LOL you are going to reference the Seattle Pro Am video as evidence he isn't going down hill? I just need to look at how he played against the Rockets in the playoffs a couple of months ago. Shaky.
Is there a huge difference... lol... waived, cut, said good bye to, dumped... ? Kidding.. I would say you're crazy to think that much, but then again I would have never thought Josh Smith and Deron Williams would have been waived and stretched. The Wolves are in good financial shape this year, and next operating under the cap, and I don't really see huge benefit to them in waiving Pekovic. Especially when the cap is going up next year, and there is potential for Pek to get healthy and productive again. After this year, a team in need of a center, could easily trade for his salary at 12, and 11 mil in the last two years of his deal. You just need a team that is in need of a true 5. Crazy enough, the Spurs are a team that again might actually be operating with a good chunk of cap space next Summer, and I could easily see them making that kind of trade to absorb him in their cap space for a cheap asset. Or the Wolves simply like the fit of him paired with KAT & Dieng. Waiving Pek kind of seems unnecessary for a team that surely is not in need of moving his contract. Especially when they can easily move the deal next year for an asset even when the cap jumps up and his deal suddenly looks great. If healthy he's still a very decent starting 5.
I wouldn't call anything about Pekovic great. He's owed 3 more years at $12 million per, and can't protect the rim worth a lick.......those guys have fallen in value (though don't ask me what Monroe just got paid). Obviously they wouldn't just waive/cut Pek....that ties up their cap for several years and doesn't net them any production. The reason I included him was *IF* he wanted more playing time and was willing to knock some of the guaranteed salary off his deal, the wolves and him could come to some kind of agreement. I would be shocked if Pek has positive trade value.
Pekovic might just be the worst contract in the league since DWill has been waived and stretched. And it makes no snese for Minny to stretch him. He'll have better value for them in 3 seasons at the trade deadline as an expiring contract than he does now.
Actually, I'll disagree with you here. Several of the players that just signed contracts this summer are worse. Reggie Jackson Greg Monroe Enes Kanter Wes Matthews These are some really bad deals.
Really? All of those players apart from Wes Matthews are actually perfectly healthy. Pekovic CANNOT play. He had one of the most serious surgeries on achilles, it's a last resort surgery. His pain was excuciating even during last season. Wes Matthews condition compared to him is 10 times better. Monroe is even a two years deal so I fail to see how it's a bad contract in the first place. Best case scenario for Minny is a) he comes back healthy in February /March (not optimistic) b) Convinced to medical retire. If he medically retires he won't have to be cut or waived and he will be alltogether off their cap.
He got a debribement and repair on his Achilles' tendon which means it's less than 50% damaged. It's not as bad as you think. I think you think he got a tendon transfer which is more serious but that's not the case. It takes 6-8 months to recover from for normal body fat/healthy people. Pekovic could lose weight to take the pain off but that would mean losing muscle which further delays recovery time. The dudes less than 5% body fat. It's not nearly as terrible as you think. I honestly doubt he retires soon because of it. It's a torn tendon and I personally have undergone the same surgery. I'm no world class athlete but it's not nearly as terrible as you perceive it to be.
Really.... Marcin Gortat was recently extended for crying out loud. Enes Kanter just got the max from OKC... a team so scared of overpaying for another wing that they traded away James Harden... Centers always have value to the right buyers my friend. And while I think Gortat, and probably Kanter are slightly better, and healthier, hopefully you get the point of what I'm getting at especially when putting yourself in the eyes of a homer GM of the Wolves who likely overvalues their own players... Even un-healthy, one-way centers still hold some sort of value to teams who are desperate. I'm not saying Pek is going to get healthy overnight, and become a half-way decent center again, but there is reason to believe, if you are the GM of the Wolves, that some team could get needy in the future and trade for him if they just need to plug that hole in the middle. Especially when, again, you are financially in a good place with no burden to tend to with your cap. Its also kind of funny how some folks will make a case that X player will be available as a pickup for the Rockets, and then just minutes later make a case as to why that player is now no-good when someone disagrees that he's that available from his current team. So is he good, and worthwhile for the Rockets, or is he a bad player that nobody wants.... he surely can't be both??? Is Pekovic good, and a good fit for the Rockets to pursue, or is he a bad player that is bad enough for the Wolves to waive, and stretch.... surely he can't be both. Sorry for giving you a hard time, but just think Pekovic lately has gotten a bad wrap. A half season of decent health, a new salary cap with ridiculous contracts, and the right desperate team in need of a big, and his value will look much, much better overnight.
I am glad you are fine Persian Rocket from your procedure. My info comes from the Minny fans. They said that he is most likely to return after next year, and he had said himself that this is his last hope to have a carreer and he also said that he will have problems in health after basketball. Don't forget that these guys put an insane amount of pressure on their bodies especially a center like Pekovic who bangs up every night in the post. I sure hope that he can come back healthy but as for right now his health problems make him the most bad contract in the league. Because his question mark at his contract are the most serious out of all. Ofc Matthews has the potential to be the worst but from all the teams that were interested in signing and paying him (three at least) it seems he has shown them he has already made huge steps in recovery. (jennings on the other hand, hasn't begun to even run yet).
If you read the article when Pekovic addresses his surgery he says "surgery the last and best resort I have to repair my ankle." Meaning he could've been waiting it out, doing different exercises to strengthen it, etc. I don't think he meant it's the end of his career.
If Morey trades for a legit stretch four who can knock down threes at a high clip to replace Jones and backup D-Mo, we'd be unstoppable. For instance, just imagine a pick & pop with Lawson and the stretch 4, Dwight lurking at the rim while Harden and Ariza are spotting up in each corner.
Is Dmo not already that guy? Midrange maybe not so much but definitely hits the 3 with consistency. IMO PF is the enigma on this team. DMo and Jones are both capable but need to improve their defense and rebounding. So with all the other fire power on this team do you sit tight or try to make a trade for a veteran like a Ryan Anderson or maybe Thad Young? And then you have the upcoming contract extensions for both. Will Morey want to trade one or both before? Or will be extend them to create more tradeable sized contracts for a star player? Personally I think we stand pat. This team has everything and Jones and DMo are good enough. Short of Durant or Cousins demanding a trade here this team is good enough as is.
We need to see what we have in DMO. We got a good look last year and there was still room for improvement. I think we have a better idea of his ceiling by February. Depending on that, we could keep him or deal him. He is going to get paid (almost regardless) so we have to decide what his value to us is. Same with Jones but to a lesser extent. Unless something great comes up we can afford to wait at this point.
With Lawson added and Beverley and Brewer back, it is going to be very hard to aquire a stretch 4 without sending a significant piece of the rotation (outside of PF) back in return. What stretch 4's are going to be worth attempting to get? It is tough.... Unless someone on a rookie contract becomes available, it will be hard. Really it is going to come down to improvement of Jones and Motie. Also I have been told Ariza will see a lot more time at the 4.
I fully expect to see Ariza at the 4 more. Gives more minutes to Thornton, Brewer, and perhaps KJ McDaniels. With Howard, Rox can play small alot. That's the way the NBA is going anyways.
I agree with this. I also anticipate Dekker to be more of a 4 in the NBA as well, but not sure if he's going to be able to shoot well enough to be labeled as a stretch 4. I do think we are going to see alot more of Ariza or Harden at the 4 this year with the guards and wings the Rockets have. Anyone bringing up trading for someone like Danny Granger to be the Rockets stretch 4 is just trying to conjure up trades to make themselves sounds smarter than they really are. The Rockets already have better stretch 4 options currently on their roster as it is. Also D-Mo shot almost 37% from 3 last year, and had a stretch where he was over 40% for a good chunk of the season. If you don't think he stretches the floor where teams guard him from 3, and that he's also a 4, then I don't know what to tell you.
I still feel uneasy about our backup 5 and I'm not sold on Dekker. Given that Minnesota has Towns and Pekovic, Gorgui Dieng will be riding the bench waiting on an injury or garbage time. On Aug 6 trade Dekker for Dieng. Saves us a few pennies in the deal and gives us Dieng and Capela as backups. That gives them Dekker (someone the locals know and possibly follow) to help add to their fanbase while they rebuild. Sign Terry and pick up a vet min wing (easy to find than a backup C at this point) and that is a rounded out roster that should get us to Jan 15th or beyond.
Is there any update on Capela's knee tendinitis? I hope he is good enough to practice without discomfort. He is raw and needs time to become a consistent backup 5. Dwight has health concerns despite his great comeback. Another backup 5/4 would be useful. Morey should be on the lookout for one.
