OT - NBA off-season thread

[NielsisGood]

The issue here will be which James Harden shows up in the playoffs. The regular season ceases to matter in the NBA.

Harden was just tired because of all the games and minutes he's logged and his massive offensive responsibility. Adding Paul helps keep him off the ball and be able to just be a decoy some possessions, so that hopefully Harden has more in the tank come playoff time.


That being said the Rox are still 1 star away from being anything that might be able to compete with the Warriors. If they do somehow find a way to add another stud, I'd probably give them the best chance to knock off GSW. I think their style and the players they have on the roster gives them a better chance than Cleveland or San Antonio trying to slow the game down. What OKC did in taking the Warriors to 7 in 2016 WCF is what I'd be looking at trying to do to beat GSW.

 

[JSM1970]

C's get Hayward & PG

Let's do this!

 

[James]

Pg to the Thunder. Nba off-season officially the most wild ish of all time.

 

[Mr. French]

Holy guacamole -- PG and Westbrook could be nasty.

Edit: Oladipo and Sabonis, that's it? That seems light...

 

[navery12]

Holy guacamole -- PG and Westbrook could be nasty.

Edit: Oladipo and Sabonis, that's it? That seems light...

If it's possible I think Indiana got negative value back. That Oladipo contract is not good

 

[superjohn]

The West is unreal, amazing how still nobody seems to want to play in the East.

 

[superjohn]

C's get Hayward & PG

Let's do this!

Good call.

 

[navery12]

There's no way this can be accurate. Why would Indiana ever pass up that offer?

 

[Walker11]

There's no way this can be accurate. Why would Indiana ever pass up that offer?

I'm with you - I don't want Oladipo even a tiny bit @ 20 per yr. Those 1st rounders should have been a no-brainer, even though they were all likely in the 20s. I imagine some combination of Grizz, Clippers, future Celtics picks.

 

[FartMan69]

Indy looks horrible in this.. Took on a bad contract and turned down 3 first rounders?! Sad!

 

[Walker11]

There was a lot of Lowry to the Wolves buzz but now it appears they will land Teague and still have 16 m. for another good player, perhaps Redick.

Gotta imagine George Hill goes to the Spurs, where he would be perfect. Some Gay to the Spurs talk as well. If anyone can rehabilitate his image, it's SAS. I would love both moves.

There are going to be some very, very good teams out West (understatement). Iggy is a really important piece for the Warriors and if he indeed leaves for a rival, we much be looking at a 5 or even 6 game series.

 

[awfuldan]

There's no way this can be accurate. Why would Indiana ever pass up that offer?

Wow.. they passed that up for OKC's deal? I like Oladipo and Sabonis was great in college, but damn..

 

[navery12]

I'm with you - I don't want Oladipo even a tiny bit @ 20 per yr. Those 1st rounders should have been a no-brainer, even though they were all likely in the 20s. I imagine some combination of Grizz, Clippers, future Celtics picks.

Exactly, even all late 1st rounders and then Crowder on a great contract would have to be preferable to Oladipo. I don't get it

 

[bballgrda]

The only thing that makes sense is that Indiana has a much higher evaluation of Oladipo than others. This trade is so shocking, can't believe no one else could beat that offer. Oladipo's contract might look pretty terrible if he doesn't improve. Is Love really less of an asset than Oladipo + Sabonis?

 

[Walker11]

PG is a perfect complement to Russ. They have got good bigs to hammer the offensive boards. They desperately need a solid back up PG and a 2G/wing who can shoot and play a little D and I would really like that roster construction.

 

[Walker11]

The only thing that makes sense is that Indiana has a much higher evaluation of Oladipo than others. This trade is so shocking, can't believe no one else could beat that offer. Oladipo's contract might look pretty terrible if he doesn't improve. Is Love really less of an asset than Oladipo + Sabonis?

Spot on. Nothing else makes sense. This is a team that obviously values Love's skill set in some way, considering they just drafted a homeless man's version of KLove in Leaf.

 

[champs99and04]

I can't get on the Celtics for not trading for a guy who was very likely going to leave after a year. Jimmy Butler, on the other hand, seemed to be available at a reasonable price, and I wonder if the same was true of Griffin.

I love it for OKC. They're like a piece and a half away from being a real team.

 

[Mr. French]

I'm very confused about Indiana's thought process here ...

I LOVE Jimmy Butler; I wonder if Boston will regret not nabbing him now. He'd be great for that roster, but maybe Hayward is on the way...

I think Jimmy's chip on his shoulder is an edge for him over some other similarly talented guys.

 

[bballgrda]

I can't get on the Celtics for not trading for a guy who was very likely going to leave after a year. Jimmy Butler, on the other hand, seemed to be available at a reasonable price, and I wonder if the same was true of Griffin.

I love it for OKC. They're like a piece and a half away from being a real team.

Not sure I'd consider 5/173 a reasonable price for Griffin.

 

[champs99and04]

Spot on. Nothing else makes sense. This is a team that obviously values Love's skill set in some way, considering they just drafted a homeless man's version of KLove in Leaf.

This is all part of a larger discussion, but the NBA is in a weird place where fit and specialism have become so important that nobody wants guys who you can win 45 games with as a #1 option. The Warriors are so good that people aren't only wondering if guys like Isaiah Thomas, Derozan, and Love can be key pieces on a title team, they're wondering if they're worth having on the team at all.

At some point a business is a business and those guys will find homes, but I've never seen anything like it.

 

[champs99and04]

Not sure I'd consider 5/173 a reasonable price for Griffin.

It'd be a risk for sure given his health issues.

 

[awfuldan]

PG is a perfect complement to Russ. They have got good bigs to hammer the offensive boards. They desperately need a solid back up PG and a 2G/wing who can shoot and play a little D and I would really like that roster construction.

Really hoping Daniel Hamilton is putting work in right now. He has a chance to fill some of OKC's needs, or at the very least crack a roster spot on a contending NBA team.

 

[Walker11]

This is all part of a larger discussion, but the NBA is in a weird place where fit and specialism have become so important that nobody wants guys who you can win 45 games with as a #1 option. The Warriors are so good that people aren't only wondering if guys like Isaiah Thomas, Derozan, and Love can be key pieces on a title team, they're wondering if they're worth having on the team at all.

At some point a business is a business and those guys will find homes, but I've never seen anything like it.

It is bizarre. I think Love is actually a damn good fit on that team. Turner and him would have been fun on offense and Turner could cover his mistakes at the rim. Yea, they would probably max out as a low end playoff spot and maybe they really want to tank?

Its going to be a strange FA period. Oddly enough, there is not a ton of money going around and there are lots of players (especially PGs) who anticipate making a lot of money. And teams have such an aversion to taking on long contracts and I think we are going to see some silly, big money 1 year deals to players who are middle of the road. I just want to see SAS load up and I'll be happy.

 

[James]

Not sure I'd consider 5/173 a reasonable price for Griffin.

I'm so high on Griffin. When he is healthy he is dominant , mainly because of his size and passing. The guy is a wondrous passer. I never thought he matched up well with cp3 because they both sort of play the same; blake at the elbow in pnr as a handler vs cp who runs pnr every where

 

[champs99and04]

I'm so high on Griffin. When he is healthy he is dominant , mainly because of his size and passing. The guy is a wondrous passer. I never thought he matched up well with cp3 because they both sort of play the same; blake at the elbow in pnr as a handler vs cp who runs pnr every where

Was just going to say, I don't think he and Paul liked each other much and it was definitely a bad fit. IIRC, the Clips record didn't dip as dramatically as expected in games where one of the two didn't play.

I've always felt he's been undersold and I honestly don't rule him out as being the top scorer on a contender if he's surrounded with the right pieces.