NBA Free Agency 2018: Independence day, unless you're in San Antonio

[DanteGabriel]

10 hours ago, SpaceForce Tywin et al. said:

If New Orleans would take Brown, Rozier and two first round picks for him, you do that deal in a heartbeat and hope Davis stays healthy and resigns for five years.

I'd do that if I were Trader Danny. If I could be reasonably assured Davis would re-sign.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

9 hours ago, DanteGabriel said:

I'd do that if I were Trader Danny. If I could be reasonably assured Davis would re-sign.

You do it even if you can’t be sure. The Celtics are not that far off and the Warriors’ window is closing. Adding Davis basically puts you on par with them and your roster would be a lot deeper.

[Ferrum Aeternum]

Hopefully this will be the year the NBA finally figures out that whatever value Carmelo Anthony once brought to the table is long gone. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Man KAT was god awful last night. And Jeff Teague is still doing Jeff Teague things. The only upside was Wiggins, who actually showed some hustle on both ends. Seem like he got Butler’s message. Speaking of which, this team is going to be bad once he’s gone even if we get a decent return. There’s still room to be optimistic, but it’s nothing like it was two years ago before the 2016 draft….

[briantw]

47 minutes ago, Triskjavikson said:

I've had some days off with some rare daytime TV, and Jason Whitlock has been going off on the Lakers today saying that they are not focused on this year at all and want to limit Lebron's minutes all year (presumably so that they can make a bigger push next year when they bring in Anthony Davis or something).  His argument stems from Walton saying they'll be watching Lebron's minutes and from all of the Hollywood extracurricular activities he's in.  

He also had a piece comparing Magic Johnson and Lebron to Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell which was really something.  

I'd be pretty shocked if LeBron was okay with that, as I think he's as focused on stat stacking at this point as anything else.

Although by limited minutes they could simply mean dropping him down to something like 36 a game.

[KingintheNorth4]

Watching my Bulls against the Sixers right now. Whoever scores 150 points wins.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

The Lakers would be an amazing team....................20 years ago. Their inability to shoot was crazy. 

[David Selig]

They are a subpar shooting team, but not nearly as bad as many people think. That 0/15 half was mostly a fluke, Hart and Kuzma are very good shooters, KCP sucks at almost everything else these days but can still shoot it from 3 well, LeBron currently is a pretty good 3 point shooter himself.

They need a backup centre though, even in today's you can't play half the game with your centre being a 6'9" wing player.

[Calibandar]

On 10/18/2018 at 2:30 AM, briantw said:

Even if you discount that, waiting is always a dangerous game.  Kevin Love was a mortal lock to go to the Lakers five or six years ago.  Now it's looking like he's going to retire a Cavalier.  You let guys get traded elsewhere and you never know how much they might like their new home.  

Read an interview with Paul George this week in which he says he was disappointed in the Lakers not wanting to trade for him last year.

He flat out says he wanted to go there and only there. Being traded to OKC and seeing how they appreciated him changed his mind.

Lakers fucked this up. Of course all may turn out well IF they can sign more top free agents next year, but still, they would have loved to have had PG, and had him now, with Le Bron. Now they're talking about wasting one of the last years of LeBron's prime this season.

On 10/18/2018 at 6:40 AM, DanteGabriel said:

I'd do that if I were Trader Danny. If I could be reasonably assured Davis would re-sign.

Yeah but if you're the Pelicans you don't unless there is some major shit going on with AD, I would not accept Rozier , Brown and a pick, I would insist on Tatum.

On 10/18/2018 at 10:42 PM, Triskjavikson said:

I've had some days off with some rare daytime TV, and Jason Whitlock has been going off on the Lakers today saying that they are not focused on this year at all and want to limit Lebron's minutes all year (presumably so that they can make a bigger push next year when they bring in Anthony Davis or something).  His argument stems from Walton saying they'll be watching Lebron's minutes and from all of the Hollywood extracurricular activities he's in.  

 

That's been their refrain all summer long about LeBron. Maybe it's just talk. Maybe it's a realisation that this team is indeed not good enough to compete. In either case, they would have lost what is perhaps the last year that LeBron is Peak LeBron. 

I like the young core though. I don't like Ball, hype or not, I just don't rate him as a future great. Ingram, Hart Kuzma, look better.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Most insiders I've seen are saying he's going to tell them he won't resign unless something crazy happens. His value will never be higher than it is right now. I agree you ask for Tatum, but reports are he's the only guy who is untouchable. Brown, Rozier and multiple first round picks is probably the best they're going to get. 

[Slurktan]

Eat a dick Boston.  You will eat more as the season goes along.

[Relic]

9 hours ago, Slurktan said:

Eat a dick Boston.  You will eat more as the season goes along.

lol

[Slurktan]

17 hours ago, Relic said:

lol

Yeah a little strong, but I loathe the Celtics.  Glad Kawhi shit on them. 

[Relic]

3 hours ago, Slurktan said:

Yeah a little strong, but I loathe the Celtics.  Glad Kawhi shit on them. 

Tell us how you really feel 

 

So funny seeing Rondo throw a punch a Chris Paul last night. Those two guys should make a new Odd Couple after retiring. 

[Argonath Diver]

Gonna be a lot of suspended games. Rondo clearly spit in CP3's face, several punches connected from those two and Ingram. 

It was crap timing for me, I was closing the bar I work, trying to get everyone out at 1am, but despite having closed out everyone's checks and pulling most of the drinks, lights on etc, no one left because everyone was watching the drama. Hah. I highly dislike just about everyone on that court, wish I hadn't even put it on at all, and just stuck to those damn Doyers celebration interviews.

[Ferrum Aeternum]

The Rockets reportedly offering FOUR future first rounders to the Wolves for Jimmy Butler. 

Minnesota has to take this deal, right? That is an absurd number of picks for one player who certainly isn't going to be in Minneapolis next year.

[Slurktan]

4 hours ago, Ferrum Aeternum said:

The Rockets reportedly offering FOUR future first rounders to the Wolves for Jimmy Butler. 

Minnesota has to take this deal, right? That is an absurd number of picks for one player who certainly isn't going to be in Minneapolis next year.

Minny should take that immediately.  Not only for the picks but in 2 years it means the Rockets are done Nets style for a good 4-5 years.  Morey should be fired if he ever actually offered that.

[Proudfeet]

28 minutes ago, Slurktan said:

Minny should take that immediately.  Not only for the picks but in 2 years it means the Rockets are done Nets style for a good 4-5 years.  Morey should be fired if he ever actually offered that.

It depends on your perspective doesn't it? There are a lot of championship or bust people out there who would accept 10 years of irrelevance as the cost of a title. 

Are the Rockets able to resign Butler though? I can't imagine what their salary cap situation looks like.

[briantw]

54 minutes ago, Proudfeet said:

It depends on your perspective doesn't it? There are a lot of championship or bust people out there who would accept 10 years of irrelevance as the cost of a title. 

Are the Rockets able to resign Butler though? I can't imagine what their salary cap situation looks like.

If you trade the farm and win, it was all worth it.

If you trade the farm and lose, you'll regret it forever.  Well, you would regret it forever, but you'll be too fired to care.

Tough call.  As a GM, I'd probably do it.  The window is now for Houston.  Might as well go all in if you're Morey.  If it all falls apart, you won't be there when half those picks finally convey anyway.

[James Arryn]

Morey’s Interesting, because while he places extreme value on early picks, he seems to think later picks are readily expended. That’s only interesting because he’s actually got one of the better records at hitting in later picks. 

Amyways, I’m generally against mortgaging huge chunks of future. I tend to expect that to work out as it worked out for the Jays; a season or 2 of relevance and then years of paying off your student debt. But though it’s 100% not my style, I get the idea that if you’re an actual contender your real-time decisions weigh differently than theory/philosophy. And if there’s any GM who seems to be able to constantly reinvent his team as a contender with entirely new casts, it’s Morey.