The Portland Trail Blazers thought they were in trouble when they played the Memphis Grizzlies in the 1st round with all the injuries they’ve withstood. They lost in 5 games, and the trouble is still around in Portland. Damian Lillard wants an extension, LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews are unrestricted free agents, and the Blazers future is in a flux.
LaMarcus Aldridge has already been mentioned in varying situations in Dallas, San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Cleveland. Wesley Matthews on the other hand, has been rather quiet about free agency. Matthews was sidelined for the season after sustaining a torn achilles late in the season. Now, Portland’s GM has a decision to make.
According to Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune:
“As evidenced by our 11-15 record (actually 11-16) without Wesley and a first-round playoff exit for a team we thought had chance to compete for the Western Conference title, we know how important he is,” Olshey says. “We know his value to us; we also know he’s going to have market value around the league.”
Former Blazers coach P.J. Carlesimo — who served as ESPN television analyst for the third game of the Portland-Memphis series — says the loss of Matthews cost the Blazers a legitimate shot to beat the Grizzlies.
“He’s a fourth-quarter scorer like Damian Lillard,” Carlesimo says. “He’s an excellent 3-point shooter, especially in the fourth quarter. He makes the difference defensively. “He was also a spiritual leader. He’s as much or more than anybody the heart and soul of the team. It would be hard to exaggerate how important he was, how important his presence was. He was missed in so many ways.”
Carlesimo is completely accurate. The Portland Trail Blazers had no chance of beating the Memphis Grizzlies without Wesley Matthews, plainly because he is their best perimeter defenders, he can shoot, and create his own shot. He is a perfect compliment to the star Damian Lillard. If Aldridge walks, Matthews has to be your FIRST target to keep.
