Post by Akomplice on Jun 25, 2011 18:40:03 GMT -5
In a deal that sent out Andrew Bogut the Blazers landed big man Cole Aldrich. Cole is coming off a nice solid season for the Mavericks averaging 9 points, 6.5 boards a game and a block a game. What the Blazers really liked about Cole is that he posted real nice numbers in just twenty minutes a game. Another thing the Blazers liked about Cole is that his field goal percentage was quite nice. If Cole can improve his numbers as the minutes increase, their hoping that he can produce a double double this year.
In free agency the Blazers landed big man JaVale McGee for the Mid Level Exception. McGee brings shotblocking, rebounding and a little bit of offense. The main reason the Blazers brought him in was to create competition among the fellow big men. McGee when given minutes in the past he has shown that he can produce, nearly averaging a double double two years for the Nets.
The other piece received in that Blazers deal was LeBryan Nash the seventh overall pick in the draft. The Blazers were debating whether to take Nash of Kabongo but with Farmar on the team they went with Nash. LeBryan Nash is a modern day Ron Artest who attacks the rim relentlessly. Coming out of high school he looked like a man among boys, his explosive first step and leaping abilities are second to none. The only knock on Nash thus far his is maturity issues which the Blazers are hoping to fix. Nash has as much upside as anyone in this draft and the Blazers are hoping he can reach it.
After bouncing around the league a little bit the Blazers are hoping that Gordon comes into his own in Portland. Gordon never really took that next step like some believed he could, but he is coming off a year in which he had nice percentages. In a season in which he just averaged 10 points per contest, Gordon is looking at another role in which he will be coming off the bench. After four years in the league most people would believe that there is no more room for improvement, but the Blazers are hoping they found a diamond in the rough here.
After spending a year in the development league Whiteside joined the Clippers last year. In just twenty minutes he proved that he can be an effective rebounder and challenge shots around the rim. That seems to be the theme for Blazers bigs, we wanted guys who can challenge shots and rebound the ball. Scoring can come later and that is evident by McGee, Whiteside and Cole. Whiteside is an intriguing prospect because of his vertical leap and his huge wingspan. The Blazers got him in the Gordon deal in which they sent out cash, their hoping for a small return on their investment.
