Blazers Discussing Trade For Grizzlies' Conley

[Clueminati017]

The Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies have discussed a multiplayer trade that centers on the exchange of forward Travis Outlaw and point guard Mike Conley, league sources said Friday.

The talks have been ongoing for weeks, but one source close to the Blazers said Portland GM Kevin Pritchard remains hesitant about completing the deal and that a trade doesn’t appear imminent.

The salaries of Outlaw and Conley would allow for a one-on-one swap, but both teams want to include additional players and contracts to satisfy other needs, including Portland’s Sergio Rodriguez and Memphis’ Hakim Warrick and Javaris Crittenton. It is unlikely that this trade will happen for a straight-up exchange of Outlaw and Conley.

Outlaw, 24, and Conley, 21, are both represented by agent Bill Duffy, and a source said that he’s been involved in the discussions.

Portland has long coveted Conley, in large part because of his childhood friendship with center Greg Oden. Conley and Oden grew up together in Indianapolis, playing together through a Final Four season at Ohio State. Pritchard knows that Conley has the credibility to get in Oden’s face when he needs a push, and that’s played an important part in his trade explorations.

The Blazers have been active on several trade fronts, including discussions earlier this season with the Atlanta Hawks that would’ve included a package for point guard Mike Bibby. Those talks died when the Hawks started the season with five straight victories.

Who would've known... Oden and Conley back together again since high school and college.

[bowdown]

Im not sure. i dont know lot about conley but i think he is a very bad shooter. Outlaw+Sergio are very talented ppl and i hope whatever we get turns out good for both teams.
BTW. Oden i really hope Oden is not that mentally unstable. i mean if making a trade simply to keep oden's mental health stable seems too drastic to me

[Fresh8]

I guess it would be interesting if Oden and Conley were to play for the same team in the pros. Just for interest sake, I would like to see this go through.

[NovU]

it's funny how oden is looking more and more like olowkandi. injury in early career and struggling early. but the kid is what, still young as hell, so i think he'll come around. if conley is what it takes at the cost of outlaw, go for it. conley also is young and improving so this could be win win for the blazers.

[Andrew]

I can understand why they'd be interested in Conley given his friendship with Oden and he's a young player who's looked OK in the pros so far and still has a lot of potential but even if they trade Rodriguez they'd have a bit of a logjam at point guard with a couple of young guys who could really use the minutes to develop in Conley and Bayless, plus Crittenton if he was to be included in the trade. That potentially gives them a lot of depth but it means one, maybe two promising young point guards are going to waste.

it's funny how oden is looking more and more like olowkandi. injury in early career and struggling early. but the kid is what, still young as hell, so i think he'll come around. if conley is what it takes at the cost of outlaw, go for it. conley also is young and improving so this could be win win for the blazers.

I disagree, I don't think you can make that call yet. He had the surgery which kept him out last year and he had some bad luck on opening night but I wouldn't say that 8.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 1.6 bpg in 20 mpg is struggling; they're not All-NBA numbers but they're making the most out of minutes that are still being limited. It's way too early to be comparing him to Olowokandi.

[Clueminati017]

Is it me? Or do I think that this is the worst idea to do? Although, Sergio is not satisfied where he's not getting enough playing time anyways. Which he was expressing that feeling until Nate starting to comprehend with him about splitting minutes with Blake.

[Andrew]

They'd still have more talent at the point guard position than they can find minutes for and if I were them I wouldn't be too quick to give up Outlaw. Does Oden really need a lot of motivation, so much so that they need to bring in his former teammate and longtime pal?

[Clueminati017]

I guess his mental game is not all that strong if he needs his former teammate on the team.I'm not going to count him out like the other centers that the Blazers selected that became mystery why is there a center curse for them like Madden cover boys. I mean... It all started when they got rid of the Moses Malone because he was getting old just so they can get Bill Walton. Bill got hurt. LaRue Martin was another cursed big man, and so was Sam Bowie. Where they selected Bowie over Jordan that year. I'm seriously not going to count Oden out, but I know he can snap out of it somehow because he's a important big man piece in the middle like Joel Pryzbilla who is also good although he wasn't a selected first round draft pick for the franchise.

[diddy]

i guess it wouldn't happen! blazers have bayless, rodriguess, blake on pg and only Outlaw, batum and webster who can play SF! they don't need this!

[Sam The Man]

i guess it wouldn't happen! blazers have bayless, rodriguess, blake on pg and only Outlaw, batum and webster who can play SF! they don't need this!

So the Blazers have a 'whopping' 3 average players at PG? While they have 'only' 3 very solid Small Forwards?

[Clueminati017]

Let's not forget that Brandon Roy is a split guard that can play 2/3. That's why I said on one thread where they can draft great solid players like that. Look at Clyde Drexler back then when he came in, and look at Brandon Roy now on what he's doing.

[Andrew]

It's funny, if Arvydas Sabonis had made the jump to the NBA earlier than the 1995/1996 season, he likely would have been a notable exception to the Blazers' run of bad luck drafting big men. As it stands he still had a pretty good albeit brief NBA career but his body had started to break down by the time he reached the NBA so he wasn't the star he was in Europe.

[Sauru]

I guess it would be interesting if Oden and Conley were to play for the same team in the pros. Just for interest sake, I would like to see this go through.

i am thinking the same thing, i just want to see it happen just cause, i do not care if its good or bad lol

[Clueminati017]

It's funny, if Arvydas Sabonis had made the jump to the NBA earlier than the 1995/1996 season, he likely would have been a notable exception to the Blazers' run of bad luck drafting big men. As it stands he still had a pretty good albeit brief NBA career but his body had started to break down by the time he reached the NBA so he wasn't the star he was in Europe.

Don't forget LaRue Martin too. I don't know if I mentioned his name already, but he was another big man that the Blazers had that bad luck. The story behind where he was suppose to be the big deal where he outplayed Bill Walton. Plus, saying he embarrassed Wilt Chamberlain while dunking on him. He was the all time rebounding leader in Loyola University, and where they called him a legend on campus. He only played four seasons 72-76, and was cited as the worst first round draft pick ever. Walton came in 74, but he was injured most of the year. When Martin retired prematurely he never averaged over 7.0ppg not a .452 field goal percentage. The Blazers won the championship without him, but with Bill in the next season.

[Andrew]

Absolutely. Had Sabonis come over in 86 though, it might have broken the bad run of luck the Blazers had with big men with LaRue in '72, Walton in '74 (despite the championship in '77) and then Bowie in '84.