You can't steal an Outlaw

Gavin Dawson, one leg of the Trailblazers.com Podcast tripod, often comments that Trail Blazers fans over-value their favorite players. He uses Travis Outlaw as an example. I believe Gavin to be incorrect in his assessment, but it's a valid argument nonetheless.

So today I'm going though my Google Alerts when I notice an Outlaw mention in the Toronto Star that illustrates both of our points. Beat reporter Doug Smith answers a question about the possibility of the Raptors making a move for Outlaw in exchange for Anthony Parker, which speaks to Travis' perceived value and also the notion that fans over-inflate the quality of the players on their own roster.

Q: Don't you think the Raps are missing a certain 'je ne se qua'? I think the addition of Travis Outlaw would be great for the Raptors, he would bring intensity on both sides of the ball and he can play the 2 and 3 positions well. The Blazers have 7 players going into free agency and the cap will be a problem for them. Do you think trading AP to the Blazers would work? They could use a veteran on the team, or how about Moon and Graham?

Sam E, Toronto

A: Actually, with Martell Webster hurt, the last thing the Blazers are likely to do is move Outlaw. Almost as unlikely as they’d move him for a three-year vet (Parker) or Moon and Graham, neither of whom are any better than Outlaw.

Sorry.

See how that proves both Gavin's and my own points? At least one fan in Toronto thinks Anthony Parker, a full-time starter for the Raptors the last two years, or a combination of Jamario Moon and Joey Graham, could net Travis Outlaw. A crazy notion to we Portlanders and to Smith, but seemingly legitimate to a Raptor fan. That's Gavin's argument.

My argument, that Travis is better than Gavin thinks, is illustrated by the fact that, despite being a bench player on a small market team, he's still coveted by other teams (or at least their fans). Granted, "Sam E." from Toronto seems to have a few outdated notions regarding Outlaw (Trav really isn't a 2, for example), but Smith has been reporting on the Raptors for the totality of their existence and even he thinks the proposed trade is rubbish. That speaks to Outlaw's better-than-average value, which is my argument.

So I guess, at least to an extent, we're both right.