2023-24 NBA (Playoffs!) Thread: Message board poster furiously types out one more horrible post before thread closes (2 Viewers)

[Insein]

Montrezl Harrell has agreed on a one-year deal to return to the Philadelphia 76ers.

W. T. F?

All 1 year deals.

 

[scoobus]

New basketball based grid trivia game, pretty fun if you're into basketball history.

Basketball Grid #1
https://basketballgrid.com

️



Have a friend that was involved in making this, so if any of you guys wanna play or would help share it around, that would be cool.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Montrezl Harrell has agreed on a one-year deal to return to the Philadelphia 76ers.

W. T. F?

All 1 year deals.

Yea. But is Reed still coming back? Oubre signing on the horizon? Saric? ANYone actually useful???

How do Pat Bev and Melton work together?

 

[identikit]

Montrezl Harrell has agreed on a one-year deal to return to the Philadelphia 76ers.

W. T. F?

All 1 year deals.

Yea. But is Reed still coming back? Oubre signing on the horizon? Saric? ANYone actually useful???

How do Pat Bev and Melton work together?

Bev will help you win a play-in game and lose his shirt in celebration!

 

[SoBeDad]

I'm intrigued by the potential of Jovic. He gained 20 pounds of mostly muscle since last summer. Range from 3, a good passer. Can run the floor, the "Euro Step", while playing through contact. Can he play defense?

 

[NewlyRetired]

New basketball based grid trivia game, pretty fun if you're into basketball history.

Basketball Grid #1
https://basketballgrid.com

️



Have a friend that was involved in making this, so if any of you guys wanna play or would help share it around, that would be cool.

Thanks, that was fun.

I may have misunderstood some of this though because it feels like there may have been more than one answer for some of the blocks, like the Celts/MVP block for example...

 

[trader jake]

New basketball based grid trivia game, pretty fun if you're into basketball history.

Basketball Grid #1
https://basketballgrid.com

️



Have a friend that was involved in making this, so if any of you guys wanna play or would help share it around, that would be cool.

Thanks, that was fun.

I may have misunderstood some of this though because it feels like there may have been more than one answer for some of the blocks, like the Celts/MVP block for example...

Like it!

Got the Celts/Wiz player incorrect. Went with Porzingas.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Montrezl Harrell has agreed on a one-year deal to return to the Philadelphia 76ers.

W. T. F?

All 1 year deals.

Yea. But is Reed still coming back? Oubre signing on the horizon? Saric? ANYone actually useful???

How do Pat Bev and Melton work together?

I think there will be enough minutes to go around for Pat and Melton, especially assuming that Harden is gone. I agree that it is weird to sign Bamba and Harrell and still have to sign Reed, unless Reed is somehow involved in a potential trade.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

"What's Going on in Utah?": an Oral History of Brian Windhorst's Viral Monologue

The behind-the-scenes story of the pointy fingers heard 'round the world.

www.gq.com

 

[Jayrod]

New basketball based grid trivia game, pretty fun if you're into basketball history.

Basketball Grid #1
https://basketballgrid.com

️



Have a friend that was involved in making this, so if any of you guys wanna play or would help share it around, that would be cool.

Thanks, that was fun.

I may have misunderstood some of this though because it feels like there may have been more than one answer for some of the blocks, like the Celts/MVP block for example...

I made it really difficult at first because I was trying to come up with someone who averaged 30+ppg for the Sixers and won an MVP for the Wizards, etc. I got Moses Malone right away and then wasted 2 guesses before realizing they only had to match the 2 squares.

 

[NewlyRetired]

New basketball based grid trivia game, pretty fun if you're into basketball history.

Basketball Grid #1
https://basketballgrid.com

️



Have a friend that was involved in making this, so if any of you guys wanna play or would help share it around, that would be cool.

Thanks, that was fun.

I may have misunderstood some of this though because it feels like there may have been more than one answer for some of the blocks, like the Celts/MVP block for example...

I made it really difficult at first because I was trying to come up with someone who averaged 30+ppg for the Sixers and won an MVP for the Wizards, etc. I got Moses Malone right away and then wasted 2 guesses before realizing they only had to match the 2 squares.

This looks like it could be quite fun and engaging going forward.

The only hope I would have would be to remove some of the luck involved. I feel like a trivia test should not punish you for guessing a "correct answer" This might be more fun if there is only one correct answer for each grid.

 

[Tau837]

John Hollinger article at the Athletic: Hollinger: NBA free-agency losers? Not quite, but these teams have questions

I thought his takes on Denver and Sacramento were interesting, and we discussed some of that in this thread.

Denver:

The Nuggets are going to be really good next year no matter what because their five best players are better than your five best players. However, what happens after that point on the roster is anyone’s guess right now.

The Nuggets had no realistic means of preventing Bruce Brown’s departure and were faced with a brutal point guard market. One can fairly question, however, whether they would have been better off using their taxpayer midlevel exception on a true wing rather than paying Reggie Jackson on a two-year deal.

The Nuggets hedged their bets by pushing future draft capital into this year’s draft and selecting three players with late picks; obviously the hope is that at least one of them can contribute right way, especially since they seemed focused on selecting older players. However, even highly drafted rookies rarely contribute at a playoff-team-rotation-caliber level in their first season, and historically, the only real distinguishing feature of drafting older rookies is that they’re … older.

It’s also perhaps surprising that more good wings weren’t flocking to play in Denver for a year and get a Brown-type payday. Phoenix seemingly got anyone it wanted with minimum deals while the Nuggets were left with Justin Holiday, who was salary-dumped by the Hawks last season and quickly fell out of the Mavs’ rotation when they picked him up in the buyout market.

With Jeff Green also departed, the Nuggets are looking at defending their title with a second unit of something like Jackson/Christian Braun/Julian Strawther/Peyton Watson/Zeke Nnaji. Yikes. You can insert names like Vlatko Cancar, Jalen Pickett and Holiday if it makes you feel better, but the takeaway is the same. This front office has hit on a ton of draft picks and made some amazing lemonade from last year’s offseason, so that track record deserves respect. But right now, it’s fair to wonder about pretty much every bench spot on Denver’s roster.

Sacramento:

Speaking of which … the Kings did the Pelicans’ move in larger script, using their cap space to renegotiate-and-extend Domantas Sabonis in a deal that gives him $195 million of new money and keeps him in royal purple for four more years.

Given the most any other team could have paid Sabonis next summer is $193 million, it was notable to see the Kings committing to $195 million right now. Usually when a team inks an extension a year out like this for a player who isn’t quite on the A-list, it can negotiate for more of a haircut on the extension years.

The Kings essentially went the opposite way and paid extra for the privilege of giving Sabonis a four-year max, including surrendering a first-round pick this year to clear the extra cap room. (Richaun Holmes’ contract was a dog, obviously, but it wasn’t blocking Sacramento from any other moves, either this year or next.)

The, “Who were you bidding against?” question here looms large. Sabonis isn’t Jaylen Brown; while he had a great year, he doesn’t have 29 other teams thirsting to acquire him. That’s because he’s a center and not a wing and not exactly a seamless fit on many (most?) contending rosters because you have to play through him on offense and you can’t switch with him on defense. It seems somewhat unlikely any team would have offered him that four-year max a year from now, among the subset that even had the space.

Sacramento locked in that price a year earlier and gave up its first-round pick to do it; while the Kings will have Sabonis on a lower number the next four years than his true max, the difference isn’t large (it looks like it will be $3 million to $6 million a year, depending on how much of the Kings’ cap room is added to 2023-24 and what his incentives look like in the extension).

And the lingering question is … was he really the kind of flight risk that they needed to lock in $50 million-plus for 2027-28 right now?

 

[thecatch]

John Hollinger article at the Athletic: Hollinger: NBA free-agency losers? Not quite, but these teams have questions

I thought his takes on Denver and Sacramento were interesting, and we discussed some of that in this thread.

Denver:

The Nuggets are going to be really good next year no matter what because their five best players are better than your five best players. However, what happens after that point on the roster is anyone’s guess right now.

The Nuggets had no realistic means of preventing Bruce Brown’s departure and were faced with a brutal point guard market. One can fairly question, however, whether they would have been better off using their taxpayer midlevel exception on a true wing rather than paying Reggie Jackson on a two-year deal.

The Nuggets hedged their bets by pushing future draft capital into this year’s draft and selecting three players with late picks; obviously the hope is that at least one of them can contribute right way, especially since they seemed focused on selecting older players. However, even highly drafted rookies rarely contribute at a playoff-team-rotation-caliber level in their first season, and historically, the only real distinguishing feature of drafting older rookies is that they’re … older.

It’s also perhaps surprising that more good wings weren’t flocking to play in Denver for a year and get a Brown-type payday. Phoenix seemingly got anyone it wanted with minimum deals while the Nuggets were left with Justin Holiday, who was salary-dumped by the Hawks last season and quickly fell out of the Mavs’ rotation when they picked him up in the buyout market.

With Jeff Green also departed, the Nuggets are looking at defending their title with a second unit of something like Jackson/Christian Braun/Julian Strawther/Peyton Watson/Zeke Nnaji. Yikes. You can insert names like Vlatko Cancar, Jalen Pickett and Holiday if it makes you feel better, but the takeaway is the same. This front office has hit on a ton of draft picks and made some amazing lemonade from last year’s offseason, so that track record deserves respect. But right now, it’s fair to wonder about pretty much every bench spot on Denver’s roster.

Sacramento:

Speaking of which … the Kings did the Pelicans’ move in larger script, using their cap space to renegotiate-and-extend Domantas Sabonis in a deal that gives him $195 million of new money and keeps him in royal purple for four more years.

Given the most any other team could have paid Sabonis next summer is $193 million, it was notable to see the Kings committing to $195 million right now. Usually when a team inks an extension a year out like this for a player who isn’t quite on the A-list, it can negotiate for more of a haircut on the extension years.

The Kings essentially went the opposite way and paid extra for the privilege of giving Sabonis a four-year max, including surrendering a first-round pick this year to clear the extra cap room. (Richaun Holmes’ contract was a dog, obviously, but it wasn’t blocking Sacramento from any other moves, either this year or next.)

The, “Who were you bidding against?” question here looms large. Sabonis isn’t Jaylen Brown; while he had a great year, he doesn’t have 29 other teams thirsting to acquire him. That’s because he’s a center and not a wing and not exactly a seamless fit on many (most?) contending rosters because you have to play through him on offense and you can’t switch with him on defense. It seems somewhat unlikely any team would have offered him that four-year max a year from now, among the subset that even had the space.

Sacramento locked in that price a year earlier and gave up its first-round pick to do it; while the Kings will have Sabonis on a lower number the next four years than his true max, the difference isn’t large (it looks like it will be $3 million to $6 million a year, depending on how much of the Kings’ cap room is added to 2023-24 and what his incentives look like in the extension).

And the lingering question is … was he really the kind of flight risk that they needed to lock in $50 million-plus for 2027-28 right now?

Hollinger has kind of flipped my opinion of the Sabonis signing over the last couple of days as he has been hammering the Kings in this article and various podcast appearances. Yes, I think Sabonis was unlikely to leave next year as I posted at the time the deal was announced. But does giving him an extra $8 million this year to guarantee he doesn't leave (and doesn't have to answer questions about his upcoming free agency all next year) make the Kings one of the *losers* of the offseason? It's nowhere near the catastrophic event Hollinger seems to think it is. You can do worse than giving a sub-max deal to an all nba player, even if that player is a center.

 

[caustic]

John Hollinger article at the Athletic: Hollinger: NBA free-agency losers? Not quite, but these teams have questions

I thought his takes on Denver and Sacramento were interesting, and we discussed some of that in this thread.

Denver:

The Nuggets are going to be really good next year no matter what because their five best players are better than your five best players. However, what happens after that point on the roster is anyone’s guess right now.

The Nuggets had no realistic means of preventing Bruce Brown’s departure and were faced with a brutal point guard market. One can fairly question, however, whether they would have been better off using their taxpayer midlevel exception on a true wing rather than paying Reggie Jackson on a two-year deal.

The Nuggets hedged their bets by pushing future draft capital into this year’s draft and selecting three players with late picks; obviously the hope is that at least one of them can contribute right way, especially since they seemed focused on selecting older players. However, even highly drafted rookies rarely contribute at a playoff-team-rotation-caliber level in their first season, and historically, the only real distinguishing feature of drafting older rookies is that they’re … older.

It’s also perhaps surprising that more good wings weren’t flocking to play in Denver for a year and get a Brown-type payday. Phoenix seemingly got anyone it wanted with minimum deals while the Nuggets were left with Justin Holiday, who was salary-dumped by the Hawks last season and quickly fell out of the Mavs’ rotation when they picked him up in the buyout market.

With Jeff Green also departed, the Nuggets are looking at defending their title with a second unit of something like Jackson/Christian Braun/Julian Strawther/Peyton Watson/Zeke Nnaji. Yikes. You can insert names like Vlatko Cancar, Jalen Pickett and Holiday if it makes you feel better, but the takeaway is the same. This front office has hit on a ton of draft picks and made some amazing lemonade from last year’s offseason, so that track record deserves respect. But right now, it’s fair to wonder about pretty much every bench spot on Denver’s roster.

Sacramento:

Speaking of which … the Kings did the Pelicans’ move in larger script, using their cap space to renegotiate-and-extend Domantas Sabonis in a deal that gives him $195 million of new money and keeps him in royal purple for four more years.

Given the most any other team could have paid Sabonis next summer is $193 million, it was notable to see the Kings committing to $195 million right now. Usually when a team inks an extension a year out like this for a player who isn’t quite on the A-list, it can negotiate for more of a haircut on the extension years.

The Kings essentially went the opposite way and paid extra for the privilege of giving Sabonis a four-year max, including surrendering a first-round pick this year to clear the extra cap room. (Richaun Holmes’ contract was a dog, obviously, but it wasn’t blocking Sacramento from any other moves, either this year or next.)

The, “Who were you bidding against?” question here looms large. Sabonis isn’t Jaylen Brown; while he had a great year, he doesn’t have 29 other teams thirsting to acquire him. That’s because he’s a center and not a wing and not exactly a seamless fit on many (most?) contending rosters because you have to play through him on offense and you can’t switch with him on defense. It seems somewhat unlikely any team would have offered him that four-year max a year from now, among the subset that even had the space.

Sacramento locked in that price a year earlier and gave up its first-round pick to do it; while the Kings will have Sabonis on a lower number the next four years than his true max, the difference isn’t large (it looks like it will be $3 million to $6 million a year, depending on how much of the Kings’ cap room is added to 2023-24 and what his incentives look like in the extension).

And the lingering question is … was he really the kind of flight risk that they needed to lock in $50 million-plus for 2027-28 right now?

Hollinger has kind of flipped my opinion of the Sabonis signing over the last couple of days as he has been hammering the Kings in this article and various podcast appearances. Yes, I think Sabonis was unlikely to leave next year as I posted at the time the deal was announced. But does giving him an extra $8 million this year to guarantee he doesn't leave (and doesn't have to answer questions about his upcoming free agency all next year) make the Kings one of the *losers* of the offseason? It's nowhere near the catastrophic event Hollinger seems to think it is. You can do worse than giving a sub-max deal to an all nba player, even if that player is a center.

I don't think the contract by itself was a bad deal. I have my concerns about Sabonis as a postseason player, but he was clearly due near-max money, and I'm usually a fan of teams using their idle cap space to renegotiate and extend their big players. The surrendering of a 1st round pick to get it done is what made the deal iffy to me - when they dumped Holmes, my expectation was that a roster upgrade was in the works. Paying that price to run it back is a little disappointing.

 

[thecatch]

John Hollinger article at the Athletic: Hollinger: NBA free-agency losers? Not quite, but these teams have questions

I thought his takes on Denver and Sacramento were interesting, and we discussed some of that in this thread.

Denver:

The Nuggets are going to be really good next year no matter what because their five best players are better than your five best players. However, what happens after that point on the roster is anyone’s guess right now.

The Nuggets had no realistic means of preventing Bruce Brown’s departure and were faced with a brutal point guard market. One can fairly question, however, whether they would have been better off using their taxpayer midlevel exception on a true wing rather than paying Reggie Jackson on a two-year deal.

The Nuggets hedged their bets by pushing future draft capital into this year’s draft and selecting three players with late picks; obviously the hope is that at least one of them can contribute right way, especially since they seemed focused on selecting older players. However, even highly drafted rookies rarely contribute at a playoff-team-rotation-caliber level in their first season, and historically, the only real distinguishing feature of drafting older rookies is that they’re … older.

It’s also perhaps surprising that more good wings weren’t flocking to play in Denver for a year and get a Brown-type payday. Phoenix seemingly got anyone it wanted with minimum deals while the Nuggets were left with Justin Holiday, who was salary-dumped by the Hawks last season and quickly fell out of the Mavs’ rotation when they picked him up in the buyout market.

With Jeff Green also departed, the Nuggets are looking at defending their title with a second unit of something like Jackson/Christian Braun/Julian Strawther/Peyton Watson/Zeke Nnaji. Yikes. You can insert names like Vlatko Cancar, Jalen Pickett and Holiday if it makes you feel better, but the takeaway is the same. This front office has hit on a ton of draft picks and made some amazing lemonade from last year’s offseason, so that track record deserves respect. But right now, it’s fair to wonder about pretty much every bench spot on Denver’s roster.

Sacramento:

Speaking of which … the Kings did the Pelicans’ move in larger script, using their cap space to renegotiate-and-extend Domantas Sabonis in a deal that gives him $195 million of new money and keeps him in royal purple for four more years.

Given the most any other team could have paid Sabonis next summer is $193 million, it was notable to see the Kings committing to $195 million right now. Usually when a team inks an extension a year out like this for a player who isn’t quite on the A-list, it can negotiate for more of a haircut on the extension years.

The Kings essentially went the opposite way and paid extra for the privilege of giving Sabonis a four-year max, including surrendering a first-round pick this year to clear the extra cap room. (Richaun Holmes’ contract was a dog, obviously, but it wasn’t blocking Sacramento from any other moves, either this year or next.)

The, “Who were you bidding against?” question here looms large. Sabonis isn’t Jaylen Brown; while he had a great year, he doesn’t have 29 other teams thirsting to acquire him. That’s because he’s a center and not a wing and not exactly a seamless fit on many (most?) contending rosters because you have to play through him on offense and you can’t switch with him on defense. It seems somewhat unlikely any team would have offered him that four-year max a year from now, among the subset that even had the space.

Sacramento locked in that price a year earlier and gave up its first-round pick to do it; while the Kings will have Sabonis on a lower number the next four years than his true max, the difference isn’t large (it looks like it will be $3 million to $6 million a year, depending on how much of the Kings’ cap room is added to 2023-24 and what his incentives look like in the extension).

And the lingering question is … was he really the kind of flight risk that they needed to lock in $50 million-plus for 2027-28 right now?

Hollinger has kind of flipped my opinion of the Sabonis signing over the last couple of days as he has been hammering the Kings in this article and various podcast appearances. Yes, I think Sabonis was unlikely to leave next year as I posted at the time the deal was announced. But does giving him an extra $8 million this year to guarantee he doesn't leave (and doesn't have to answer questions about his upcoming free agency all next year) make the Kings one of the *losers* of the offseason? It's nowhere near the catastrophic event Hollinger seems to think it is. You can do worse than giving a sub-max deal to an all nba player, even if that player is a center.

I don't think the contract by itself was a bad deal. I have my concerns about Sabonis as a postseason player, but he was clearly due near-max money, and I'm usually a fan of teams using their idle cap space to renegotiate and extend their big players. The surrendering of a 1st round pick to get it done is what made the deal iffy to me - when they dumped Holmes, my expectation was that a roster upgrade was in the works. Paying that price to run it back is a little disappointing.

I agree with that too. On the other hand, historically speaking, paying only the #24 pick to get off $20+ million in bad salary is a pretty good deal if looked at in isolation.

 

[Anarchy99]

Not sure why the media suggests things that really don't have much basis in reality. Some folks in the Boston media have suggested that the Celtics would be leading contenders in the Dame sweepstakes by offering Rob Williams, Brogdon or White, Pritchard, and a boatload of first round picks (READ AS: not Jaylen Brown). That would leave Boston with a core of JT, JB, Porzingis, and Lillard . . . and mostly scrubs and G leaguers to round out the roster. However, that would also mean in a couple of years, those 4 players would come at a cost of $200M+ in salary just for them (not counting all other players or the annual tax bill. Ignoring the fact that Dame apparently has no interest in Boston, I can't see how Boston could entertain such a trade to make the finances work.

 

[Kev4029]

John Hollinger article at the Athletic: Hollinger: NBA free-agency losers? Not quite, but these teams have questions

I thought his takes on Denver and Sacramento were interesting, and we discussed some of that in this thread.

Denver:

The Nuggets are going to be really good next year no matter what because their five best players are better than your five best players. However, what happens after that point on the roster is anyone’s guess right now.

The Nuggets had no realistic means of preventing Bruce Brown’s departure and were faced with a brutal point guard market. One can fairly question, however, whether they would have been better off using their taxpayer midlevel exception on a true wing rather than paying Reggie Jackson on a two-year deal.

The Nuggets hedged their bets by pushing future draft capital into this year’s draft and selecting three players with late picks; obviously the hope is that at least one of them can contribute right way, especially since they seemed focused on selecting older players. However, even highly drafted rookies rarely contribute at a playoff-team-rotation-caliber level in their first season, and historically, the only real distinguishing feature of drafting older rookies is that they’re … older.

It’s also perhaps surprising that more good wings weren’t flocking to play in Denver for a year and get a Brown-type payday. Phoenix seemingly got anyone it wanted with minimum deals while the Nuggets were left with Justin Holiday, who was salary-dumped by the Hawks last season and quickly fell out of the Mavs’ rotation when they picked him up in the buyout market.

With Jeff Green also departed, the Nuggets are looking at defending their title with a second unit of something like Jackson/Christian Braun/Julian Strawther/Peyton Watson/Zeke Nnaji. Yikes. You can insert names like Vlatko Cancar, Jalen Pickett and Holiday if it makes you feel better, but the takeaway is the same. This front office has hit on a ton of draft picks and made some amazing lemonade from last year’s offseason, so that track record deserves respect. But right now, it’s fair to wonder about pretty much every bench spot on Denver’s roster.

Sacramento:

Speaking of which … the Kings did the Pelicans’ move in larger script, using their cap space to renegotiate-and-extend Domantas Sabonis in a deal that gives him $195 million of new money and keeps him in royal purple for four more years.

Given the most any other team could have paid Sabonis next summer is $193 million, it was notable to see the Kings committing to $195 million right now. Usually when a team inks an extension a year out like this for a player who isn’t quite on the A-list, it can negotiate for more of a haircut on the extension years.

The Kings essentially went the opposite way and paid extra for the privilege of giving Sabonis a four-year max, including surrendering a first-round pick this year to clear the extra cap room. (Richaun Holmes’ contract was a dog, obviously, but it wasn’t blocking Sacramento from any other moves, either this year or next.)

The, “Who were you bidding against?” question here looms large. Sabonis isn’t Jaylen Brown; while he had a great year, he doesn’t have 29 other teams thirsting to acquire him. That’s because he’s a center and not a wing and not exactly a seamless fit on many (most?) contending rosters because you have to play through him on offense and you can’t switch with him on defense. It seems somewhat unlikely any team would have offered him that four-year max a year from now, among the subset that even had the space.

Sacramento locked in that price a year earlier and gave up its first-round pick to do it; while the Kings will have Sabonis on a lower number the next four years than his true max, the difference isn’t large (it looks like it will be $3 million to $6 million a year, depending on how much of the Kings’ cap room is added to 2023-24 and what his incentives look like in the extension).

And the lingering question is … was he really the kind of flight risk that they needed to lock in $50 million-plus for 2027-28 right now?

I mostly agree with him on the Nuggets, I didn't particularly care for the draft, and I absolutely hated what they did in free agency. I'm 100% cool with them letting Jeff Green walk, he really wasn't good most of the year - he's smart and he gets up for some highlight dunks and blocks, but his effort level through the regular season was lacking, he's been a bad three point shooter with the Nuggets, and they played their best ball of the regular season when he was out from late December to late January. But, they still need a real backup center (I'm fine with DeAndre coming back, but he's not an NBA-level player anymore) and a real backup PG (Reggie Jackson sucks).

I think the Nuggets might take a small step back at least early in the season, but the hope is clearly that they are looking to get a handful of the young guys up to speed for the playoffs. Beyond Jordan (35 YO), Reggie Jackson (33 YO), and Justin Holiday (34 YO), their bench is going to be pretty ****ing green and they are going to be playing at least 4 of them real minutes - Watson will be 21, Braun is 22, Nnaji is 22, Cancar is 26, Gillespie (2-way) is 24, Strawther is 21, Pickett will be 24 (and I bet the backup PG by mid-season), and Tyson is 23. If they can hit on Gillespie, Watson, and the three rookies, it really helps their books and will allow them to keep this core without dipping into the second apron over the next few years. I'm skeptical, but I definitely understand what they are trying to do.

 

[Bogart]

Mavs C Richaun Holmes waived his $1.8 million trade kicker, sources told ESPN.

$1.8 million is nothing to sneeze at. Gives the FO some additional flexibility, guessing there is a wink wink deal somewhere down the road. Regardless, raises my view of Holmes.

 

[Kev4029]

Mavs C Richaun Holmes waived his $1.8 million trade kicker, sources told ESPN.

$1.8 million is nothing to sneeze at. Gives the FO some additional flexibility, guessing there is a wink wink deal somewhere down the road. Regardless, raises my view of Holmes.

Or he really wanted out of Sacramento and an opportunity to compete for the starting center is Dallas was a better situation long term for him as opposed to being the 4th or 5th big in Sacramento. If he performs well this season, I could see him declining his player option of almost $13M to resign at a lower number for longer - maybe something like 3/30.

 

[msudaisy26]

I have a feeling this next year is going to be a free for all in the NBA. We usually go into a year with about 6 teams that have a legit chance to win it. I think that might be 10 plus this year with all the changes and teams maybe really aggressive at the trade deadline because of the new CBA.

Teams that are favorites. Nuggets, Warriors, Lakers, Celtics, Suns, Bucks.

Teams that would mildly surprise me if they won it. Kings, 76ers, Heat, Cavs, Grizzles, Clippers, Pelicans.

Teams that could be there is they made a bold move of addition. Thunder, T-Wolves, Nets, Hawks, Knicks, Mavericks.

Teams that have no chance. PISTONS!!!

 

[msudaisy26]

I am starting to sour and I think Blazer fans might be as well on this whole Lillard is so great.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/06/damian-lillard-agent-calling-teams-warning-against-trading-for-him-miami-heat-portland-trail-blazers

He let them sign Grant to that massive deal only to demand a trade a day later, and now is completely tanking his value.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I am starting to sour and I think Blazer fans might be as well on this whole Lillard is so great.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/06/damian-lillard-agent-calling-teams-warning-against-trading-for-him-miami-heat-portland-trail-blazers

He let them sign Grant to that massive deal only to demand a trade a day later, and now is completely tanking his value.

He has been there for 11 seasons and given them every chance to build a team around him. He didn't leave them in free agency where they would have gotten zero compensation for him, under the impression that they would put a competitive team around him. That didn't happen and they aren't going to compete before he retires.

 

[thecatch]

I am starting to sour and I think Blazer fans might be as well on this whole Lillard is so great.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/06/damian-lillard-agent-calling-teams-warning-against-trading-for-him-miami-heat-portland-trail-blazers

He let them sign Grant to that massive deal only to demand a trade a day later, and now is completely tanking his value.

Simmons made a compelling point on his pod yesterday that it was kind of wild that Portland fans consider him the best player in franchise history (Drexler being the right answer).

 

[Gr00vus]

I am starting to sour and I think Blazer fans might be as well on this whole Lillard is so great.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/06/damian-lillard-agent-calling-teams-warning-against-trading-for-him-miami-heat-portland-trail-blazers

He let them sign Grant to that massive deal only to demand a trade a day later, and now is completely tanking his value.

Simmons made a compelling point on his pod yesterday that it was kind of wild that Portland fans consider him the best player in franchise history (Drexler being the right answer).

He didn't have longevity, but Walton did win them a championship, and he was an elite player at that point in his life.

 

[thecatch]

I am starting to sour and I think Blazer fans might be as well on this whole Lillard is so great.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/06/damian-lillard-agent-calling-teams-warning-against-trading-for-him-miami-heat-portland-trail-blazers

He let them sign Grant to that massive deal only to demand a trade a day later, and now is completely tanking his value.

He has been there for 11 seasons and given them every chance to build a team around him. He didn't leave them in free agency where they would have gotten zero compensation for him, under the impression that they would put a competitive team around him. That didn't happen and they aren't going to compete before he retires.

Not sure that it’s a positive that he’s demanding a trade while having four years and $200m+ left on his contract with the team.

 

[msudaisy26]

I am starting to sour and I think Blazer fans might be as well on this whole Lillard is so great.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/06/damian-lillard-agent-calling-teams-warning-against-trading-for-him-miami-heat-portland-trail-blazers

He let them sign Grant to that massive deal only to demand a trade a day later, and now is completely tanking his value.

He has been there for 11 seasons and given them every chance to build a team around him. He didn't leave them in free agency where they would have gotten zero compensation for him, under the impression that they would put a competitive team around him. That didn't happen and they aren't going to compete before he retires.

It isn't like they didn't try and they put some really good teams out there. They gave him more money then any other team could have and he has acted like he didn't want to leave until one day he does and then goes nuclear with it. Seems like a **** move.

 

[mr. furley]

it's all just leverage battles between agent and team

agent and team set their tentpoles far apart as a starting point, then work their way to an agreement. if Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get. i suspect the NBA player's association isn't going to let player & agent cave either.

feels like people lose sight of how negotiations work and just want to cast aspersions at the player or team every time this comes up. every year a star player gets shredded for trying to get paid and it's the same "he was beloved but he's showing his true colors now!!" yelling.

 

[Anarchy99]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

 

[mr. furley]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

eh, i think it's a posturing and leverage play. they've been middling and not really going anywhere and i'd bet at least in part that's because Lillard hasn't played hardball so the organization is content with just cruising along status quo.

change tactics and ratchet up the pressure to see how Portland responds. they might say "**** you" and he sits out, or they might bend a little and make some moves in his favor.. or i could be completely wrong and Lillard is a megalomaniac who will burn the whole place down if he doesn't get what he wants.

i've watched Favre and Rodgers do the same thing when it became obvious the organization was trying to move forward without them when they wanted to stay and go out on their own terms. suddenly franchise hero becomes villain and it's time to finally use the equity built up over a decade plus.

 

[Boston]

I am starting to sour and I think Blazer fans might be as well on this whole Lillard is so great.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/06/damian-lillard-agent-calling-teams-warning-against-trading-for-him-miami-heat-portland-trail-blazers

He let them sign Grant to that massive deal only to demand a trade a day later, and now is completely tanking his value.

Simmons made a compelling point on his pod yesterday that it was kind of wild that Portland fans consider him the best player in franchise history (Drexler being the right answer).

If he did not get injured the answer is Bill Walton by a wide margin...unfortunately he did get injured.

 

[mr. furley]

I am starting to sour and I think Blazer fans might be as well on this whole Lillard is so great.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/06/damian-lillard-agent-calling-teams-warning-against-trading-for-him-miami-heat-portland-trail-blazers

He let them sign Grant to that massive deal only to demand a trade a day later, and now is completely tanking his value.

Simmons made a compelling point on his pod yesterday that it was kind of wild that Portland fans consider him the best player in franchise history (Drexler being the right answer).

If he did not get injured the answer is Bill Walton by a wide margin...unfortunately he did get injured.

would have been interesting if his career had played out without injury

having recently read "Breaks of the Game" something tells me he plays just a few years in Portland before getting run out on a rail. he wasn't the happy go lucky, fun loving character he plays on tv today.

 

[Gatorman]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

 

[msudaisy26]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

He gave the new GM a full year. Wow. Portland is like 75 percent of the league, you don't get free agents. See everyone not named Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA teams and title contenders.

Everyone from pick 2 through 5 tried to trade this year and not one of the picks got moved. It was a horrible draft after 1 because there aren't any sure fire guys. The draft will probably produce some quality players, but it was a complete crap shoot.

Miami and Dame will end up together, but Lillard looks bad doing this after playing the loyal guy for so long. Funny part is the first year is probably going to be a wasted year. Bam, Jimmy and Lillard will probably end like the Suns did this year because they have no depth.

 

[Gatorman]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

He gave the new GM a full year. Wow. Portland is like 75 percent of the league, you don't get free agents. See everyone not named Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA teams and title contenders.

Everyone from pick 2 through 5 tried to trade this year and not one of the picks got moved. It was a horrible draft after 1 because there aren't any sure fire guys. The draft will probably produce some quality players, but it was a complete crap shoot.

Miami and Dame will end up together, but Lillard looks bad doing this after playing the loyal guy for so long. Funny part is the first year is probably going to be a wasted year. Bam, Jimmy and Lillard will probably end like the Suns did this year because they have no depth.

I think you underestimate Miami and spo. Not a ”heat culture“ thing but the fact that butler dame and bam mesh well for their skill sets. Even more so than wade Bosh lebron (as wade and lebron were similar position players). Also, Miami has signed a few big men to play alongside bam or sub for him and josh Richardson had his best year as a member of the heat. Also goran is still out there if Miami needs a back up pg who knows this system (and who jimmy loves). Add love to the 8 min a game spot and a few udfa Miami has on the roster (not to mention highsmith who played well in spurts last year)

hard to know what the team will look like when the dust settles, but unless Miami loses Lowry, Robinson, herro, Martin, jovic, and the new guy I think they will be ok. What the second unit will look like will be interesting, but the same can be said for Denver, the suns, the Celtics, etc etc.
finally, a lot of players are in a holding pattern waiting for this all to fall into place. A lot of guys out there willing to take the minimum to chase a ring.

edit to add: Miami went through a pretty decent injury bug last year and then got hot and healthy-ish in their playoff run. Considering they made their run without herro or oladipo and with Lowry being jag while Vincent, struss, and Duncan all played lights out is commendable but you don’t think dame is better than all 4 of those guys for this roster?

 

[need2know]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

He gave the new GM a full year. Wow. Portland is like 75 percent of the league, you don't get free agents. See everyone not named Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA teams and title contenders.

Everyone from pick 2 through 5 tried to trade this year and not one of the picks got moved. It was a horrible draft after 1 because there aren't any sure fire guys. The draft will probably produce some quality players, but it was a complete crap shoot.

Miami and Dame will end up together, but Lillard looks bad doing this after playing the loyal guy for so long. Funny part is the first year is probably going to be a wasted year. Bam, Jimmy and Lillard will probably end like the Suns did this year because they have no depth.

He doesn't look bad. He's playing the game. He played the good soldier a long time. Let him try to win at the end of his career.

 

[thecatch]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

He gave the new GM a full year. Wow. Portland is like 75 percent of the league, you don't get free agents. See everyone not named Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA teams and title contenders.

Everyone from pick 2 through 5 tried to trade this year and not one of the picks got moved. It was a horrible draft after 1 because there aren't any sure fire guys. The draft will probably produce some quality players, but it was a complete crap shoot.

Miami and Dame will end up together, but Lillard looks bad doing this after playing the loyal guy for so long. Funny part is the first year is probably going to be a wasted year. Bam, Jimmy and Lillard will probably end like the Suns did this year because they have no depth.

He doesn't look bad. He's playing the game. He played the good soldier a long time. Let him try to win at the end of his career.

he’s not primarily trying to win; he’s trying to play in Miami.

 

[need2know]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

He gave the new GM a full year. Wow. Portland is like 75 percent of the league, you don't get free agents. See everyone not named Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA teams and title contenders.

Everyone from pick 2 through 5 tried to trade this year and not one of the picks got moved. It was a horrible draft after 1 because there aren't any sure fire guys. The draft will probably produce some quality players, but it was a complete crap shoot.

Miami and Dame will end up together, but Lillard looks bad doing this after playing the loyal guy for so long. Funny part is the first year is probably going to be a wasted year. Bam, Jimmy and Lillard will probably end like the Suns did this year because they have no depth.

He doesn't look bad. He's playing the game. He played the good soldier a long time. Let him try to win at the end of his career.

he’s not primarily trying to win; he’s trying to play in Miami.

Much better chance than going nowhere portland

 

[Schmeabs]

As a lifetime fan of Portland who enjoyed watching Dame I say screw Lillard and his agent. Get the best deal for the team. He and his agent are acting like idiots.

 

[Major]

I am starting to sour and I think Blazer fans might be as well on this whole Lillard is so great.

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/06/damian-lillard-agent-calling-teams-warning-against-trading-for-him-miami-heat-portland-trail-blazers

He let them sign Grant to that massive deal only to demand a trade a day later, and now is completely tanking his value.

Simmons made a compelling point on his pod yesterday that it was kind of wild that Portland fans consider him the best player in franchise history (Drexler being the right answer).

Good point and just like Drexler he must be traded if he wants a championship #ClutchCity

 

[Gr00vus]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

He gave the new GM a full year. Wow. Portland is like 75 percent of the league, you don't get free agents. See everyone not named Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA teams and title contenders.

Everyone from pick 2 through 5 tried to trade this year and not one of the picks got moved. It was a horrible draft after 1 because there aren't any sure fire guys. The draft will probably produce some quality players, but it was a complete crap shoot.

Miami and Dame will end up together, but Lillard looks bad doing this after playing the loyal guy for so long. Funny part is the first year is probably going to be a wasted year. Bam, Jimmy and Lillard will probably end like the Suns did this year because they have no depth.

He doesn't look bad. He's playing the game. He played the good soldier a long time. Let him try to win at the end of his career.

he’s not primarily trying to win; he’s trying to play in Miami.

Much better chance than going nowhere portland

Equal or better chances several places besides Miami though.

 

[Tau837]

as wade and lebron were similar position players

I don't see this at all. Wade is a SG. Lebron is a SF/PF and "point forward". I wouldn't see them as particularly similar at all from a positional or skill set standpoint, other than that both were elite scorers.

 

[msudaisy26]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

He gave the new GM a full year. Wow. Portland is like 75 percent of the league, you don't get free agents. See everyone not named Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA teams and title contenders.

Everyone from pick 2 through 5 tried to trade this year and not one of the picks got moved. It was a horrible draft after 1 because there aren't any sure fire guys. The draft will probably produce some quality players, but it was a complete crap shoot.

Miami and Dame will end up together, but Lillard looks bad doing this after playing the loyal guy for so long. Funny part is the first year is probably going to be a wasted year. Bam, Jimmy and Lillard will probably end like the Suns did this year because they have no depth.

He doesn't look bad. He's playing the game. He played the good soldier a long time. Let him try to win at the end of his career.

He can win with more than one team and not burn it down on the way out.

 

[msudaisy26]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

He gave the new GM a full year. Wow. Portland is like 75 percent of the league, you don't get free agents. See everyone not named Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA teams and title contenders.

Everyone from pick 2 through 5 tried to trade this year and not one of the picks got moved. It was a horrible draft after 1 because there aren't any sure fire guys. The draft will probably produce some quality players, but it was a complete crap shoot.

Miami and Dame will end up together, but Lillard looks bad doing this after playing the loyal guy for so long. Funny part is the first year is probably going to be a wasted year. Bam, Jimmy and Lillard will probably end like the Suns did this year because they have no depth.

I think you underestimate Miami and spo. Not a ”heat culture“ thing but the fact that butler dame and bam mesh well for their skill sets. Even more so than wade Bosh lebron (as wade and lebron were similar position players). Also, Miami has signed a few big men to play alongside bam or sub for him and josh Richardson had his best year as a member of the heat. Also goran is still out there if Miami needs a back up pg who knows this system (and who jimmy loves). Add love to the 8 min a game spot and a few udfa Miami has on the roster (not to mention highsmith who played well in spurts last year)

hard to know what the team will look like when the dust settles, but unless Miami loses Lowry, Robinson, herro, Martin, jovic, and the new guy I think they will be ok. What the second unit will look like will be interesting, but the same can be said for Denver, the suns, the Celtics, etc etc.
finally, a lot of players are in a holding pattern waiting for this all to fall into place. A lot of guys out there willing to take the minimum to chase a ring.

edit to add: Miami went through a pretty decent injury bug last year and then got hot and healthy-ish in their playoff run. Considering they made their run without herro or oladipo and with Lowry being jag while Vincent, struss, and Duncan all played lights out is commendable but you don’t think dame is better than all 4 of those guys for this roster?

You are playing a video game, it takes time to gel as a time and a bunch of UDFA don't just come in and fit perfectly into a system year 1. You keep preaching about Goran as your backup point guard and he is awful now. Plus you are counting on guys that probably won't be there, Herro is gone, Lowry too, Jovic will most likely be in the trade. You can't just give guys like Duncan Robinson more minutes and everything will be great, there was a reason he hardly played until injuries forced him into action.

The same can't be said for any other team but the Suns. No one has turned over their roster this much this off-season that is a contender.

 

[msudaisy26]

as wade and lebron were similar position players

I don't see this at all. Wade is a SG. Lebron is a SF/PF and "point forward". I wouldn't see them as particularly similar at all from a positional or skill set standpoint, other than that both were elite scorers.

Not to mention that LeBron is arguably the best player ever, prime Wade is waaaay better than Butler or Dame and prime Bosh is better than Bam.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Rockets-blazers is a pretty nice warmup for the main event tonight

 

[need2know]

If Lillard says "gee, i dunno, i'm fine with whatever" then his leverage tanks and he ****s other future players by taking less than the max he can possibly get.

I am not even sure this applies at all here. Dame has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract. He's not fighting for a new contract . . . he's trying to get to the Heat. He's going to get paid the same no matter where he plays. His agent suggesting that he won't play or potentially won't even report to any team but MIA is tanking his TRADE value, but his CONTRACT value will be the same regardless.

I’ll let gm kind of jump in here if he wants, but it seems to me that dame wanted a title shot w portland and gave the new gm a full year to figure this out. Then he even went a step farther (while watching the heat run through the EC on the way to a drubbing by Denver) and gave them another chance to build around him and the GM said, nope we are not gonna do it. Even after the draft he was like ”ok, go grab some free agents” and then Portland couldn’t do anything so dame and his “team” said f this, I want to go to Miami.

its Weird all the way around. Dame wants out, the gm is likely fighting for his job w the team being shopped and finally, the team is being shopped so everyone involved is doing a lot of chest thumping. Miami sees an opportunity here as well, and likely isn’t giving Portland full worth for dame bc they are competing against themselves.

in the end, I see this being a trade of a couple of guys Portland will likely flip, 3 or four first rounders, and herro ending up on another team to help facilitate the deal (with a pick for herro that gets shipped to Portland) and ESPN vacillating between “the gm did the best he could“ and “the Celtics could have offered more”. Meanwhile in more laker and knicks news….

He gave the new GM a full year. Wow. Portland is like 75 percent of the league, you don't get free agents. See everyone not named Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA teams and title contenders.

Everyone from pick 2 through 5 tried to trade this year and not one of the picks got moved. It was a horrible draft after 1 because there aren't any sure fire guys. The draft will probably produce some quality players, but it was a complete crap shoot.

Miami and Dame will end up together, but Lillard looks bad doing this after playing the loyal guy for so long. Funny part is the first year is probably going to be a wasted year. Bam, Jimmy and Lillard will probably end like the Suns did this year because they have no depth.

He doesn't look bad. He's playing the game. He played the good soldier a long time. Let him try to win at the end of his career.

He can win with more than one team and not burn it down on the way out.

They are going to get a couple of good players and great picks. Thats pretty good for a player with a couple of prime years left

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Wow!

 

[trader jake]

Wow!

Great game-winning shot by Jabari Smith. I like his game, hopefully he can take that next step in year 2. Good start tonight.

Now, let the Victor Wembanyama debut begin! *








* and the player Michael Jordan took ahead of Scoot Henderson.

 

[Frostillicus]

Wow!

what means this

 

[Capella]

Hornets fans have to be ready to die. What a franchise.