From: Charlie Zegers
Sent: Dec 14, 2009, at 1:22 PM
To: Christopher Liss
Subject: Give and Go: Mulligans
As I’ve said a few hundred times, I don’t like questioning the decisions of NBA executives. Those guys are pros, and they’ve forgotten more basketball than I’ll ever know. But every once in a while, those pros make a decision that I just can’t understand. And once in an even greater while, they make me look smart for questioning it.
That’s what’s going on right now with the Portland Trail Blazers and Andre Miller. I hated the signing when they made it … said Miller’s game is too similar to Brandon Roy’s, said it seemed like Kevin Pritchard was intent on signing someone after he whiffed on Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Millsap and got gun shy on making an offer to David Lee. As of now, it seems that both Roy and Portland coach Nate McMillan agree with me.
Miller’s tenuous status is worth noting this week, because as of Dec. 15, players who signed free-agent deals over the summer are eligible to be traded. And really, no team needs to make a trade more than the Trail Blazers. Portland has lost three players – Greg Oden, Travis Outlaw and Nicolas Batum – to season-ending injuries and have Rudy Fernandez on the mend after back surgery. They have two more – rookies Patty Mills and Jeff Pendergraph – rehabbing offseason surgeries. They’re so thin, McMillan himself suited up for a practice – and promptly ruptured his Achilles’ tendon. And with their roster maxed out – they have 15 players under contract – they either have to waive someone and bring in a D-Leaguer or make a trade just to get enough healthy bodies together to run a decent scrimmage.
Something’s gotta give.
via Give and Go: Mulligans – Fantasy – Yahoo! Sports.
