Post by Akomplice on Jun 22, 2010 19:15:57 GMT -5
Upon the hiring of Manhattan Project, the Blazers have been very active on the trade front. Looking at the rosters around the league the Blazers felt that they could contend this year and for the next few years with a slew of savvy trades. Equipped with some attractive young players deals were somewhat easy to come by for the Blazers. GM Manhattan Project was able to mold the future of the Blazers after a few deals into a creation that he is sure to be able to contend with the heavy hitters of the league.
The first deal was flipping Jermaine O'Neal and Bonzi Wells for swing man Michael Finley from the Dallas Mavericks. Finley is coming off back to back twenty point seasons for the Mavericks and is still only twenty five years old. He has the capability to play the shooting guard and small forward spots both effectively. Finley has a nice inside/outside game and can actually handle the ball well for a shooting guard. In the deal the Blazers sent out a young prospect in O'Neal who is raw as they come. General Manager really didn't understand the hype for O'Neal but GM's around the league were super high on him. Bonzi Wells has the potential to be a nice sixth man, but the Blazers already have Jackson for that role.
The second deal was flipping expiring contracts and future first round picks for point guard Terrell Brandon. With Brandon the Blazers felt that they were getting an upper echelon point guard that still is in his prime. Looking around the league a lot of the better point guards are up their in age and Brandon will be good for years to come. Brandon is a lightning quick point guard that gets into the paint easily. He also has a knack for creating turnovers with his quick hands. The Blazers are loaded with scorers and he will have the chance to drop dimes left and right. The Blazers sent out expiring contracts, two backups that would have limited roles on the team this year.
The final deal the Blazers maneuvered was sending out Rasheed Wallace for Jerry Stackhouse. Jerry has spent the last two years as Grant Hill's sidekick, not being able to attack like he can. Similar to Finley, Stackhouse boost a great inside/outside game and plays solid defense. He is only 23 years old and has barley scratched the surface as to what he is capable of doing. He is also a high riser which will surely put the fans in the seats. The Blazers sent out Rasheed Wallace in exchange for him. The Blazers didn't like the fact that Sheed prefers to spend time on the perimeter, plays better defense at the small forward position. With Grant, Cato and Sabonis they wanted attackers on the wings, something Wallace is not.
The Blazers now boost a starting five that has Sabonis-Grant-Finley-Stackhouse-Brandon. A very complete starting five that is mostly young and should be able to contend for a long time. They have a solid players on the bench with Damon Stoudamire, Kelvin Cato, Jimmy Jackson and Stacey Augmon. The Blazers will be looking into the possibility of shipping out Stoudamire in order to sure up the depth issues in the front court. Either way you look at it, the general manager has a good feeling about this team.
The first deal was flipping Jermaine O'Neal and Bonzi Wells for swing man Michael Finley from the Dallas Mavericks. Finley is coming off back to back twenty point seasons for the Mavericks and is still only twenty five years old. He has the capability to play the shooting guard and small forward spots both effectively. Finley has a nice inside/outside game and can actually handle the ball well for a shooting guard. In the deal the Blazers sent out a young prospect in O'Neal who is raw as they come. General Manager really didn't understand the hype for O'Neal but GM's around the league were super high on him. Bonzi Wells has the potential to be a nice sixth man, but the Blazers already have Jackson for that role.
The second deal was flipping expiring contracts and future first round picks for point guard Terrell Brandon. With Brandon the Blazers felt that they were getting an upper echelon point guard that still is in his prime. Looking around the league a lot of the better point guards are up their in age and Brandon will be good for years to come. Brandon is a lightning quick point guard that gets into the paint easily. He also has a knack for creating turnovers with his quick hands. The Blazers are loaded with scorers and he will have the chance to drop dimes left and right. The Blazers sent out expiring contracts, two backups that would have limited roles on the team this year.
The final deal the Blazers maneuvered was sending out Rasheed Wallace for Jerry Stackhouse. Jerry has spent the last two years as Grant Hill's sidekick, not being able to attack like he can. Similar to Finley, Stackhouse boost a great inside/outside game and plays solid defense. He is only 23 years old and has barley scratched the surface as to what he is capable of doing. He is also a high riser which will surely put the fans in the seats. The Blazers sent out Rasheed Wallace in exchange for him. The Blazers didn't like the fact that Sheed prefers to spend time on the perimeter, plays better defense at the small forward position. With Grant, Cato and Sabonis they wanted attackers on the wings, something Wallace is not.
The Blazers now boost a starting five that has Sabonis-Grant-Finley-Stackhouse-Brandon. A very complete starting five that is mostly young and should be able to contend for a long time. They have a solid players on the bench with Damon Stoudamire, Kelvin Cato, Jimmy Jackson and Stacey Augmon. The Blazers will be looking into the possibility of shipping out Stoudamire in order to sure up the depth issues in the front court. Either way you look at it, the general manager has a good feeling about this team.
