Breaking Up the Nets

After 44 games, the New Jersey Nets and Portland Trail Blazers have opposite records to most people's suprise, 18-26 for the Nets and 26-18 for the Blazers. As Jason Kidd and Vince Carter get older, the Nets need to make sure to move these players before their value dips too low.

Portland has a great deal of depth and nice, young players, but to really make a run in the playoffs they need a veteran. Jason Kidd, with two years remaining on his contract, would be the perfect fit to lead Portland into a decade of potential dominance.

This trade would allow the Nets to rebuild quickly before they move to Brooklyn and Portland would immediately become a legitimate contender this season.

Nets receive:
Raef LaFrentz, $12,440,787, 2 Years Remaining
Channing Frye, $2,487,240, 2 Years Remaining
Darius Miles, $8,250,000, 3 Years Remaining
Sergio Rodriguez, $817,000, 2 Years Remaining
2008 First Round Pick

Portland receives:
Jason Collins, $6,100,000, 2 Years Remaining
Jason Kidd, $19,728,000, 2 Years Remaining
Malik Allen, $770,610, 1 Year Remaining

This trade would give Portland a starting lineup of Jason Kidd at point guard, Brandon Roy at shooting guard, Martell Webster at small forward, LaMarcus Aldridge at power forward, and Joel Pryzbilla at center. With this trade, Portland's bench would get even deeper with Steve Blake and Jarrett Jack at guard; James Jones, Travis Outlaw, and Josh McRoberts at forward; and Malik Allen and Jason Collins at center. Portland would be two deep at each position and with Greg Oden coming back next year, they would certainly be one of the favorites going into the 2008-09 season.

For the Nets, more big talent would be the benefit of this trade. With Marcus Williams waiting in the wings, Kidd may be expendable. Plus, Rodriguez at 21 years old, has shown some flashes of brilliance at the point guard. Additionally, Frye is only 24 and has shown an ability to stand-out on the defensive end. Miles is coming off an injuy and could be a factor off the bench for the Nets. LaFrentz has two years left in his contract, and after this season, his contract could potentially become an asset to add another player down the line.

Although the Nets clearly would not get equal value for their best player, Jason Kidd, they would be moving him out to the Western Conference and would give themselves some future flexibility. If the Nets wait any longer, all they will have is a player with less value and a team that struggles to even make the playoffs.

Big Market Teams Utilizing Their Deap Pockets

I wanted to post a portion of a column that Bill Simmons wrote the other day after the Boston Red Sox won the world series. It touches on how franchises with large budgets should spend their money and how they have gone about it in the past. He makes a point that I never really thought about:

Not only are the people running professional sports teams getting smarter and smarter, but some franchises with deep pockets have figured out it's better to funnel that money into development and scouting instead of just overpaying veterans for splashy, "quick-fix" signings. After the NBA Draft in June, a friend who works for another team fretted that Portland had finally figured out how to spend Paul Allen's money: Instead of handing out lavish extensions to the likes of Darius Miles and Zach Randolph, the Blazers started buying extra first-round picks and even stashing prospects in Europe, with the long-term goal to maintain financial flexibility, build around young stars (Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden) and stockpile as many assets as possible. My friend was petrified of a Portland resurgence, pointing out it's one thing to have a significant financial advantage; it's another thing to know what you're doing with that significant financial advantage.

In the old days, big-market teams spent money like rappers happily spending record royalties, especially in baseball, where ludicrous contracts have been handed out for 31 years and counting (Barry Zito for $126 million???). Even if Boston GM Theo Epstein has a mixed record with free-agent signings (and that's being kind), his overall mindset hasn't wavered since 2003: build up the farm system, build up scouting, don't give away younger assets unless you're getting a blue-chipper back (such as Beckett), don't mortgage the future for one season. You can't argue with the 2007 results or the long-term outlook. I grew up watching Boston teams that threw money at the wrong guys, traded the wrong guys and never seemed to have more than a few blue-chipper prospects per decade. The only other time in my life when the Sox had a perfect blend of young guys and older guys was 1975 -- the World Series team that featured Freddie Lynn, Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk and Luis Tiant -- and the front office botched that situation within a few discouraging years.

The Wildcards for the Portland Trail Blazers

With the news that Portland's center, Greg Oden, will be out for the entire 2007-08 season, the Portland Trail Blazers clearly lose one of their most important pieces.

However, the Blazers still have a great deal of young talent. Jarrett Jack, Steve Blake, Sergio Rodriguez, and Taurean Green will play point guard; Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez will be the primary shooting guards; Martell Webster, Darius Miles, and James Jones will play the small forward spot; Channing Frye, Travis Outlaw, and Josh McRoberts will play power forward; and LaMarcus Aldridge, Raef Lafrentz, and Joel Pryzbilla will share time at the center position.

With Zach Randolph being traded in the offseason and Oden not playing this season, Portland will need someone to really step up and fill in the missing production. Randolph joined Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, and Tim Duncan as the only players last season to average more than 20 points per game, 10 rebounds per game, and 2 assists per game.

By my estimation, Darius Miles and Travis Outlaw will be the major factors to determine if Portland will be able to improve on last year's 32-win season. Outlaw will need to improve upon on his numbers from last season, his most productive year in the NBA. Outlaw, who signed a three year extension with Portland on July 18, is a terrific athlete who has shown great potential. He has made great strides in his free throw shooting accuracy and his ability to score from mid-range. Outlaw needs to continue to polish his skills on both ends of the floor, however. He is not a good ballhandler and needs to gain more strength. Defensively, Outlaw needs to concentrate more on stopping his man and provide the team with more help on the defensive boards. It will also be important for Outlaw to develop go-to post moves in order to expand his scoring abilities.

For Miles, providing scoring and versatility off the bench will be very important towards Portland's success. Miles is returning from microfracture surgery on his knee and by all indications, he has worked hard this summer in order to have a strong upcoming season.

Both Miles and Outlaw have more versatility and athleticism than any other player on the Portland roster. With Randolph being traded and Oden out for the season, this versatility will be important for Portland to continue to make strides. With most of the players on their roster, head coach Nate McMillan knows what kind of production he is going to get. However, with Miles coming off injury and Outlaw having another summer to develop, the Blazers do not know exactly what type of seasons they will have.