Cousins is an unbelievable talent, but I'd have serious concerns about having to give up a ton of depth, his injury history(he played in 59 and 65 games the last 2 seasons), and the seemingly neverending toxic environment in Sactown. Capela will never be on Cousins' level, but he's also on a bargain basement contract for another 2 seasons which means it'll be easier to add additional talent via free agency. I wouldn't rock the boat.
Capela developing is also a good attraction to free agents especially with the cap rising. Not trying to be a homer too hard but Boston and Houston both have the possibility for a Miami 2010 scenario if we were to dump Ryno & Brewers contract + the rising cap, signing Millsap/Griffin and Paul George. Third banana wise I'd rather have Millsap > Griffin, but if you don't land PG, Griffin is the obvious choice over Griffin. Harden also seems to really like Capela... the chemistry is there.
In the end imo you can think about trade him, but only in a package for a star, and as today, the only star caliber player which may be gettable with a package around Capela is Boogie. Capela is still on a very cheap contract for two years, that has the chance to really help us in free agency for a couple of years and it's something to consider, having a (good) starter which is basically playing without being a load on the cap is huge, but at the same time it's hard to pass when a star is available and maybe gettable. If someone would tell me that we're going to sign George in two years, i wouldn't even trade Capela for Boogie straight, but yeah, that's fantasy basketball, the reality is that i'm not sure i would pass on Boogie right now...
That sure is a long wave. Still insinuating that hes gonna fall off i see. 21 & 9 last night with some good help d. Hes still young and improving. Also under a team friendly deal for a couple more years....lets trade him! That makes no sense. Pride. Just admit you were wrong already.
Codman, As a coach, tell me you are seeing him improve? I know you've been skeptical, just want your thoughts. Yes it's a friendly system and James helps make him look good on the offensive end, but I haven't seen Capela attack the rim like he did last night; he was vicious. Help D is getting better as is his on the ball D. I'm not sure how good he can be, but I love his growth thus far.
It's like people don't realize how young this kid still is. His future is great and we would be idiot getting rid of him.
Capela played very solid vs Cousins, and now Plumlee. I feel like he knows when and where he can be effective on certain plays.
I like the scoring and defense the bench brings to the table. Boogie, is way too enigmatic for me. Some days in the right frame of mind, the next you never know. A better D12 with a worse attitude and he let's it be known that he's in a funk. I'm also concerned about his defensive effort if he's not motivated.
Capella has been much better this year on D and Rebounding. His free throw shooting is much improved and he has done a much better job finishing when james or others set him up. You can tell he's been putting the work in on the court and in the weight room as he doesn't get pushed around as easy as he did in the past. (Now a guy like Cousins is still going to push him around a bit just due to size).
Capela understands his role and plays it well. Set the screen for whoever and roll to the bucket. If we could only get James to score more earlier in the game, teams are taking away the pocket pass and alley oop. James start out scoring 1st to get defense focused on stopping him. Dwight, didn't want to accept a role that he could easily average 20pts and 15 rbs per game. However, we now see the Hawks beginning to fall a part and watch Dwight's behavior.
Dam near like making a decision to marry someone, the unknown is scary. Can't win big if you don't bet big sometimes.
Watching Clint blossom is so dope. It's crazy to think he's the same nervous kid who looked like he needed to be breathing into a paper bag on the bench 2 years ago.
And mark me down as one who isn't sure I'd pull the trigger on Boogie. He is the superior player without question, but he is also notoriously temperamental. After last season, I would be especially cautious about tinkering with chemistry. A very delicate thing.
I would likely pull the trigger, but his temperment isn't really an issue for me (though obviously a concern), rather than I think him and Harden's games would clash a bit. Then you look at the whole aspect of risking him leaving in free agency as opposed to Clint who you have for years...it's tough.
Boogie is Dwight 2.0 He would tear the locker room in half. Clint just wants to be loved by everyone. Keep the chemistry.
Cousins & Harden is not a good fit at all, I don't see Boogie catching alley-oops from Harden nor is he a good all-around defender like Capela is developing into. Capela even has an edge in the rebounding department if you adjust for the average playing time. The best case scenario would be like Shaq & Kobe where two superstars each doing their own thing is enough to win lots of games, but in terms of chemistry and playing team-ball, it would almost certainly be a downgrade.
Not sure if Boogie will fit into the Mike Anthony offense. He likes his low post touches and would not be as willing to just run Pick n Roll as Capela. Even if he is, you have monsters like Shaq telling him he can do so much better and needs a low post game.
Capela has already developed since the beginning of the year. He was visibly gassed in the opening game against the Lakers. The high pace seemingly wore him out. He was such a liability that we couldn't even have him in the game during crucial 4th quarters. Now he's finishing games strong, like against Gobert in our game with Utah and last night. He's starting to hit his free throws. He's reliable, which is more than you can say for most 22 year old centers. The potential is still quite high.
