By Kyle Cape-Lindelin
Just when you thought Blazers' General Manager Kevin Prichard would stand pat during the Feb. 18 trade deadline as teams all over the NBA are trying to better themselves for the stretch run into the playoffs, he does just the opposite.
Over the weekend, Prichard traded long-time Blazers forward Travis Outlaw and point-guard Steve Blake to the Clippers for former Defensive Player of the Year and 14-year veteran center Marcus Camby.
This is an immediate fix to Portland's lack of size that has plagued them since Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla went down with injuries. Camby is second in the league in rebounding with 12.1 per game and averages 1.35 blocks a game as well.
The Blazers were currently stuck with starting 36 year-old veteran Juwan Howard at center, who has played admirably (six points and five rebounds per game) filling in and providing a mentor role for the young players.
This is even more impressive considering he got hardly any playing time the last three seasons before coming to Portland as an "insurance policy." But even a casual Blazer fan could tell you that the Blazers aren't going to come close to winning a playoff series with Howard starting.
While Camby's offensive game has always been lacking, coming to Portland is a perfect spot for him since they already have power-forward LaMarcus Aldridge to go to in the post for offense.
Rebounds and being a defensive presence is what the Blazers need out of Camby and that's exactly what he provides.
Since being a long-time Blazer fan myself, it was truly sad to see Blake and Outlaw go. Seeing them help change the Blazers culture from the "Jail Blazers" of years past to the playoff contending team that everyone wants to root for shows what good character both have.
It is especially hard because I watched Outlaw develop from a skinny high schooler to a player the fans could depend on in the clutch.
Every Blazer fan knows of the outrageous potential Outlaw has to turn into an all-star player because of his athletic ability, but the fact remains that he has been with the team for seven years and is only averaging 10 points per game and has been injured for practically the whole season.
Blake also was one of the best back-up guards in the league over the past two seasons with his 3-point shooting ability and calm presence when handling the ball. Blake's strong mentality for never backing down to a challenge was also much appreciated.
As much as this trade was about improving, it was also made to solidify rotations. Fans knew decisions about who the Blazers would keep and who would be sent out, considering the overwhelming talent the team has and limit minutes everyone gets. Outlaw was about to return from injury to a log-jam at the small-forward spot because of Martell Webster and Nicholas Batum already laying claim to minutes.
Blake was slowly getting his minutes taken away from second-year guard Jerryd Bayless, who shows immense promise as a point-guard. Sending out Outlaw and Blake shows the Blazers commitment to young players like Batum and Bayless for the future by opening up some minutes to help their development.
This trade could turn into a half-season rental for all players involved because all will become free agents following the season. This works well for the Blazers who don't have to commit money to Camby when they know Oden and Pryzbilla will return next season.
The Blazers will have Camby's rights come free agency since he's only a restricted free agent, which means the Blazers could match any offer given to him.
Having his rights also opens up sign-and-trade options with teams who may want Camby cheap and are willing to send the Blazers some value in return.
Free agency could also see the potential return of Outlaw and Blake for all the fans know. The "Summer of LeBron" will kick off in June, which will include several big-name free agents like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, to name a few.
This means teams may not have the money to sign Blake and Outlaw after the big name players are paid so perhaps the Blazers will be able to welcome back some old faces for cheap.
This deal is Prichard throwing a bone to the injury-riddled Blazers and a testament to the teams' commitment to success despite the bad luck.
The Blazers, currently in the eighth spot if the playoffs started today, still need to end the season on a good note, but having Camby's veteran presence will be huge come playoff time where everyone knows anything can happen. All they have to do is get there.
Kyle Cape-Lindelin is a sports reporter for The Beacon. He can be contacted at
capelin13@up.edu
