Right. I'd go as high as $50 on that bet - that he WILL be a bust. Trouble is in defining bust, but still, that'd be a win win bet. But I'll save it for someone else to make the thread.
You have no idea what you're talking about. You think the #2 pick is worth 5 million lol? Did you not see the Cavs buy a ~#8 pick yesterday for 12 million + young talent? Also, Battier is unrestricted, that means it literally makes no difference what team he's on when the season ends except that we (and now the Grizz) can pay him MORE than other teams and sign him for 6 years instead of 5, both of which are irrelevant in Battier's case. Not sure where you come up with the idea that we could resign him for cheap if he were still with us but whatever, we weren't going to resign him anyway so the point is moot.
Yes, the Cavs took on about $12 million of additional salary over the next 3 years by doing the trade, but they also got back equivalent (or more than equivalent) talent. BDiddy, even at his age, is a better player than Mo Williams. And then they got a future #8 pick, not a former #2 pick, whom, if the draft was redone today, would be lucky to go in the first round. So, yeah, the Cavs get back a better player and a better pick (this year, not lotto protected). The Rockets get back a player who will be lucky to see much PT at all, and a future pick (that could be 7+ years in the future for all we know) that is lotto protected. yeah, great trade!
People will always view players with weak offensive skills as busts unless someone in the media hypes their defense or they become Ben Wallace.
You actually think the Cavs made this trade even partially based on talent? There isn't a team in the league that would want Davis for Williams straight up, ignoring salaries. Anyway, we weren't talking about Thabeet when we said the Rox traded 5 mil for a 1st rounder, we were talking about the future pick we got for 5 mil, which is a good deal. Thabeet was just our payment at worst, at best he's our center of the future.
There's no need for any of that. Now that Thabeet is actually a Rocket the landscape changes a bit. You don't want to put yourself in a position where you're rooting against a player on your own team just to satisfy a bet.
Salaries ignored, Baron is certainly the better player. He's older, but Mo Williams isn't exactly baby faced anymore. Baron's had some fairly down years (for him) with the Clippers, but is still playing better than Williams is. Most stuff I read has the Cavs trade grading better than the Rockets - Grizzlies trade, because of the nature of the pick involved. The Cavs got an unprotected immediate pick. They pick up a horrible contract - considering Baron's age and general ability to be malcontent - but also traded away a bad contract. But at least Baron will play..heck even start. He'd been playing a lot better recently, too. But it's really the pick that's the big deal. Still, the Cavs aren't exactly being highly praised for doing the deal. So it's not like we should feel good the Rockets had to pay $5 million to pick up a lotto protected pick in 2013 at the earliest (but pushing out thereafter in the event the Grizzlies don't make the playoffs in 2013,14,15...etc. - and let's be honest, they likely will miss the playoffs often and regularly) just because the Cavs over-spent $12 million to buy their draft pick. And again, while the Cavs overspent, the got a MUCH MUCH MUCH better draft pick, and also make up some of the value difference relative to the Rocket's trade due to the fact that Baron has actual ability while Thabeet has proven absolutely nothing to date. no, that's my point...it's a win win. i guess i'm not as strapped for $50 as some around here?? I'd be happy to contribute to the site and even more happy that Thabeet turns into a real talent. Conversely, the goal was to actually get some betting going on both sides (which didn't happen in this thread), which while it'd be disappointing that Thabeet becomes a bust if he continues in that direction, at least Clutch would get some help financing the board.
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I understand big men may need time to develop and all that good jazz, but a #2 draft pick is expected to make some sort of impact. The big men picked in last year's draft are already outpacing Thabeet. If he doesn't show significant development by the end of next season I'd say he's that's a bust. How would you define a bust? How long of a leash does a #2 draft pick have? I'm hunkering down for a slew of turnovers, slow or missed defensive rotations, fouling out, and very limited offensive skills. I hope I'm wrong.
