NBA offseason thread

[jon abbey]

Gentry was a horrendous coach when the Clippers had the most talented young team in the league (Lamar Odom, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, Keyon Dooling before he blew out his knee, Corey Maggette, all of whom were like 20 years old), I loved that team and his usage patterns drove me nuts. That was 15 years ago, though, so he certainly might be a lot better now. 

 

[ElUno20]

Gentry was a horrendous coach when the Clippers had the most talented young team in the league (Lamar Odom, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, Keyon Dooling before he blew out his knee, Corey Maggette, all of whom were like 20 years old), I loved that team and his usage patterns drove me nuts. That was 15 years ago, though, so he certainly might be a lot better now. 

Holy crap. I came in here to post this. Thank you, this made me laugh.

To even further drive me crazy was he went to Phoenix right after and had some success.

But what really made me hate this man as a human was he force fed the offense through Michael fn Olawakandi when Elton Brand was literally a billion times the better player. At the time, EB was one of the most polished, well rounded players the clipps had in years and it drove me nuts. I remember screaming at my TV many nights.


That fn team was so young and talented...the haunting memories of keyon doolings career altering ankle sprains, painful times

 

[jon abbey]

Holy crap. I came in here to post this. Thank you, this made me laugh.

To even further drive me crazy was he went to Phoenix right after and had some success.

But what really made me hate this man as a human was he force fed the offense through Michael fn Olawakandi when Elton Brand was literally a billion times the better player. At the time, EB was one of the most polished, well rounded players the clipps had in years and it drove me nuts. I remember screaming at my TV many nights.


That fn team was so young and talented...the haunting memories of keyon doolings career altering ankle sprains, painful times

 
He wouldn't stop playing Piatkowski and he had so many better alternatives. That team was so fun to watch for a season or so, but only when he managed to get the right combos on the court. Darius Miles had so much potential, my favorite player in the league at the time, shame he fizzled like he did. 

 

[HomeRunBaker]

 
He wouldn't stop playing Piatkowski and he had so many better alternatives. That team was so fun to watch for a season or so, but only when he managed to get the right combos on the court. Darius Miles had so much potential, my favorite player in the league at the time, shame he fizzled like he did. 

I liked how he used Piatkowski since they had nobody else to space the floor when he wasn't in the game. The Clips perimeter shooting back then was god awful. The better alternatives may have been better individual players but a bad fit with Brand and Olowokandi since you need a knock down shooter in a lineup with them or it's an auto-double on the entry.

 

[PedroKsBambino]

I liked how he used Piatkowski since they had nobody else to space the floor when he wasn't in the game. The Clips perimeter shooting back then was god awful. The better alternatives may have been better individual players but a bad fit with Brand and Olowokandi since you need a knock down shooter in a lineup with them or it's an auto-double on the entry.

 
Exactly---it's like people only watch dunk contests and play fantasy basketball with some of the comments at times.   Spacing matters a ton, and Piatkowski provided it. It's not complicated at all what he brought, and why he played.  And while I did not think Gentry was a very good coach, that's nowhere on the list of reasons.

 

[Devizier]

Could any of those young Clips shoot? I mean, Elton Brand, but 15 foot jumpers don't count.

 

[jon abbey]

Quentin Richardson was the other 2 guard and wasn't a decidedly worse shooter, he led the entire league in three pointers with Phoenix a few years later. Maggette also was a good enough shooter to keep the defense at least somewhat honest. It's somewhat true that my interest at the time was more in entertainment value and not so much wins or losses, but I still maintain that Piatkowski killed them on the defensive end and should barely have played given their other personnel (I watched most of their games that year, FWIW). 
 
And no, most of them couldn't shoot especially well or at least consistently, just the collective youth and athleticism made it seem like they had no ceiling for a short window. Actually looking back at the stats now (the 2000-2001 team especially), it wasn't just Piatkowski but even more Jeff McInnis, who somehow got 35 MPG ahead of Dooling, that pissed me off. That team felt like it had a chance of being the Air Coryell of hoops if the coach would just play all the super freaky athletes and let them try to figure things out together, but the actual Air Coryell of hoops showed up a few years later with the D'Antoni/Nash Suns, the 2004-2005 team especially, before they lost Joe Johnson. 
 
Anyway, they weren't going anywhere or winning games with McInnis and Piatkowski, so it was easy to wish they would give the kids more of a chance and frustrating that Gentry seemingly wouldn't, I'm sure ElUno20 would agree.

 

[ElUno20]

I typically hate nostalgia of any kind but all this talk of past failed clipper launch is warming my heart. I think somewhere in my pile of crap i still have that slam issue with the 3 amigos on the cover looking like the next rap group about to take over.

You guys are spot on, outside of pike, the polish rifle!, the team couldn't shoot to save their lives. I do remember Q rich did have 1 contract year where he shot the hell out of the 3 for his standards (and was also a beast in the post) but they were pretty inept from distance (and defensively, and closing out tight games). I vividly remember after an early season game where Q put up a career high, turning to my laker friend and telling him he should be worried because we're coming! Lmao. I had to be drunk

McInnis was a terrible shooter but he always got a pass from the faithful because, for the most part, he played hard despite the shtty seasons. I remember the buzz when they got miller from Cleveland and then sterling worked his magic and he quit before the season even started

 

[HomeRunBaker]

I think I shared my McInnis story here years and years ago. When I played D3 ball in NC our AD allowed our field house to be used as a pickup venue (no, not that kinda pickup venue) for the local pros and aspiring pros. Stackhouse, Donald Williams, Phelps the lefty PG, Neal, Rusty LaRue the awesome 2-sport star from Wake Forest, others from Davidson, and others from the smaller schools (no Dukies allowed was the rule). I wasn't there much in the summer until after I graduated and moved there permenently so that first summer my game is up next and McInnis literally won't shut up.....like channeling his inner Gary Payton level stuff. He'a annoying everyone except those used to his crap when he gets into it with one of the local lower level college players from High Point U. Now he's going off with every other word F-this, C-that, etc etc.

At that moment the President of the college walks down the stairs into the field house as he's touring a small group of foreign dignitaries. As they walk down the final stair McInnis was at the apex of his verbal performance. That wasn't only the last time McInnis was there but the last time those legendary pickup games ran. He's a piece of work.

Carry on.....

 

[jon abbey]

 I vividly remember after an early season game where Q put up a career high, turning to my laker friend and telling him he should be worried because we're coming! Lmao. I had to be drunk

 
I remember one where Olowokandi played Shaq fairly even (maybe just for a half?) and I thought this same thing.

 

[nattysez]

Two things on the Gentry hire:
 
(1)  I'll bet he's learned a lot since his days with the LAC.
(2)  AD and/or his agent had a very significant say in this hire, so there are likely factors we are not privy to that contributed to Gentry being the choice.  

 

[Montana Fan]

(2)  AD and/or his agent had a very significant say in this hire, so there are likely factors we are not privy to that contributed to Gentry being the choice.  

There is no possibility that this is the case.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Two things on the Gentry hire:
 
(1)  I'll bet he's learned a lot since his days with the LAC.
(2)  AD and/or his agent had a very significant say in this hire, so there are likely factors we are not privy to that contributed to Gentry being the choice.  

1. Maybe/maybe not.....but when you land in a great situation and win as a right-hand man it is a feather in ones cap and more importantly an easily defendable hire to the owner and fan base.

2. I don't see this being the case either.

 

[nighthob]

This article is all kinds of hilarious. I mean, except for our long-suffering Knicks fans...
 

Even with Karl Anthony-Towns expected to be the first overall pick in next month’s NBA Draft, the Knicks may stick with the philosophy of taking the best Kentucky big man available.

While Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein have garnered the most attention, the Knicks for months have been enamored with Trey Lyles, according to a team source. Lyles is a 6-foot-10 forward out of Indianapolis who Phil Jackson sees as a good fit for the triangle offense.

Would the Knicks select Lyles with the fourth overall pick? Crazier things have happened and if Jackson truly believes Lyles, the 2014 Indiana Mr. Basketball who was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and has played internationally for the U.S. and Canada, is worth it, perhaps he’ll make the move. A more plausible scenario would be for the Knicks to trade down, since most draft experts don’t see him as a top 10 pick. ...

The Knicks scouted Kentucky extensively during the season. Jackson even made a trip to Lexington to see John Calipari’s team practice, and the word from people associated with the Wildcats is that the Knicks were impressed with Lyles. ...

If Dwyane Wade does the unexpected and leaves Miami he could end up in one of two places; Los Angeles (Clippers) or New York.

The thought that New York would come out of the summer of '15 with Dwyane Wade and Trey Lyles to show for it is downright tragicomic.

 

[The Social Chair]

Can anybody explain how the Clippers would sign Wade?

 

[HomeRunBaker]

This article is all kinds of hilarious. I mean, except for our long-suffering Knicks fans...
 

The thought that New York would come out of the summer of '15 with Dwyane Wade and Trey Lyles to show for it is downright tragicomic.

Fvck the triangle and all these players who are "good fits" for it. You know who good fits are for the triangle? I'll tell you who.....Michael Frickin Jordan, Kobe Bryant to start. LeBron, Harden, Curry......and all the other elite scoring perimeter players would be excellent fits for the scam called "The Triangle." Pay no mind to these players being great fits for any offense that put the ball in their hands.....it's The Triangle!

 

[Grin&MartyBarret]

This article is all kinds of hilarious. I mean, except for our long-suffering Knicks fans...
 

The thought that New York would come out of the summer of '15 with Dwyane Wade and Trey Lyles to show for it is downright tragicomic.

 
Isola's been blacklisted by the Knicks organization for years now, and pretty much just makes it his mission to make the front office look and sound as stupid as possible. It's not hard, of course, but given how little access he has remaining it's hard to put any stock in things like this. I actually love Isola, just because he's embraced his outsider status and genuinely seems to resent the Knicks organization and enjoy nothing more than picking on the entire fanbase, but he has about as much insight into who the Knicks might draft as my cat. 

 

[HomeRunBaker]

he has about as much insight into who the Knicks might draft as my cat. 

Hey some Cat's know a thing or two about ball.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tZOdoAc9fek

 

[nattysez]

Erman to Pels to be Gentry's defensive guru.

 

Kevin O'Connor‏@KevinOConnorNBA

Kevin O'Connor retweeted Marc Stein
Losing Erman would be a massive hit to Boston's staff. Not just a DEF coordinator, also great in player development.
 

 

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Wasn't Erman the guy who Golden State fired the year before after he was caught in the locker room taping all of the players personal conversations?

 

[nattysez]

Wasn't Erman the guy who Golden State fired the year before after he was caught in the locker room taping all of the players personal conversations?

 
Recorded one conversation, got fired for it, immediately got hired by the Celts and now is hired by the Pels.  Makes you think there was more to the story in GS.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

 
Recorded one conversation, got fired for it, immediately got hired by the Celts and now is hired by the Pels.  Makes you think there was more to the story in GS.

Where do you see it was one isolated conversation? All reports I recall were of multiple recordings over a periods of time that included player/coaches meetings and informal conversations between players.

That entire Mark Jackson regime was a mess. Poor Scal.

 

[Grin&MartyBarret]

So...who does your cat think the Knicks are going to take?

 
My cat, like everybody else, assumes they'll trade it for an overpriced veteran who on-court value is eclipsed by his name. 

 

[nattysez]

Where do you see it was one isolated conversation? All reports I recall were of multiple recordings over a periods of time that included player/coaches meetings and informal conversations between players.

That entire Mark Jackson regime was a mess. Poor Scal.

 
The only report regarding the number of recordings and/or alleging that he was recording anyone but other coaches was a hatchet job by Chris Broussard that was so clearly sourced from either MJax or Pete Myers that they shouldn't have even bothered asking for anonymity.  That said, I haven't seen anyone say that it was a single recording, so I should not have said that.  
 
Anyway, there's no point dredging all this up again, and I apologize for doing so.  Clearly Toronto, Boston and New Orleans (and Golden State, actually) all think that whatever he did is outweighed by his performance before and since.

 

[nighthob]

My cat, like everybody else, assumes they'll trade it for an overpriced veteran who on-court value is eclipsed by his name.

Lil' Zeke!

 

[Devizier]

The Heat want Durant. And they want Wade to eat a shit sandwich to make it so:
 
 

 

The Heat seems to want Wade to opt into his contract for next season at $16 million, then become a free agent and leave their and his future blank-check open. This will give the Heat the flexibility it craves to make a run at a player like Kevin Durant.
 
Pipe dream? Maybe.
 
But that’s what Wade himself once told the Heat about his great friend LeBron James being in Miami. Miami wants to have the flexibility that gets Riley in a room with Durant.
The Heat can have room for Wade, Bosh, Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and Durant … but only if Wade opts in for this year and gives them that flexibility by being a free agent in 2016. This requires Wade to have a lot of trust, obviously, and the leap of faith that the team will take care of him in 2016.

 
"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride".

 

[Blacken]

Wade's going to own a chunk of that team when he retires if he wants to. I don't think getting on the Dirk Nowitzki plan is the worst thing for him, though I also don't think he's the type of player to do it.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

Wade's going to own a chunk of that team when he retires if he wants to. I don't think getting on the Dirk Nowitzki plan is the worst thing for him, though I also don't think he's the type of player to do it.

 
There you go again, calling an African American a cheapskate, while setting up a tall, blond aryan as a role model. :buddy:

 

[Blacken]

Germans are a naturally superior race. It's just math.

 

[nighthob]

Germans are a naturally superior race. It's just math.

People say, "How can a German be funny?" but I assure you, ve have vays of making you laff...

 

[amfox1]

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA  4m4 minutes ago
Milwaukee has traded forward Ersan Ilyasova to Detroit for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams, league sources tell Yahoo.
 
Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA  2m2 minutes ago
For Bucks, this is chance to shed salary, bringing in contracts that could be waived. Milwaukee could have $22M in cap space.
 
Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA  6m6 minutes ago
With the free agency of Greg Monroe looming, Detroit gets Ilyasova to plug into the power forward spot.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Detroit needed to make this type of roster balance move two years ago. Monroe was always a terrible fit with Drummond and Smoove. This puts the Bucks in play to retain Middleton. Looks like a win-win move.

 

[EL Jeffe]

Detroit needed to make this type of roster balance move two years ago. Monroe was always a terrible fit with Drummond and Smoove. This puts the Bucks in play to retain Middleton. Looks like a win-win move.

Crap, I was REALLY hoping Boston would make a strong play for Middleton (and still think they should). I still think that between The Freak and Parker, Milwaukee might not see the wisdom in paying big cash to Middleton when he's somewhat blocked from playing his natural positon.
 
I'm not giving up on the Aldridge/Middleton dream until proven otherwise, no matter how small the odds.

 

[Montana Fan]

Robert Horry - unfiltered. I think you fellers will like this.
 
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/robert-horry-kobe-phil-jackson-lakers/
 

 

[soxhop411]

“@daldridgetnt: Source confirms http://t.co/plVOQz79Ho report of Charlotte trading Lance Stephenson to Clippers 4 Matt Barnes/Hawes. No picks involved.”

 

[Devizier]

Wow, solid move for the Clippers. Assuming Doc can get Stephenson's head straightened out.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

Thinking about it a bit more, it seems to me that either Crawford or Reddick would be available to be moved now right?

 

[Kliq]

I would assume Crawford, Redick and Stephenson could not be more different players.

 

[ElUno20]

The clipps need at least 2 or 3 athletes 6'6 and over this offseason for any real change from this last season

I hate nba refs but can you for a second put yourself in the shoes of the group that has to officiate a game with cp, blake, lance, and doc on the sidelines? Thats brutal. It'd drive me to drink

 

[Nick Kaufman]

I would assume Crawford, Redick and Stephenson could not be more different players.

 
And yet aren't all 3 shooting guards? Or is Stephenson going to play alongside Reddick in the SF spot?

 

[luckiestman]

CP3 and Lance should be highly entertaining

 

[HomeRunBaker]

I would assume Crawford, Redick and Stephenson could not be more different players.

Crawford and Lance are definitely redundant as shooting guards who create with the ball in their hands. I suspect JC isn't long for the Clips.

It's one of those deals that make sense for both teams. Charlotte shouldn't hold out as Doc likely gave them a take it or leave it today before we go in another direction. If the objective is to find a taker for Lance moving on from him now rather than waiting for a marginally better deal that may never come is a greater risk. 

Doc has a strong history of managing disfinctional locker rooms as he did here in Boston. I feel he enjoys this type of challenge knowing it brings out his greatest strengths in managing and leading people. The Clips desperately need to upgrade their supporting cast as it is awful for a contender. Adding Lance today and presumably Pierce in the coming weeks will help bolster their depth at the wings allowing Doc to focus solely on adding a strong bench big.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Stephenson seems like the kind of guy who needs structure. On a young team like Charlotte with no dominating presence, he fell back into bad tendencies but on a team with Doc, CP3, Griffin, he may fall in line. And if he doesn't, then that's a good sign that he probably never will. But LA definitely needed to get younger and more athletic at the wing position so worth the risk in my book. He really can be a dynamic player when his head's in the game.

Excellent point on this type of wild child needing a strong infrastructure to reel him in. It worked with Stephen Jackson in San Antonio, to a degree JR Smith in Cleveland and many others over the years.

 

[Tony C]

And he worked in Indiana and Bird wanted him back, which also is a good signifier to my mind. Definitely a "remains to be seen" situation, but given the lack of options the Clippers had, I think it was probably worth a shot on him bouncing back -- he's still quite young, just 24.

 

[Devizier]

https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard/status/611041428265914369
 

 
JR Smith told me he'll probably opt out of the final year, $6.4 million of his contract

 

[sox311]

If this is true, why would any person with upside sign more than a two year deal in the offseason.  190M Max deal? That is crazy!
 
 
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--bulls-restricted-free-agent-jimmy-butler-plans-to-pursue-shorter-term-offer-sheets-212134060.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
 
 
Butler could sign a three-year offer sheet that guarantees him $50 million, but allows for a player option on the third year that could allow him to move into unrestricted free agency and re-sign for a five-year, maximum deal worth as much as $190 million. It is understandable why Chicago wants Butler locked into a five-year, $90 million max extension under the current salary structure, but that appears to be a deal Butler plans to pass on.

 

[Grin&MartyBarret]

If this is true, why would any person with upside sign more than a two year deal in the offseason.  190M Max deal? That is crazy!
 
 
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--bulls-restricted-free-agent-jimmy-butler-plans-to-pursue-shorter-term-offer-sheets-212134060.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
 
 
Butler could sign a three-year offer sheet that guarantees him $50 million, but allows for a player option on the third year that could allow him to move into unrestricted free agency and re-sign for a five-year, maximum deal worth as much as $190 million. It is understandable why Chicago wants Butler locked into a five-year, $90 million max extension under the current salary structure, but that appears to be a deal Butler plans to pass on.

 
Well, a lot can change in the NBA in 3 years. Did anybody bat an eye at Deron Williams's max deal at the time? Do you think Paul George would advise somebody to turn down 40 million guaranteed for the chance at another 100? And Jimmy Butler's played all of one season at a max level, and even then "max level" is defined as the current max. I'm not so sure he's a max player when the cap jumps; calling somebody a max player today actually implies a bargain going forward. I'd be very careful about turning down that money were I Butler. 

 

[HomeRunBaker]

You guys are ignoring the opportunity to insure their future earnings to a George-type level catostrophic injury. I've made this comment before.....this is why agents earn their 2-4%, to maximize their clients revenue. The short term option deals are what will be rampant this summer. It's most definitely a player-friendly marketplace right now and the owner/GM has their hands tied if they want to be competitive.

 

[swingin val]

Do you think Paul George would advise somebody to turn down 40 million guaranteed for the chance at another 100?

yes?

 

[JCizzle]

Is this the harshest piece that ESPN has run about LBJ since the Decision? 
 
http://espn.go.com/blog/marc-stein/post/_/id/3896/lebrons-handling-of-blatt-unbecoming
 

 
And we likewise saw LeBron emasculate Blatt in ways that are simply unbecoming of a player of James' legend-in-the-making stature.
 
I saw it from close range in my role as sideline reporter through the Finals for ESPN Radio. LeBron essentially calling timeouts and making substitutions. LeBron openly barking at Blatt after decisions he didn't like. LeBron huddling frequently with Lue and so often looking at anyone other than Blatt.
 
There was LeBron, in one instance I witnessed from right behind the bench, shaking his head vociferously in protest after one play Blatt drew up in the third quarter of Game 5, amounting to the loudest nonverbal scolding you could imagine.
 
Which forced Blatt, in front of his whole team, to wipe the board clean and draw up something else.