In his prime RJ was an ideal #3 option next to Kidd and Carter on those Nets teams. Wiggins has to improve as a shooter, particularly from 3 and get a better shot selection. If hes complimented by players the caliber of Towns, Butler and Teague long term and yhey figure out how to make that work, theyre going to be just fine
For the sake of the NBA, I hope you are right. And maybe with so many teams being in cap trouble, you will be. But he's a young player who's shown borderline all-star play at times. Players like that tend to get the max, or close to it when they hit the open market. There are some teams that just won't lure in good players otherwise, so when they have the money they spend it.
The thing is, it looks like this is what we're going to get with Whiteside from a basketball POV, and in the locker room, and in the media, it could get worse. If Miami is going to trade him, these are the kinds of moves it will probably take. A Wiggins or Parker-type deal, or maybe even something worse. With Wiggins it's a gamble for sure. He's on a huge deal, and if you trade for him and it doesn't work, you're stuck with that contract. But let's think about the potential fit. The Heat have turned journeymen and mediocre players into above average players almost on a yearly basis. James Johnson barely played in Toronto, and the Heat turned him into a $15M player. Wayne Ellington, basically the same. Tyler Johnson, and Rodney McGruder were in the D League. Now, you're giving that system a player with about as much talent to mold as you could ask for. You mention his defense. The Heat regularly turn guys into good defenders with far less ability than Wiggins. Wiggins, was thought to be a guy who could be an elite defender coming out of college. On the Heat, I guarantee at the very least he'd be an average defender, but more likely a good defender. I'm more confident about that than whether they can get him to realize his overall potential. Ideally the Heat can find a true "whale" this offseason, or set themselves up to get one in 2019. But if they can't, a trade like this one could pay huge dividends IMO, and might just be worth the gamble.
He hasn’t shown borderline all star play since returning from the second knee injury. I don’t even think you’ll see Cousins get the max and he’s a more accomplished player.
In that scenario you’d probably need to find a 3rd team for Whiteside. He’s a poor fit in Minnesota as KAT is their C and should be. If they need a big body at C we’ll Dieng isn’t as good as Whiteside but he’s not the headache either and he can actually shoot a little. I couldn’t see that deal happening without a more significant return for Minnesota. It would be selling low on a former #1 pick who has shown signs of being a good two way player. I also think adding Teague and Butler hurt Wiggins as well as he was better in 16-17 then 17-18
Maybe. I think they could play KAT at the 4. I believe they were one of the teams that was rumored to have some interest in Whiteside. He'd help some of their defensive woes. I think you're overestimating the NBA decision makers. I'd be shocked if Boogie gets less than the max.
Could and should play KAT at the 4 are 2 different things. The Knicks COULD play KP As a 4....why though? In this nba KATs future is as a C. Maybe I am overstatingbtheir intelligence. But there’s never been an nba player make a strong return from an Achilles injury. The closest one was Dominique Wilkins back 20 years ago and he had to completely alter his game.
I would rather take expiring contracts honestly. Being locked into yet another long term bad value contract is why we're in this position. Of the recent signings, I'd say only Olynyk and Richardson can justify the money they're being paid. I also think the salary cap increase is what made James Johnson a $15 million player. If Waiters can stay healthy and consistently play at or near his talent level, then he moves into the territory of earning his money. I don't think either of us is wrong. You're coming from the place of believing that Wiggins' current ability + his potential exceeds the risk of his contract. I don't think he's all that good personally and we already have a player who is almost identical to Wiggins on a per-36 basis.
I said it yesterday. Lebron, PG, and Kawhi to the Lakers. Lakers willing to part with Kuzma, Ingram, filler, and picks to get Kawhi. I hope the Spurs send Kawhi to the east. Somebody has to play in the east....damn.
Could be true. Rockets have already moved on from what I've heard. I am sure LeBron has already told Chris Paul what his plan is. That is why all Im hearing from Rockets sources for the past week is about Jimmy Butler, Deandre Jordan, and Tyreke Evans.
Contradicts their own reporter since Begley works for them and covers tbeir Knicks beat: I do hope Scott Perry learned from the Melo mistake (giving assets for a player about to be a FA). Kawhi is FA next year, you can land him and Kyrie to go with Frank, KP and whoever is picked this year. Load em up and do it right for once NYK.
I think KAT can play both. If Anthony Davis is a top 5 player in the NBA at the 4, so can KAT. I think there are ways to make it work with Hassan there. They can play together, and KAT can play the 5 when Whiteside is off the court. With Cousins, again, I think you're giving them too much credit. The logic is absolutely sound, but look at some of the players getting max deals, and close to it. I think teams are going to look at what Boogie was, and could be if he does get back to 100%, and be more than willing to take the gamble.
And that might be the better option. The problem is (and I hope I'm wrong), I'm not sure how realistic it will be to trade many of these guys for expiring contracts. You may have to attach good young payers just to dump them, which I don't love, unless you feel really good about landing multiple stars in FA. I think the more realistic thing will be moving bad contracts for bad contracts. I think we could see that all over the NBA this offseason.
With regards to Kawhi, there are whispers that Pop is not going to trade him to the Lakers. If the Celtics make a play for him, they have the most to give. I'm not sure it's a great idea for them to break their team up to do that, but it sounds like they're thinking about it. I do think Miami could be in play, here. Supposedly they are one of the teams he'd be interested in, and Riley and Pop have a very good relationship. That could potentially work against Miami being interested because the issue with Kawhi is squarely with Pop supposedly, but if that doesn't scare them off, I think they could be a real possibility.
Boogie is a much better and had/has a more diverse array of moves than Whiteside. That goes a long way towards complimenting the star guy. Boogie is a better passer, ball handler and shooter then Whiteside. Whiteside can be a better defender but he’s lazy as hell and has an attitude to match. Boogie, when he’s had actual coaches, (Malone for 20 games and Gentry) seems to flourish. Whiteside has one of the best coaches and chooses then to cop an attitude when it was that coach who helped him land a fat deal. I don’t see Minnesota or Thibs more specifically wanting that. Interesting note on Wiggins today...supposedly that issue Butler had with him last year related to laziness on defense and shot selection.
I think very little about Ainge as a GM and For his sake he must evaluate the Kawhi situation as much as he can because he may be offering some of that young talent we just saw go in the playoffs without Kyrie and Hayward, and Kawhi is too mysterious to gamble on. Also Kawhi is clearly a huge Lakers fan and that should be a red flag if youre a Celtics fan. But hey, yall go after him and destroy your future. Be my guest
You think little of Ainge? Any reason why? I hate the Celts myself but it appears he has assembled one heck of s young roster.
I have given him credit for that before, but i also know hes capable of breaking it all up for a guy that wont commit longterm.
Did someone say AD? I am now obligated to chime in, no matter the context: KAT is a 5. Period. He’s not quick or agile enough to play the 4. He’s a fantastically quick 5. But you can’t compare his skill set to AD’s.
We have nothing really to offer. We’ve overrated most of our players and the playoff run tanked the value of guys like Whiteside and JJ. TJ is another guy who’s value tanked over the year. In reality, the Dragic trade has severely handcuffed us. Moreover, we should have had the foresight to see our pick deficit would be a problem and we should’ve passed Winslow to take that Celtics deal. If we had a few of those picks we could at least get in the game. Pretty much every move we’ve made since LeBron left has failed. We’re no closer to a championship contender today, 4 years later, than we were the minute he left
I don't agree that we don't have anything to offer. Depending on what they're looking to do, Dragic, Richardson, Winslow, and Bam are pieces that teams would want, and are good value. You could see attraction to guys like JJ as well. Are there teams that can offer more? Sure. But once again, we have a situation where the player has the chance to leave in a year. That could potentially diminish what they can get back. I also don't really see how the Dragic trade handcuffed us. The Heat got good years out of him, and we never saw the team he was brought here to create because of the Bosh issue. Even still, they could have moved Dragic, and gotten fine return on their investment. Trying to keep this team together was the real mistake. The run they went on two seasons ago was very unfortunate because not only did they not cash in on trades they could have made, and landed a top draft pick, it was fools gold with what this team could be, and they resigned those guys to big deals. That's why they're in the position they are currently. I'm not certain Riley can't find a way to fix it, but it's going to be an incredibly difficult undertaking. What Miami has going for them is, it's a premiere destination for NBA players. Guys want to live in Miami and play for this organization. Because of that, they are always going to be in the running for the big fish, and it could allow them to get in the Kawhi race if Pop doesn't want to send him to LA, and Boston decides not to break their team up.
You're entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. And FWIW, I'm not alone on thinking he can play the 4. Here are two entire article claiming he SHOULD play the 4. https://dunkingwithwolves.com/2017/11/24/should-karl-anthony-towns-just-be-a-power-forward/ https://zonecoverage.com/2017/timbe...ony-towns-and-the-slow-move-to-power-forward/
RE: the T'Wolves, Jamal Crawford is the first to jump ship. He declined his option. Obviously, he's just a small part of that team, but I wonder if this is a sign.
saw something I'd be happy with omari Spellman at pick 27 to boston. rotational big with upside that can shoot the 3.
2 days til the draft...media still thinks the NYK are going PG but Knick fans know we are taking the best wing available. Its a rough draft to mock And imo its going to be active with trades from pick 2 to pick 23 or so. Sacremento has no 1 next year so ive read stuff where theyd be willing to move down if they were able to get a 1st next year. Memphis wants someone to take back Parsons if they move down from 4. Ive read Indy wanting to move up for a PF because Thad Young is a FA and both Denver and Washington are looking to move money off they books and may be willing to give their 1st if they can get talent back (Ive maintained the Knicks should offer THJR or Lee and Kyle O Quinn for expirings and the 1st to either team) as both teams are tight with the cap and in Washintons case are over the tax by over 4M. My personal preference for the NYK is Porter falling to them. I think hes a top 3 talent in this draft with Bagley and Doncic as my 1 and 2. I wouldnt mind Knox or Carter...Knox had a monster workout and supposedly ran Miles Bridges out of the gym Saturday and I know Scott Perry had a long conversation with Knoxs family (as per the NY Post) to get an idea how hed fit in. Id love to get 14 or 15 and get either Bridges there.
We dont need 8, we need 9. Thats the thing, a lot of these guys have crazy ranges. Ive seen Porter between 2 and 9. Ive seen Trae Young between 3 and 12. Ive seen Bamba between 3 and 12. Ive see Carter between 5 and 11. Ive seen Knox between 8 and 14. Miles and Mikal as high as 6 or 7 and as low as 14/15. Its going to be dependant on fit, character and trades. Im hoping for Porter. Im prepared for Knox and ok with that. Im not sure i want Miles or Mikal at 9. Id rather trade down i think then go there...
After some research it seems how you interpret Porter’s injury will go a long way. All I recall is how highly touted he was and chose Mizz.