Sounds like the most impactful free agent we can sign not named James Harden and who doesn’t believe the earth is flat, is Cam Johnson. The cap experts are saying the Nets are too cap strapped to match a strong offer. If there’s a reasonable chance we can just snatch him from Brooklyn, we’ve got to make him the top priority of our free agency.
I get what you’re saying, but this team needs results more than anything. GSW didn’t have That at the beginning. Toronto didn’t have it. Denver doesn’t have it. I’m not saying the days of stars winning it all is over, but I think we’ve seen you need a balanced team, not a top-heavy one.
Trade Houston out: #4, Garuba and Martin Houston in: #6 & #11 Orlando out: #6 & #11 Orlandon in: #4, #26 & #29 Indiana out: TJ McConnell, #6, & #29 Indian in: Garuba and Martin Draft #6 - Taylor Hendricks #11 - Cason Wallace #22 - Nick Smith, Dariq Whitehead or Rayan Rupert Free Agents Jevon Carter, Grant Williams and Brook Lopez Roster PG - Carter/McConnell/Washington SG - Green/KPJ/Christopher SF - KPJ/Eason/Williams PF - Smith/Hendricks/Williams C - Sengun/Lopez/Smith RGV: Wallace & Smith (Whitehead or Rupert) With the kiddos improving, the team trying to win and a leader holding everyone accountable I think this team could push close to .500. I think there would easily be a 10-15 game improvement. Not a whole lot of sizzle to this plan but plenty of steak and it leaves the focus of the team's present and future on Green, Smith, Sengun and the rest.
Yeah, it makes a lot of sense for the Rockets to throw a huge offer sheet at him even if it just improves the draft picks Brooklyn owes.
I’m more intrigued by Anthony Black as I’ve researched all of the prospects. I was not impressed with Arkansas this year relative to their talent so I think I had a bias. But It basically seems like he can do everything but shoot the 3. He has a floater. If he can get to 34% from 3 he might be among the best players in this draft. I really like the size, defense, handles, passing and court-vision/feel. Those are all elite. I guess I’m wondering why Amen is getting so much run, but Black isn’t, when Black is the same size, better defender, better passer, better court vision, and projects as a better shooter. Can anyone explain that? It is just falling in love with the elite Amen athleticism?
I don't agree that Black is the better passer or has better court vision, and I'm not necessarily sold that he projects as a better shooter because he was nearly as bad from a shorter 3P line and his mechanics look pretty slow and bad to me. But aside from that, the basic answer is yes, it's because Anthony Black is just a pretty good athlete who might be a bit above average in the NBA (similar to Brandon Miller for example) whereas Amen will immediately be one of the best athletes in the entire league. It gives them completely different levels of upside. Black's best case outcome is a fringey all-star, whereas if everything goes really well for Amen he could contend for MVP awards.
To put it simply: Anthony Black is Amen Thompson without the upside Doesn’t have the first step / explosiveness / tools to create rim pressure at will from a standstill. Doesn’t have the frame to guard 3s and 4s.
That's exactly it - falling in love with the athleticism and forgetting that this game us about skill more than anything else. I was one of the first on the Anthony Black train early on but I kinda cooled off on him as the season wore on. My biggest complaint was his playing second fiddle to Nick Smith Jr rather than asserting his dominance on both ends of the floor. He has the ability to take over games but just didn't do it often enough. His floor is much higher than Amen and his ceiling is in the same ballpark, even if a bit lower and his shooting is probably more likely to improve than Amen - one guy's shot is fundamentally sound while the other's is totally broken.
Everyday, I'm getting more unhappy because of the massive bust and slight boom of Amen Thompson. It's the worst position for the Rockets to be at 4, with the OKC in full command of the 1st round draft picks. Will Orlando want Amen instead of Suggs at 6? If so the 4 and 20 may yield us Ausar as a wing or Whitmore at 6, and Gradey Dick or Cason Wallace at 11 with some luck. It's a rather unpleasant position to be in unfortunately.
One interesting thought I did have, as somebody who is in the "Amen is likely the best player available at 4" camp--how much of a barrel do you have Detroit over if you take Cam Whitmore but will listen to their trade offers to move up? Amen is a godawful fit for them, after all. Could you, for instance, pry away one of their young big men and still come away with Amen, as a way of extracting more value from the #4 pick and hedging bets a little bit? The tricky part is, that does open you up to another team swooping in and trading with Detroit to come away with Amen instead of us. So much possible gamesmanship on draft night.
If you did not have this new CBA and could theoretically spend a whole lot on top heavy, it would still be possible. Two superstars or fringe superstars are not enough these days. So you field a stronger team with two at the helm. Different times.
Not a bad idea. Ivy is also a combo guard who can pass unlike Cade Cunningham. That won't suit us. No chance imo. It's not a badd idea, neverthess I've
Sign FVV and trade # 4, KPJ, etc for LaVine. Let him and his 38% from 3 shooting play SF. FVV, Green, LaVine, Smith, Sengun, and Eason should be the core. Round out with some more vets and let the team grow the next 3-4 years.
