it's not my dream option; i hate all the options. I'm saying it might be the best option other than tanking. Those numbers are really not an accurate portrayal of what Barnes would do in a MDA offense (he was shooting behind Klay and Curry for god sake; there's only one basketball). It would be more like 18ppg on Houston (with upside given his youth and talent). Look, i don't like where we are, but people are talking about investing in a 30 yr old Horford, or Anderson; both of which would absolutely prolong the rebuilding process. At least Barnes (who's only 24) can be part of that rebuilding process while making us more competitive now. That's what he costs on the market. I'd rather have him for $22 than Anderson or someone like that for $18. Barnes will never reach his potential on GS, but he could in Houston. If Conley takes the money and stays in Memphis, maxing out Barnes is our best option.
We cannot afford to do a complete "rebuild" right now. We screwed ourselves when we didn't throw the last regular season game and lost our top draft picks. We barely have any assets to trade for legitimate players as other teams don't want the players we have unless their name is Harden. Harden only has 2 years left on his contract and then he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2018 when he's 28...if we don't get him good players to help him now and not players "with potential" that "we can develop", he could easily walk in 2018 and then we'll really be screwed.
What stats? Ariza is miles better than Barnes as a defender and slightly less on offense although that is debatable considering Barnes completely fades in the playoffs while Ariza usually shines (save for this postseason). Some sucker is going to pay Barnes a lot of money. I just hope it is not us. The guy has a lot of talent but he has been given every opportunity to unleash it but has not shown he is capable mentally or physically to be up for that challenge.
I am not advocating signing Barnes but Ariza can only be used as a rotational player, average defender,streaky shooter, can't dribble to save his life. We need one more creator as SF or PG.
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When you're in the bottom half of your position, are you really a "D Star"? I mean, he is a D. Maybe the graphic got confused.
I'm telling yall, start Dudley next year. He actually wants to be here too. We need to bring Ariza off the bench.
His 3pt %. His FT%. His TO%. Those are the three things I am looking for when it comes to a replacement for Ariza. I want a guy who can knock down outside shots, who can hit free throws, and who takes care of the ball. Barnes turns the ball over half as much as Ariza did. The rest of that analytical DBPM **** is cool and all, but I know Barnes is a more than capable defender. I saw him in college, I've seen him now. He's got the body for it, and he's athletic to boot. I'd take Barnes in FA in a heartbeat.
For those of you not following JR referenced Harrison Barnes and Ariza at their age 23 season. In a hypothetical, Ariza is the better player and more valuable contributor on a championship team at age 24 than Harrison Barnes will be next year. That was my point. Now of course Barnes is probably a better player but at a fraction of the salary, I am still taking Ariza instead of overpaying for a guy with potential that he will never reach IMO especially at a 15+mil contract.
Probably going to catch some heat for one of these names...but personally I would love to see both Brandon Jennings & Allen Crabbe here. Crabbe is a young player who could be with us for the long-term (even if Harden left) and grow into a special wing. .385% from 3-point land compared to .352% for Trevor (Obviously he's played a lot longer). Jennings I have admittedly always had a liking for. I think recent injury history could provide a value contract and could play the roll I think we all wanted Ty to play this year. Jennings made about $8mm last year off of a 3yr/24mm contract.
I like Crabbe, but Brandon Jennings would be a waste of money for us. He's injury prone and isn't that great of a shooter.
I have warmed substantially to the idea of signing Whiteside to a max deal. I still have some misgivings. But.....if he plays well next season on a max deal at around $22 million then he should be tradeable. And he might be the cheese we need to get DeMarcus or some other high profile unhappy superstar. If we cannot get a deal done for Noel to man the middle for us, who is the best fit I see for an MDA coached team on both ends of the floor, then the next best option would be to sign Whiteside. I'd much rather give this guy, who has a 9'6" standing reach and probably a max vertical reach around 12'6" or more and is 27 years old, a contract starting at $22 million, then to give a guy who is 30 years old, has a 8'11" standing reach, has lost his springs, and doesn't want to bang around for you inside a contract starting at $26 million.
Stein & Lowe: Stein on Parsons: He'll get courted by other teams when FA starts. Mavs dream scenario is Conley-Whiteside. It'd surprised me if they land both. They're in with a legit chance on both. That's a signal that he'll move on. Stein on Conley: They(Mavs) do have a real chance. He will give it serious thoughts. The Grizzlies will have to go into the 5th year at $33M. San Antonio is also interested. Mavs think they have a chance. Houston needs a PG and have Conley interest. I don't know their chances. Houston is poking around on Conley. There will be no shortage of suitors. How much does Memphis have to guarantee the 5th year? Lowe: Houston's continued pursuit of big name PGs is interesting. From Rondo back in the day, to taking a shot on Lawson, which was smart, and Conley, which I had not heard. Beverley's name has come up in talks. He's such an ideal fit next to Harden. Seems odd they're determined to put a traditional ball dominant PG next to Harden. Also, they're a fascinating team. They're gonna lose Dwight. They are a win now team all the time. They have these PF hanging in FA who were bad/injured. If they strike out in FA, what is plan B/C? The downside next year is not insignificant. Stein: It's the Rockets. You know they have plan B & C. I'm a D'Antoni fan. He & Harden, there's potential there for success but how much buy in from Harden? He took a major step back last year. The Rockets are reeling right now. They wanted in on Durant. I remember when Parsons went from Houston to Dallas, within that story, I remember writing that already Houston was in their Durant free agency planning. At this point, they do not have a meeting. They didn't make his list. That's a tough one for them to swallow. Harden & Durant are boys. You know Harden is working it like so many star players are but the fact they aren't in the mix is a big blow. Lowe: I'm fascinated to see what they do. They're aggressive & Daryl has plans A through Z. I will say, .500 last year, Capela is ready to play 25-30 minutes a game. If he can be decent and a couple of guys who can shoot & mesh with Harden...it won't be a disaster.
