Portland's Outlaw Wants To Be A Starter

[ducks]

Trail Blazers forward Travis Outlaw understands how deep the team is this season, but he doesn't want to be a sixth man forever either, according to Oregonian.

"Things come to you in due time," Outlaw said. "If God has it in his will, then that's how it's gonna be."

He's content to wait another year or two, but he cannot wait forever to start either.

"I don't want to be a sixth man forever," Outlaw added.

[IronMexican]

he can start in LA

[Sissiborgo]

He can start in spurs..!
And we can make Finley play like Manu does...:hat

[2Cleva]

Trail Blazers forward Travis Outlaw understands how deep the team is this season, but he doesn't want to be a sixth man forever either, according to Oregonian.

"Things come to you in due time," Outlaw said. "If God has it in his will, then that's how it's gonna be."

He's content to wait another year or two, but he cannot wait forever to start either.

"I don't want to be a sixth man forever," Outlaw added.

That's going to happen to a lot of Portland's young talent, especially when it gets close to extension time. Players always want money and touches before winning.

[JamStone]

I wanted the Pistons to trade Tayshaun Prince for the kid this off season. He shown so many flashes of being a star in the league. But, I also agree with his assessment of his situation in that while he wants to start and be a star, he is better off on the second unit for this upcoming season.

[Red Hawk #21]

Doesn't Outlaw have asthma or something? Maybe thats why his Coach may have worries about starting him?

[IronMexican]

The hell he cant. I would take this kid for Odom straight up, and have Ariza backing him up at the three. Outlaws mid range is about as good as it gets, and hes only 24.

I love his game too. I am sick and tired of Odumb, and people on CL defending that douche.

[DPG21920]

The Blazers are really looking for a point guard and have also offered Joel Przybilla in the deal for Kirk Hinrich. The Bulls aren't quick to trade Hinrich but are looking to ship Ben Gordon to a new home. Read more on why a deal between them is nothing but trouble.

http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/Blazers_Offer_Travis_Outlaw_to_Bulls/317061

[IronMexican]

I dont see Odom making it past allstar break... unless he takes a backup role coming off the bench at power foward. I would prefer Prince or Outlaw at that three. But lets see how much Ariza improves first. Ariza seems to thrive at playing on the floor with Kobe, and LO as a backup PF would be great.

Let's hope. I hate this guy so much. People feel like 1 great series against Utah neglects a poor season.

[Allanon]

Let's hope. I hate this guy so much. People feel like 1 great series against Utah neglects a poor season.

As you can see, Odom's one of my favorite players and I think he's great for the Lakers because he's cool with being 3rd or 4th option. Yup, he's overpaid. He's like the laid back guy that keeps the team from blowing up. It's like he's the good cop and Kobe's the bad cop, I think the team needs the two personalities.

Lakers will have to suck up his $14 million and then hopefully re-sign him to $8-10 million.

But I also realize quite a few Lakerholics don't like Odom either so that's cool.

[IronMexican]

As you can see, Odom's one of my favorite players and I think he's great for the Lakers because he's cool with being 3rd or 4th option. Yup, he's overpaid. He's like the laid back guy that keeps the team from blowing up. It's like he's the good cop and Kobe's the bad cop, I think the team needs the two personalities.

Lakers will have to suck up his $14 million and then hopefully re-sign him to $8-10 million.

But I also realize quite a few Lakerholics don't like Odom either so that's cool.

I wont mind seeing him a back up at 8 mill. that seems impossible after giving Puke and Vlad MLE

[DPG21920]

I can not believe that so many Laker fans bash Odom. I would love him on the Spurs. IMO when he plays his best he is a top 10 player in the league. I hope to god the Lakers move him. He is the single most difficult match-up for most teams.

[IronMexican]

I can not believe that so many Laker fans bash Odom. I would love him on the Spurs. IMO when he plays his best he is a top 10 player in the league. I hope to god the Lakers move him. He is the single most difficult match-up for most teams.

how is he gonna post up with 2 7 footers clogging the lane? how is he gonna drive against SF's just as fast as him? and when he does, 60% of the time, it's a brick or a charge.

[DPG21920]

how is he gonna post up with 2 7 footers clogging the lane? how is he gonna drive against SF's just as fast as him? and when he does, 60% of the time, it's a brick or a charge.

How does Kobe post up down there? He can muscle his way to any spot on the floor with smaller guys who are just as fast and shoot over them or dish it. I know he has some consistency problems, but even then he is still better than most players. When he plays good, he is a top-tier player.

You said he had a bad year: if 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists to go along with over 50% shooting is an bad year that tells you something. That is not to mention how he helps out with ball handling and draws attention because of the mis-matches he creates. He may not get the assist or score, but often he does open the game up for everyone else.

Not to say he is not a frustrating player to watch. He is so up and down. But as I said, when he is focused, he is really hard to stop and one of the most versatile players in the game.

[IronMexican]

How does Kobe post up down there? He can musle his way to any spot on the floor with smaller guys who are just as fast and shoot over them or dish it. I know he has some consistency problems, but even then he is still better than most players. When he plays good, he is a top-tier player.

You said he had a bad year: if 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists to go along with over 50% shooting is an bad year that tells you something. That is not to mention how he helps out with ball handling and draws attention because of the mis-matches he creates. He may not get the assist or score, but often he does open the game up for everyone else.

Not to say he is not a frustrating player to watch. He is so up and down. But as I said, when he is focused, he is really hard to stop and one of the most versatile players in the game.

You and I have seen 2 different Odom's. Kobe's post game is better than Odom's at this point. did you watch the finals? He couldn't post up Posey.
Can he shoot? No. Can he rebound? Yes, but will it be needed with 2 other 7 footers out there?

[dallaskd]

As you can see, Odom's one of my favorite players and I think he's great for the Lakers because he's cool with being 3rd or 4th option. Yup, he's overpaid. He's like the laid back guy that keeps the team from blowing up. It's like he's the good cop and Kobe's the bad cop, I think the team needs the two personalities.

Lakers will have to suck up his $14 million and then hopefully re-sign him to $8-10 million.

But I also realize quite a few Lakerholics don't like Odom either so that's cool.

J-Ho is better than Odom. He is crazy overrated.

[DPG21920]

You and I have seen 2 different Odom's. Kobe's post game is better than Odom's at this point. did you watch the finals? He couldn't post up Posey.
Can he shoot? No. Can he rebound? Yes, but will it be needed with 2 other 7 footers out there?

They will need him because those other 7 footers will command the other teams bigs and Odom can handle the ball and pass. He is a match up nightmare in the triangle. Odom's only problem is that too often he stops going to what is successful, driving to the rim. I agree he has under achieved, but even then he is still way above average.

Kobe did not do jack in the finals either. Whether he was double or triple teamed makes no difference. Odom in the finals averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 51%. Kobe was the one throwing up bricks shooting around 40%. Kobe was being swarmed, but still...

Kobe is the best, but I do not think the Lakers would be more formidable without Odom.

[DPG21920]

J-Ho is better than Odom. He is crazy overrated.

That is so wrong on so many levels.

[IronMexican]

J-Ho is better than Odom. He is crazy overrated.

I would have agreed last year, but after all the turmoil, idk.

[Brutalis]

The hell he cant. I would take this kid for Odom straight up, and have Ariza backing him up at the three. Outlaws mid range is about as good as it gets, and hes only 24.

You have the dumbest fucking sig ever. It's not even funny not to mention the piss poor photo shop.

[Allanon]

The Lakers would be crazy to trade Lamar this year. Kobe's the defacto leader of the team, you won't find another player with Odom's talent who would be willing ta take any criticism from Kobe...then still say "Kobe's the best player in the world and I'm just happy to be here". Kobe keeps the team focused, Odom keeps the team fun and friendly.

A bit more effort from Kobe, Pau and Lamar last year and the Lakers could have been champions. With Bynum coming back, the Lakers don't need to make any changes to win it all this year.

Bynum, Pau, Odom, Kobe, Fisher, you won't find a better starting 5 than that.
Sasha, Ariza, Farmar, Radmanovic, Luke, Sun, Mihm, mBenga...you'd be hard pressed to find a better bench.

Only reason I see the Lakers trading Odom is for salary reasons since he's overpaid at $14 million. But the Lakers have never been much of a salary dumping team at the cost of a championship.

[MrChug]

I'm a HUGE T. Outlaw fan. Not only is he consistent on both ends, he's even starting to develop somewhat of a name for himself as it pertains to late game heroics.

[SenorSpur]

First sign of possible future discontent. The Blazers have done a superb job of stockpiling talent. They have almost too much talent - if there was ever such a thing. However they almost have an imbalance. A roster of predominantly young players who are developing together, but all will be looking to for both playing time and their next contracts. It's an interesting problem to have, but one that is as bad as having a roster of nothing but older players. This will be interesting to watch.

[TheMadHatter]

Senor said it best. Too much young talent, not enough veterans. Portland has done well at stockpiling great draft picks but they need to start moving that young *potential* for some older and more experienced veteran players.

The Bulls tried to do the same thing and look where they are now. You can't just keep adding more and more young talent and expect things to work out perfectly.

[tlongII]

You guys crack me up. The main thing we need to worry about is keeping Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, and LaMarcus Aldridge happy. The rest of the players know that. They aren't going to complain for the next year or two right now though since they also know they can get rings. This is a good problem to have.

[tomtom]

The Blazers are really looking for a point guard and have also offered Joel Przybilla in the deal for Kirk Hinrich. The Bulls aren't quick to trade Hinrich but are looking to ship Ben Gordon to a new home. Read more on why a deal between them is nothing but trouble.

http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/Blazers_Offer_Travis_Outlaw_to_Bulls/317061

what are you talking about? they're bringing in bayless and fernandez this year. i thnk they're pretty secure at the point

[Allanon]

You guys crack me up. The main thing we need to worry about is keeping Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, and LaMarcus Aldridge happy. The rest of the players know that. They aren't going to complain for the next year or two right now though since they also know they can get rings. This is a good problem to have.

Travis Outlaw is already complaining about losing even more playing time and feels like he's the "last man on the totem pole". He's obviously unhappy about being the 6th man...especially with even more talent coming in Bayless and Fernandez.

[DPG21920]

what are you talking about? they're bringing in bayless and fernandez this year. i thnk they're pretty secure at the point

What are you talking about?????????? I posted an article, not my opinion.

[DPG21920]

Rookies

[timtonymanu]

It's a losing situation for outlaw at this point. last year he was like the 3rd best player on the blazers. now that oden, bayless, and fernandez are playing this year, outlaw will have to compete for minutes. i really think pritchard needs to trade one of his players for a vet. i wouldnt mind having outlaw cause we need a SF who's not below 6'7.

[KidCongo]

It's a losing situation for outlaw at this point. last year he was like the 3rd best player on the blazers. now that oden, bayless, and fernandez are playing this year, outlaw will have to compete for minutes. i really think pritchard needs to trade one of his players for a vet. i wouldnt mind having outlaw cause we need a SF who's not below 6'7.

If Outlaw is good enough he will start. Just gotta pl,ay good ball.

[SenorSpur]

You guys crack me up. The main thing we need to worry about is keeping Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, and LaMarcus Aldridge happy. The rest of the players know that. They aren't going to complain for the next year or two right now though since they also know they can get rings. This is a good problem to have.

You can only play 5 guys at one time. You can't play everyone. Developing a formula for winning is much more than throwing out talent on the floor. Rarely are there shortcuts - if ever. Sure the Celtics captured the magic this past season and took advantage of it - but that team was the exception. That Celtics team was a veteran-laden team that had great players (Garnett, Allen, and Pierce), who had suffered through many years of losing seasons as individuals. They paid their dues. Because of that, they were more than willing to make the necessary personal sacrifices needed to win.

McMillian will soon find he has a logjam of talent that all will require court time to develop the cohesion and chemistry needed to win. Almost all of these guys have been "the man" wherever they've been. These young players have not been in the league long enough to understand what being a role player is all about. What sacrifice and winning are all about. Evenutually, they're going to want PT and $$$. They're not going to be happy simply being strictly bit players, when they've not yet reached the prime of their careers. It's human nature.

Want an example? See the young, talented Clippers team of the early 2000's. That team featured the likes of Michael Olawakandi, Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Corey Maggette, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, Brian Skinner, and Jeff McInnis, among others. They were young, talented, high-flying and ambitious. They deemed themselves the "team of the future" and that was before they had ever won a single playoff game! What happened? They broke apart because they became a selfish bunch who were more interested in playing for stats than for each other. Rather than focusing on winning as a collective, they were more interested in their minutes, stats and positioning themselves for their next contract.

You can laugh and poo-poo my comments all you want. Mark my words: Unless the FO balances out the roster by adding some veterans, who can teach this cast HOW TO WIN, this too WILL become an issue for your Blazers over the next couple of years. Outlaw's public comments are merely the first sign.

[tlongII]

You can only play 5 guys at one time. You can't play everyone. Developing a formula for winning is much more than throwing out talent on the floor. Rarely are there shortcuts - if ever. Sure the Celtics captured the magic this past season and took advantage of it - but that team was the exception. That Celtics team was a veteran-laden team that had great players (Garnett, Allen, and Pierce), who had suffered through many years of losing seasons as individuals. They paid their dues. Because of that, they were more than willing to make the necessary personal sacrifices needed to win.

McMillian will soon find he has a logjam of talent that all will require court time to develop the cohesion and chemistry needed to win. Almost all of these guys have been "the man" wherever they've been. These young players have not been in the league long enough to understand what being a role player is all about. What sacrifice and winning are all about. Evenutually, they're going to want PT and $$$. They're not going to be happy simply being strictly bit players, when they've not yet reached the prime of their careers. It's human nature.

Want an example? See the young, talented Clippers team of the early 2000's. That team featured the likes of Michael Olawakandi, Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Corey Maggette, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, Brian Skinner, and Jeff McInnis, among others. They were young, talented, high-flying and ambitious. They deemed themselves the "team of the future" and that was before they had ever won a single playoff game! What happened? They broke apart because they became a selfish bunch who were more interested in playing for stats than for each other. Rather than focusing on winning as a collective, they were more interested in their minutes, stats and positioning themselves for their next contract.

You can laugh and poo-poo my comments all you want. Mark my words: Unless the FO balances out the roster by adding some veterans, who can teach this cast HOW TO WIN, this too WILL become an issue for your Blazers over the next couple of years. Outlaw's public comments are merely the first sign.

The thing you're ignoring is the personalities of our Big 3. Namely, Oden, Roy, and Aldridge. They are all team players. Brandon Roy gets as much joy setting up a teammate as he does scoring himself. They are all humble, hard-working, good guys. When you have leaders like these team chemistry will not be a problem. The rest of the team will gladly accept being role players in the short term. Some may chafe and want to be stars themselves eventually, but thats a ways away. Regarding Outlaw, you need to read the entire article. Then you will grasp the fact that he is NOT complaining at this time.

[SenorSpur]

The thing you're ignoring is the personalities of our Big 3. Namely, Oden, Roy, and Aldridge. They are all team players. Brandon Roy gets as much joy setting up a teammate as he does scoring himself. They are all humble, hard-working, good guys. When you have leaders like these team chemistry will not be a problem. The rest of the team will gladly accept being role players in the short term. Some may chafe and want to be stars themselves eventually, but thats a ways away. Regarding Outlaw, you need to read the entire article. Then you will grasp the fact that he is NOT complaining at this time.

I understand the personalities of your key players are different and they're not that of your typical incoming rookie or 2nd year player. That's refreshing and should work in the team's favor.

I DID read the entire article and no one said Outlaw is complaining. The point being made is that his comments are indicative to what may lie ahead. It will be difficult to keep all these talented players under one roof. The point you're missing is that. championship teams are borne out of will, overcoming adversity, and developing a mature mindset along the way. In this microwave society, that doesn't usually happen instantly or automatically.

There's no doubt this Portland team has a very enviable and bright future. As a basketball fan, I will be quietly rooting for them win a title because they seem to be good guys. The coaches and FO have developed a quality roster and created, what looks to be, an environment that breeds winning success.

All I'm saying is that the expectation of an NBA title within a 2-year timetable could be very premature. For historical perspective, think of the last young team to ever win the NBA championship on a team devoid of veterans. If you can come up with that answer, then you'll understand my point.