Portland Trail Blazers

Mar 21, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) dribbles the ball against Chicago Bulls shooting guard Marco Belinelli (8) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports We continue handing out report cards at Rip City Project, after having given out an A and a B- to Damian Lillard and Eric Maynor respectively in the previous entry of the series. Up today are the other guards that were regularly deployed by the Blazers during the season, Wesley Matthews and Will Barton. Wesley Matthews | #2 | Guard Season Age Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS 2012-13 26 POR NBA SG 69 69 34.8 5.1 11.7 .436 2.4 6.2 .398 2.2 2.7 .797 0.5 2.3 2.8 2.5 1.3 0.3 1.6 2.5 14.8 Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 5/22/2013. Wesley Matthews’ role for Portland is simple: spot up for threes and play solid defense. Beyond that, not too much is asked of him. Well, Matthews accomplished his role to a T this season. His defense wasn’t outstanding, and that can be attributed to his lack of lateral quickness and also the level of support he had from minimally gifted role players. However, his toughness and relative bulk, at 220 lbs for a shooting guard, came in handy. Matthews was able to guard some of the stronger wings of the NBA because of his strength, and the Blazers had the convenient option of being able to switch defensive assignments between him and Nicolas Batum, who is taller, longer and quicker but also weaker. While he wasn’t an All-Defensive Team player by any means, Matthews was a very serviceable defender for Portland this season. The offensive end was where Wes Matthews truly shined. He drilled a career high 2.4 threes per game (tied for 5th in the NBA) at a shade under 40%. Consistency was a season-long theme for him from beyond the arc and he led the way for a strong trio of three-point shooters in the startling lineup (which included Damian Lillard and Nicolas Batum). Because of that group, LaMarcus Aldridge and J.J. Hickson were left with a ridiculous amount of space in which to operate. Portland may have liked to see more from Matthews inside the three-point arc, and from Batum as well. They were both strong three-point shooters, but in order for such dedicated specialists to co-exist, they need to be able to offer more than just shooting. Both were capable of getting to the rim and generally finished well there, but drove too rarely. Combined, they shot 53.0% of their shots from three as opposed to just 22.5% at the rim. Neither player shot a better percentage from mid-range than they did at the rim or even beyond the arc, so they need to make cutting towards the basket without the ball a more prominent part of their games or risk a redundancy easy to game-plan against. This is particularly important for Matthews, who lacks Batum’s versatility and potential. He could be expendable under the right circumstances, and risks being shipped out if he doesn’t add more to his game. This season, he did fine, even very good. However, Portland needs more than what Wes is giving them—they already have two top-tier shooters in Lillard and Batum, and a one-dimensional shooter like Matthews is just building up a surplus without addressing any weaknesses. Grade: B+ Dec 5, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Will Barton (5) sets up the play against the Indiana Pacers during the second quarter at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports Will Barton | #5 | Guard Season Age Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS 2012-13 22 POR NBA SG 73 5 12.2 1.6 4.2 .382 0.1 0.9 .138 0.7 0.9 .769 0.5 1.5 2.0 0.8 0.5 0.1 0.8 0.8 4.0 Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table Genera

Intrigue is high around the 21-year-old C.J. McCollum, despite playing in just 12 games as a senior after breaking his left foot during a 59-55 loss at Virginia Commonwealth. Prior to his foot injury, the preseason All-American was leading the nation in scoring at 25.7 points per game.

Mailbag time! For information on how to submit your question see the end of this post. Dave, Saw your post about moving up in the draft. Folks are saying Dallas wants to cut cap space to sign Dwight Howard. How about getting that 13 pick and then packaging it with the 10 to move up? That would get us somewhere, right? Rob First, I don't think the Blazers really want to move up in this draft. Ideally they'd prefer to move out in exchange for a helpful veteran. The goal of that post was to look at possible options, not to endorse the general course of action. Second, the scenario you described sounds good on paper...very, very thin paper. It doesn't make much sense in real life for a few reasons. You have to suspect any trade reasoning that relies more on the motive of your team's trading partner than the actual talent exchanged. We hear these things every year. "This team wants to dump salary. That team is rebuilding. The other team is supposedly dissatisfied with a player." These things do play into trades but NONE of them substitute for talent or turn a horrible move into a good one. Teams do not just dump assets willy-nilly. Even if they have an overall goal in mind they still want to maximize value at each step of the way. Let's just say Dallas is interested in saving cap space for Howard. You still have to answer these questions. 1. O.J. Mayo is opting out and will have to leave in order for the Mavs to offer Howard a full salary. That's going to leave them at about the $40 million mark, give or take. Will the $1.7 million they'd owe the 13th pick make THAT much of a difference, particularly since they can save close to a million by renouncing the rights to Petteri Koponen? 2. Why should Dallas trade that pick to Portland as opposed to any of the 28 other teams? What offer can the Blazers make? Second rounders? Cash? Who can't match that? Where does Portland get the edge to make this deal work? 3. The draft happens in June. The Mavs can't woo Howard until July and have no guarantee of getting him. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to hedge their bets by drafting a player they could use and then dumping that player for next to nothing in July if they do get Howard? The Blazers would need them to make the move in June with no assurance of ultimate success in order to make a trade plan work. 4. Most importantly of all, since you're speculating the pick is all but free for the taking why wouldn't the team the Blazers want to trade it to just go and get it from Dallas themselves? If you're Charlotte and you have a choice between trading the #4 pick for #10 and #13 or spending a couple second-rounders to draft #4 and #13 which would you take? Given the choice wouldn't the Mavs prefer to help an out-of-conference team rather than the Blazers? So many trade scenarios contain steps that just don't make sense, relying on perceived context rather than actual trade value. Sometimes crazy things happen in this league but you can't depend on them. Most of the time they happen to somebody else besides you. Put yourself in the other GM's shoes. Pretend it's the summer of 2014, LaMarcus Aldridge has one year remaining on his contract, and rumor has it he's going to leave next year. How are you going to feel when everybody starts saying, "Just offer Tyrus Thomas, some cap filler, and the 12th pick for him. They're going to lose him anyway!" Are you going to take that kind of deal? No way. You'd rather ride out the summer, try to trade him at the deadline, or even let him walk than take back pieces that have little value or make no sense. Phoenix is not going to give away Marcin Gortat because his contract has but one year left and they're rebuilding. Cleveland is not in charity mode just because Anderson Varejao doesn't fit their timetable. The Mavericks may end up selling the 13th pick low but there's no guarantee you'll be the one who gets it and if you do there's no guarant

Portland Trail Blazers fans discuss whether or not to draft Cody Zeller with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

I'm curious people talk about winning now but, what does that mean exactly? Does that mean winning more than last year? Breaking .500? Making the playoffs? Getting past the 1st round? Also is it compatible with winning a championship in the foreseeable (7 years) future? I would contend that to win NOW would jeopardize our ability to win a ring. I just cannot foresee any realistic scenario in which the Blazers even get out of the west in the next 5 years, let alone put up a serious effort vs. the Heat whom I expect to come out of the East for the next 5 years at least. The fact is a very frustrating thing has happened. Much like with Jordan and Shaq a transcendent talent has emerged who appears to my eyes to be UNBEATABLE during his prime that being obviously James. People don't seem to recognize that or are willfully trying to block that image out. Have we all forgotten Jordan's reign? I sure haven't. That guy was good for 8+ rings (I'm counting the two he would have won if he hadn't retired for baseball and the real possibility of one more if that team had been kept together after his sixth). Nobody was going to beat Jordan and based on what I saw yet again last night we have a new guy who is going to win 6+ rings. I'm sorry guys but LBJ is simply unbeatable right now and for the foreseeable future. He also never seems to get injured, not that I would want that, so I don't see him fading much for at a minimum five more seasons and that might be optimistic considering his age and seemingly non-existent ceiling. So sure, we could "win now" we might be able to cobble together an also ran. If things really broke well for us then we might even get out of the West, but even that looks like a HUGE stretch given OKC along with the rising GSW and MEM teams, not to mention the CLEARLY immortal Spurs who obviously don't have to concern themselves with aging like a normal team. Both LA teams are dangerous. The Lakers have this SICKENING habit of magically reconstituting themselves like some kind of horror movie villain just when you thought they were dead so I would never, EVER count them out. There are also borderline teams that are already better than us HOU, DEN etc. That's a pretty tall order to get past all of those teams when ALL of them are better than us right NOW by doing nothing but standing pat. So then how to win a RING, not an also ran, and certainly not a win now 1st round and done effort. Free Agency perhaps? Oh really? Who? CP3 negates our best player so that's pointless also I doubt Paul would come here. D12?...I'm not sold on that guy after his rather incredibly BAD 2012/13 outing with the Lakers and he seems like Locker Room poison so no. Who else is available that's gonna help us compete with LBJ? The correct answer is NO ONE. A trade? Who? Who is going to put us over the top that is even conceivably on the trading block? I can't think of a single guy. We need top 10 players in the league talent to challenge LeBron and I'm just not seeing anyone who would want to come to P-town and who we could get without trading both LA and Batum which would leave us basically at moderately better than we are now. That leaves us with one option. It's grim, it sucks, but I'm afraid it might be our only hope at a championship between now and 2023+ http://www.portlandroundballsociety.com/home/2013/3/21/debate-are-the-blazers-locked-into-mediocrity.html We need to build through the draft. Fortunately, the coming drafts are looking to be amazing with the 2014 and a few in the coming years as well based on some notable high school players. This means we need to look long and hard at trading Aldridge and likely Batum. Aldridge is getting sick of losing and you can’t blame him. Batum might be in that camp as well. I think the play is to make a trade with Charlotte for their pick and the 2014 unprotected for Aldridge. LA is a good enough player that it is worth considering for the Bobcats. They hav

Feb 15, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference forward LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers speaks to the media during a press conference at the Hilton Americas. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports LaMarcus Aldridge finished 3rd among vote receiving players that did not make an All-NBA team; just behind Stephen Curry and just ahead of Chris Bosh. While disappointed, I am not entirely surprised. One can argue for or against LaMarcus being a top 15 player with valid points on either side of the argument. On one hand, he is a spectacular jump shooter, on the other he lacks aggression. On that first hand, he has a fluid post game, on the other his defense isn’t top tier. He is perennially on the cusp. I do find one thing curious, however. The Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin was voted All-NBA 2nd team. Let that soak in. The high flying, hard flopping, Lob City leaper not only beat out LaMarcus Aldridge, but he wasn’t even 3rd team! Never mind his heavy reliance on Chris Paul, or inability to make a free throw, or even his bizarre incompetence outside the paint; Griffin is apparently a top 10 player. What do you look for in a post player? Someone who can score, rebound, defend the hoop, and not be a liability at the charity stripe. This year, Aldridge bested Griffin in points per game, rebounds per game, blocks per game, and free throw percentage. Granted, Aldridge played more minutes, but battling season-long fatigue should be another point in his column. It’s not that Griffin is untalented, he’s truly quite impressive, but when it comes to comparison LaMarcus is a no-brainer. It would appear that this year’s voters prefer relative sizzle to proven steak. This is what you get in a small market. It’s the same reason Milwaukee’s Larry Sanders missed both All-Defensive teams this year. Overcoming the comparatively minor exposure is a constant uphill battle. Perhaps next year the red-headed stepchildren of the NBA will be rewarded for their abilities, but it doesn’t seem likely. Despite years of NBA prominence, LaMarcus Aldridge has just one 3rd team selection to show for his efforts (2010-2011). I would be less salty over this pseudo-snub if the upper-echelon did not include players beneath his skill set. Although I must say, for the most part, I agree with many of this year’s selections. All-NBA 1st Team LeBron James Kevin Durant Tim Duncan Kobe Bryant Chris Paul All-NBA 2nd Team Carmelo Anthony Blake Griffin Marc Gasol Tony Parker Russell Westbrook All-NBA 3rd Team David Lee Paul George Dwight Howard Dwyane Wade James Harden @davidmackaypdx | @ripcityproject | davidmackaypdx@gmail.com

I don't think this is possible without both teams agreeing to it. But maybe we could convince Charlotte to take the #10 this year with the right incentives ($3 million cash might work, eh?). Why we'd do it: 1.) Clears cap room for us this year in the amount of the #10 pick cap hold 2.) Frees up our 2014 pick to be used in trades 3.) This draft sucks Thoughts? Would you do it? And why? I don't think this is possible without both teams agreeing to it. But maybe we could convince Charlotte to take the #10 this year with the right incentives ($3 million cash might work, eh?). Why we'd do it: 1.) Clears cap room for us this year in the amount of the #10 pick cap hold 2.) Frees up our 2014 pick to be used in trades 3.) This draft sucks Thoughts? Would you do it? And why? Poll Would you give up the #10 pick this year, no strings attached, if it was possible to do so? Yeah! We don't want it anyway. Maybe. Interesting idea. Heck no! Assets! 18 votes | Results

I created a poll with 11 possible candidates that the Blazers to draft with the 10th pick. Each prospect can be rated on a scale from 1 to 10. A 10 should mean that you are so excited with the prospect that you plan to promote him tirelessly on Blazersedge until draft day. A 1 should mean that if the Blazers draft him you will throw a hissy fit that just might get you banned. Here is the poll. You can also view the results here. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of consensus exists among us. Obviously you can explain your choices in the thread below. If I have the time I might put together another one of these for second rounders. I created a poll with 11 possible candidates that the Blazers to draft with the 10th pick. Each prospect can be rated on a scale from 1 to 10. A 10 should mean that you are so excited with the prospect that you plan to promote him tirelessly on Blazersedge until draft day. A 1 should mean that if the Blazers draft him you will throw a hissy fit that just might get you banned. Here is the poll. You can also view the results here. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of consensus exists among us. Obviously you can explain your choices in the thread below. If I have the time I might put together another one of these for second rounders.

It looks like the most likely scenario for this offseason is that the blazers will somehow add a veteran center and maybe a rotation player on the wing. I'm not sure there's enough growth in our core group of guys to push us into contender status. I believe the only way to get there is through the draft. I think the Cavs might be willing to give up Tristan Thompson and the #1 & #19 pick for Lamarcus Aldridge. You never get equal value trading star players, but I think this would be a better offer than what the Thunder got for Harden. In this scenario I would add actually draft Ben McLemore @ #1 Zeller @ #10 and maybe Gobert if he's still available at @19. I would then overpay Nikola Pecovic (4yrs 48mil) and hope Minnesota doesn't match or offer a 1 yr deal to a guy like Okafor or Brand. Potential lineup PG - Lillard - best available cheap backup free agent (Maynor, Harris, Collison, or Brooks) SG - McLemore - Mathews SF - Batum - vet wing PF - Thompson - Zellar C - Pecovic - Leonard - Gobert if he comes over If we dont sign Pec then we could move Zellar to the 5 and resign Hickson to play the 4. Not a bad group moving forward and we would likely have a very good chance to pick a franchise player in the loaded 2014 draft. It looks like the most likely scenario for this offseason is that the blazers will somehow add a veteran center and maybe a rotation player on the wing. I'm not sure there's enough growth in our core group of guys to push us into contender status. I believe the only way to get there is through the draft. I think the Cavs might be willing to give up Tristan Thompson and the #1 & #19 pick for Lamarcus Aldridge. You never get equal value trading star players, but I think this would be a better offer than what the Thunder got for Harden. In this scenario I would add actually draft Ben McLemore @ #1 Zeller @ #10 and maybe Gobert if he's still available at @19. I would then overpay Nikola Pecovic (4yrs 48mil) and hope Minnesota doesn't match or offer a 1 yr deal to a guy like Okafor or Brand. Potential lineup PG - Lillard - best available cheap backup free agent (Maynor, Harris, Collison, or Brooks) SG - McLemore - Mathews SF - Batum - vet wing PF - Thompson - Zellar C - Pecovic - Leonard - Gobert if he comes over If we dont sign Pec then we could move Zellar to the 5 and resign Hickson to play the 4. Not a bad group moving forward and we would likely have a very good chance to pick a franchise player in the loaded 2014 draft.

ESPN.com Insider Amin Elhassan, who used to work in Phoenix's front office, put together a 2013 draft guide for the Trail Blazers, all of which is worth checking out. But the most interesting part is probably the three players from this draft who would be the best additions to the current roster ...