Nurkic would have been awesome here. Look at what he is doing in Portland. Would have been double headed monster with Clint.
I have come to the conclusion that Morey has a serious complex that compels him to try to make people think he's the smartest guy out there.... That's why he's always trying to get some D-leaguer or foreign player that's not on most people's radar. That way if they prosper - he's a genius... if they don't - well nobody expected much... As opposed to going with a proven (albeit not superstar) commodity... Look at how he drafts... he's had some hits... but he's also had a ton of guys that never even set foot on the floor... feast or famine... always swinging for the bleachers... He wants to show everyone how he can figure things out to win in an unconventional fashion... hence going overboard on the 3 point shooting... stretch 4 as opposed to a banger... not enough real post options... I think he has gotten what I call "Al Davis syndrome".... you have some success and then think you're God's gift to the sport... and ignore conventional wisdom - or even common sense... cause you figure you're smarter than everybody else... I've always been a huge Morey supporter... but he's losing me... It's one thing to be the smartest guy in the room - and quite another to be compelled to make sure everybody knows it...
What would we have that is similar to Plumlee to trade for? It's not simply as easy identifying a guy and just getting him.
I don't get your question... I said Morey has had some hits on drafting... he's also had a number of whiffs.... I'm sayin he doesn't get the guy that looks to be a solid player that fills a need... he gambles on taking somebody who he feels is undervalued - like a Royce White... i get drafting bpa over need... but Morey typically takes it a step further, going with the guy who might develop into the bpa.... just sayin the dude is a gambler trying to hit it rich rather than taking the sure money...
Not sure I agree with that. Blake has proven to be inept shooting the ball from 3. I don't see us bringing him in at the 4 and destroying spacing. Just watching the Clippers this season has reiterated what I've thought about Blake for a long time. Literally hundreds of times Blake sets the pick, spots up at the three point line, received the ball back wide open, can't shoot, won't shoot, fiddles around with the dribble, then reverses the ball, drops into the post, gets the ball back, hold it, fools around, finally starts dribbling with his back to the basket trying to create something. CP3 has to be going stark raving crazy trying to make that work. One of the most efficient, spectacular playmakers of a generation and he spends half his possessions spotted up weak side, waiting for Blake to get done fiddling around so he can get the ball back. Clippers offense is horrible and the whole mess falls at Blake's feet. IF.....Clippers were smart they would attempt to trade Blake for Love. And when they found out Cleveland won't do that, then they should come calling on us for Anderson/parts for Blake. But I honestly believe if/when that happens that Morey is going to attempt to trade Anderson for DeAndre straight up instead of trading for Blake. Because in this era of NBA basketball, DeAndre is probably more important to winning than Blake is. I'm down on Blake. Don't see his value to helping a team win. To me, he's an enigma. I don't want him......even as a 5 here because he's just not good enough defensively. And offensively he's a ball stopper and gums everything up, from the spacing, to crisp ball movement and early shots. I seriously doubt Harden wants to play with him.
Perhaps, but I think we will sell him on playing next to Capela and being a small ball 5....not a 36 mpg 5. I know this is branching off topic, but if we can get Griffin, I think that sets us up well to make a run at George or Butler...specifically George. There's a decent chance Boston gets Heyward in free agency, which would take them out of the George/Butler sweepstakes. If that happens, our offer of expiring vets with positive trade value (who could be moved to a 3rd team for more picks), young players and some level of picks might be good enough to get George if he forces the issue. IND In: Dekker, HOU 1st, Picks from 3rd/4th team HOU In: George 3rd/4th Team In: Ariza, Williams Beverley / Taylor Harden / Gordon George Griffin / Wiltjer Capela / Harrell / Onuaku
So you're preparing to gloss over a near franchise record wins season because Morey signed a D-League guy to a 10 day?
To be honest, I wouldn't count on Paul George. All reports indicate that if he leaves the Pacers, he wants the Lakers. Jimmy Butler? Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe, but I still don't know. Him, OR Griffin, but not both. Adding Griffin to what we have (I guess minus Ariza, because wouldn't we need the cap room?) would make us pretty formidable. Not saying we'll get Blake. He might be in love with the LA glitz and choose to stay (even if the Clippers might not be 100% sold on paying him the big money).
The entire issue with the Clippers comes down to spacing.....they've never had enough of it. CP3 & Reddick are great, Crawford is ok, but that's the extent of the shooters they've had. With Houston, we would surround Harden and Griffin with quality shooters. The only time there wouldn't be 4 shooters on the floor is for the 12-15 minutes Griffin and Capela would play together, and even then, I think you can modify the offense to include Griffin's mid-range game. Griffin/Jordan/Paul is the 8th best +/- 3 man group in the league. It's not like our offense would collapse for those 12-15 minutes. My guess is that when you move Griffin to the 5, a 5 man lineup of Beverley, Gordon, Harden, Ariza and Griffin would rival the Warriors in offensive efficiency.
When it comes to the Rockets and this summer, I have a hard time figuring out Morey's next move. A lot might depend on how this specific team performs in the playoffs. What areas get exposed. We know "chemistry" is more important than ever for this team. And we know this team has to be constructed to "FIT" around Harden. I am really unclear on the next direction. We'll see how this team finishes up the year to see what needs to be addressed and how to do it efficiently.
So we got lucky we have 3 rookies contributing? These are our guys from the last 3 drafts... We got a rookie C/PF playing well in the D league we drafted this year. I don't understand any of your complaints as it seems we draft and develop guys pretty well.
I've thought for a long time the "everyone wants to go to LA" thing was overplayed. The vast majority of players want money and winning. George isn't going to the Lakers to be the only guy. If we trade for George, with Harden, Griffin and a quality supporting cast around them, I don't think he will leave. I see Butler as more unlikely. He's locked into 2 years beyond this one. Maybe he forces his way back here to be closer to his famliy? Again - we only have to move Anderson to open up max space for Griffin. Thats it. Ariza stays (unless he's traded in the George/Butler deal). I go back to a quote from Griffin when DeAndre re-signed. DeAndre asked Griffin if he was going to stay in LAC after his contract expired, and Griffin said that DeAndre just needed to make the best decision for himself. Again, I think most players care about money, then winning, then city....in that order. The Carmelo's of the world are rare.
I asked myself the question, and I have an answer for you after a lot of deep thought. But you're not going to like it. The answer is 42.
