2017 NBA offseason thread
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I really don't want to see PG on the Cavs on the off chance both he and LBJ re-up there with Kyrie. Let's go Danny.
If Ainge can only get one, I'm sure he'd prefer that the one be Hayward, who costs no assets. Jumping on George now locks them out of a second acquisition. Worth taking the chance and waiting for free agency, imo.
I'm sure that's why Cleveland and Denver are seemingly pushing this so much. But Indiana's best bet is to wait. I'd be surprised if they pulled the trigger before Danny and teams like the Spurs were ready to move.
Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff Writer
Bill Russell, who is honored with the Lifetime Achievement award, counts all the great big men on the stage with him -- Shaq, Dikembe Mutombo, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alonzo Mourning and David Robinson -- and then tells them, "I would kick your ass" to applause.
Wouldn't Danny have already given Indiana a look at what he expects to offer for PG? It's probably a lot more than most teams can offer, at least if you value draft picks.
I'm sure Indiana knows that Bradley/Crowder plus sweeteners is the most likely deal if Danny engages. But I'm sure there's a negotiation to be had on what those sweeteners would be. If Danny can land a FA big fish, he's probably more likely to deal assuming George is amenable. End of the day, Indiana knows they have Cleveland on the hook so I think it makes sense to hold off and wait for more teams to join the bidding. Don't think the opportunity cost of doing so is very high given what Indiana would have likely gotten back in that 3 way.
Fwiw, Steve Kyler is the asshat who left Draymond Green off his DPOY ballot for moral reasons. (Which says very little about his sources, which I'm sure are perfectly solid...)
Several of us noted that it doesn't seem viable to put together a deal that works for all three teams---the above is why! That's a horrendous return on PG
Yup, some real sweeteners would have to be added to make it worth it for Indiana. Cleveland obviously doesn't have any. Jokic is off limits. Murray is probably too. Denver's future picks are likely to be meh. So what's left? Mudiay? Hernangomez? Harris? I just don't see it.
I can understand that. Embiid was so far beyond anyone else eligible when he played. The argument is that Bradley played few enough games that a slightly lesser defender who played many more games was better. Embiid was a legit all star caliber player for a small number of games and every other rookie was not particularly good for more games.
Here's the All-Defense voting. Guy who voted for IT4 is from Argentina. http://official.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/06/2016-17-NBA-All-Defensive-Team-Voting-Results.pdf
I love that these are public. Some of these people are dumb.
Richard Walker has some hilariously bad choices. First team has Towns, Whiteside, Wall, and Westbrook. Second team has Lillard
Richard Walker has some hilariously bad choices. First team has Towns, Whiteside, Wall, and Westbrook. Second team has Lillard
Tough to view on the phone but it looks like our friend Bill Simmons put Austin Rivers on the 2nd team in his ballot.
Yes, he published his picks back in April.
I'm most proud of my Austin Rivers/2nd team All-D pick. He's a legit defender - his D always jumps out at me when I see the Clips in person.
If I am reading it correctly, David Aldridge gave Russ a first team vote. That is grounds for losing the right to cast a ballot in future years.
Man, MIN can make themsleves into a very nice team this offseason.
Would prefer they move on from Rubio.
PG who can shoot, Butler, Wiggins, Millsap, Towns is a sick lineup.
Would prefer they move on from Rubio.
PG who can shoot, Butler, Wiggins, Millsap, Towns is a sick lineup.
I'd be all over getting Dieng from them if they go that route and need to shed some salary (non-Hayward+PG world, at least).
Millsap helps their shooting and defensive woes, but it would also mean running inverted sets where KAT and Millsap stretch the floor for Butler and Wiggins in the post and I'm not sure that's sustainable or a good use of everyone's skill sets. I still think their most pressing need is finding a PG that can shoot and defend (Lowry or Hill would be perfect). If they can solve the hole at PG in free agency and flip Rubio into a "3 and D" they'd probably be a legit playoff team.
He's ok but he's not the type of player the Celtics target. Although he is a really good FT shooter and he did extend his range last year. If he does add the 3, that changes things.
Kind of like Zizic, who the Celtics drafted? I think Ainge keeps disproving the legions of theories of his "type".
Dieng would be a good fit, imo. Good defender and rebounder, decent mid range game, good passer.
If SAC gets Milsap, we better hope LAL sux balls this year. Which they probably should (though not as much as BRK or CHI).
edit: unless it is traded as is rumoured.
Marc SteinVerified account @ESPNSteinLine
Story going online now: League sources tell me Houston has emerged as an increasingly serious threat to sign Chris Paul in free agency.
Story going online now: League sources tell me Houston has emerged as an increasingly serious threat to sign Chris Paul in free agency.
This team would be sick to watch offensively. Defensively they would still struggle as Paul appeared to lose a step last year defensively (his offensive game was still amazing) but who cares. He would be going from "Lob City" to "Seven Seconds Or Less" and it will be a blast.
And, here is this week's Woj bomb (though its very unsurprising).
For those with the ap:
Owner James Dolan is weighing the future of Phil Jackson as New York Knicks President, league sources tell @TheVertical. Story online soon.
For those with the ap:
Owner James Dolan is weighing the future of Phil Jackson as New York Knicks President, league sources tell @TheVertical. Story online soon.
Not quite sure why Paul would be interested in Houston over San Antonio assuming both can clear the requisite space. I think he's a much better fit in SA unless he thinks playing with Harden can help to keep him fresh by sharing the ball handling responsibilities.
Ryan Anderson's salary isn't egregious but they'd probably need to attach some unprotected picks to get rid of it. They could surely dump some combination of Ariza, Gordon, Beverly, and Williams if they needed to. But that would obviously hurt the depth.
We'll see if money wins the day but it seems like Paul is really considering leaving. Both SA and Houston must have contingent trades lined up and ready to go if Paul says yes to them.
Paul in Houston (imo) both stifles Paul's skill-set and Harden's (love of numbers). Either way it equals ugly basketball.
Paul in SA is an elegant Parker replacement. Seamless.
Paul in SA is an elegant Parker replacement. Seamless.
I also think Chris Paul is a much better fit for SA than he is for HOU. I don't know what the answer about how to get better for HOU is, but their personnel and system seem basically perfect as is. If you bring in Paul, you take away a good chunk of what makes Harden great, his ability to draw doubles and find the open man, or exploit the single coverage and score himself. He needs the ball in his hands as much as possible, and all of those great shooters around him (Gordon, Anderson, Williams) make the system even better. If you have to get rid of a few of them to bring in Paul, it really doesn't make sense to me.
Edit: Crosspost with Tangled, saying the same thing in more words.
Edit: Crosspost with Tangled, saying the same thing in more words.
Fair points, however it assumes that neither Paul nor Harden can adjust their style of play. On paper, there is a universe where you take turns running PnRs with Capela or Harrell or with each other (when the match-ups permit) and torching teams.
Also, Paul had his best season from deep last year, shooting 41.1 from beyond the arc while averaging the most attempts per game of his career. Imagine Harden driving to the lane and kicking out to Paul who can either find another open player with a sick pass or more reliably drain a three than anyone else that Houston had last year.
That said, he does fit best with the Spurs but they are really best served by getting a younger, less injury prone player to run their point. The downside of Paul is that he has played in more than 70 games twice over the past six seasons. At 32 years old and with a history of hamstring/leg injuries, he is most definitely a risk to miss a significant number of games going forward.
Also, Paul had his best season from deep last year, shooting 41.1 from beyond the arc while averaging the most attempts per game of his career. Imagine Harden driving to the lane and kicking out to Paul who can either find another open player with a sick pass or more reliably drain a three than anyone else that Houston had last year.
That said, he does fit best with the Spurs but they are really best served by getting a younger, less injury prone player to run their point. The downside of Paul is that he has played in more than 70 games twice over the past six seasons. At 32 years old and with a history of hamstring/leg injuries, he is most definitely a risk to miss a significant number of games going forward.
Depending on the PG maybe but they play towns a lot at 4 and tibs loves his 2 bigs.
I am super unexcited by wiggins. He's an inefficient volume scorer who offers little else. I personally would move him while he's overvalued and before he gets a regrettable max deal.
I don't know if they can play together it's non obvious and I suspect Wiggins too high usage rate will be maintained.
I bet they underwhelm again as currently set up
Man people are so off on the kings. Fox is going to be a mess in the half court his shot isn't going to fix itself instantly even in a best case. He need stop add wait, his tape shows him getting muscled out of plays and shots constantly. I'm dubious he can but if he can it's not instant either.
Jackson is bad. He can't play the three he's a shooting guard and still bad defensively.
Giles best case is he needs injury recovery time to get his bounce back. He's undersized even of healthy at the 5 and can he guard a 4? Hmm.
This team is not getting a lot better Millsap or no. In the very near term Millsap might help them miss the top lottery slots but the rookies will likely struggle. Even if they develop by the time they are is Millsap still good.
They haven't got a single clear building block.
And here's the full story:
https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-knicks-owner-debating-phil-jacksons-future-franchise-053414508.html
Jackson has been pretty awful and thoroughly deserves to be fired, but Dolan (my most hated person in sports) could easily manage to hire someone even worse. But assuming that stupid-ass triangle offense would leave with Phil, that has got to be at least a mildly positive step for NY (if it happens).
He gone:
Ramona ShelburneVerified account @ramonashelburne
Knicks and President Phil Jackson are expected to announce that they're parting ways early Wednesday morning, sources told ESPN.
Ramona ShelburneVerified account @ramonashelburne
Knicks and President Phil Jackson are expected to announce that they're parting ways early Wednesday morning, sources told ESPN.
Anytime Dolan does something that isn't an egregious fuckup counts as a surprise.
Ailene Voisin @ailene_voisin 20m20 minutes ago
BREAKING: Sources tell me Kings to sign Serb guard Bogdan Bogdanovic to 3 year/$36 million contract on July 6.
BREAKING: Sources tell me Kings to sign Serb guard Bogdan Bogdanovic to 3 year/$36 million contract on July 6.
Tim MacMahon @espn_macmahon 14m14 minutes ago
Source on Rockets: "They think they are getting Carmelo or Paul George."
Source on Rockets: "They think they are getting Carmelo or Paul George."