Oregon Sports News

Oregon Sports News’ 2015 NBA Free Agency Recap – What The Hell Just Happened?

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Alan Draper
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Sports Editor
15+ min read

The 2014-15 NBA season saw the Portland Trail Blazers separate themselves from the third-tier pretenders (for the better) and the top-tier contenders (for the worse). It saw them validate the notion that they were worthy of the somewhat-improved-and-kind-of-deserved national attention they received throughout the year.

Unfortunately, the season also showed that the team was nowhere near contention when the playoffs finally arrived in April.

As disappointing as the conclusion was to last year’s campaign, the loss of a series pales in comparison to the departure of virtually your entire roster. But there are two sides to this offseason tragedy story. On one hand, fans are understandably distraught that this group has abandoned ship and imploded in front of our eyes. On the other, there’s reason to be relieved that Rip City has escaped the purgatory that is “competing” without truly “competing” for a Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Oregon Sports News’ Bryant Knox (BK) and Jared Wright (JW) are here to examine the perplexing offseason that just took place in PDX, as well as tidbits from the soap opera that was league-wide free agency.

Let’s start with JW: Mason Plumlee and Meyers Leonard are about to prove that White Men Can Indeed Jump. How do you see these two playing together, and who has the higher ceiling at this point in their respective careers?

I see these guys being a potent inside-outside combo that can help the $120 Million Man, Damian Lillard, in different ways. Plumlee should be a better pick-and-roll partner than Robin Lopez, for starters. Though I stand behind no man in my admiration for RoLo, he was quite slow when rolling to the hoop; that let defenses adjust to him shambling towards the basket, while containing Lillard at the same time.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr-38c7WX-M]

If Plumlee times the rolls just right, he can disrupt the defense, suck in an extra defender, and either give Lillard an easy pull-up 15-footer or a three-point shooter an easier look. Tyson Chandler has had incredible offensive value for years simply because of the skill of rolling at the perfect time. If I were Terry Stotts, who coached Chandler on Dallas’ 2011 championship team, I’d force-feed Plumlee Chandler tapes.

As for Leonard, he needs to keep refining that shooting stroke. Though he was drafted as a center, Meyers has transformed himself, slowly, into a stretch big capable of making teams pay from three-point land. He won’t replace Aldridge, but he can at least be the shooting big that Stotts’ offense is built upon. I will say, in the understatement of the century, that going from Dirk Nowitzki, to Aldridge, to Meyers Leonard is a steep, steep slide down the totem pole.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsSince Leonard’s game is more suited to the modern NBA right now, with that shooting skill, I’d say Leonard has the higher ceiling. He’s had less playing time than Plumlee, though both have been glued to their respective teams’ benches for long periods. Both started to establish themselves late last season, carving out identities. They’ll get plenty of time to do that with Portland this year.

I gave my thoughts on Damian Lillard’s contract on Wednesday, Mr. Knox. Let’s hear what you think of it. Can Lillard possibly live up to one of the richest contracts in NBA history, and how do you think he’ll perform during the upcoming season, with a depleted team and defenses everywhere looking to stop him all the time, every time?

Damian Lillard has the luxury of living in a time where contracts are about to explode. For starters, he becomes the beneficiary of such times by signing the richest deal for a guard in NBA history. But he’ll also benefit from the fact that $120 million over five years won’t be as exorbitant as it seems right now once the league’s stars (both first- and second-tier) join him in the new-age era of NBA contracts.

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As for the immediate future, the question is: Can Lillard live up to the lofty expectations that come with being a max-money player? It’s a simple question with a complicated answer, but the honest truth is that he’s not yet set himself apart among the league’s best stars to command this kind of coin. His defense is still a massive concern, and we have no idea how he’ll perform as a No. 1 option on a hodgepodge roster with potential and financial flexibility as its only true selling points.

Regardless of concern, this move was necessary. In an offseason filled with so much uncertainty, it was essential that Portland locked up its new main man, both for on-court and off-the-court growth. Doing it at this cost was always going to happen. Lillard and his camp recognize his individual accolades, and the Blazers were always going to choose between a max contract and letting him walk to another team willing to pay.

After all, Lillard is the one who sent Portland fans into a frenzy and the franchise into the second round for the first time in 14 years with this shot:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2GJ2PwXQ4E]

Expect Lillard to struggle a bit in his first season as a true No. 1 option, as defenses are going to hound him every time he’s on the court. His points-per-game numbers could see an all-time high in 2015-16, but it will likely come at the expense of efficiency.

Back to you, Mr. Wright. Fans are split on their opinions of LaMarcus Aldridge at the moment. Do you believe he deserves to have his number retired in Rip City, and will he continue to be the perennial All-Star we know him as now with the San Antonio Spurs?

I compare the current situation Rip City has with Aldridge to a breakup: you feel jilted, you feel angry and upset that it’s over, and some small part of you that isn’t grieving that a nine-year relationship has ended is glad it’s over. Right now, and for the rest of Aldridge’s prime, those wounds will stay somewhat raw, especially if the Spurs have their expected success while the Blazers struggle.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAs time goes by, and Aldridge’s career comes to a close, I personally expect him to get the Charles Barkley treatment. Barkley had a much messier exit from Philadelphia to Phoenix that Aldridge did from Portland to San Antonio, but the famously difficult fans of Philly still love Barkley, and the team retired his number.

I expect Aldridge’s time here in Portland will be remembered in some way; the man is the franchise leader in rebounds, and the second-leading scorer in Blazer history. Aldridge will have his greatest team success with the Spurs, but his peak as an individual will always be as a Blazer. I do think that No. 12 will end up hanging from the rafters.

After all, we’re talking about a franchise that retired the numbers of Bobby Gross and Dave Twardzik, for God’s sake. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5CVj6MJDJ8] I think Aldridge might make a couple more All-Star teams, though Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin will forever be ahead of the line. Dwight Howard and/or Marc Gasol also will have a say, Howard because of name recognition and Gasol because he’s arguably the best center in the league. It will depend on the success of the Spurs, with Aldridge’s individual numbers a secondary concern.

Using your initials reminds me too much of Burger King (not a sponsor!) Anyway, it is painfully clear that the Blazers are going to be bad next season. Some on the Internet thought they would be a 30-win team, but I think Portland is going to be BAD, maybe capable of challenging the franchise low of 18 wins in a season. 25 wins next season, Bryant–over, under, or push?

I’ll take the over, as I find myself (The BK Lounge) in the 30-win camp at this point in the process.

Portland’s identity has shifted in the blink of an eye to youth and potential. And here’s the thing about young groups with nothing to lose: Sometimes, they’re just ignorant enough to believe they have a chance.

Yes, we’ll see plenty of times when they lack the confidence to finish a close game. And sure, there will be occasions when a seven- or eight-point deficit feels like triple digits. But we’re also going to see furious runs where young, hungry players toss aside the notion that they’re extreme underdogs.

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Admittedly, the problem with hoping for 30-plus wins, and the reason 25 isn’t completely out of the picture, is that Portland has (with the exception of Lillard) compiled a collection of all complementary role players. If Aldridge were still on board, that would be a huge success. But the big man is gone, and you have to ask yourself whether or not complementary players can complement other complementary players.

The Blazers need at least one of the youngsters to step up as a regular force. Assuming that happens (possibly an injudicious assumption), you’ll be looking at a team that’s able to escape the basement of the conference right away, even if it doesn’t stand a chance of making the playoffs.

Alright, JW. Give me your post-free-agency predictions on who will be in Portland’s starting lineup Day 1 next season?

We’ll get the obvious out of the way, and say Lillard will start at point guard.

GM Neil Olshey might eventually flip Gerald Henderson’s cheap contract to a team needing help on the wing; accruing draft picks and assets is the focus right now in the Blazers front office, as it should be. Assuming he stays, Henderson will start at one wing spot. C.J. McCollum might get a look, but his NBA destiny is in the role of instant offense off the bench. Stotts will try to use him like that unless need forces McCollum into the starting lineup.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe other wing spot is more in doubt, because the Blazers don’t have many wings on the roster. My guess is Al-Farouq Aminu, but he would be better used as a small-ball power forward. Aminu has zero three-point range other than maybe the corners, and him playing on the wing could destroy the Blazer offense. Remember how much Memphis struggled on offense when playing Tony Allen against the Warriors? That same dynamic would apply with Aminu.

They badly need Aminu’s defensive abilities, though, and if the Portland coaching staff can transform Meyers Leonard into a dead-eye shooter, maybe there’s hope for Aminu yet. He is just 24, younger than Lillard.

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Each man in the stable of bigs the Blazers have collected have several things in common: they’re young, long, raw, and athletic. Figuring out who should start is a waste of time, since they all need time, and they all have valid reasons for starting. I’ll go with my own preferences, keeping in mind that if you asked six people who should start at power forward and center in the season opener, you’ll likely get six different answers.

If the Blazers do start Aminu at small forward, they’ll need Leonard and his shooting out there. Leonard has yet to prove that he can shoot accurately in volume, but since he’s the big man with the most proven stroke currently on the roster, I say give him the role that Aldridge used to occupy.

As for the other big position, they need somebody willing to do the dirty work that Leonard isn’t really suited to yet. On Day 1, I think Portland might go with Ed Davis. As suggested above, Mason Plumlee could work very well with Leonard on the court. If Meyers can handle going up against centers on the defensive boards, the teenage Noah Vonleh could play with him, or with Plumlee.

Davis’s game is best suited to being a grinder, but his motor has been questioned at times, a really bad sign. However, there’s something in there that made Olshey sign him. He’ll hope that Stotts can be the one to bring out the best in Davis. Everybody is going to get a chance to play big minutes, especially Vonleh. Remember, the Blazers gave up their starting small forward for him.

My preference is Plumlee, but my gut says Stotts will go with Davis in the season opener.

Alrighty, shifting gears to national news: There were many storylines in the NBA at large that were worth paying attention to, for all the reasons. I want to know, Mr. Knox, what offseason move made by a team made you think, “That was a good move for them!”, what team made a move that made you think, “I’m not sure about that…”, and what signing/event qualifies for filing in the WTF folder I keep in my desk.

It’s no secret who the big winner of free agency was this summer. The San Antonio Spurs not only nabbed Aldridge when he could have made significantly more money staying in Portland, but they landed arguably the best signing across the Association in David West on a veteran’s minimum contract.

You heard that correctly: West, a two-time All-Star and ever-reliable power forward, has signed with San Antonio for $1.4 million after opting out of the final year of his deal in Indiana that would have paid him $12.6 million next season. The forward has helped bolster an already-dangerous roster, and he did it while sacrificing dollars for a legitimate chance at jewelery.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAs for the questionable signing, league-wide perception is that the Wesley Matthews signing is perplexing. My personal two cents: He ultimately goes on to earn every penny he’s signed for. But at the same time, there’s no denying he has to prove it, and that’s what makes people nervous at this point in the process.

We knew Iron Man wanted $15 million per season entering free agency, but whether or not he would get it was up for debate. Ultimately, the dysfunctional Sacramento Kings were the ones to exceed that number at $16 million per season over four years. Not surprisingly, Matthews turned down the offer to join the more-competitive Dallas Mavericks at $14.25 million per season; not to mention to avoid the state taxes that would have come from California.

Then, all hell broke loose as the DeAndre Jordan saga took place. DAJ ended up going back to the Los Angeles Clippers, and to keep Matthews happy, Mark Cuban and Co. raised the 2-guard’s annual salary to the maximum $17.5 million per season.

If Matthews comes back and is able to be his old self, it will be money well spent. He’s a vocal leader and a true three-and-D presence.

But if his post-injury self is more along the lines of what we’ve seen from players in the past, his contract is going to be a huge mistake.

Here’s hoping my two cents are worth anything at all, and that Matthews proves me right when it’s all said and done.

As for the ‘WTF’ segment, I’ll leave that to JW. I already teased a certain saga that went to hell a few grafs back, so let’s see if he takes the bait and helps us better understand just what went down in the hours leading up to the end of the league’s moratorium.

What!? You actually set a trap for ME!? How dare you, sir…wait…is that…a bottle of scotch?

I will not be tempted by this shameless bribe, this bald ploy, this…mmm, sublime…damn you, Bryant…

Saying the DeAndre Jordan saga went to hell is being kind, frankly. It devolved into a vaudeville act epitomizing what’s amusing and entertaining about NBA free agency, and what’s depressing and asinine about it, too.

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So, there’s this 26-year-old specimen of a center who committed to playing for the Dallas Mavericks, ruining the Los Angeles Clippers’ chances of being an outside contender for the NBA title. The Clippers, cap-strapped and run by an inexperienced executive in coach Doc Rivers, would have been doomed to also-ran status.

If Jordan left, Blake Griffin would have been next when his deal expired in the coming seasons. After Griffin, Chris Paul would be gone, then Rivers himself would exit stage left, and before you know it, the Clippers would turn back into the rotting, flaming mountain of garbage they’d been for all of eternity.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, wouldn’t quite vault to contender status, but they would be more relevant. They would net a free agent capable of extending the legendary Dirk Nowitzki’s career, which in turn would bring in some lower-tier free agents like Wes Matthews, and before you know it, Dallas would have a pretty damn good team, with the cap bonanza of next summer lurking.

It must be vexing for all involved, then, that the futures of two franchises hinged on the decision of one man, that all the careful plotting, conniving, and gamesmanship the respective teams have engaged in could be rendered all for naught with one word from the object of desire.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsWhen Jordan called Rivers saying he had a change of heart, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men descended upon Jordan’s Houston home. Rivers, Griffin (who happens to be Jordan’s best friend), shooting guard J.J. Redick, the newly-acquired future Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce, and several Clippers attorneys barricaded themselves inside Jordan’s home, keeping the Mavericks, including outspoken owner Mark Cuban, from presenting any kind of counter-argument to sway the weak-willed center.

And Chris Paul? The guy DAJ was so fed up with, who was willing to go to Dallas just to get away from him? Paul cancelled a vacation in the Bahamas and jetted straight to Jordan’s home with the rest of the Clippers. Paul may not like Jordan–the man’s competitiveness is straight out of the Gospel of Isiah (Thomas)–but he realizes that Jordan makes him, Griffin, and the Clippers better.

He also knows that these upcoming couple of seasons are his last chances to win a ring as the man on his team, and for a guy with an ego the size of Chris Paul’s, that matters more than anything else in his professional life. If that means he has to kiss DeAndre Jordan’s ass, he’s going to kiss DeAndre Jordan’s ass.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fmrTpC9jxc]

While the Clippers saved their bacon, the Mavericks are all but damned. Bryant mentioned that they upgraded their offer to Matthews to his personal max; that’s as sure a sign as any of Cuban’s desperation to save any kind of face.

Ever since they won the 2011 championship, Dallas has been stuck in a purgatory of their own making. They could have brought back Tyson Chandler, replaced the role players with cheaper and/or younger alternatives, and kept their contending window open; Bill Simmons, formerly of ESPN and Grantland, went on record then saying Dallas left another title on the table by being too cheap to re-sign Chandler, and I tend to agree.

Now, they’re going to be stuck in neutral for the remainder of Nowitzki’s career. It’s hard to feel bad for a guy who’s a millionaire many times over, among the best 20 players to ever play his sport, is a champion, and will be forever loved in Dallas, but I do. The last few years of Dirk’s career evoke the last few years of WWE legend The Undertaker’s career for me: a slow, age-related decline into ineffectiveness.

Jordan changing his mind was for Dirk what the loss to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30 was to Taker: the beginning of the end. Dirk will have a few moments of brilliance here and there, but his career as a relevant NBA player is dead and never coming back. And all this after taking a massive pay cut to give Cuban a chance to convince other stars to play in Dallas. Purely as a fan, seeing legends I grew up watching like Dirk and Taker go down like that is just plain sad.

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All this is happening because a 26-year-old center who’s not among the 20 best players in the game today got cold feet at the eleventh hour. The absurdity of the Clippers barricading themselves inside Jordan’s home is extremely funny. The realization that the Mavericks thought they had a franchise cornerstone (their words, not mine), then had said cornerstone change his mind and sign somewhere else, without the courtesy of a meeting or even a damn phone call, is inane and disappointing.

Forgive the length of my thoughts, Bryant, but I had quite a bit to get off my chest. Is there anything else you want to mention?

For better or for worse, free agency is like Christmas. Maybe you feel contempt for the lump of coal you’ve received. Maybe you’re upset your friend (the Spurs) got the gift you wanted. Or maybe you’re polite enough to thank Santa for the $5 check and Gameboy color while every everyone around you received a Playstation 4.

Whether you’re happy as a fan or not, you can’t deny that this offseason has not only been entertaining, but far more entertaining than much of the actual 2014-15 campaign. The NBA is arguably the best league on the planet in terms of storylines, and if you appreciate the narrative off the court as much as the play on the court, we’re all winners—even if the Blazers can’t make the same claim with a potentially long rebuild officially in the works.

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Alan Draper

Alan is a vastly experienced sports and gambling writer who is the Chief Editor of The Sports Daily.
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Alan Draper

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Alan is a vastly experienced sports and gambling writer who is the Chief Editor of The Sports Daily.
View All Posts By Alan Draper
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