Recovery of the Roy Boys: Stage One -- Acceptance

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} by Travis Margoni Official Roy Boy Okay, okay, Blazers fans are alive after all. Roy Boy nation is fine. After the Rockets beat the Blazers I started writing a piece about the Blazers-Lakers series that would have started Monday night -- how Roy averaged 42 points per, how Yao got called for that arm bar takedown on Pryzbilla, how Outlaw was so clutch on the road, and how now Phil Jackson is shivering over the idea of playing in Portland again. Blazers in seven. Alas, I've accepted our fate this year, and now Roy Boys and Blazer fans alike are looking forward to next season. We have high expectations. The Blazers lose zero players to free agency this offseason. That's right, the entire team returns. However, Blazers management does need to decide whether or not to exercise team options on Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw, which could be interesting. Outlaw, in his sixth season, came straight out of his Mississippi high school and was drafted in the first round by the Blazers. His game has improved every season. He provided instant offense off the bench during the regular season and was in many discussions about Sixth Man of the Year (usually listed third), but his defense is still suspect, and he had a poor series against the Rockets, shooting only 32%. (His defense in the postseason, however, was pretty solid.) Sounds like Outlaw could or should be moved, right? Maybe even a sign and trade, because Travis's skills with the ball are outstanding. But, here's the thing: he's Brandon Roy's best friend on the team, and one of the best guys in the organization, period. He's humble through and through, and his work ethic has never been questioned. Outlaw, a high-flying, lanky guy who can dunk over almost anyone if he gets a step, never shows up an opponent, doesn't get pushy with teammates in practice, and does anything the coaches ask of him. My guess -- and my hope -- is that Outlaw returns next year and embraces the opportunity to show some calm under playoff pressure. I'm not as hopeful about Blake. He's efficient, we know. He shot 43% on threes this season. He's got fire, a ton of heart, and he's a good locker room guy. Nevertheless, his defense is suspect and he lacks the ability to beat most point guards off the dribble to create for his teammates. I wouldn't mind seeing him in a backup role, but I'm not sure how well he'd accept that role. I think GM Kevin Pritchard should see what his value is around the league and consider a sign and trade. Two guys need to go: Channing Frye and Sergio Rodriguez. I can out-shoot Sergio, yet he thinks he deserves more playing time. His jumper can improve, sure, but I think he has some value and should be moved, especially considering that he and his buddy Rudy Fernandez could get a little feisty with Nate if Sergio doesn't get more minutes. He can be a great passer when in rhythm, and his defense is acceptable. Channing is another guy who thinks he deserves more time than he gets. He's a hard-working, team-first player, often the first and last person in the weight room, but ultimately Frye is the 8th or 9th man on most average teams. His blog is fun, but I'd be fine with him reviewing some other city's restaurants next season. My point is that it's merely tinkering that needs to be done this offseason. I'd like to see a few role players moved and a more potent veteran point guard brought in, maybe Andre Miller or Kirk Hinrich. With Raef's contracting expiring, Portland has money to spend this offseason. This was, without question, a successful season for the Blazers and they exceeded expectations even while losing to the Rockets. Grungedave at The Dream Shake drooled all over Daryl Morey for "effectively trad[ing] Nicolas Batum for Ron Artest" last year, but I'll take the 20-year-old French rookie on my team any day, any situation. Nic started most of the season at small forward and covered the best players in the league, often with great success, while providing energy on the offensive glass and hitting timely threes. I anticipate a ton of growth from this kid in the offseason (watch for him to put it on the floor with more confidence), and I'll be thrilled to see him platooning at forward with (hopefully) Outlaw and a (hopefully) healthy Martell Webster. Rudy Fernandez is a cold-blooded dude. He can shoot with the best gunners in the league and he showed some serious defensive ability late in the season. Next year I look to see Rudy put the ball on the floor a bit more and use his passing skills to nicely balance his long-range game. He'll have some high-scoring games and he'll have a lot of opposing teams' third best defenders falling on their asses and fouling him on three-point attempts. Greg Oden needs to, and will, grow emotionally and in his court awareness. We all know this, and we all foresee it happening. Sure, his health is an issue, but it's not something Blazers fans concern ourselves with as much as, say, Oklahoma City fans probably think we do. He'll be fine. And if he's not, if Greg goes down with an injury, the team gets along quite well with Joel Pryzbilla at center. But, that said, it'd be great to have a veteran big guy to play power forward and center off the bench. This was Roy's one request, "maybe a banger, a power forward, a rebounder in back of LaMarcus. Something like that." Let's just say that, considering these remarks, there's a good chance it'll happen. Roy has become one of the best players in the league. By Hollinger's standards, Roy's the 7th best offensive player in the league, and his defense is getting tougher each year. I'll take Roy over Kobe. I'll take Roy, right now, over the aging D-Wade. I'll take Roy over anyone who didn't win the MVP award this year. (Chris Paul? Toss-up.) Speaking of LaMarcus, he had another great season, and he's getting better all the time. But he's got work to do yet -- work to do on the defensive end, work to do on the defensive glass, and work to do on his low-post game. He's 6-11 and needs to get tougher, get stronger, and get better position on the blocks early in the shot clock. And he will. His jumper is deadly right now, when he has some space, and he runs the floor as well as any big man in the league. It's easy to forget that these guys are all so young. Anyway, game 1 in L.A. just went final, and like I said at the beginning, looks like Blazers in seven.