Here's the link:
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1175223321114420.xml&coll=7

Article's about Kevin Pritchard taking over as the Blazers' full-time GM and really concerns two main points:

(1) The Blazers need to move Zach Randolph &
(2) According to team insiders, there's a strong possibility they'd be willing to deal their 1st rounder

Wow. Here's a team to consider as a trading partner. I know, I know Randolph's contract is totally rediculous (runs 'til 2010/2011 at about an avg. of 16 mil per) but let's at least consider some of the particulars here before we say HELL NO! -

a) It appears they want to move Randolph and his contract more than anything and if we agreed to take him you gotta believe we'd have some leverage, the thinking being no one else out there would even entertain a deal for Zach (I'll get to this in a second).
b) We'd have an opportunity to hopefully dump some of our bad contracts in a deal, most notably Francis, who they might actually consider an upgrade over Jack and Sergio Rodriguez.
c) Randolph's only 25 years old.
d) Like him or not (and I don't love him) he is one of the premiere PFs in the game. Now we ain't talkin' Kevin Garnett or anything, but he's a lock for 20 & 10 a night - this season he's 23.4 pts/10 rebs and 82.4 % at the foul line and that's in the Western Conference. Not bad. Not bad at all. On a loosing team going nowhere and it's nowhere near his contract year. Shows you can rely on him to at least bring it every night. Major question - does he fit next to Curry or are they all too similar to co-exist? Hell, I might even be willing to send Curry to Portland in a deal - what do you think of that?
e) You know this guy Pritchard's willing to deal - just look at all the wheeling & dealing he did during last year's draft. It's nice when you might have something cookin' with a guy who's not afraid to pull the trigger on something that's fair.
e) If we were ever crazy enough to take that contract off the Blazer's hands I WANT MAJOR COMPENSATION for him in return (similar to what Paxson got from Isiah in the Curry deal). Otherwise, this doesn't work for us. I'm interested in Martell Webster (forget Almond for a second - this kid could be the shooter we're looking for) who you gotta believe might be expendable with the emergence of Brandon Roy and their 1st rounder (looks to be somewhere in the late lottery) and possibly a future 1st rounder or the right to switch picks with them down the road, a-la Paxson. In turn I'm willing to open up the store for them to make any deal work (they can even have Frye) - they basically could have anything they want except Lee and Balkman but the funny thing is, regarding Lee
f) if Randolph ever came here and fit in, and say we get Webster as our long 2/3 and then use our own low first rounder to get Sean Williams and he fits, man, suddenly Lee's expenable. We can get a lot for Lee, not for nothing. Lee together with out pick next year to move up enough to get a monster PG. Derrick Rose or OJ Mayo anyone???

Fellas look, I know this is probably a big fantasy and all, but what do ya think about this? Make any sense at all or I'm I nuts?

Just say no to Z-Bo. If we must go after a headcase, let it be Ron Artest.

Posted by nyk4ever:

Finestrq, as usual you raise several very valid points. Personally, I would just stay away from Zach though. I know it's hard because his offensive talent blinds you but a defensive unit of Zach and Curry would be absolutely atrocious, thats #1. #2 the guy is a legit headcase, he is constantly in trouble, I don't think we need to bring any of that here to the Knicks.

Yeah, probably right. But I wouldn't mind getting my hands on their lottery pick, I tell you that.

Francis, JJ & our pick from chicago for Zach, their unrestricted first rounder this year, Martell & a future conditional first rounder from them based on production from Zach.

Zach Randolf is a bigger headcase than Artest. You ever see some of the trouble he has gotton himself into? He's a nutcase and a half and we just need to stay away from that.

Posted by TMS:

there's no chance in hell we'd get their #8 pick AND Zach Randolph

you make it sound like getting Zach is a good thing- it looks like he's a mistake they'd like to erase.

Posted by TMS:

Posted by franco12:

Posted by TMS:

there's no chance in hell we'd get their #8 pick AND Zach Randolph

you make it sound like getting Zach is a good thing- it looks like he's a mistake they'd like to erase.

no, i realize taking on his contract would be a burden to any team, but they're not going to give up their #8 lottery pick just to get his contract off their books... he's still a very talented player... at best u can hope to maybe get Zach for a package of lesser players w/more manageable contracts, like in a Malik, Jefferies & Frye type package.

that would be the typical zeke move- get a flawed, but talented player with a bloated contract, and screw our cap.

I'd offer portland that deal, and if they said no- fine.

Zach would certainly screw our cap number, but with a potential lottery pick or two and a player like Martell- you might be getting the superstar that takes you over the hump.

I checked the 82games site to see if Randolph's numbers were actually helping his team and it turns out they are. His Roland Rating is +7.0 which is much higher than anyone else on the team. So, given his numbers and his Roland Rating, I don't think his contract is inflated.

But there are several problems with a trade. Randolph and Lee play the same position. I don't see either player having much success at the 3 or the 5. And of course there is the important question of his character, which is the real reason this trade isn't happening. I don't think Dolan will allow any trade for a player with that kind of character.