You can offer Capela + DMO and the backs will hang up the phone. Stop talking about Middleton because you will jinx him He's my favourite player. Anyway he's not available he's a franchise cornerstone the best player of the team by far and the only way he's traded is for a star. He's a top5 sg. Now let's talk about someone else. Do you think that Lawson will still get traded? Perhaps to another team and this rumour about the Bucks was to raise his price?
I think Morey's draft track record has been average at best. He nailed it with Parsons and Capela, to a lesser extent with Brooks and Landry; he also drafted Batum for trading him for a bag of chips and passed up Kawhi Leonard for Marcus Morris, something which I regretted then and obviously regret now, though who knows how much of his success is due to Pop and the Spurs. He also let go of Whiteside more recently. Morey's great at analyzing and evaluating existing talent. He's not as great at scouting out young players that can develop into real talent. For example, even with Kyle Lowry, he had some NBA data to go off of, but I have to give credit here because his metrics were pretty pedestrian and I think Morey saw that he may have been misused. However, he reaches a lot when it comes to collegiate statistics and I think that's part of the reason that his draft record is so hit and miss. This is where having good scouts or GM's with real basketball experience is helpful; there are so many intangibles in what constitutes potential in a collegiate player, as only a few collegiate stats seem to translate well into the pro game (rebounding rate, for example).
I have no idea if or why Milwaukee would trade Middleton, but I also have no idea why Morey would talk to the Bucks about a bunch of expirings. Here's what we know: Morey wanted to showcase Lawson to Milwaukee. He wouldn't do that for a bunch of expirings, which was probably what the Bucks were offering....thus the "Houston didn't like Bucks package" comment from Cyberx. But then why the showcase unless there were discussions about a bigger deal for a more substantial player? I'm not saying it's Middleton......it could be someone else. But its almost guaranteed not to be a package of Mayo, Vasquez, and what everyone else was talking about. Assuming DMo makes a full recovery, he still has substantial value around the league, and I could see the Bucks valuing him as an ideal fit next to Henson. I've never doubted Lawson's fit with Milwaukee. For awhile now, they've seemed like the best option for him. Lawson is a floor general that can score....the Bucks don't have that. He could also be instrumental in the development of Parker and Antetokounmpo.
BBallholic..I think maybe. But Capella has to show more. For Noel they would but Noel has shown more than Capella. (and is a better defender). Perhaps if the Rockets add a little more value. You are overthinking this. Morrey probably wanted also Ennis or perhaps bayless or perhaps a protected first. Lawson doesn't fit. Destroys the switching defence takes the ball out of the wings. Only off the bench he would have been useful. That's why I don't want him. Dmo wouldn't fit either and there's no interest. And I can guarantee you , like put my hand in the fire that Middleton is not available adn if Morrey asked for him the discussion wouldn't even have gotten to the point of a showcase. It would have ended with a laugh and a telephone click. He's the perfect compliment next to the other core players. He's not worth discussing here.
Capela and Ariza for Marcus Smart and Tyler Zeller? Capela, Ariza, McDaniels for Smart, Zeller, Turner?
Oh hell no..... You lose two starters for a declining one? Batum is a slight upgrade over Ariza, but you don't toss in a guy with an elite post game and a high BBall IQ. DD
They have good wings. Crowder and Bradley better than Ariza. If they sell Smart it will be because they can't make a consolidation trade soon enough before their young start to need extensions. Should have no interest to Ariza unless he can be traded elsewhere and the value goes to BOS. The problem is that Boston will wait to see for the trade environment esp about Boogie and perhaps Love and then change plans. And Ariza seem to be lowering his perfomance and hence value very rapidly as he gets older. I personally calculate Zeller's value as a meh second rounder nothing more. I think if Morrey wanted him he could have gotten him alr. Capella has to play more adn show more to make Ainge interested. I do't think that Smart's value is or should be as high as Boston fans/media/fo want to present. He's not that special imo. But if he is the target the problem lies on convincing Ainge a tough GM to part his cold hands of him and make him available.
If I'm the Rockets, I wouldn't do that deal. I've thought for 2-3 years now that Morey preferred LLULL at PG to other options. For various contract related reasons, it hasn't happened yet. I can be satisfied rolling with a PG rotation of Beverley and Llull versus giving up big assets for a risk like Smart. One of our big problems is that we haven't surrounded Harden with enough shooting at the forward spots....and I'm not talking about guys that have practiced their way into average shooting like Ariza and Beverley. We need an elite, natural born shooter that puts constant pressure on the defense. Nobody on this team besides Harden (and Thornton) does that.
I firmly believe Morey will go hard at Llull again in the offseason. Seems like a natural fit next to Harden.
Batum doesn't command anything on offense. He's a great teammate. Nic would fit very well here because he can score off the dribble. Ariza is good but on the decline. As for D-Mo, his health is a major concern and over the summer, I'm sure some team will offer him between $10M-$16M. So why not upgrade at SF? Only problem with Nic is that he's expiring and you run the risk of losing him in the summer to a team desperate for talent such as the Lakers. I mean, with the acquisition of Josh Smith, a move to upgrade at SF seems much more logical than it did earlier this morning.
I wished I had your faith but I don't see llull ever playing here. Perhaps if a team could reconstitute a good measure of the Spanish National team (Memphis?), he'd be interested in playing with his boyz. Otherwise, I don't see him ever coming over here.
Just read this tweet from a Celtic fan Hmm... I don't know much about the him but from what I've seen/heard was positive. He has defended Curry really well also. Can anybody tell me more about the kid?
He will definitely be gone at some stage, but Morey rarely makes the obvious trade, and doesn't seem to often lose. If he wants to give him away for a bag of potato chips, I am sure he can do that at any time. He is non-guaranteed next season, and Morey always wants to have a shot at a max FA, so bringing back salary beyond this season won't happen. It will either be for an asset, or just hold him. If he can get a better value FA, he just waive Ty to create the cap room.
