*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (3 Viewers)

[metoo]

Edit: Stein just tweeted that the Mavs shut down the negotiations precisely because they didn't want to let the Rockets get the trade exception.

Yeah helping the Rockets out made absolutely zero sense.

They unquestionably overpaid, but losing a year in the prime of the career of one of the best contracts in the league is one of the biggest blunders of recent memory. Not only do they lose that ideal contract, but very likely any shot at trading for Kevin Love.

Not sure it has anything to do with love.

Whether it is or not is irrelevant because they simply don't have the assets for Love anyway. One of the all-time blunders in history.

Definitely thought they were destined (whether by FA or trade) to get Love or Bosh. Parsons obviously was a huge piece to getting Love.

I definitely bumped Houston down a lot. Thought they were title contenders in the next 2-3 years if they acquired another star (which they were positioned to do). There's not a whole helluva left available this offseason and next offseason looks bad (same reason I snicker in regards to the Knicks having all that $$ to spend next offseason.......on who exactly? Most of the free agents worth anything won't even hit the market )

Even if they signed Bosh I'm not sure about Houston. Harden was a solid defender in OKC and now he doesn't even try.

 

[pollardsvision]

18 players did that and it's fine that the others are cheap, but how many are attainable and make sense for an aging DAL team trying to squeeze out one last run for Dirk? It's also a team that, for some reason, has trouble landing top young FA's.

It was costly and I don't think they expected to land him, but in their situation, I think it makes sense.

Aren't the top FA's next off-season going to be some bigs DAL probably can't get and Rondo?

It just seems to me that they would have been better off filling that $15m with 3 or 4 good players rather than one. Vince Carter and Marion for half the price of Parsons would have been a good start, and I'm sure they would have been willing to come back. Or, if they were hell bent on trying to get a young player, go after Bledsoe.

Notable 2015 FAs

PG: Parker, Dragic (PO), Rondo

SG: Afflalo, Thompson, Matthews

SF: Butler, Leonard

PF: Thompson, Love (PO), Faried, Aldridge

C: Duncan, Jefferson (PO), Chandler, M Gasol

So, Chandler comes off the books next year, and they'll still have cap space to chase those guys if they want right? They've got about $45 mill committed for 2015, best I can tell.

They can go after a G, Gasol, or Jefferson still. If they miss anyway, Parsons remains their best addition over a 2 year period, and he didn't keep them from being able to try for better.

It seems like the "what else are going to spend it on?" dilemma applies to them, as it does for so many teams driving these prices up.

It's only a 3 year contract. He fits as possibly the best short-term addition they can get, and a possible guy to build around after Dirk.

I like it, though I'm certainly biased because I enjoy thinking Morey screwed up.

 

[Kev4029]

18 players did that and it's fine that the others are cheap, but how many are attainable and make sense for an aging DAL team trying to squeeze out one last run for Dirk? It's also a team that, for some reason, has trouble landing top young FA's.

It was costly and I don't think they expected to land him, but in their situation, I think it makes sense.

Aren't the top FA's next off-season going to be some bigs DAL probably can't get and Rondo?

It just seems to me that they would have been better off filling that $15m with 3 or 4 good players rather than one. Vince Carter and Marion for half the price of Parsons would have been a good start, and I'm sure they would have been willing to come back. Or, if they were hell bent on trying to get a young player, go after Bledsoe.

Notable 2015 FAs

PG: Parker, Dragic (PO), Rondo

SG: Afflalo, Thompson, Matthews

SF: Butler, Leonard

PF: Thompson, Love (PO), Faried, Aldridge

C: Duncan, Jefferson (PO), Chandler, M Gasol

Thompson is a restricted FA.

So are Butler, Leonard, other Thompson and Faried.

 

[pollardsvision]

Hey, that's two games in a row PJ Hairston has made it through without punching anybody.

Is Stauskas' neck okay after watching those 6 threes rain down over his head?

 

[Kev4029]

18 players did that and it's fine that the others are cheap, but how many are attainable and make sense for an aging DAL team trying to squeeze out one last run for Dirk? It's also a team that, for some reason, has trouble landing top young FA's.

It was costly and I don't think they expected to land him, but in their situation, I think it makes sense.

Aren't the top FA's next off-season going to be some bigs DAL probably can't get and Rondo?

It just seems to me that they would have been better off filling that $15m with 3 or 4 good players rather than one. Vince Carter and Marion for half the price of Parsons would have been a good start, and I'm sure they would have been willing to come back. Or, if they were hell bent on trying to get a young player, go after Bledsoe.

Notable 2015 FAs

PG: Parker, Dragic (PO), Rondo

SG: Afflalo, Thompson, Matthews

SF: Butler, Leonard

PF: Thompson, Love (PO), Faried, Aldridge

C: Duncan, Jefferson (PO), Chandler, M Gasol

So, Chandler comes off the books next year, and they'll still have cap space to chase those guys if they want right? They've got about $45 mill committed for 2015, best I can tell.

They can go after a G, Gasol, or Jefferson still. If they miss anyway, Parsons remains their best addition over a 2 year period, and he didn't keep them from being able to try for better.

It seems like the "what else are going to spend it on?" dilemma applies to them, as it does for so many teams driving these prices up.

It's only a 3 year contract. He fits as possibly the best short-term addition they can get, and a possible guy to build around after Dirk.

I like it, though I'm certainly biased because I enjoy thinking Morey screwed up.

Its definitely not the end of the world for Dallas, but it was an incredible blunder on Morey's part.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Good work Morey.

 

[No. 16]

The last couple of days have really broken well for the Warriors and their standings in the West.

Imagine.......

Bosh in HOU.

Pau in SA or OKC.

Pierce in LAC.

Lin to LAL.

The Western Conference could have been stacked, but it looks like many teams are staying put or have regressed a bit. The only western teams that improved themselves so far are the Pelicans and Mavericks. The last domino to fall will be Kevin Love, but at this point it looks like it's between CLE and GSW.

Next season should be awesome.

 

[metoo]

18 players did that and it's fine that the others are cheap, but how many are attainable and make sense for an aging DAL team trying to squeeze out one last run for Dirk? It's also a team that, for some reason, has trouble landing top young FA's.

It was costly and I don't think they expected to land him, but in their situation, I think it makes sense.

Aren't the top FA's next off-season going to be some bigs DAL probably can't get and Rondo?

It just seems to me that they would have been better off filling that $15m with 3 or 4 good players rather than one. Vince Carter and Marion for half the price of Parsons would have been a good start, and I'm sure they would have been willing to come back. Or, if they were hell bent on trying to get a young player, go after Bledsoe.

Notable 2015 FAs

PG: Parker, Dragic (PO), Rondo

SG: Afflalo, Thompson, Matthews

SF: Butler, Leonard

PF: Thompson, Love (PO), Faried, Aldridge

C: Duncan, Jefferson (PO), Chandler, M Gasol

Thompson is a restricted FA.

So are Butler, Leonard, other Thompson and Faried.

Butler and Leonard are not big guys.

 

[thecatch]

Hey, that's two games in a row PJ Hairston has made it through without punching anybody.

Is Stauskas' neck okay after watching those 6 threes rain down over his head?

Doctors are saying he should be ready for training camp.

 

[Kev4029]

What has Morey done in his time as GM to get this label as a genius? He certainly fleeced the Thunder to get Harden, but other than that he has far more missteps than he has had good moves. The only thing that he has consistently done is not significantly overpaying players to cap crippling deals.

 

[Kev4029]

18 players did that and it's fine that the others are cheap, but how many are attainable and make sense for an aging DAL team trying to squeeze out one last run for Dirk? It's also a team that, for some reason, has trouble landing top young FA's.

It was costly and I don't think they expected to land him, but in their situation, I think it makes sense.

Aren't the top FA's next off-season going to be some bigs DAL probably can't get and Rondo?

It just seems to me that they would have been better off filling that $15m with 3 or 4 good players rather than one. Vince Carter and Marion for half the price of Parsons would have been a good start, and I'm sure they would have been willing to come back. Or, if they were hell bent on trying to get a young player, go after Bledsoe.

Notable 2015 FAs

PG: Parker, Dragic (PO), Rondo

SG: Afflalo, Thompson, Matthews

SF: Butler, Leonard

PF: Thompson, Love (PO), Faried, Aldridge

C: Duncan, Jefferson (PO), Chandler, M Gasol

Thompson is a restricted FA.

So are Butler, Leonard, other Thompson and Faried.

Butler and Leonard are not big guys.

Ok...

 

[metoo]

Hey, that's two games in a row PJ Hairston has made it through without punching anybody.

I saw some of that game and Hairston is still combative. Pollardsvision I can't see Stephenson and Hairston on the same team after watching Hairston today. I was hoping he had grown more.

 

[DrJ]

Yeah, looking at this Parsons gets way more than Nowitzki. Way to go Dirk, you didn't get paid and your team is still fodder. Nice work.

.Fodder? That's silly.

He took less to win. It's not his fault LeBron and Melo don't care about signing with a winner. Adding one of the best 5 FA's of the summer isn't a bad consolation prize (case could be made for 3rd best).

There is zero case to be made that hes the third best.

A player who averages16/5/4 per 36 while being an awful defender is pretty easy to replace. In fact, the Rockets replaced that with Ariza for half the cost and he is a very good defender. It was a terrible move to decline his team option, but it was the right move not to match that awful contract.

Ariza's had 2 good seasons (were they both in contract years?).

Obviously, Parsons isn't some bargain at that price and obviously it was high, but it was a smart move for DAL to make.

I disagree about HOU matching. Once they put this in motion, I think they had to match. Obviously, not as horrible the original decision, but still a bad one.

I think DAL got caught a little trying to screw HOU, but they got a really nice, young player for Dirk's last few years. There aren't a lot of 25 YO's in the league coming off back to back 7 win seasons.

Parson's biggest attribute is he stays healthy and is in fantastic shape.

Yeah, looking at this Parsons gets way more than Nowitzki. Way to go Dirk, you didn't get paid and your team is still fodder. Nice work.

.Fodder? That's silly.

He took less to win. It's not his fault LeBron and Melo don't care about signing with a winner. Adding one of the best 5 FA's of the summer isn't a bad consolation prize (case could be made for 3rd best).

There is zero case to be made that hes the third best.

A player who averages16/5/4 per 36 while being an awful defender is pretty easy to replace. In fact, the Rockets replaced that with Ariza for half the cost and he is a very good defender. It was a terrible move to decline his team option, but it was the right move not to match that awful contract.

Ariza's had 2 good seasons (were they both in contract years?).

Obviously, Parsons isn't some bargain at that price and obviously it was high, but it was a smart move for DAL to make.

I disagree about HOU matching. Once they put this in motion, I think they had to match. Obviously, not as horrible the original decision, but still a bad one.

I think DAL got caught a little trying to screw HOU, but they got a really nice, young player for Dirk's last few years. There aren't a lot of 25 YO's in the league coming off back to back 7 win seasons.

18 players under the age of 26 had at least 14 win shares over the last two years, nearly all of whom will be much cheaper than Parsons next year. In total 40 players hit that threshold over the last two years. Parson's best attribute is he stays healthy and is in great shape so he can eat up a lot of minutes.

He is a nice player, but paying a role player like a star is the quickest way to derail championship aspirations. With the signing of Ariza they got a player who I would consider a slightly inferior talent, but a much better fit with the team as he can guard Harden's man and still knock down open jumpers.

18 players did that and it's fine that the others are cheap, but how many are attainable and make sense for an aging DAL team trying to squeeze out one last run for Dirk? It's also a team that, for some reason, has trouble landing top young FA's.

It was costly and I don't think they expected to land him, but in their situation, I think it makes sense.

Aren't the top FA's next off-season going to be some bigs DAL probably can't get and Rondo?

I don't get why Dallas has trouble landing FA's. Wasn't there a point in time where everyone wanted to play for Cuban because he was "cool" and took care of players?

 

[DrJ]

Edit: Stein just tweeted that the Mavs shut down the negotiations precisely because they didn't want to let the Rockets get the trade exception.

Yeah helping the Rockets out made absolutely zero sense.

They unquestionably overpaid, but losing a year in the prime of the career of one of the best contracts in the league is one of the biggest blunders of recent memory. Not only do they lose that ideal contract, but very likely any shot at trading for Kevin Love.

Getting Dirk to sign for 10 million a year and then using all of the extra money on a guy like Parsons is up there.

 

[jamil]

What has Morey done in his time as GM to get this label as a genius? He certainly fleeced the Thunder to get Harden, but other than that he has far more missteps than he has had good moves. The only thing that he has consistently done is not significantly overpaying players to cap crippling deals.

That is huge. He does not overpay for OK players. And Rockets are always in line to sign a big FA every off season. He has brought Harden and Dwight here in consecutive offseasons.

 

[DrJ]

What has Morey done in his time as GM to get this label as a genius? He certainly fleeced the Thunder to get Harden, but other than that he has far more missteps than he has had good moves. The only thing that he has consistently done is not significantly overpaying players to cap crippling deals.

That is huge. He does not overpay for OK players. And Rockets are always in line to sign a big FA every off season. He has brought Harden and Dwight here in consecutive offseasons.

The Asik thing was actually pretty solid. The structure made things a little strange, but as a whole that wasn't a bad deal. Letting a pair of PG's that now look like All Stars go so they could pay more for Lin was just miserable though. Probably worse than this Parsons thing in terms of impact.

 

[Kev4029]

What has Morey done in his time as GM to get this label as a genius? He certainly fleeced the Thunder to get Harden, but other than that he has far more missteps than he has had good moves. The only thing that he has consistently done is not significantly overpaying players to cap crippling deals.

That is huge. He does not overpay for OK players. And Rockets are always in line to sign a big FA every off season. He has brought Harden and Dwight here in consecutive offseasons.

Its definitely something that other GMs have a hard time avoiding, but I don't think that makes him a smart GM, it just makes the others idiots.

 

[pollardsvision]

Hey, that's two games in a row PJ Hairston has made it through without punching anybody.

I saw some of that game and Hairston is still combative. Pollardsvision I can't see Stephenson and Hairston on the same team after watching Hairston today. I was hoping he had grown more.

There still hasn't been much sign that CHA has any interest in Lance anyway, and I'm sure Hairston's presence doesn't help.

The number of potential suitors has dwindled rapidly. I'm not seeing any clear teams outside of CHA, IND, and I guess HOU. CHA can offer a lot more than IND and a little more than HOU, so I would think we'd have heard some news about some negotiations by now, but we haven't. Seems like CHA isn't interested and IND would have a good shot to get him at their price.

I like dudes that like to throwdown at practice or at pick-up games, so my personal dream duo isn't shaping up.

 

[sporthenry]

What has Morey done in his time as GM to get this label as a genius? He certainly fleeced the Thunder to get Harden, but other than that he has far more missteps than he has had good moves. The only thing that he has consistently done is not significantly overpaying players to cap crippling deals.

That is huge. He does not overpay for OK players. And Rockets are always in line to sign a big FA every off season. He has brought Harden and Dwight here in consecutive offseasons.

Besides that, he has drafted fairly well. And he gets credit for being one of the first to introduce analytics. Evaluating players based off analytics and even developing game plans based off of it deserves credit. He seemed to be on the cutting edge of the importance of 3 point shooting especially the corner 3 (although I'm sure some probably used it before, he became the face of the change).I think it is just difficult to understand how important or valuable analytics are. They aren't going to make up for a huge gap in talent but I think it is pretty easy to see why he is one of if not the best GM around.

 

[Kev4029]

Hey, that's two games in a row PJ Hairston has made it through without punching anybody.

I saw some of that game and Hairston is still combative. Pollardsvision I can't see Stephenson and Hairston on the same team after watching Hairston today. I was hoping he had grown more.

There still hasn't been much sign that CHA has any interest in Lance anyway, and I'm sure Hairston's presence doesn't help.

The number of potential suitors has dwindled rapidly. I'm not seeing any clear teams outside of CHA, IND, and I guess HOU. CHA can offer a lot more than IND and a little more than HOU, so I would think we'd have heard some news about some negotiations by now, but we haven't. Seems like CHA isn't interested and IND would have a good shot to get him at their price.

He'd be a good fit in Atlanta and they have the cap space.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Love the Pierce deal.

Good fit with the roster, and is also setting up a run at Durant. Not an accident that Pierce's contract expires when Durant does. Better to sign Pierce for two years, fill the gap at SF, and open the slot for Durant than sign Ariza or Deng for 4 years and try to trade them after two.

Wiz also hired Durant's high school coach, a tactic previously only deployed by college teams looking to land big-time high school recruits.

 

[pollardsvision]

Hey, that's two games in a row PJ Hairston has made it through without punching anybody.

I saw some of that game and Hairston is still combative. Pollardsvision I can't see Stephenson and Hairston on the same team after watching Hairston today. I was hoping he had grown more.

There still hasn't been much sign that CHA has any interest in Lance anyway, and I'm sure Hairston's presence doesn't help.

The number of potential suitors has dwindled rapidly. I'm not seeing any clear teams outside of CHA, IND, and I guess HOU. CHA can offer a lot more than IND and a little more than HOU, so I would think we'd have heard some news about some negotiations by now, but we haven't. Seems like CHA isn't interested and IND would have a good shot to get him at their price.

He'd be a good fit in Atlanta and they have the cap space.

There were some reports they weren't interested a while back, but who knows.

In terms of talent, skill set, and age alone, he might be the best candidate for that 3rd best FA title (probably my pick) and there's just such a lack of news.

It seems there must be some surprise team in the mix we aren't hearing about.

 

[metoo]

Hey, that's two games in a row PJ Hairston has made it through without punching anybody.

I saw some of that game and Hairston is still combative. Pollardsvision I can't see Stephenson and Hairston on the same team after watching Hairston today. I was hoping he had grown more.

There still hasn't been much sign that CHA has any interest in Lance anyway, and I'm sure Hairston's presence doesn't help.

The number of potential suitors has dwindled rapidly. I'm not seeing any clear teams outside of CHA, IND, and I guess HOU. CHA can offer a lot more than IND and a little more than HOU, so I would think we'd have heard some news about some negotiations by now, but we haven't. Seems like CHA isn't interested and IND would have a good shot to get him at their price.

I like dudes that like to throwdown at practice or at pick-up games, so my personal dream duo isn't shaping up.

Danny Green is a FA next year.

 

[Kev4029]

What has Morey done in his time as GM to get this label as a genius? He certainly fleeced the Thunder to get Harden, but other than that he has far more missteps than he has had good moves. The only thing that he has consistently done is not significantly overpaying players to cap crippling deals.

That is huge. He does not overpay for OK players. And Rockets are always in line to sign a big FA every off season. He has brought Harden and Dwight here in consecutive offseasons.

Besides that, he has drafted fairly well. And he gets credit for being one of the first to introduce analytics. Evaluating players based off analytics and even developing game plans based off of it deserves credit. He seemed to be on the cutting edge of the importance of 3 point shooting especially the corner 3 (although I'm sure some probably used it before, he became the face of the change).I think it is just difficult to understand how important or valuable analytics are. They aren't going to make up for a huge gap in talent but I think it is pretty easy to see why he is one of if not the best GM around.

I would say hes done a mediocre job of drafting. Hes done very well in the second round (Budinger and Parsons), but he has quite a few blunders in the first round. He wasted a pick on Royce White, he traded Mirotic for Donuts, he traded Nic Batum for Donte Green. His "hits" in the first round are Terrence Jones and Aaron Brooks and he has a couple mediocre picks in one Morris twins and Patrick Patterson.

 

[sporthenry]

What has Morey done in his time as GM to get this label as a genius? He certainly fleeced the Thunder to get Harden, but other than that he has far more missteps than he has had good moves. The only thing that he has consistently done is not significantly overpaying players to cap crippling deals.

That is huge. He does not overpay for OK players. And Rockets are always in line to sign a big FA every off season. He has brought Harden and Dwight here in consecutive offseasons.

Besides that, he has drafted fairly well. And he gets credit for being one of the first to introduce analytics. Evaluating players based off analytics and even developing game plans based off of it deserves credit. He seemed to be on the cutting edge of the importance of 3 point shooting especially the corner 3 (although I'm sure some probably used it before, he became the face of the change).I think it is just difficult to understand how important or valuable analytics are. They aren't going to make up for a huge gap in talent but I think it is pretty easy to see why he is one of if not the best GM around.

I would say hes done a mediocre job of drafting. Hes done very well in the second round (Budinger and Parsons), but he has quite a few blunders in the first round. He wasted a pick on Royce White, he traded Mirotic for Donuts, he traded Nic Batum for Donte Green. His "hits" in the first round are Terrence Jones and Aaron Brooks and he has a couple mediocre picks in one Morris twins and Patrick Patterson.

If you put this up against the expectations at a certain draft spot or against other GMs, he still comes in looking good. What GMs are better? Easy to MMQB his decisions ignoring the rest of the league.

 

[Kev4029]

Hey, that's two games in a row PJ Hairston has made it through without punching anybody.

I saw some of that game and Hairston is still combative. Pollardsvision I can't see Stephenson and Hairston on the same team after watching Hairston today. I was hoping he had grown more.

There still hasn't been much sign that CHA has any interest in Lance anyway, and I'm sure Hairston's presence doesn't help.

The number of potential suitors has dwindled rapidly. I'm not seeing any clear teams outside of CHA, IND, and I guess HOU. CHA can offer a lot more than IND and a little more than HOU, so I would think we'd have heard some news about some negotiations by now, but we haven't. Seems like CHA isn't interested and IND would have a good shot to get him at their price.

He'd be a good fit in Atlanta and they have the cap space.

There were some reports they weren't interested a while back, but who knows.

In terms of talent, skill set, and age alone, he might be the best candidate for that 3rd best FA title (probably my pick) and there's just such a lack of news.

It seems there must be some surprise team in the mix we aren't hearing about.

Dirk, Melo, Lebron, and Bosh are no doubt 1-4. It would be hard to put him above Wade, Bledsoe, Monroe, Lowry as well. He would fall in the Deng, Hayward, Parsons, Pierce, Gasol, Thomas, Gortat group. I'm amazed at the money teams are throwing at all these wings and Bledsoe hasn't had any public suitors. To me, he has a MUCH higher ceiling than Parsons or Hayward, while already being a better player. Obviously his knee must be keeping teams away.

 

[Abraham]

Morey has done a good job maintaining flexibility to be in a position to attract quality players. He can't make Chris bosh sign with Houston. Getting a nice pick for Asik is big. He's drafted well (passing on Leonard for Morris notwithstanding). He's made some good trades that maintain flexibility while trying to get better (Robinson, Hamilton). He helped convince Howard to leave money and the Lakers. The harden deal. The Martin deal was a coup as well at the time. Finding productive guys in strange places or late (parsons, Beverly, jones). Getting role players to sign short/reasonable deals (Garcia, delfino) He's been very good.

 

[pollardsvision]

Hey, that's two games in a row PJ Hairston has made it through without punching anybody.

I saw some of that game and Hairston is still combative. Pollardsvision I can't see Stephenson and Hairston on the same team after watching Hairston today. I was hoping he had grown more.

There still hasn't been much sign that CHA has any interest in Lance anyway, and I'm sure Hairston's presence doesn't help.

The number of potential suitors has dwindled rapidly. I'm not seeing any clear teams outside of CHA, IND, and I guess HOU. CHA can offer a lot more than IND and a little more than HOU, so I would think we'd have heard some news about some negotiations by now, but we haven't. Seems like CHA isn't interested and IND would have a good shot to get him at their price.

He'd be a good fit in Atlanta and they have the cap space.

There were some reports they weren't interested a while back, but who knows.

In terms of talent, skill set, and age alone, he might be the best candidate for that 3rd best FA title (probably my pick) and there's just such a lack of news.

It seems there must be some surprise team in the mix we aren't hearing about.

Dirk, Melo, Lebron, and Bosh are no doubt 1-4. It would be hard to put him above Wade, Bledsoe, Monroe, Lowry as well. He would fall in the Deng, Hayward, Parsons, Pierce, Gasol, Thomas, Gortat group. I'm amazed at the money teams are throwing at all these wings and Bledsoe hasn't had any public suitors. To me, he has a MUCH higher ceiling than Parsons or Hayward, while already being a better player. Obviously his knee must be keeping teams away.

I agree. I just don't really think about Dirk or Bledsoe because I don't see any chance in hell they would've/will leave. Kind of forgot about Monroe (though it seems like the market for non-stretch 4's is shrinking fast).

Whether it's on talent or age, Lance is the guy I'd want want to give big contract over all the others. Him or Lowry (and Lowry plays the most replaceable position on the court).

That's without considering all the personality issues.

 

[Kev4029]

What has Morey done in his time as GM to get this label as a genius? He certainly fleeced the Thunder to get Harden, but other than that he has far more missteps than he has had good moves. The only thing that he has consistently done is not significantly overpaying players to cap crippling deals.

That is huge. He does not overpay for OK players. And Rockets are always in line to sign a big FA every off season. He has brought Harden and Dwight here in consecutive offseasons.

Besides that, he has drafted fairly well. And he gets credit for being one of the first to introduce analytics. Evaluating players based off analytics and even developing game plans based off of it deserves credit. He seemed to be on the cutting edge of the importance of 3 point shooting especially the corner 3 (although I'm sure some probably used it before, he became the face of the change).I think it is just difficult to understand how important or valuable analytics are. They aren't going to make up for a huge gap in talent but I think it is pretty easy to see why he is one of if not the best GM around.

I would say hes done a mediocre job of drafting. Hes done very well in the second round (Budinger and Parsons), but he has quite a few blunders in the first round. He wasted a pick on Royce White, he traded Mirotic for Donuts, he traded Nic Batum for Donte Green. His "hits" in the first round are Terrence Jones and Aaron Brooks and he has a couple mediocre picks in one Morris twins and Patrick Patterson.

If you put this up against the expectations at a certain draft spot or against other GMs, he still comes in looking good. What GMs are better? Easy to MMQB his decisions ignoring the rest of the league.

He's got role players in the first round in spots where you would expect a team to draft a role player, had a nice pick in Brooks a month after he was hired late in the first round, botched a couple first rounders, picked Budinger who was expected to be a first rounder but fell for some reason, and made a very nice pick in Parsons who was supposed to be a tweener that couldn't shoot much.

I really think he strength is not being an idiot like many of the GMs are, its not that he makes good moves, just avoids things like signing Josh Smith to play SF or signing a broken Amare to a max deal.

 

[Kev4029]

I agree. I just don't really think about Dirk or Bledsoe because I don't see any chance in hell they would've/will leave. Kind of forgot about Monroe (though it seems like the market for non-stretch 4's is shrinking fast).

Whether it's on talent or age, Lance is the guy I'd want want to give big contract over all the others. Him or Lowry (and Lowry plays the most replaceable position on the court).

That's without considering all the personality issues.

I understand what you are saying there, the number of studly starting PGs has never been higher, but teams tend to hold onto their PGs and unless you have somebody like James or Harden that handles the ball a lot, having a great point guard is critical to a team's success. Outside of the top 6 or 8 wings, it doesn't much matter if you are starting Chandler Parsons/Arron Afflalo or Matt Barnes/Gerald Henderson.

 

[Kev4029]

Detroit signed Caron Butler to a 2 year $9M deal. I think SVG might not have been a good choice as GM.

 

[sporthenry]

He's got role players in the first round in spots where you would expect a team to draft a role player, had a nice pick in Brooks a month after he was hired late in the first round, botched a couple first rounders, picked Budinger who was expected to be a first rounder but fell for some reason, and made a very nice pick in Parsons who was supposed to be a tweener that couldn't shoot much.

I really think he strength is not being an idiot like many of the GMs are, its not that he makes good moves, just avoids things like signing Josh Smith to play SF or signing a broken Amare to a max deal.

Well either way, whether it is his intelligence or other people's stupidity, that still puts him as one of the best GMs in the game. I am partial to the analytics, but the guy is responsible for starting the Sloan Conference which has revolutionized pretty much every sport.

No doubt he has had some blunders. But again, if you want to put him down, who else are you offering? Presti? The guy who gave him Harden. Riley? No doubt part of GMing is being able to attract talent but we'll see how Riley does going forward. Tough to knock RC Buford. But even he traded Dragic for Malik Hairston.

I said Morey has drafted fairly well which considering he hasn't had a top 10 pick and only has had 3 lottery picks (one of which helped turn into Harden), I'd say its fairly well. Combine that with everything else, and I don't see what the complaints are.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

McDermott looked tremendous today. Embarrassing how loaded the Bulls are up front. Hell of an offseason for them (Adding Gasol + Mirotic + IMO one of the best 5 or 6 players in the draft in McDermott).

Absolutely love what they did (vs. having Carmelo swallow up all their cap space)

Doug McDermott - F - Bulls
Doug McDermott needed just 12 shots from the field to score 31 points vs. the Nuggets on Sunday, adding one rebound, one assist, one block and five 3-pointers.
He made all 12 shots from the line and made 7-of-12 from the field for a spectacular true shooting percentage of 89.7 percent. The Bulls have an absolutely loaded front line with the additions of Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic. McDermott is really going to have be able to play both forwards spots to get consistent minutes.

 

[Kev4029]

He's got role players in the first round in spots where you would expect a team to draft a role player, had a nice pick in Brooks a month after he was hired late in the first round, botched a couple first rounders, picked Budinger who was expected to be a first rounder but fell for some reason, and made a very nice pick in Parsons who was supposed to be a tweener that couldn't shoot much.

I really think he strength is not being an idiot like many of the GMs are, its not that he makes good moves, just avoids things like signing Josh Smith to play SF or signing a broken Amare to a max deal.

Well either way, whether it is his intelligence or other people's stupidity, that still puts him as one of the best GMs in the game. I am partial to the analytics, but the guy is responsible for starting the Sloan Conference which has revolutionized pretty much every sport.

No doubt he has had some blunders. But again, if you want to put him down, who else are you offering? Presti? The guy who gave him Harden. Riley? No doubt part of GMing is being able to attract talent but we'll see how Riley does going forward. Tough to knock RC Buford. But even he traded Dragic for Malik Hairston.

I said Morey has drafted fairly well which considering he hasn't had a top 10 pick and only has had 3 lottery picks (one of which helped turn into Harden), I'd say its fairly well. Combine that with everything else, and I don't see what the complaints are.

The NBA allows so many amazingly stupid people become GMs, that we've set the bar pretty low. There is no reason for a guy like Joe Dumars, David Kahn or Isiah Thomas to ever get a job in a front office. So sure, guys like Morey seems like geniuses in comparison.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Wow. I expect continuous decline from Gasol. Even so, this is one hell of a deal. Channing Frye 4 for 32. Gasol 3 for 22. Something's not right I think he got about the same as Diaw got. Edit: Oh yeah, and ####### Jordan Hill making 9 mil


Pau Gasol - F/C - Bulls

Pau Gasol's contract with the Bulls is worth approximately $22 million over three years.
There's no word yet on whether the deal includes team or player options, but either way this is a solid value for Chicago. Gasol should start alongside Joakim Noah with Taj Gibson playing his typical sixth-man role, and it will be interesting to see whether coach Tom Thibodeau sticks with Gasol to close games or subs him out for his usual end-game frontcourt of Noah and Gibson.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

McDermott looked tremendous today. Embarrassing how loaded the Bulls are up front. Hell of an offseason for them (Adding Gasol + Mirotic + IMO one of the best 5 or 6 players in the draft in McDermott).

Absolutely love what they did (vs. having Carmelo swallow up all their cap space)

Doug McDermott - F - Bulls
Doug McDermott needed just 12 shots from the field to score 31 points vs. the Nuggets on Sunday, adding one rebound, one assist, one block and five 3-pointers.
He made all 12 shots from the line and made 7-of-12 from the field for a spectacular true shooting percentage of 89.7 percent. The Bulls have an absolutely loaded front line with the additions of Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic. McDermott is really going to have be able to play both forwards spots to get consistent minutes.

31/1/1? Sounds like the next Kiki Vandeweghe.

 

[Sudoku_in_the_Bathtub]

Free agents are dying to play with Kobe in LA. Can we end this bull#### talk yet?

Looks like Kobe's going out with a bang alongside Nash, Jordan Hill, Jeremy Lin & Swaggy P. At least he got paid for the embarrassment that's going to ensue.

#Championship

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Bennett and Wiggins liven up the layup line a little. GB Summer League.

 

[Kev4029]

What every team would look like if every player went "back home" like Lebron (other than the Nuggets who would field a team of Billups and Jason Smith, the Jazz who haven't had an NBA player since Devin Brown retired, and the Spurs who would have Wes Matthews).

 

[sporthenry]

What every team would look like if every player went "back home" like Lebron (other than the Nuggets who would field a team of Billups and Jason Smith, the Jazz who haven't had an NBA player since Devin Brown retired, and the Spurs who would have Wes Matthews).

Make for a better NBA. Washington, LAC, LAL, Brooklyn and Chicago would be sick. Not sure the Knicks would be that good.

 

[Synthesizer]

Detroit signed Caron Butler to a 2 year $9M deal. I think SVG might not have been a good choice as GM.

It's a one-year deal with a team option for for a second year. Plus this roster has absolutely no veteran leadership and over the last few years has included team mutinies, disciplinary actions, no effort, etc.

 

[Kev4029]

What every team would look like if every player went "back home" like Lebron (other than the Nuggets who would field a team of Billups and Jason Smith, the Jazz who haven't had an NBA player since Devin Brown retired, and the Spurs who would have Wes Matthews).

Make for a better NBA. Washington, LAC, LAL, Brooklyn and Chicago would be sick. Not sure the Knicks would be that good.

Charlotte would be fun to watch too.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Chuck Hayes should go to Golden State, not Sacramento.

 

[Short Corner]

A lot of unknowns there. Or he could've went and played for Chicago which did win 48 games last year and that's without himself and without Rose and a few other nice pieces. So yeah, he'd be pretty much be guaranteed to be playing in some meaningful playoff games this year and beyond rather than hoping they can fill out that roster in NY which probably ain't going to be happening until at least 2016 since next year is so devoid of talent.

What about the rings LeBron passed up not going to CHI?

Uh, Lebron already has 2 with a pretty good chance at winning some more. Melo, no rings and a gigantic unknown.

I guess he's all set with 2 or 3 then. I guess he's bowing out of the chase for Jordan's 6. No shame in that. Not everybody can be Jordan.

Lebron can win the title this year. Not sure why people seem to be dismissing that. He is the best player in the game. He is going to a team with one very good player and several solid role players.

Right he can because any team with LeBron can.But if he really, really, really cared about winning a title this year and was open to taking less than the max, there are almost 10 teams that would've given him a better shot.Among teams that could've opened up some cap room, CHI, ATL, MIA, CHA, WAS, HOU, DAL, PHX, at least and a case could be made for almost a half a dozen more.Clippers and Spurs could opened up room too. You know, if LeBron was really committed to winning a bunch of titles.

Just like Jordan took pay cuts?

It was a different era in terms of how players were paid. But Jordan did leave a TON of endorsement money sitting on the table so that he could spend time honing his craft on the golf course and black jack tables as opposed to just raking in the most dough.

 

[Short Corner]

Edit: Stein just tweeted that the Mavs shut down the negotiations precisely because they didn't want to let the Rockets get the trade exception.

Yeah helping the Rockets out made absolutely zero sense.

They unquestionably overpaid, but losing a year in the prime of the career of one of the best contracts in the league is one of the biggest blunders of recent memory. Not only do they lose that ideal contract, but very likely any shot at trading for Kevin Love.

Not sure it has anything to do with love.

Whether it is or not is irrelevant because they simply don't have the assets for Love anyway. One of the all-time blunders in history.

Definitely thought they were destined (whether by FA or trade) to get Love or Bosh. Parsons obviously was a huge piece to getting Love.

I definitely bumped Houston down a lot. Thought they were title contenders in the next 2-3 years if they acquired another star (which they were positioned to do). There's not a whole helluva left available this offseason and next offseason looks bad (same reason I snicker in regards to the Knicks having all that $$ to spend next offseason.......on who exactly? Most of the free agents worth anything won't even hit the market )

Even if they signed Bosh I'm not sure about Houston. Harden was a solid defender in OKC and now he doesn't even try.

It is impossible for anyone to have been a solid defender and look like that.

 

[thecatch]

Chuck Hayes should go to Golden State, not Sacramento.

Sacramento is closer to where he went to high school. ...

(...by 8 miles)

 

[metoo]

Edit: Stein just tweeted that the Mavs shut down the negotiations precisely because they didn't want to let the Rockets get the trade exception.

Yeah helping the Rockets out made absolutely zero sense.

They unquestionably overpaid, but losing a year in the prime of the career of one of the best contracts in the league is one of the biggest blunders of recent memory. Not only do they lose that ideal contract, but very likely any shot at trading for Kevin Love.

Not sure it has anything to do with love.

Whether it is or not is irrelevant because they simply don't have the assets for Love anyway. One of the all-time blunders in history.

Definitely thought they were destined (whether by FA or trade) to get Love or Bosh. Parsons obviously was a huge piece to getting Love.

I definitely bumped Houston down a lot. Thought they were title contenders in the next 2-3 years if they acquired another star (which they were positioned to do). There's not a whole helluva left available this offseason and next offseason looks bad (same reason I snicker in regards to the Knicks having all that $$ to spend next offseason.......on who exactly? Most of the free agents worth anything won't even hit the market )

Even if they signed Bosh I'm not sure about Houston. Harden was a solid defender in OKC and now he doesn't even try.

It is impossible for anyone to have been a solid defender and look like that.

Effort

http://youtu.be/63TDVWnZ5K8

 

[Juxtatarot]

McDermott looked tremendous today. Embarrassing how loaded the Bulls are up front. Hell of an offseason for them (Adding Gasol + Mirotic + IMO one of the best 5 or 6 players in the draft in McDermott).

Absolutely love what they did (vs. having Carmelo swallow up all their cap space)

Doug McDermott - F - Bulls

Doug McDermott needed just 12 shots from the field to score 31 points vs. the Nuggets on Sunday, adding one rebound, one assist, one block and five 3-pointers.

He made all 12 shots from the line and made 7-of-12 from the field for a spectacular true shooting percentage of 89.7 percent. The Bulls have an absolutely loaded front line with the additions of Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic. McDermott is really going to have be able to play both forwards spots to get consistent minutes.

I don't buy that analysis at all. He isn't an NBA 4 and the Bulls are loaded there. He's a 3 and can even play the 2 some. The Bulls have plenty of wing minutes available if he plays well.

 

[Premier]

Bulls roster looks great. Wow. They might be the east favorite.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

What every team would look like if every player went "back home" like Lebron (other than the Nuggets who would field a team of Billups and Jason Smith, the Jazz who haven't had an NBA player since Devin Brown retired, and the Spurs who would have Wes Matthews).

Eddie Gottlieb is dancing in his grave.