Cambyman Headed for Houston
After New York’s 40 point drubbing yesterday at Madison Square Garden, the Portland Trailblazers officially surrendered the season today by making an array of moves that sent coach Nate McMillan to the unemployment line.
Prior to that they sent Gerald Wallace packing for New Jersey and the other big deal was Marcus Camby heading for Space City to play with Kevin McHale and the Rockets.
“Rise with Us” has slowly transformed into “Bear with Us” after the Blazers transformed themselves into a LaMarcus Aldridge injury away from being the Bobcats.
That said, the moves were good for the team in the long-term future and I have no problem with sending Marcus Camby to Houston.
Love ‘Em
Shedding Salary
Marcus Camby’s contract is now Houston’s problem. Hasheem Thabeet (1.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg) and Jonny Flynn (3.4 ppg, 2.5 apg) both have team options for next season which Houston declined and Portland would not have wanted to pick up anyway.
This opens up more cap room for the Blazers to upgrade their roster in the 2012-13 season.
More Draft Picks
Portland has notoriously been awful in the draft so getting a second-round pick in the 2012 draft from Houston is not that exciting from a draft acquisition standpoint. Its real value will be as a chip during the NBA draft.
This is an asset at the Blazers disposal to use if the team would like to move up in the draft or if they choose to try to get a veteran during the lottery.
Marcus Camby was already looking ahead to a Caribbean vacation
Camby was Disinterested:
Marcus Camby was already looking ahead to a Caribbean vacation at this point in the season. In the eight games played in March, Camby failed to score in double figures.
He scored six twice, once at home against the Hornets and once on the road at Washington against the Wizards. In only two of those games did Camby record a double-digit rebounding performace 16 against the Hornets, and 10 at Boston.
Hate ‘Em
Not Acquiring a Young Guard
Perhaps Flynn can ignite Flynn-sanity in Portland, but I highly doubt it because he may be waived before he puts on a Blazers uniform. The move was a lateral one, looking to get rid of an unhappy player while picking up a draft pick in the process.
Keeping Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton indicates that the team will go point guard shopping in the off-season after their contracts come off the books.
There’s not too much to dislike about this deal. Keeping Camby doesn’t help the Blazers make the playoffs and getting rid of him doesn’t accelerate their rapid decline any faster than keeping him would have done.
The chants of “Mar-cus Cam-by” have long left the Rose Garden Arena. Portland fans must face the reality that NBA fans had already figured out: On their best days the team was not capable of competing with the elite of the NBA.
The recent east coast trip is proof of that with losses to Indiana, Boston, and New York.
As the last two months of the Blazers season winds down, there will be questions for the brass at One Center Court to answer. Yet one sentiment is finally clear, at long last the Blazers finally appear to be going somewhere this season
About Blair Thomas
