PDA

View Full Version : NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...



the_ouskull
7/14/2010, 12:26 PM
First, the NBA in general...

-----

TONS of player movement right now, even moreso than usual. Also, because of an impending lockout, players are trying to get paid now, including extensions of existing contracts, because nobody wants to be sitting at home NOT collecting a check for doing nothing.

With that in mind...

(Remaining) Free Agents:

- Shaq: Heh. He'll either re-sign with Cleveland for more money than he'd get elsewhere, or he'll go to Dallas or Atlanta. In Dallas, he'll be another over-paid big man, and in Atlanta, he'll kill them in their transition defense and offense. If they're revamping things to make up for over-paying Joe Johnson, great, but changing the system to suit him won't help the rest of your (equally, if not more-) talented players get along. Bringing Shaq in will only then limit their ability to run the floor...

...something that the Mavs don't do a heck of a lot anyway... and why should they, with their best player well into his 30's and their starting point guard well into his 50's? Shaq would help bolster scoring for their second unit by slowing the game down even more, and given that both Haywood and Chandler are defensive-minded players, his defensive weaknesses wouldn't be readily apparent until late in the playoffs, most likely. If they can get him for $3 mil or less, they'll probably make the offer.

Luis Scola: Don't you do it, *sshole. Don't you leave this team now. Not in free agency. Not for NOTHING. C'mon, Morey, don't fail us now. The Nets are lame, and drafted a player at your position anyway, and the Raptors are even more lame. Calderon can't be THAT big of a draw for you, can he? Especially since he's in Charlotte now...

Richard Jefferson: Opted out of $16 million from the Spurs to become a free agent. Genius. Whatever they're teaching kids at Arizona, I guess pulling your head out of your *ss is an upper-division class, and R-Jeff (lolz) left school a little too early. Good luck, man. He'll go anywhere that pays him with multiple years. Maybe the Knicks or Nets, if those bridges aren't burned. (With Thorn gone, they're probably not...) Cleveland may make a run, too.

Kyle Lowry: Get off of our freakin' Kool-Aid, teams, geez. I mean, sure, with Brooks playing really well, Lowry is a back-up, no question... but he's also a much better defender than Brooks, and he's a great fit in Houston. The Cavs signed him to an offer sheet, but if it's doable, Houston will match it. They'd better. Grrr...

Josh Howard: Chances are the Wizards will keep him around. With him coming off of surgery and being an out-of-the-closet pothead, but not as good a rebounder as Robert Parish, he'll be too hard to shop around; at least until after the season starts. Then, if he's playing well, it's wide-open. The Bulls and Cavs are also interested.

Tracy McGrady: There's talk of him going to Miami for the veteran's minimum; maybe even signing late so they don't have to pay him for a full season. If there is a God, Dexter Morgan is real, and he'll have words with T-Mac for killing Houston's cap number for all of those years... But please note, if he goes to Miami, he's washed-up and it's for a ring. If he goes to Chicago, it's because he still feels like he can play, play. Maybe they keep him in NYC; pair him with Amare. That'd be awesome. Two straight-from-H.S., no-defense-playin' skinny kids with bad knees and stuff. Jay-Z was right. New York is what dreams are made of.

Brad Miller: He wants to help a team win a ring. Miami or Boston are the short list, if the Bulls try to short him on their offer.

Mighty Mouse: He'll re-sign in green. Between losing Allen and being veteran-friendly, it's a good fit.

Shannon Brown: He has two rings. It's "get paid" time. If he stays, it'll be because they'll allow him to compete with Steve Blake for the starting job. I say that, 'cause, if they KEEP starting Fisher, it's sad. Sad that a team that's normally so well-run will just keep ridiculously ignoring their need for a replacement for Fisher's "my age" *ss. (36.)

Earl Watson: A team that desperately needs a point guard is allowing him to go. Smells fishy to me.

Kwame Brown: Good luck, teams. He'll be in the corner, crying, if you need him. Apparently Jordan did such a good job of hurting his feelings a decade ago that he never stopped sucking...

-----

More later, including where the guys who have signed have gone, and how all of this ties into the Thunder and their Quest for the West, 2010. (Trademark...)

ouleaf
7/14/2010, 01:41 PM
First, the NBA in general...

(Remaining) Free Agents:

- Shaq: Heh. He'll either re-sign with Cleveland for more money than he'd get elsewhere, or he'll go to Dallas or Atlanta. In Dallas, he'll be another over-paid big man, and in Atlanta, he'll kill them in their transition defense and offense. If they're revamping things to make up for over-paying Joe Johnson, great, but changing the system to suit him won't help the rest of your (equally, if not more-) talented players get along. Bringing Shaq in will only then limit their ability to run the floor...

...something that the Mavs don't do a heck of a lot anyway... and why should they, with their best player well into his 30's and their starting point guard well into his 50's? Shaq would help bolster scoring for their second unit by slowing the game down even more, and given that both Haywood and Chandler are defensive-minded players, his defensive weaknesses wouldn't be readily apparent until late in the playoffs, most likely. If they can get him for $3 mil or less, they'll probably make the offer.

I think Shaq's made his money and then some. Is he really in it for the money anymore? I don't think he wants to play for a loser, which is what Cleveland is now. The Mavs have stockpiled on Bigs in the past few days, so I'm not sure Shaq fits in their plans exactly. You never know with Cubes though.

As a Mavs fan I hope we stay away from him, unless we get him at an absolute bargain. If he can get into some semblance of shape, the only time I think he might be useful to the Mavs would be playoff time, when they need a post player that can work in the post, something the Mavs have desperately needed every year in the playoffs.



Richard Jefferson: Opted out of $16 million from the Spurs to become a free agent. Genius. Whatever they're teaching kids at Arizona, I guess pulling your head out of your *ss is an upper-division class, and R-Jeff (lolz) left school a little too early. Good luck, man. He'll go anywhere that pays him with multiple years. Maybe the Knicks or Nets, if those bridges aren't burned. (With Thorn gone, they're probably not...) Cleveland may make a run, too.

still not sure why he did this really. Yeah he wants multiple years, but how much is he really gonna earn per year. Seems like the 16 he would have made this year is more than what he would earn with any contract he signs this year.



Josh Howard: Chances are the Wizards will keep him around. With him coming off of surgery and being an out-of-the-closet pothead, but not as good a rebounder as Robert Parish, he'll be too hard to shop around; at least until after the season starts. Then, if he's playing well, it's wide-open. The Bulls and Cavs are also interested.

Josh is still capable of being a starter or possibly 6th man depending where he winds up. He's just got to stop being a complete dumbass off the court.



Tracy McGrady: There's talk of him going to Miami for the veteran's minimum; maybe even signing late so they don't have to pay him for a full season. If there is a God, Dexter Morgan is real, and he'll have words with T-Mac for killing Houston's cap number for all of those years... But please note, if he goes to Miami, he's washed-up and it's for a ring. If he goes to Chicago, it's because he still feels like he can play, play. Maybe they keep him in NYC; pair him with Amare. That'd be awesome. Two straight-from-H.S., no-defense-playin' skinny kids with bad knees and stuff. Jay-Z was right. New York is what dreams are made of.


Agree on if he goes to Miami. Definitely chasing a ring at that point.

Serge Ibaka
7/14/2010, 02:06 PM
I really want T-Mac and Shaq to go to Miami: they might as well make it into the biggest fiasco possible. It will be really fun. I hard Juwan Howard is joining them too.

Even while Miami will be my villain-team for years to come, I'm going to want to watch all of their games. I am thinking about ordering some sort of NBA package (but it might be unnecessary because every Thunder game will be televised locally, and I'd bet that many Miami games are televised nationally, yeah?).

the_ouskull
7/14/2010, 03:31 PM
Okay, what each team's done... KINDA by team, but I'm skipping out teams that, as of today, have no major changes. (They re-signed someone, but they didn't sign or lose a major free agent and their draft won't matter for a while...)

Boston: Added Jermaine O'Neal, 'cause what team doesn't need skinny players who have played out of position for most of their careers and have horrible knees taking up cap room? (Yeah, you, K.G. You're not a baller anymore. You're just a skinny old guy with bad knees now. Keep picking on the Jose Calderon's of the world and stay away from the Artest's...)

Charlotte: Lost two starters (Felton and Chandler) and gained one back, only because they traded Chandler FOR him (Dampier). Jordan runs teams like guards used to defend him.

Bulls: So far, one of my winners, and a new "team to watch," even. Added Kyle Korver and Carlos Boozer, and lost their backup point guard (Heinrich) to do it.

- Rose
- Korver
- Deng
- Boozer
- Noah

Defensively, even with Rose's improvement, and Noah's ability, they're rubbish. Boozer's decent, but Deng and Korver are, uh.. not. At least, in Deng's case, not against faster players... which means that one of these two guys won't be starting and Chicago needs to sign a two, quickly. Taj Gibson and James Johnson give them some size and versatility off of the bench, but they're not going to win many games for you over the course of a season. Depth, depth, depth. They're not done yet this summer.

Cleveland: Lost LeBron and Big Z. Curtain.

Mavs: Signed Tyson Chandler, so now if he's healthy (he never is) Kidd can throw a couple of alley-oops above the rim to someone on this team... if he can still see that far without his bifocals.

Golden State: Maybe the most active team overall. They lost Kelenna Azubuike and Anthony Randolph to the Knicks, Corey Maggette (he's still around?) to the Bucks, and Anthony Morrow to the Nets. They gained Epke Udoh in the draft (good fit with this system.. not a lot of pressure right off the bat..) and David Lee from the Knicks.

- Curry
- Ellis
- Reggie Williams/Dorell Wright
- Lee
- Biedrins

That's a decent starting five that, especially considering their size, is going to rebound fairly well. But, when Charlie Bell, Vlad the Imposer, and whoever doesn't win the battle for the worst position on your starting five makes up your bench, you're not going anywhere. Did I mention that there's no defense played in Oakland? Just checkin'... They'll win games, and series, but not championships... and not this season... If Udoh can play the 3 for them, though, then their depth starts looking a little better, and they may contend for the 10th seed in the West.

Houston: Added Patrick Patterson through the draft. :D

The Clippers are a bag of f*cked-up and I won't go into them right now, but they've added a couple of good draft picks, including getting Blake back, and they didn't really lose much in return. (Eric Bledsoe for Steve Blake...? Al-Farouq Aminu for Drew Gooden...? Yeah, I'd do those moves too. This isn't a "win right away" team anyway. They're a "win after we trade Baron for a good point guard" team. He can make or break this team... unless Bledsoe is already their backup plan being groomed. Sneaky, sneaky.

- Baron Davis
- Eric Gordon
- Ryan Gomes
- Blake Griffin
- Chris Kaman

Decent bench, even... with the two draftees, Randy Foye (from the Wizards), Brian Cook, and DeAndre Jordan... plus the team's second-round selection, who may have a chance to make the final roster. They could make some noise if they can either motivate Baron or rid themselves of him for someone equally good, but less of a headache. Good luck, at his salary.

Lakers: Lost Farmar, signed Blake. Wash. Drafted Derrick Caracter in the second round. Genius. This kid is going to make them look smart over there in L.A. if he gets his body where it needs to be in time for the season.

Miami: Really, I have to do this? Fine.

They Added - LeBron James (Cavs), Chris Bosh (Raptors), Mike Miller (Wizards), and Big Z (Cavs).

They Lost - Jermaine O'Neal (Celts), Quentin Richardson (to the Magic... don't over-look this come playoff time..), Cook (to OKC), and their recent draft bust, Beasley (T-Wolves), not to mention a great deal of dignity and respect.

- Wade
- Miller
- James
- Bosh
- Z

That's a decent crunch-time lineup. But that's not a regular season lineup. They're not going to be able to start Miller. Z can't start for a team, especially an athletic one, all season long. He just can't. His FEET can't. This team still needs a point guard not named Mario Chalmers and a center not named Z or Joel Anthony. Maybe they can bring in Gary Payton and Karl Malone.

Bucks: Bringing in Maggette and Gooden will help bolster depth. Re-signing Salmons will help with shot creation. We may be looking at:

- Jennings
- Salmons
- Redd (if he's healthy, otherwise, look trade - especially if he plays fairly well early...) or Maggette
- Gooden
- Bogut

That'd be a load of talented, experienced starters, with a good mix coming off of the bench of young and hungry, and experienced and smart. This could be a "for real" kinda team if Jennings keeps his head, grows more consistent, and can keep Bogut healthy.

T-Wolves: Well, they signed ANOTHER f*cking point guard today, locking down 30 year-old Luke Ridnour for 4 years and 16 million. FML.

Sorry, I was pretending to be Ricky Rubio's Twitter feed.

- Ridnour. I hope... otherwise, Jonny Flynn
- Martell Webster (from Portland)
- Corey Brewer
- Kevin Love
- Darko... yes, THAT Darko.

Losing Al Jefferson will KILL their scoring, which was already bad. But, it'll also get the ball moving around a lot more... assuming that Rambis will ditch his bastage child of a triangle offense and run something that makes sense for, and TO, his roster. But, with players like Wes Johnson (drafted) and Mike Beasley (Miami) looking for playing time, the 3-5 spots could be fair game all season long. Minnesota won't be a LOT better this year, record-wise, but it'll be noticeable when you watch them play.

-----

Tired as crap, more later...

the_ouskull

ouleaf
7/14/2010, 04:39 PM
I really want T-Mac and Shaq to go to Miami: they might as well make it into the biggest fiasco possible. It will be really fun. I hard Juwan Howard is joining them too.

Even while Miami will be my villain-team for years to come, I'm going to want to watch all of their games. I am thinking about ordering some sort of NBA package (but it might be unnecessary because every Thunder game will be televised locally, and I'd bet that many Miami games are televised nationally, yeah?).

I heard the same about Juwan Howard going for the Vet. min. too.

There is a reason the NBA delayed releasing their schedule for next fall, because they wanted to wait and see what happened with LeBron. Miami will be on all the time now, and they will probably sell out not only their home games, but they will probably help sell out their opponents arenas when they are on the road.

Look for them to get a lot of those Sunday matinee games.

ouleaf
7/14/2010, 04:56 PM
Bulls: So far, one of my winners, and a new "team to watch," even. Added Kyle Korver and Carlos Boozer, and lost their backup point guard (Heinrich) to do it.

- Rose
- Korver
- Deng
- Boozer
- Noah

Defensively, even with Rose's improvement, and Noah's ability, they're rubbish. Boozer's decent, but Deng and Korver are, uh.. not. At least, in Deng's case, not against faster players... which means that one of these two guys won't be starting and Chicago needs to sign a two, quickly. Taj Gibson and James Johnson give them some size and versatility off of the bench, but they're not going to win many games for you over the course of a season. Depth, depth, depth. They're not done yet this summer.

Didn't Reddick sign an offer sheet from the Bulls? I can't remember, but I think it's enough to where Orlando isn't likely to match. You'd figure between him and Korver, someone can knock down perimeter shots.



Bucks: Bringing in Maggette and Gooden will help bolster depth. Re-signing Salmons will help with shot creation. We may be looking at:

- Jennings
- Salmons
- Redd (if he's healthy, otherwise, look trade - especially if he plays fairly well early...) or Maggette
- Gooden
- Bogut

That'd be a load of talented, experienced starters, with a good mix coming off of the bench of young and hungry, and experienced and smart. This could be a "for real" kinda team if Jennings keeps his head, grows more consistent, and can keep Bogut healthy.

Definitely a team to watch next season.

----------------

Also, I think a team that did a decent job are the Suns. I didn't really noticed till I looked at what all they had done. Considering they caught a tough break and weren't able to get anything for Amare, I think resigning Channing Frye was a nice move. He was pretty solid for them when they went on a run last year.

I think the addition of Hakim Warrick was good. He hasn't lived up to the 1st round draft status he came into the league with, but I think having Nash as his PG will up his numbers.

Bringing Josh Childress back from Europe is interesting too. It will be interesting to see what he can do.

Finally, Turkoglu, while he certainly is replacement for Amare, might be more productive in the Fast Tempo offense. He's always been a good decision maker and isn't an awful shooter. Again with Nash at the point I think Turkoglu will be a better player like he was in Orlando.

yankee
7/14/2010, 08:07 PM
Again with Nash at the point I think Turkoglu will be a better player like he was in Orlando.

this. i think he's going to flourish in the suns system. not to mention the total matchup nightmare that he and frye create on the perimeter. should be another fun suns team to watch.

Mark_in_Tulsa
7/15/2010, 01:46 AM
this. i think he's going to flourish in the suns system. not to mention the total matchup nightmare that he and frye create on the perimeter. should be another fun suns team to watch.

Nash and Turk both have to have the ball in their hands to be effective. Turks numbers went down when he left Orlando and went to a team with 2 PG who control the ball a lot.

Even if he does well the Suns are worse off without Amare. If you thought Amare was bad at defense at the 4 spot, wait until you see what Turkeyglue brings.

the_ouskull
7/15/2010, 11:40 AM
cont...

Nyets: I love the new owner. Having said that, hiring Billy f'ing King to run your team is only going to run it towards the ground. Especially when Prichard (Portland) was available. How do you say "idiot" in Russian? (Then you say it, not me. That guy's 6'8" and Russian.)

They picked up Favors and Damion James, or, as I like to call him, The Black Nick Collison. Good draft. Not as good as they'd have liked (Turner), but a pretty good one. Free agency was much more harsh to them than they'd hoped... But, bringing Jay-Z around kinda reeked of desperation, too. Sure, he's part-owner, kinda like I'm part-owner of American Energy and Power, or Berkshire-Hathaway. It just reminded me of fraternity houses trotting out famous alums during rush - guys who are never otherwise there; or sorority houses inviting girls from their "hotter chapters" to show up during rush, and then leave after Bid Day. But, they brought in Jordan Farmar (LAL), Anthony Morrow (GSW), and Travis Outlaw (LAC).

("Uh yeah, Travis, it's about your roster spot. Well, you see, Blake Griffin is healthy now, and he's a force of f*cking nature... and you're Travis Outlaw. Take care.")

So, we're looking at:

- Harris
- Morrow
- T. Williams
- Favors
- Lopez

Bringing Farmar, Lee, James, and Kris Humphries off of the bench. That's a decent, much-improved squad anyway. Now, consider this... There's only one player on the roster (Keyon Dooling) who is even 30 years old. Avery Johnson (great hire) gets a ton out of younger players once they realize he's in charge. If this team starts off winning, then it may start a ball rolling for them. However, if they start off poorly, a lot of the younger players who went through the same crap last year may rebel against Avery, since he'll still be whipping them in practice every day. It'll be interesting to see the Lil' General working again, either way.

NYK: Well, no LeBron. The fact that they've had to gut the team for the past few seasons thanks to the Isiah Thomas-era probably didn't help either.

Losing David Lee (GSW) hurts them a lot. They also lost Chris Duhon to the Magic and Sergio... who cares? They're not David Lee. They did pick up a few players, though...

- Felton
- Uh... Azubuike?
- Gallinari
- Randolph
- Stoudemire

That's based on who they currently have on the roster, and who I think personally is their best player for each position. However, that would mean that 4 of their 5 starters weren't in New York last season. WHAT A COUNTRY!

OKC: I've posted about this elsewhere, and will continue updating it, etc...

http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142698

Orlando: They quietly keep getting better. What, we have two p*ssies on the perimeter in "Vincsanity" and Rashard Lewis? In comes Quentin Richardson. Next? Backup point guard for Nelson, the oft-injured starter? Chris Duhon, who started last year in New York, and knows the Eastern Conference pretty well. Then they added Daniel Orton, who, if he develops, will become one heck of a weakside complement to Howard.

- Nelson
- Carter
- Lewis
- Whoever... Bass, Orton, Anderson... with Carter and Lewis on the floor at the same time, it won't matter. They're screwed no matter who it is.
- Howard

Fine, I'll do a real one.

- Nelson
- Pietrus
- Carter
- Lewis
- Howard

...and that's why they won't win it all with this team. Carter and Lewis are horrible rebounders for their position, and Howard has NO defensive help protecting the basket. During the regular season, they score enough to make up the difference on most nights. Come the playoffs, they get hit a little more, and are playing a little better players and a little better teams with a little better coaching... and that's all, folks.

I'd propose that their best starting lineup, or at least a "outside-of-the-box" one, would be:

- Nelson
- Pietrus
- Barnes
- Bass
- Howard

...with Carter and Lewis coming off of the bench. Their starters are all "good-enough" on offense, and with the exception of Nelson and Bass, are excellent defenders... AND their bench would lead the league in scoring. Plus, Duhon is an experienced enough point guard to keep them from going nuts and trying to Vince-hog the ball every possession.

Sadly, a lineup like that would never happen, because it makes TOO much sense, and the people you're benching make more, each, than all of the people you're benching them for combined. I hate basketball. The Magic are going to waste Howard's youth by clinging to the hope that, someday, Vince will show up in a playoff game, or Rashard Lewis will hit the weight room and not the gym. Good luck.

Philly: I'm not including them because they're good or anything, but because their one add, Evan "The Villain" Turner (tOSU), is a pretty good one for them... as long as they don't try to play him at point guard...

- Holiday
- Iguodala
- Turner
- Brand
- The three-headed monster of Speights, Hawes, and Smith.

This would bring Thaddeus Young, Willie Green, Kapono, Nocioni, Lou Williams, and others off of the bench. They're deep as sh*t, they're just not deep with really good players. Solution? RUN!

Problem? Brand, and the aforementioned three-headed monster, whose individual parts run more like a three-legged race. Speights is good, really good, offensively, but his defense is RAAAATHA suspect. That's because of his conditioning. If he could run, up and down, all day, then he'd 1) play a LOT more (foul-trouble is also related to his conditioning...) and 2) be really freakin' good, even with his defensive issues. (A power-not-finesse version of Amare offensively...)

Also, the pink elephant in the room is Turner's athleticism. He's decent, but not great, and may not be up for running the whole game.

- Lou Williams
- Holiday
- Iguodala
- Young
- Brand

They couldn't guard anybody down low, but maybe their coach gets creative, and they run a full-court trap/press the whole game. A REAL one, like college. Not a b.s. one like you typically see late in NBA games... token pressure from one person... A REAL press. Then, their depth matters, and as they foul more, their size starts coming in, slowing the game down more... and then they run some more.

Brand, and his ridiculous contract, are an albatross around the neck of this organization until he either 1) becomes a 20/10/50% guy again, or 2) dies, quits, gets traded, etc...

Good luck trading that bird, Mariner... ($15 million, this season alone...)

Phoenix: I've already seen some people commenting about the Suns. That's good. I like banter. It's a shame you're all idiots. (Just kidding... kind of... :D)

They lost Amare (NYK), and Barbosa (Toronto); but gained Hakim Warrick and Mongo. Wait, what? Oh, Josh Childress came back to the U.S. Well, f*ck it, let's sign him too. You can never have enough soft, undersized perimeter-based forwards who can't defend well.

- Nash
- Whatever
- Whatever
- Whatever
- Whatever

This is apparently what management sees their roster as. Guess what? It hasn't won yet, Sarver... and Nash is almost as old as Jason Kidd now. (I know he's older than Kidd. Shut up.)

- Nash
- Richardson (speaking of soft...)
- Hill (speaking of old...)
- Warrick
- Frye

Hmmm... Yeah, that doesn't look any better than last year. Where's the scoring coming from again? Channing Frye's freakin' jumpshot? Yeah, 'cause he's reliable. Sure, he's almost 44% from downtown, but more than half of his attempts are from there, too. He's only a 45% shooter OVERALL. And, I like my starting center to average more than 5.3 boards and .91 blocks per game. Call me crazy...

- Nash
- Richardson
- Josh Childress
- Earl Clark / Warrick
- Lopez

NOW we're talkin'. There's still the same problem putting the ball in the basket, but now, at least the players who aren't doing that can rebound and play defense for you too. If Earl Clark is going to become a player, now's the time; this is the year. Otherwise, we may see some Taylor Griffin locking down the 3 or 4. :D

The first lineup, maybe with Childress bumping Hill to the bench, is more likely though. See also, NJN, Philly, et al...

Portland: They drafted the bad kind of tweener. Can the kid play? Absolutely. So can Coby Karl. He's not on a roster. But, since Babbit (Nevada) was a first-rounder, we'll get three years to find out if he can develop into a player or not. And it's not his offense. It's his defense. He's too slow to guard 3's and too small to guard 4's. And, when you can't guard anybody, 1) your overall confidence begins to slip, and 2) you won't get much playing time.

Also, don't underestimate the loss of Martell Webster (T-Wolves) 'cause he's been one of their glue-guys for these past few injury-riddled seasons. It amazes me, though, how well this team has been able to overcome injury after injury. Hopefully this will be "their healthy year," 'cause I'd like to see what they can get done then...

- Miller
- Roy
- Batum
- Aldridge
- Camby/Oden

...and that's the big question. Who's going to be playing center for the Blazers? If Oden is, and stays, healthy, this is a very different team. Especially considering the quality depth they have if they are starting that lineup... Bayless, Fernandez, Babbitt, Camby, and Przybilla is a better starting five than some other teams start for real, and they're Portland's second unit, IF everybody's healthy... (Not a lot of scoring there, but the frontcourt's defense would help erase the mistakes of the backcourt's defense... and the backcourt could take more risks on offense. And, for purposes of those last couple of sentences, I'm including the 3 spot with the backcourt, 'cause I want to.

Kings: Stop it. You ignorant b*tches, stop it. The Kings are not "a team to watch" and sh*t. They're the Kings. Sure, they drafted Cousins (Calipari NBA Prep Academy), but he's a freakin' head case on a team with no leaders. Who, Evans? He's a one-on-one player first-and-foremost, and it's pretty darn hard to develop (whiny) young posts when they're not seeing the basketball in the offense.

- Evans
- Garcia
- Greene/Casspi
- Cousins
- Dalembert

Thompson, Udrih, Landry, and the loser of the small forward battle as a bench.

I'm seeing one major flaw that everybody else, like THIS freakin' guy...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/britt_robson/07/12/improved.teams/

...seems to be ignoring. They have a total of two (2) ball-handlers on this team, and one of them is Beno Udrih. If you're counting Francisco Garcia (of the 1.6 career assists per game) as a 3rd ball-handler, then you're even more screwed.

This team has one player, Evans, who can handle the ball against elite competition, night-in, and night-out. If they trade someone out (maybe a package deal with Casspi and Udrih) to pick up another capable ball-handler, then we'll talk. Until then, enjoy the Tyreke Evans show.

Spurs: F*ckers. So, they finally got Splitter to come to the U.S., eh? Well, let's see it. He's NBA-built, at 7'0", 245. But, unlike a lot of Euro players, he's a bit more physical. He'll even get his knees up, Shaq-style on some of his dunks. Also, he LOOKS to play defense... and, coming in and learning from a veteran like Duncan who is (quite literally) on his last legs...? Priceless.

Also, James Anderson (Oklahoma A&M) is a good pickup for them if he can maintain his consistency from the corner, and continue to develop defensively.

They even managed to let Richard Jefferson leave, which, while leaving a hole at the 3 spot (for now) also opens up a whole bag of not having sh*tty players on your team.

I hate this freakin' team...

- Parker
- Ginobli
-
- Splitter
- Duncan

Wait, James Anderson is fairly athletic, and he's tall enough to cover most 3's... So, basically, they replaced 30 year-old Jefferson with a less-athletic 21 year-old version for about $12 million/year less?

Crap.

I hate the Spurs so much.

Toronto: First, the big sh*t. They lost Bosh (Insider Trading) and Mongo (Common Sense) from last year's team. They also lost Calderon (Jarrett Jack makes $4m/year less...) to Charlotte.

They added Barbosa, and I'll even include Dwayne Jones, who played for the Suns last year, and the Heat before that, before they cut him for spelling his first name correctly. They also drafted Ed Davis after Phoenix decided he was too skinny, even for them...

- Jack
- DeRozan
- Ed Davis
- A. Johnson (heh)
- Bargnani

This brings Barbosa off of the bench, where he can play his game. (Read: Be selfish with the ball...) Are they a better team without 3 of their starters from last season? Uh, no. Are they better in the long run? Well, if Davis can score in this league, and isn't afraid to put on some weight; if DeRozan can develop into something that isn't a piece-of-sh*t that punched Blake in the junk, and Bargnani can do his best impersonation of Bogut, then yeah... there's potential here.

Edit: The Calderon trade to Charlotte didn't go through. Charlotte got cold feet.

Utah, where they don't allow music:

They lost Boozer, they lost Korver, they lost Wes Matthews (probably) and they gained Al Jefferson (T-Wolves) and Gordon Hayward (Butler).

If Jefferson stays healthy, that's a net win.

- D. Williams
- C.J. Miles
- AK-47

and

- Millsap
- Jefferson

until Okur gets healthy. Then it's

- Jefferson
- Okur, or vice versa.

That's not a championship starting five, but it's a foundation. In Jefferson, they got younger and less-complainy. If Jefferson is your second-best player, you can sniff a championship. If Boozer is... Eh..

If Hayward becomes the real deal (I think he's too weak and not a good-enough athlete to become the type of player you want a Top-10 player to become... but the NBA rules benefit offensive-minded players, so who knows? I mean, he's white, and in Utah. He's got a leg up from the word, "Go," right? Also, in Sloan's offense, he could eventually play the two, because of the way it gets players to spots on the floor quickly and efficiently - without a lot of unnecessary ball-handling.

The biggest problem with this team will be depth. They have almost NOBODY beyond their starting five, and will be a one-deep bench when Okur returns. They'll need to stay healthy and Sloan will (once again) need to work his magic and get these no-name bench players in a race to become the next Wes Matthews.

Washington: They added John Wall.

They also added Kevin Seraphin, who, if he can get back in form after his recent knee injury, is an interesting lil' cuss. He's big-bodied (think a taller Dejuan Blair) and young (turns 21 this year) but he's also slow (footspeed and second-jumpability - trademarked by Chad Ford) and very, very raw.

He's a project pick that may never even pan out... but since he was just a throw-in with the Heinrich deal, why not?

- Wall
- Agent Zero
- Thornton
- Blatche
- McGee

Wall and Gilbert will HAVE to get the frontcourt involved in the offense for this team to have any kind of chance to make some noise. Thornton, not as much, but Blatche and McGee need someone to get them the ball for them to score.

They're bringing Heinrich, Trevor Booker (Clemson), The Chairman Yi, Nick Young, and Seraphin off of the bench. So, decent, not good depth. And, considering their starting frontcourt could just as easily include Yi, maybe they shouldn't expect too much this season.

BUT, if they can get their bigs to rebound like mad, defend, and not turn the ball over or waste possessions with bad shots (ahem, you too, Gilbert) then this team could make a little noise, even in the scary (heh) East.

-----

Okay, NOW you guys can tell me I'm an idiot, 'cause I'm an idiot that's (finally) done. Enjoy!

the_ouskull

yankee
7/15/2010, 04:35 PM
you do know hedo turkoglu is on the suns now, right?




and to your point about the jazz not having a whole lot of depth, they just signed SG raja bell.

Serge Ibaka
7/15/2010, 05:07 PM
I really expected the Jazz to suck next year.

They've done a good job this off-season given the circumstances, I think. They can be competitive.

Eielson
7/15/2010, 05:21 PM
you do know hedo turkoglu is on the suns now, right?

He was mentioned.

the_ouskull
7/15/2010, 05:57 PM
you do know hedo turkoglu is on the suns now, right?

I talked about Mongo already. Are you the idiot that has a man-crush on him? He's perfect for Phoenix 'cause their trainers will keep him healthy. Suns fans have a whole year of turnstile defense and poor shot-selection to look forward to now. Yay!

and to your point about the jazz not having a whole lot of depth, they just signed SG raja bell.

Awesome. When? I started typing this early this morning. If I missed it, so be it. I guess that you can count Raja Bell as depth, considering their other options at the 2/3...

the_ouskull

yankee
7/16/2010, 12:32 AM
the_ouskull

hmmm, i guess i missed the "mongo" affiliation. i think he'd do well in that system just because they rely so much on the 3 point shot and it's uptempo. we'll see...not sure if my post indicated i had a man-crush on him, but you can go back and look at it and lemme know if that constitutes as one. ;)

the_ouskull
7/16/2010, 09:24 AM
If you think he's still worth a crap as a ball player to any team that's serious about competing, then you're either related to him, or you have a man-crush on him. This isn't rocket surgery.

the_ouskull

yankee
7/16/2010, 02:26 PM
If you think he's still worth a crap as a ball player to any team that's serious about competing, then you're either related to him, or you have a man-crush on him. This isn't rocket surgery.

the_ouskull

ancestry.com failed to reveal any relation to hedo, so i guess it's a man crush.



if i can avoid getting talked down to like a little child, i'm going to go out on a limb and say hedo has a much better year than the one he had in toronto. JMO. i'm no rocket scientist, unlike yourself.

the_ouskull
7/16/2010, 05:57 PM
It's rocket SURGEON, stupid. Geez.

I prefer the discourse of aggressive conversation. But, if you'd prefer, I can ask questions of your opinions rather than ask and answer them simultaneously.

Why do you think that Hedo Turkoglu is going to have a better season this year in Phoenix than he did last year in Canada?

I'll start by telling you why I don't think he's going to have a good season, comparatively.

- His WS/48 is in free-fall. According to it alone, he was half the player he was last season that he was in 07/08. In addition, his overall Win Shares are almost a third of what they were 2 years ago. What else has happened since then?
- He turned 30 - to answer the previous question I asked. Players, especially players with deep playoff runs under their belt, tend to drop off significantly around 30... especially if they were only marginal athletes to begin with. (He has played 82 playoff games, or an entire regular season's worth...) He turns 32 in March.
- Not just his scoring being down, but all of his shooting percentages are down as well... There is a 3-year trend of his percentages going down in EVERY category, even free-throw shooting, with the exception of his 3-pt percentage. It went up a bit last season, but it's 1) still below his career average, and 2) most likely a function of his not getting the ball as often as he is used to, and making the most of the shots he did get from out there. (Or better looks playing with an offensive-minded post in Bosh instead of a defensive-minded post like Howard...)
- Watch him play. He quit on Toronto. Make no mistake. More so than that, his play was completely listless, even when he was playing well. His give-a-sh*tter was broken, and at his age, with his contract, those tend not to get fixed.

The bonuses of signing him?

- Phoenix's training staff can, once again, prove why they're the best in the business. (Good, since his games played and games started have all been going down in the last three years as well...)
- He's 6'10" and can still get you 4 rebounds and half a block per game, despite his physical limitations.

Yes, he had a good season in 07/08, and probably deserved the MIP award. But, the flip side of that is that you have to suck to earn that award. Maybe he's just regressing back to the mean again...? But, I don't know. I'm not a rocket surgeon, so let's hear your side, please.

---

There? That better? :D

the_ouskull

the_ouskull
7/17/2010, 02:04 PM
Turkoglu just had gall bladder surgery. It was a minor procedure, but still... he hasn't even passed his physical in Phoenix yet.

the_ouskull

the_ouskull
7/17/2010, 02:57 PM
Brad Miller signs with Houston.

Wait, what?

We signed, as Yao Insurance, a 34 year-old man to a three-year contract?

ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?!

Really, Morey? Really?

(Okay, even though it feels weird, I can play Kool-Aid Homer for a second...)

I mean, if all involved parties are, and/or remain healthy, then it's a really nice move.

- Brooks (but, God, we're always going to be sub-par defensively...)
- Martin
- Budinger
- Patterson
- Yao

Yao's outlet pass on an amazing running team due to the ability, 2-4, to spot up or finish at the rim, and 5's ability to pull up on the break, freeing said rim for 2-4, and keeping your 7++ footer from running the full floor, every possession, and posting up. Ah... I mean, it won't happen, but I'd love to see it. Miller (more later) even makes sense for it.

The thing is, depending on Jordan Hill's, Patterson's, and Budinger's development, we're going to be a well-coached, systemic team with between 7 and 10 guys capable of starting on a lot of teams in this league.

Adding Miller to that mix gives us not only more depth (and size, and experience) but also more versatility. He's also a good spot-up shooter, so Yao can sit without it even effecting the offense much. Defensively, it's a wash anyway. Miller's the backup. Whatever.

(Famous last words, by the way... but just for pain's sake, please don't come back and quote me on this in Feb. when Yao's leg's fallen off and Miller's laying on the court breathing like someone in one of those Life-Alert commercials...)

I'd rather save Yao for the playoffs. The West is gonna suck, no matter where you're seeded as long as it's not 8. Then it's gonna suck, AND you won't have a chance. Without Yao, we're a scrappy band of hustlers and castoffs... loveable, but beatable. With Yao, we're "the team nobody wants to play." I like that team better...

the_ouskull

Eielson
7/17/2010, 03:27 PM
No mention of Ariza?

the_ouskull
7/17/2010, 06:31 PM
He's one of the "players that could start for a lot of teams," but, until he plays like he deserves special mention, he doesn't. Last year, he didn't.

the_ouskull

Eielson
7/17/2010, 06:50 PM
He's one of the "players that could start for a lot of teams," but, until he plays like he deserves special mention, he doesn't. Last year, he didn't.

the_ouskull

I didn't see him play last year, but I see that he started 71 games, and averaged 15 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists last season (rounded up). He's not amazing on offense, but I'm not sure you really need that with Brooks and Martin as your other guards. He was always a really good defender and a solid rebounder. What makes you think Budinger would be better as the starter?

the_ouskull
7/18/2010, 12:19 AM
Nothing. I'm just hoping that he gets to the point where he could be. Lol. That was a "dream Houston," not what I think will happen. I'd like to see Ariza become a better outside shooter, honestly. Budinger is already a better mid-range shooter, and I think that he'll become a better finisher around the rim. Ariza is a little TOO comfortable hanging out around the arc.

the_ouskull

yankee
7/18/2010, 08:56 PM
It's rocket SURGEON, stupid. Geez.

I prefer the discourse of aggressive conversation. But, if you'd prefer, I can ask questions of your opinions rather than ask and answer them simultaneously.

Why do you think that Hedo Turkoglu is going to have a better season this year in Phoenix than he did last year in Canada?

I'll start by telling you why I don't think he's going to have a good season, comparatively.

- His WS/48 is in free-fall. According to it alone, he was half the player he was last season that he was in 07/08. In addition, his overall Win Shares are almost a third of what they were 2 years ago. What else has happened since then?
- He turned 30 - to answer the previous question I asked. Players, especially players with deep playoff runs under their belt, tend to drop off significantly around 30... especially if they were only marginal athletes to begin with. (He has played 82 playoff games, or an entire regular season's worth...) He turns 32 in March.
- Not just his scoring being down, but all of his shooting percentages are down as well... There is a 3-year trend of his percentages going down in EVERY category, even free-throw shooting, with the exception of his 3-pt percentage. It went up a bit last season, but it's 1) still below his career average, and 2) most likely a function of his not getting the ball as often as he is used to, and making the most of the shots he did get from out there. (Or better looks playing with an offensive-minded post in Bosh instead of a defensive-minded post like Howard...)
- Watch him play. He quit on Toronto. Make no mistake. More so than that, his play was completely listless, even when he was playing well. His give-a-sh*tter was broken, and at his age, with his contract, those tend not to get fixed.

The bonuses of signing him?

- Phoenix's training staff can, once again, prove why they're the best in the business. (Good, since his games played and games started have all been going down in the last three years as well...)
- He's 6'10" and can still get you 4 rebounds and half a block per game, despite his physical limitations.

Yes, he had a good season in 07/08, and probably deserved the MIP award. But, the flip side of that is that you have to suck to earn that award. Maybe he's just regressing back to the mean again...? But, I don't know. I'm not a rocket surgeon, so let's hear your side, please.

---

There? That better? :D

the_ouskull

i have no ****ing clue what WS/48 remotely means, but i just have a gut feeling about it. maybe i'm wrong, but then again i didn't expect 8 page answers from my "mongo" comment. :D feenix likes the 3 ball and they're uptempo. nash is getting older, so i can see turk playing the point forward similar to what he did in orlando...maybe not as much as he did since the suns have dragic, but he's a very good distributor for a forward. i think being back on a playoff team will also help his attitude and motivation. btw, i'm not too worried about the amount of playoff games wearing on him. outside of his 3 seasons in orlando, he was a role/bench player for the kings and spurs. in fact, i think his playoff experience will only benefit the suns if/when they make the playoffs come next season.


there, there's my side. no crazy-*** stats, just an opinion.

the_ouskull
7/18/2010, 09:59 PM
They'll be a good, fun team to watch. They'll have decent passers on the court at almost every position, and they'll get out and run and hit the long ball... but, they'll have half a defender on the court at all times. It'll look good, but they'll lose when it matters. Maybe he'll even put up decent numbers... but adjusted for pace, I don't think they're going to be impressive, and I honestly expect his physical decline to continue, right along with his shooting percentages. No stats there, either.

the_ouskull

kevpks
7/19/2010, 08:10 AM
Originally Posted by the_ouskull
Kings: Stop it. You ignorant b*tches, stop it. The Kings are not "a team to watch" and sh*t. They're the Kings. Sure, they drafted Cousins (Calipari NBA Prep Academy), but he's a freakin' head case on a team with no leaders. Who, Evans? He's a one-on-one player first-and-foremost, and it's pretty darn hard to develop (whiny) young posts when they're not seeing the basketball in the offense.

- Evans
- Garcia
- Greene/Casspi
- Cousins
- Dalembert

The Kings' GM sees Moses Malone but will probably just get fired in two years.

the_ouskull
7/19/2010, 12:14 PM
Well, with Petrie involved, he's going to wind up being a good pick. I mean, this is a guy that, 10 years ago, was the two-time GM of the Year. As team president, he's been quiet, but he got back involved with the draft this season, and I think he's going to be a bit more active. Sure, they could turn into a decent team, but I don't see it. They'll win some games, 'cause they have some talent, but they're not making a playoff run or anything... not a serious one, anyway. Not this season.

the_ouskull

the_ouskull
7/19/2010, 12:53 PM
Okay, let's do some full-blown edits instead of the small ones I"ve been doing in the original posts...

Charlotte:

Jordan is still running teams like players used to guard him, but at least he's doing it with flair now. I LOVED the LeBron comment Simmons Twittered over the weekend, even if I hate myself for the existence of those words and my use of them.

- D.J. Augustine (they're screwed - never thought losing Raymond Felton would HURT a team...)
- Stephen Jackson
- Gerald Wallace
- Boris Diaw
- Tyrus Thomas

Derrick Brown (X), Najera, Diop and Dampier (Mavs), and Gerald Henderson (Duke) round out the club.

Now, if Henderson or Augustine can develop into a defensive presense, this team could turn a few heads. They won't win a lot of games, 'cause they don't have a lot of people capable of putting ye ol' ball in yonder basket, but they do have some very capable defenders, and they may get out and run.

If Diaw can handle an up-and-down game, he'll start. If not, drop Thomas to the 4, start Diop or Dampier (Lolz) and run, baby, run. Augustine would be better served in an attacking offense anyway. Ditto with Gerald Wallace and Thomas. Jackson will adapt, and Diop and Dampier can't score, no matter what. They'd get fouled in an empty gym and miss the layup and the free throws. I can't believe Jordan took them from Cuban.

Mavs: Okay Dallas fans, smile a little, 'cause Jeremy Lin is fun as sh*t to watch play ball. He'll probably D-league it for a year, 'cause I don't see anybody, even Nelson, signing him to a full roster right now... but he's a blast and he's a good guy to boot. Freakin' Haaarvard.

Oh, and Dominique Jones can freakin' play too. Like, a lot. He was a really good pickup.

BUT... Roddy B. didn't look like he's going to be able to "get it" as far as running a team goes. If he can't figure out how to play point in summer league, then he's going to REALLY struggle to do so in the bigs. Jus' sayin'.

- Kidd
- Stephenson, or Jones, depending on development...
- Butler
- Dirk
- Haywood or Chandler, depending on attitude. (I think Chandler should start, giving Haywood, who has more offensive game, a chance to kill some back-ups while not losing a lot on defense...)

Your bench would be Jason Terry (Kenny Smith is "The Jet," a-hole. For that matter, Chet Walker is "The Jet." You're an idiot who drags your arms behind you when you run...), whoever loses the above-mentioned battles, Barea, Roddy B., and Marion, if he can stop crying long enough to realize that it's 2010, not 2004, and he's in Dallas, not Phoenix, and he's not "The Matrix" anymore. He's just a dude with a messed-up jumpshot now.

Denver:

First of all, get ready for a year of "Is Carmelo staying in the Rockies?" stories. I hate that sh*t.

- Billups
- Smith/Affalo
- Carmelo
- Martin
- Nene

Now, I know that injuries, etc... play their part, but that'll be their playoff roster, and that's a decent-looking roster, as long as Chauncey stays "young," and everybody else stays healthy. For depth and size, they've added Shelden Williams and Al Harrington to their bench, giving the starters and the Birdman some help with the long bigs in the West. (Namely, L.A.) Also, with Ty Lawson, Anthony Carter, and whoever loses the battle for the starting 2 coming off of the bench, this is a really, really deep team, who is good, but not great, at every position.

They're talented enough to win the West, but they're dumb/injury-prone enough to get beaten in the first round, too. It's too hard to predict what stupid will do,' cause, as Forrest Gump taught us, "If George Karl comes back, this team will kick the crap out of people."

Rockets: We re-signed Lowry and Scola, we re-signed Lowry and Scola!

- Lowry
- Budinger
- Battier
- Patterson
- Miller

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Those are our backups and they could probably make the playoffs! (At least in the East...)

- Martin
- Brooks
- Ariza
- Scola
- Yao

Sadly, 'cause Yao is one of our starters, our backups may HAVE to make the playoffs for us... again... Oh, and we also have Jared Jefferies, Jermaine Taylor, Chuck Hayes, and Jordan Hill on the roster. With one more point guard on the roster we're 3-deep at every position (assuming that the c-team is willing to start Jordan Hill or Chuck Hayes at the 5...)

Deepest team in the league? Yeah.

BUT...

Loaded with good, not great, talent. Yao is (can be) great. Everybody else can be really, really good. If 2-3 are really, really good at the same time, Houston will probably win the game. If they're not, then bring in the next group. If they're not, then we're probably NOT winning the game.

Ariza has to play like he's worth $6 million/per, Scola has to stop f*cking reaching in, especially on post-entry passes, and start playing with his hands up on defense more. He's never going to be a shot-blocker, but he can at least try to influence them. He's a really good team defender, though.. as long as it's not Yao coming over from the other side to help him... and Brooks has to keep remembering two things, 1) it's about the team, not me, and 2) Kyle Lowry could also run this team, so REALLY remember number one.

Soooo much potential on this team. I'm giddy.

the_ouskull

the_ouskull
7/19/2010, 02:29 PM
Okay, so wow... This one could be big...

---

New Orleans loses: Chris Paul
Charlotte loses: Gerald Wallace (stud SF, All-Star), D.J. Augustin (Collison's new backup), and either Erick Dampier's expiring contract (but not until Sept 13th) or a non-protected first-round pick.

New Orleans gains: Gerald Wallace, a LOT of cap flexibility, and two scrubs.
Charlotte gains: the prodigal son

---

New Orleans loses: Paul, Peja, and some trade exceptions.
Charlotte loses: Wallace, Augustin, Henderson, and Dampier's expiring contract, and maybe still a first-rounder.

---

Wallace and Augustin for Paul would work, contract, etc..-wise. Dampier can't be traded in combination with other players, though. Not until September 13rd. But, Paul for JUST Wallace and Augustin would mean that NOLA hated Paul, and probably their fans too. Even just one first-rounder seems too little for one of the best players in the league, though.

So, in order to make it work, it'd take two trades:

Trade One: Paul for Wallace, Augustin, Gerald Henderson.

Trade Two: Dampier for Peja and an unprotected first-rounder.

---

What do you mooks think about this rumor?

the_ouskull

Mark_in_Tulsa
7/19/2010, 03:11 PM
Yao to maybe miss first 2 months of season?

http://benmaller.com/2010/07/yao-ming-could-miss-rockets-first-two-months/

ouleaf
7/19/2010, 03:15 PM
Okay, so wow... This one could be big...

---

New Orleans loses: Chris Paul
Charlotte loses: Gerald Wallace (stud SF, All-Star), D.J. Augustin (Collison's new backup), and either Erick Dampier's expiring contract (but not until Sept 13th) or a non-protected first-round pick.

New Orleans gains: Gerald Wallace, a LOT of cap flexibility, and two scrubs.
Charlotte gains: the prodigal son

---

New Orleans loses: Paul, Peja, and some trade exceptions.
Charlotte loses: Wallace, Augustin, Henderson, and Dampier's expiring contract, and maybe still a first-rounder.

---

Wallace and Augustin for Paul would work, contract, etc..-wise. Dampier can't be traded in combination with other players, though. Not until September 13rd. But, Paul for JUST Wallace and Augustin would mean that NOLA hated Paul, and probably their fans too. Even just one first-rounder seems too little for one of the best players in the league, though.

So, in order to make it work, it'd take two trades:

Trade One: Paul for Wallace, Augustin, Gerald Henderson.

Trade Two: Dampier for Peja and an unprotected first-rounder.

---

What do you mooks think about this rumor?

the_ouskull

I hate it, only because I wanted the Mavs to make the trade for Paul, and if they use the Dust Chip to pull of this trade it'll be a real punch in the balls to Mavs fans.

In taking off the Mavs glasses though, the 2nd option would probably be better for NOLA. They get rid of Peja's salary and can dump most of Damp's salary. They also get some solid to decent players in return.

Mark_in_Tulsa
7/19/2010, 03:24 PM
Okay, so wow... This one could be big...

---

New Orleans loses: Chris Paul
Charlotte loses: Gerald Wallace (stud SF, All-Star), D.J. Augustin (Collison's new backup), and either Erick Dampier's expiring contract (but not until Sept 13th) or a non-protected first-round pick.

New Orleans gains: Gerald Wallace, a LOT of cap flexibility, and two scrubs.
Charlotte gains: the prodigal son

---

New Orleans loses: Paul, Peja, and some trade exceptions.
Charlotte loses: Wallace, Augustin, Henderson, and Dampier's expiring contract, and maybe still a first-rounder.

---

Wallace and Augustin for Paul would work, contract, etc..-wise. Dampier can't be traded in combination with other players, though. Not until September 13rd. But, Paul for JUST Wallace and Augustin would mean that NOLA hated Paul, and probably their fans too. Even just one first-rounder seems too little for one of the best players in the league, though.

So, in order to make it work, it'd take two trades:

Trade One: Paul for Wallace, Augustin, Gerald Henderson.

Trade Two: Dampier for Peja and an unprotected first-rounder.

---

What do you mooks think about this rumor?

the_ouskull

Rumor source?

ouleaf
7/19/2010, 03:55 PM
Mavs: Okay Dallas fans, smile a little, 'cause Jeremy Lin is fun as sh*t to watch play ball. He'll probably D-league it for a year, 'cause I don't see anybody, even Nelson, signing him to a full roster right now... but he's a blast and he's a good guy to boot. Freakin' Haaarvard.

Oh, and Dominique Jones can freakin' play too. Like, a lot. He was a really good pickup.

BUT... Roddy B. didn't look like he's going to be able to "get it" as far as running a team goes. If he can't figure out how to play point in summer league, then he's going to REALLY struggle to do so in the bigs. Jus' sayin'.

- Kidd
- Stephenson, or Jones, depending on development...
- Butler
- Dirk
- Haywood or Chandler, depending on attitude. (I think Chandler should start, giving Haywood, who has more offensive game, a chance to kill some back-ups while not losing a lot on defense...)

Your bench would be Jason Terry (Kenny Smith is "The Jet," a-hole. For that matter, Chet Walker is "The Jet." You're an idiot who drags your arms behind you when you run...), whoever loses the above-mentioned battles, Barea, Roddy B., and Marion, if he can stop crying long enough to realize that it's 2010, not 2004, and he's in Dallas, not Phoenix, and he's not "The Matrix" anymore. He's just a dude with a messed-up jumpshot now.



Dallas is definitely buzzing about Lin's summer league performance. Great kid that gets in there and hustles, makes good decisions, makes a few flashy plays, and by all accounts is just a great teammate.

Roddy B hasn't lived entirely up to expectations this Summer. He's had a few nice games and shown flashes of what he is capable of, he just hasn't been very consistent. He got absolutely destroyed against John Wall. I'd look for him to maybe get some minutes at the off guard position when the season starts along side Kidd. I really think when the team gets back together and he can have some more mentoring from Kidd, he will help, but I don't think he is ready to run the show at PG anytime soon.

Jones has been very impressive, and proving to be a great draft day deal pulled by Donnie and Cubes. His shot isn't that great for a two guard, but he can take it to the rim against just about anyone, and has knack for getting to the FT line. Love this kid's upside. His game brings something that the Mavs have lacked for a long time now.

Bench-wise....Terry can provide you 20+ on any given night. The only problem is that those nights are becoming fewer and farther between. Marion is almost completely useless on the offensive end, unless he is getting a putback on an offensive board, or getting a pass from Kidd on the way to the basket in transition. Defensively, he's still an above average defender. He'll be needed for that come playoff time.

Barea is serviceable if the Roddy B experiment doesn't work as we all hope it will. Chandler, who by all accounts is finally healthy, can hopefully provide energy, athleticism, and defense at the 4 or 5 position. Stevenson...I'd like to see him get some more minutes, but just not sure if he is going to get them. Definitely excited to see if Jones can make an impact on the 2nd string starting out.

the_ouskull
7/19/2010, 06:54 PM
Rumor source?

I don't give away my sources.

-
-
-
-
-

I'm just kidding, it was the Charlotte Observer.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/17/1569144/chris-paul-in-a-bobcats-uniform.html

...but it's not like there are ongoing discussions or anything. I'm just facilitating conversation... and f*cking with Mavs fans about Dampier's Expiring Contract. So, does Cuban HAVE a G.M.? Does he work, ever? It's Donnnnnn, isn't it?

the_ouskull

ouleaf
7/20/2010, 08:49 AM
I'm just facilitating conversation... and f*cking with Mavs fans about Dampier's Expiring Contract. So, does Cuban HAVE a G.M.? Does he work, ever? It's Donnnnnn, isn't it?

the_ouskull

Yep. Donnie Nelson. He stayed on board when his Dad was let go and Avery took over.

Donnie has been under pretty heavy scrutiny by most Mavs fans over the past few years, especially since the loss to the Heat in the finals. Fans are/were tired of the Mavs acquiring pieces that didn't result in championships and just letting Nash walk away for nothing a few year prior to that.

He does do a lot for the franchise both personnel-wise and operations-wise. He is definitely part of the reason the Mavs have won 50 straight the past 10 seasons and gone to the playoffs all those years as well. I'd say he has done a better job recently though. The big trade last year with Washington was pretty solid, and it didn't leverage them with players with long term contracts. So it definitely bought them a little more flexibility in the years to come.

I also think they did a great job in the draft this year in picking up D. Jones. And while you only were able to get Chandler out of Dampier enticing contract, it is still an improvement at Center from what you had last season, plus it is a contract year for Chandler, so maybe we'll get extra effort from that.

the_ouskull
7/20/2010, 05:01 PM
Good point, and Chandler has a habit of playing like that, too.

the_ouskull

the_ouskull
7/21/2010, 08:34 PM
Lin signs with the Warriors. That kid could tear it up down there, and with the Bay Area's high Asian population and his style of play, he'll be a fan favorite too. Nice.

Oh, and there's an article on how Mongo will help the Suns here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5399469

the_ouskull

yankee
7/21/2010, 09:14 PM
Lin signs with the Warriors. That kid could tear it up down there, and with the Bay Area's high Asian population and his style of play, he'll be a fan favorite too. Nice.

Oh, and there's an article on how Mongo will help the Suns here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5399469

the_ouskull

that dude basically said what i said, just in more words.
doesn't mean that turk's season is going to turn out all fine and dandy, but maybe i'm not off my rocker as i seem to be. :D

the_ouskull
7/22/2010, 02:15 AM
Oh, I disagree with him too. I think he's done. He won't be near All-Star level this year, even, but in the next two or three, I think we'll see a huge drop-off... unless Jesus has joined Phoenix's training staff. (wait, they kept Grant Hill, Nash, and Shaq all healthy in the same season? - never mind...)

the_ouskull

the_ouskull
7/22/2010, 11:11 AM
More Chris Paul rumors on ESPN this morning...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5399241

And they got me to thinking...

Chris Paul to Oklahoma City for:

- Westbrook
- Krstic
- Sefolosha
- 2011 1st Round Pick

It works under the cap, and would give NOLA Westbrook, to either pair with Collison or start for him; and much-needed depth on the wing and in the post. Sefolosha might start, even, unless they put Collison and Westbrook on the floor at the same time, UCLA-style.

Would OKC want to do it, though...?

Why or why not?

the_ouskull

Mark_in_Tulsa
7/22/2010, 11:36 AM
I wouldn't do it. 3 starters and a 1rd for one starter? And a starter who may not be the same player after his knee surgery.

Anyways I think it's going to have to be a team that takes on CP3 and Okafor that will make the trade.

the_ouskull
7/22/2010, 04:59 PM
- Chris Paul
- Emeka Okafor

...to Oklahoma City in exchange for:

- Westbrook
- Sefolosha
- Collison
- Kristic
- and cash. (No small amount... it's about $5mil...)

OKC's new (by my best estimation) starting lineup would be...

- Paul
- Harden
- Durant
- Ibaka
- Okafor

That's a better, and better-suited to the West, lineup than our current one. Also, it features a bench of Jeff Green, Eric Maynor, Daequan Cook, Morris Peterson, and would allow Kyle Weaver and D.J. White their "call-ups" so we don't lose them. That's a talented, and experienced, bench. Then, in addition to that, add some more depth in that kid from Kansas. We make up for losing Collison and Krstic with starting two defensive-minded, rebounding big men, and then mixing it up with different looks from Green, White, and Aldrich.

In addition, bigger guards in Cook and Peterson, both also good outside shooters, will help with size, and Green and White play bigger than they are, but, just like last year, if our starters get into foul trouble, we're in trouble. I think that, no matter what, we're a year or two away from being legit contenders... but I think that, given Paul's history, if his health holds up, we're setting ourselves up to be championship contenders starting next season.

If Harden doesn't pan out, there are two starter-caliber players waiting at his position, in Cook and Peterson. If Ibaka doesn't pan out, then Green goes back to starting at the four. If there are problems with Okafor, then move Green in, Ibaka up, and Okafor out, and you're still subbing with Aldrich, White, and Okafor.

Players that can play point would be an issue, though. If we lose Paul for any length of time, Maynor is it for point guard depth, meaning we'd have to try to bring in a vet, or play Cook or Weaver there as Maynor's backup. Not exactly a championship recipe. And I think that Paul's health will be a concern until he can prove that it won't be again.

That's why I look for him to move sometime in December, and it could be us he's moving towards. Who knows?

- Head? It's genius. Two bona-fide NBA superstars in Paul, who this city already loves, and Durant, who this city would keep as their "alpha-love." Not Batman and Robin, but Superman (Durant) and Batman (Paul).

- Heart? F*ck that. This team has built something together, and if they get a chance to finish it, together, whether or not they actually DO finish it, we're going to get front-row seats to the show of a lifetime. How can you not root for that?

the_ouskull

Serge Ibaka
7/22/2010, 05:35 PM
Would N.O. accept this though? I feel like they would insist on getting Westbrook AND Green in a scenario that leaves them giving up their superstar and starting center, but maybe I'm wrong--Colly's and Nenad's expiring contracts + Thabo's cheap contract would put them in a much improved cap situation. And up-and-coming Westbrook would nearly be the next-best-thing to losing your star PG.

At any rate, I think you're right: this would be an excellent trade for OKC. But I think I would be sad if it happened. This team is my first (NBA) Love, and I want to celebrate with all of the parts in-tact. I was even sad on the day that Shaun Livingston was released.

yankee
7/22/2010, 05:41 PM
if N.O. is ready to give up Paul, do you think that they think Collison is ready to run the offense there? He did a very good job in replacing paul. Something along the lines of 15 PPG and 6 or 7 APG.

the_ouskull
7/22/2010, 06:01 PM
- Collison
- Westbrook
- Posey
- West
- Kristic

That brings (Nick) Collison, Sefolosha, Julian Wright, Peja, and some scrubs (Hilton Armstrong, Darius Songalia) off of the bench, too. Decent lineup, but small... but wouldn't you run teams to death with Collison and Westbrook on the court together? You'd almost have to find some to start in place of Krstic, which, with the extra cash to make the deal work, shouldn't be too hard...

A guy like Louis Amundson from Phoenix, or, depending on the money, Josh Howard, and then go super small, starting West at the 5, Posey at the 4, and Howard at the 3. That lineup would run, run, run... until Posey's old-*ssed legs gave out in the 3rd every night... then they'd have to trade him for Amundson anyway...

Craig Smith from the Clippers... Josh Boone from the Nets... even Udoka or Sean May from the Kings...

Any of those guys would be a good fit as a big on that up-and-down team, especially Amundson or Boone, both guys that you could EASILY get for $5mil/per or less... in the case of Boone, likely MUCH less... there's more of a market for Amundson, though.

Also... if you have any questions about Collison, take a look at his game log from last season, and keep in mind that Paul went down around the end of Jan/beginning of Feb.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/gamelog?playerId=3973

If I was New Orleans, knowing that Paul wanted out anyway, I'd do it now, while there's still time to get a lot of value back in return. OKC could probably even part with a draft pick...

But, like I said, as OKC, I'd do it thinking about my job, but as a fan of the game; someone who loves the game, I couldn't do it. Keep this team together... and stop adding Tejas players to it...

But yeah, NOLA should do it in a heartbeat if it comes up...

the_ouskull

Mark_in_Tulsa
7/22/2010, 07:40 PM
- Chris Paul
- Emeka Okafor

...to Oklahoma City in exchange for:

- Westbrook
- Sefolosha
- Collison
- Kristic
- and cash. (No small amount... it's about $5mil...)

OKC's new (by my best estimation) starting lineup would be...

- Paul
- Harden
- Durant
- Ibaka
- Okafor

That's a better, and better-suited to the West, lineup than our current one. Also, it features a bench of Jeff Green, Eric Maynor, Daequan Cook, Morris Peterson, and would allow Kyle Weaver and D.J. White their "call-ups" so we don't lose them. That's a talented, and experienced, bench. Then, in addition to that, add some more depth in that kid from Kansas. We make up for losing Collison and Krstic with starting two defensive-minded, rebounding big men, and then mixing it up with different looks from Green, White, and Aldrich.

In addition, bigger guards in Cook and Peterson, both also good outside shooters, will help with size, and Green and White play bigger than they are, but, just like last year, if our starters get into foul trouble, we're in trouble. I think that, no matter what, we're a year or two away from being legit contenders... but I think that, given Paul's history, if his health holds up, we're setting ourselves up to be championship contenders starting next season.

If Harden doesn't pan out, there are two starter-caliber players waiting at his position, in Cook and Peterson. If Ibaka doesn't pan out, then Green goes back to starting at the four. If there are problems with Okafor, then move Green in, Ibaka up, and Okafor out, and you're still subbing with Aldrich, White, and Okafor.

Players that can play point would be an issue, though. If we lose Paul for any length of time, Maynor is it for point guard depth, meaning we'd have to try to bring in a vet, or play Cook or Weaver there as Maynor's backup. Not exactly a championship recipe. And I think that Paul's health will be a concern until he can prove that it won't be again.

That's why I look for him to move sometime in December, and it could be us he's moving towards. Who knows?

- Head? It's genius. Two bona-fide NBA superstars in Paul, who this city already loves, and Durant, who this city would keep as their "alpha-love." Not Batman and Robin, but Superman (Durant) and Batman (Paul).

- Heart? F*ck that. This team has built something together, and if they get a chance to finish it, together, whether or not they actually DO finish it, we're going to get front-row seats to the show of a lifetime. How can you not root for that?

the_ouskull

I like that trade, and I think it would fit NO needs (expiring contracts)
But you can only send up to 3 mill in cash. Not that that effects the deal.

But I think it hurts OKC this year, because of a lack of depth. But I think over the next couple of years they can add the right pieces. Had this deal come up earlier and there were still more FA this off season available I would be all over this.

*of course all of this is dependent of CP3 saying yes to going to OKC, since OKC wasn't on his list.

the_ouskull
7/22/2010, 10:35 PM
I'm not saying that the deal is going to happen either. It's a hypothetical deal.

Although with the Thunder signing Royal Ivey today, maybe they have something up their sleeve. That's the only reason I can think of to sign former Tejas players. (Durant was only there for one year. Doesn't count.)

the_ouskull

Eielson
7/22/2010, 10:49 PM
Yeah, it only took Durant 1 year to realize his mistake. We all make mistakes. What matters is how we respond.

kevpks
7/23/2010, 01:51 PM
Juwan Howard signed with the Heat. It is only his ninth team.

Serge Ibaka
7/23/2010, 03:21 PM
One thing that would make me more willing to trade away several dudes for Chris Paul: I'm not very confident about Westbrook wanting to be in Oklahoma. Maybe once he and Durant begin to do really amazing things in the next few seasons that will change, but I would not be surprised if Westbrook wants to fly back home and play for for the Lakers.

Eielson
7/23/2010, 04:26 PM
One thing that would make me more willing to trade away several dudes for Chris Paul: I'm not very confident about Westbrook wanting to be in Oklahoma. Maybe once he and Durant begin to do really amazing things in the next few seasons that will change, but I would not be surprised if Westbrook wants to fly back home and play for for the Lakers.

Seeing as Chris Paul didn't put OKC on his list despite playing here, I'm not sure how much he wants to be here either.

the_ouskull
7/24/2010, 12:14 PM
Then f*ck 'im. We'll win without him.

BUT...

Something that, hard as it may be to believe, we're going to have to get used to, is that Durant is going to make players consider OKC that wouldn't otherwise consider OKC. He's here, guys. He's long-term. Now, who do we put around him to win with...?

I still can't believe that I just said that about Kevin freaking Durant. Geez, talk about your all-time backfires. At least I was right about him making a bad 4.

the_ouskull

ouleaf
11/22/2010, 11:27 PM
Sources: Heat targeting Erick Dampier

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/news/story?id=5839820

Don't fall for it, Miami!!!

http://imagemacros.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/its_a_trap.jpg

soonerbub
11/23/2010, 12:38 AM
Heat lose at home tonight to mighty Indiana 93-77
8-6 on the year PATHETIC

boomersooner28
11/23/2010, 09:10 AM
Heat lose at home tonight to mighty Indiana 93-77
8-6 on the year PATHETIC

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHA!

:D