorer (Aldridge) is playing as well as anyone in the West right now. You're telling me you'd want to play a Game 6 in Portland down 3-2? And besides, isn't the West totally up for grabs, or am I crazy? It's about time MJ did something nice for Portland -- he's been haunting the Trail Blazers for three decades much like Stevie Nicks haunted Lindsey Buckingham.
Simmons has to take his hate out on someone after the Celtics traded Perkins. Not that I particularly care what ESPN, home of the big market sack riders, has to say.Originally Posted by Absinthe
But either way, I just hope that Wallace survives the season in Portland. He was already hurt... once he breathes the tainted Portland air, he may just burst into flames.
Shawn "My knee is fine now, Thank you very much" Livingston
People are completely missing the point of the Celtics trade. Perkins has lost a step, he wouldn't sign for the money they were offering, and they play fine without him. He's right--they need perimeter defenders against the likes of New York and Miami. An out of shape, overweight Shaq is automatically better than Dampier or any center New York trots out. Who here is confident that Bynum will even stay healthy? Their front court is still fine and they built up their perimeter defense.
The Lakers have to worry about the post way, way more than Boston does. Oklahoma, Dallas, and San Antonio all have great front courts. Portland has a fantastic front court now with Aldridge, Wallace, and Camby. That's four playoff teams that have a great front court. The East has terrible front courts. Not a single team in the East has a solid one-two front court punch. Not even Orlando. Dwight Howard is good, but Brandon Bass? Or Ryan Anderson? The East sucks in the post.
Simmons is also right about Charlotte. I'm not even particularly sure this town even wanted another basketball team. The south is dominated by the college basketball scene. It's why teams like Atlanta and Charlotte have low attendance. I'd rather go to a UNC or Duke game than a Bobcats game and that was when the Bobcats were a playoff team. Now that they're rebuilding, who gives a shit? Honestly. The front office has completely bumbled drafts, the TV deals are complete shit, and there have been some questionable trades.
I'm moving to Portland so I hope I can see Wallace play.
Last edited by Absinthe; 02-25-2011 at 01:46 PM.
Kemba Walker Texas Ranger. Coming soon on FOX.
Why I like CBS alot better. They dont hate as much as ESPN
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/e...48484/27646299
Get at me on twitter @dcarnys
1. Tyson was not one of our best players. Ray, DJ, Jack, Crash, Tyrus, Diaw, and Nazr were all better.
2. I love how the perception is when players are in Charlotte they suck, but when they go to Dallas they turn into a defensive anchor and great player or when they go to New York ZOMG they're an all-star, or when they go to Portland, they're awesome!
I usually like Simmons, but in this case, dude is a moron. And also, regardless if he's lost a step, you don't trade your only big man under 30 for a bench player.
I can't stand ESPN but I really like Simmons and don't necessarily regard him as a representative of them (although technically he is of course). I read both parts of his article today and thought they were pretty good. While I don't think Boston would have been able to keep Perkins in the offseason, I agree that getting rid of him now really hurts their chances at a title this year. What are the odds that Jermaine and Shaq can make it through the playoffs?
I do think Wallace will be serviceable in Portland. Considering their constant problems with injuries this year, they still have a good squad and should be able to compete in a Western conference that is quickly losing power. Adding Wallace makes their front line of Aldridge, Wallace, Batum, and Camby which should be pretty strong. With that being said, he won't be required to put up huge numbers, and he likely won't. His performance will realistically have little to do with his departure from SJax. I'm not a fan of SJax but there's no reason to try and put anymore blame on him than necessary. Great trade for Portland all in all.
As for Charlotte, I hope their draft picks materialize and I really enjoy living in an NBA city. While some of you might not like the moves he is making, the fact that Jordan owns the team is a relief in that it probably isn't going anywhere (I mean geographically lol) right now.
I don't know what the general impression is here of Felton, but I think for the most part he was a product of the system in NY. I expect his numbers to drastically decline in Denver. Chauncey should be an ample replacement for him there.
I have had this argument before and I think it's short sighted to look at Felton's body of work and say it's the "system" in NY that made him look better on paper. To say that is is to say that the "system" of Flip Saunders made Billups look great at Detroit or that Silas "system" made DJ great. Isn't it possible that the "system" of Larry Brown tends to constrict PGs rather than encourage them to play with confidence (at least in the short stint)?
I guess for me, it's not so clear what's the chicken and what's the egg.
And it should be noted that I do like both Larry Brown and Raymond Felton.
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