Post by duc15 on Aug 19, 2010 21:23:03 GMT -5
Welcome everyone, obviously this has been a very busy day here in Portland. First we would like to say to Adonal, Andre, Michael, Eddy, and Joe that their time here in Portland was a very fun and valuable experience and we would like to wish them the best of luck with everything going forward in their careers. To the guys we added we hope they are ready to compete and strive for excellence.
I am now open to any and all questions. So, go ahead with the first one.
There was a rumored 3 way deal between the Blazers, Bulls and Jazz. How close was that deal to getting done, if the Suns didn't swoop in with a offer?
Some people feel you kissed your play-off chances good bye, how long do you think it will take for the young guys to compete in the west or if it will you feel you can compete now?
There was some early talks with the Bulls about a trade and possibly including a third team. They just happened to be late to the party as I was already in serious discussions with the Suns and didn't really want to take time away from my talks with them and possibly end the chances of coming to a deal with the Suns. Now obviously if the trade with the Suns fell through then the Bulls and Jazz would be another place we would of looked.
For us the decision to move the players we did was something that had to be looked at with patiences. Obviously at this moment we appear to be on the outside looking in on the playoffs but we feel going forward we have set ourselves nicely as an organization. As for projection on when we think we could contend, we obviously wish that we were in contention now but really we know it will be a process that will take some time. The bottom of the west obviously has some opportunity to reach the playoffs we just don't want to hurt our future by reaching for what could amount to a 1st round exit.
How do you plan on maximizing Gilbert Arenas on your team? It was pretty controversial to switch him to PG where he has struggled before. Do you believe you have the pieces to make him successful in that position. Also, how do you plan on improving your front court? What piece do you feel like you are missing to succeed in the west?
With Gil we have told him that he is our PG and he has nothing to worry about going forward and that he just needs to go play basketball like we know he can. We also know that he has had struggles else where playing PG but we feel with our coaching staff and Rip he will have a great chance to be a really good PG in this league. Rip gives Gil a guy on the wing that can score and move to get himself open so all Gil has to do is really just get him the ball and let Rip work.
As for the frontcourt we realize that is something that may appear to have taken a step back in talent when we traded away Joe and Eddy. The guys we have received in return though are some guys we feel could be good players in this league. Primoz is a guy we are very excited about we hope that he really jumps at the chance we have given him here with the minutes he has been given. Wacht is another guy who is someone to keep an eye on he is very active on the block and has become a good shot blocker for us in the middle and someone we are very high on here.
What we think we are missing here in the west is experience and depth. These will both be approached this offseason. I will tell you what I told these guy on our roster. They will all be given the chance for 82 games to just go out and compete and not look back. One bad game or stretch of games will not determine their future here. We will look come seasons end to the season as a whole and then determine what we feel is best going forward for us as a team to win as many championships as possible.
What have you learned from the deal you gave Ron Mercer?
Patience. We had cap space and felt that we need to capitalize on it. We made a hasty decision and felt that his value money wise was a little higher then it was. Ron has been great here as a guy with some veteran experience and helped some of our younger guys but we obviously need to be wiser and think through our FA offers and targets better from here on out.
You've easily got one of the youngest teams in the league after the trade with Phoenix. Do you feel this will benefit you in the upcoming years or are you afraid that these players will just develop under your tutelage and leave once free agency hits? Only two players on your squad have contracts that extend longer than the next two seasons, what guys do you feel are necessary to resign to keep your franchise relevant?
Obviously that is a fear of ours that these guys will play here until they hit Free Agency and then leave for greener pastures. As a front office though that is something that we can’t spend to much time worrying about as that won’t make us a better team. We will play things out and then go from there as to what will help our franchise going forward.
There are quite a few guys on this roster we feel could help us over a long period of time. The first that comes to mind is Rip. He has been great through all of this as we are making a roster transition. He has been a first class pro through all of it and has step up his game on the court as well. Rip is really a guy we feel is a building block for the future. Gil is another guy who brings an added value and a very strong backcourt member to Rip. Those two players are guys we hope to have in town for a long time and a very strong start to our roster. JJ and Boris are two very versatile and athletic young players. They can both play and guard a number of positions in this league at a high level. Those two guys are players that will help us as an organization. Those four players are really guys we want around and helping us win. This will be a big thing for us these next two offseason when dealing with things as those four are very important to us and we want them to understand that point.
Rip has been amazing for you. Do you think your team will be able to compete by the time his contract runs out or is he a piece that you plan on keeping around for a while?
As I mentioned before Rip is very important to us. He is someone we have had talks with throughout this whole process he has been informed of all our decisions and aware of the reasons we made the moves we did. Rip is someone that is a building block for us and we as an organization will try very hard to keep him here. From our conversations he has seemed to be supportive of our reasoning as to why we made the moves we did and where we plan on going in the future. Our timetable to compete will not be rushed or altered for short term affects.
It will be important for us that Rip is happy and content with playing in Portland moving forward. As an organization he is our number 1 priority as a player and he knows this point and hopefully it works into our favor.
I am now open to any and all questions. So, go ahead with the first one.
There was a rumored 3 way deal between the Blazers, Bulls and Jazz. How close was that deal to getting done, if the Suns didn't swoop in with a offer?
Some people feel you kissed your play-off chances good bye, how long do you think it will take for the young guys to compete in the west or if it will you feel you can compete now?
There was some early talks with the Bulls about a trade and possibly including a third team. They just happened to be late to the party as I was already in serious discussions with the Suns and didn't really want to take time away from my talks with them and possibly end the chances of coming to a deal with the Suns. Now obviously if the trade with the Suns fell through then the Bulls and Jazz would be another place we would of looked.
For us the decision to move the players we did was something that had to be looked at with patiences. Obviously at this moment we appear to be on the outside looking in on the playoffs but we feel going forward we have set ourselves nicely as an organization. As for projection on when we think we could contend, we obviously wish that we were in contention now but really we know it will be a process that will take some time. The bottom of the west obviously has some opportunity to reach the playoffs we just don't want to hurt our future by reaching for what could amount to a 1st round exit.
How do you plan on maximizing Gilbert Arenas on your team? It was pretty controversial to switch him to PG where he has struggled before. Do you believe you have the pieces to make him successful in that position. Also, how do you plan on improving your front court? What piece do you feel like you are missing to succeed in the west?
With Gil we have told him that he is our PG and he has nothing to worry about going forward and that he just needs to go play basketball like we know he can. We also know that he has had struggles else where playing PG but we feel with our coaching staff and Rip he will have a great chance to be a really good PG in this league. Rip gives Gil a guy on the wing that can score and move to get himself open so all Gil has to do is really just get him the ball and let Rip work.
As for the frontcourt we realize that is something that may appear to have taken a step back in talent when we traded away Joe and Eddy. The guys we have received in return though are some guys we feel could be good players in this league. Primoz is a guy we are very excited about we hope that he really jumps at the chance we have given him here with the minutes he has been given. Wacht is another guy who is someone to keep an eye on he is very active on the block and has become a good shot blocker for us in the middle and someone we are very high on here.
What we think we are missing here in the west is experience and depth. These will both be approached this offseason. I will tell you what I told these guy on our roster. They will all be given the chance for 82 games to just go out and compete and not look back. One bad game or stretch of games will not determine their future here. We will look come seasons end to the season as a whole and then determine what we feel is best going forward for us as a team to win as many championships as possible.
What have you learned from the deal you gave Ron Mercer?
Patience. We had cap space and felt that we need to capitalize on it. We made a hasty decision and felt that his value money wise was a little higher then it was. Ron has been great here as a guy with some veteran experience and helped some of our younger guys but we obviously need to be wiser and think through our FA offers and targets better from here on out.
You've easily got one of the youngest teams in the league after the trade with Phoenix. Do you feel this will benefit you in the upcoming years or are you afraid that these players will just develop under your tutelage and leave once free agency hits? Only two players on your squad have contracts that extend longer than the next two seasons, what guys do you feel are necessary to resign to keep your franchise relevant?
Obviously that is a fear of ours that these guys will play here until they hit Free Agency and then leave for greener pastures. As a front office though that is something that we can’t spend to much time worrying about as that won’t make us a better team. We will play things out and then go from there as to what will help our franchise going forward.
There are quite a few guys on this roster we feel could help us over a long period of time. The first that comes to mind is Rip. He has been great through all of this as we are making a roster transition. He has been a first class pro through all of it and has step up his game on the court as well. Rip is really a guy we feel is a building block for the future. Gil is another guy who brings an added value and a very strong backcourt member to Rip. Those two players are guys we hope to have in town for a long time and a very strong start to our roster. JJ and Boris are two very versatile and athletic young players. They can both play and guard a number of positions in this league at a high level. Those two guys are players that will help us as an organization. Those four players are really guys we want around and helping us win. This will be a big thing for us these next two offseason when dealing with things as those four are very important to us and we want them to understand that point.
Rip has been amazing for you. Do you think your team will be able to compete by the time his contract runs out or is he a piece that you plan on keeping around for a while?
As I mentioned before Rip is very important to us. He is someone we have had talks with throughout this whole process he has been informed of all our decisions and aware of the reasons we made the moves we did. Rip is someone that is a building block for us and we as an organization will try very hard to keep him here. From our conversations he has seemed to be supportive of our reasoning as to why we made the moves we did and where we plan on going in the future. Our timetable to compete will not be rushed or altered for short term affects.
It will be important for us that Rip is happy and content with playing in Portland moving forward. As an organization he is our number 1 priority as a player and he knows this point and hopefully it works into our favor.
