Nate Robinson has been the Chicago Bulls’ unsung hero and could be a nice fit on the Portland Trail Blazers’ bench in 2013-14. Photo Credit: Shinya, Flickr.com
The Portland Trail Blazers are officially in the offseason. Their 33-49 record obviously didn’t earn them a spot in the 2013 NBA playoffs.
The Blazers had their bright spots despite finishing 16 games below the .500 mark. Damian Lillard’s emergence as one of the NBA’s next wave of stars was one of them. His performance in 2012-13 simply indicates that he is indeed the face of the Blazers, along with LaMarcus Aldridge.
Aldridge had another solid campaign. He averaged 21.1 points and 9.1 rebounds in 37.7 minutes per game. But his field-goal percentage of 48.4 was a career low.
As you can see, Portland’s bright spots don’t go much farther than Lillard and Aldridge.
However, they’re on the cusp of competing. They have the building blocks in Lillard and Aldridge, the role players in Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews. Their only glaring weak spot is their bench, which needs a lot of help. Not only was it statistically the worst bench in the NBA, but anyone with some basic knowledge could see the lack of firepower–Eric Maynor was their primary scorer of the bench. Hopefully you’re starting to get the picture.
Repairing a fireless bench isn’t expensive, though. Portland doesn’t need to bring in a premier sixth man like Jarrett Jack, which would cost more. They need a couple sources of instant offense, kind of like Jamal Crawford, but for less coin.
Let’s take a look at some options:
Nate Robinson has done a solid job in Derrick Rose’s stead this year. In 25.4 minutes per game during the regular season, he averaged 13.1 points on 43.3 shooting and also tacked on 4.4 assists per game.
Robinson can go into those modes where he shoots and shoots some more. It’s as close as someone can get to out of control without actually being out of control. But what that does tell us is that Robinson clearly does understand the concept of riding the hot hand and he was the hot hand for the Bulls many times this year.
Perhaps his ability to come off the bench in addition to making the occasional start is his most intriguing asset. Obviously Lillard is Portland’s starting point guard, and that’s not going to change any time soon. But evidenced by his job this season, Robinson can step in to start if necessary.
Additionally, Robinson’s aggressive style of play could lead to most fastbreak points for the Blazers, who averaged the 26th most fastbreak points per game in the NBA.
Best of all, he wouldn’t break the bank. The Chicago Bulls are paying him just a shade over $1 million this year. The Blazers could easily pick up that tab. Even he demanded a bit more, he would still be worth the affordable price tag.
Randy Foye has finally found his niche in the NBA–a spot-up shooter. He’s a decent ball-handler, but isn’t a point guard, and due to his lack of size, he struggles to guard bigger two guards.
However, Foye is an ideal fit for the Blazers because they don’t need a pure ball-handler. That tool is nice, but a strictly spot-up shooter with the ability to penetrate would do just fine.
Foye averaged 10.8 points in 27.4 minutes per game with the Utah Jazz this year. His shooting marks weren’t great. He shot just 39.7 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. But those marks improved over his final 12 games of the season, in which he shot 44.2 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range.
Foye is a lot like Wesley Matthews, who currently comes off the bench for the Blazers. Foye is the superior 3-point shooter, but Matthews is the superior penetrator.
Spot-up shooters like Foye come at a dime a dozen, so again, the Blazers wouldn’t be breaking the bank.
If the Blazers want to add some height with tremendous athletic ability, then Corey Brewer is their main.
In 24.4 minutes off the bench with the Denver Nuggets, Brewer averaged 12.1 points and 1.4 steals. He shot 42.5 percent from the field, which isn’t horrible. But he shot 29.6 percent from 3-point range, which is dreadful.
The Blazers’ bench corps combined to shoot for just 29.8 percent from downtown this season. So, adding a shooter or two would be wise if we’re going off that particular stat.
As I mentioned, though, the Blazers also struggled to get easy points in transition. That’s a spot Brewer could patch up.
Denver’s fast-breaking habits are a near identical fit for Brewer’s capabilities. After all, the Nuggets played at the fastest pace in the NBA and they didn’t shoot the ball well, either. In a nutshell, that’s what Brewer’s skill-set is.
Obviously, Brewer can’t run a fastbreak single-handily. His ball-handling skills are below average and his decision making isn’t the sharpest. Someone who could pair with him in transition by leading him with passes to the hoop would be a must.
If the Blazers lose J.J. Hickson to free agency, Andray Blatche should be high on their list.
The first caveat that most pundits will connect to Blatche is his character problems. He’s been prone to dogging it, specifically with the Washington Wizards. The same trend hasn’t continued with the Brooklyn Nets, though, which is encouraging.
Those issues aside, Blatche would be a nice replacement for Hickson. In 19 minutes per game, he averaged 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds. But per 36 minutes, he averaged 19.5 points and 9.7 rebounds. So, his basic stats can be deceiving if you don’t dig deeper.
Considering that there’s a huge scarcity between Aldridge and the rest of Portland’s big men, Blatche could fill that gap partially. He isn’t a dominant post player, to be sure, be according to Synergy Sports, he was the 65th best post-up player in the NBA this season. Aldridge was the 29th best and Hickson was the 123rd best.
Blatche can also step out and hit a mid-range jumper. Per NBA.com, he shot 49 percent from 15-19 feet and 41.3 percent in the zone classified as “mid-range.” Blatche’s ability to make the defense close out on him will indirectly benefit Aldridge, who is also a threat in the mid-range, shooting 42.9 percent from that zone.
Blatche made about $6.5 million with the Nets this year. Something around that range is probably in store for him this offseason. The Blazers can afford his services. And if Hickson departs, he’s certainly someone they should consider.