Ilyasova is older than he claims he is. That explains the decline and injuries. Old people get injured more. And I'm basing this not on the recent decline, but on all the rumors that were relevant many years ago, before he even played in NBA. He faked his ID to get onto turkish youth team.
Maybe you should start basing your opinion on you know actual facts like his injuries being freak concussions and broken noses that have nothing to do with age.
Hou gains: Horford (Atl) Johnson (Bkn) Jack (Bkn) Scott (Atl) Bkn gains: Lawson (Hou) Brewer (Hou) filler (Atl/Hou) Atlanta gains: Howard (Hou) Jones (Hou) filler (Bkn/Hou) Appropriately random trade. This assumes we want to partially give up on this season (hard to see anyone beating the Warriors) - changes the scenery for the Rockets significantly. Horford and Johnson are both expiring - see what they can bring the rest of this year (Johnson is a proven SF, could a change of scenery work out for him? Probably not, but a worthwhile gamble considering the gap we need to close to approach the GSW). Horford is a great fit next to both Capela and DMo - can stretch it out (36% from deep, 1.2 makes per game), and provide outstanding defence down low. Brooklyn get something talent-wise with Lawson without really giving up much. They haven't got much to look forward to in terms of picks (etc), Lawson adds something to their backcourt. Atlanta need some kind of presence to make a name for themselves. Howard is a legit center, and can hold the fort down for them defensively. Jones more than replaces what they lose in Mike Scott, and gives them a sound 4th option as a big man. Obligatory lineup Beverley/ Jack/ Terry Harden/ Thornton/ McDaniels Johnson/ Ariza Horford/ Motiejunas/ Scott Capela/ Harrell Maybe it makes us worse! lol.
Josh Smith on the block... But I want Ryan Anderson. That dude can absolutely light it up and whilst he's not an elite defender by any means, he is an adequate rebounder (I use that term loosely). Surely the Pelicans are looking at blowing up their core, and seeing as Anderson is an expiring I'd be surprised if they wanted him back next year, could be wrong though. Obviously it's also a matter of what we could actually give back too. Which is not much.
If the Bulls are willing to step on the trading waters, wouldnt' be surprised if they are willing to listen to offers for Mirotic and Gasol.
new coach.....I think they will give him time. But if they are willing to trade Mirotic, I'd be toward the front of the line. I don't expect him to be a superstar, but he's a good player on a solid contract. My focus is on the playoffs. We have 11 in the rotation right now, and we need to trim that down to 9 or so. The rotation locks (IMO) are: Beverley / Lawson Harden Ariza DMo Howard / Capela I also feel comfortable with Terry, Thornton and Brewer as guys that can step in a do their jobs, but I'd prefer them in those special circumstances rather than in the regular rotation. That means TJones, KJ, Harrell, and Dekker are trade bait, while someone like Brewer can be salary filler. Team Needs 1) 3 Point Sniper - We've got to get a wing that demands attention on every play as a shooter. Harden and Lawson both need a guy like that to open up this offense. Unfortunately, most of the true "snipers" are on playoff teams, which makes trading for them difficult. That means all we can really do is sit and wait. Maybe the Hawks get injured and Korver hits the market, or the Clippers collapse and Reddick asks for a trade. 2) A 3&D Flex 3/4 - Someone that can switch along the perimeter and nail 3s at an average clip. Luckily, there's more of these types. Robert Covington Marvin Williams Ersan Ilyasova Mirza Teletovic
Marvin Williams is out for the season, I believe. Ilyasova I could see. His name has been bandied about before, it seems. Wouldn't be surprised if our interest in Markieff is actually a way to send him to Detroit for Ilyasova (contracts match), but that's just speculation on top of speculation, and if it happened would have to wait until Brewer becomes trade-available (January 15).
I would add Thornton to the rotation, he has played well. While he is a great shooter, at times he becomes streaky , but what impresses me the most, is that even when his shot is off, he continues to make smart plays, he takes good shots, defends, rebounds and passes all with good energy. I was expecting a streaky shooter, but I wasn't really expecting a well rounded game behind it. Dude is a steal for vet min and needs to be a bigger part of the rotation. Its really a easy fix, cut Brewer out of the rotation. Give Thornton, Beverley and Lawson more minutes. Make Harden the new backup SF, Ariza plays 36 minutes a game, Harden can play 12 minutes at the 3 while playing next to Bev and one of Thornton, Lawson or Terry. (Just not Lawson AND Terry for defensive purposes lol) Im tired of seeing Thornton and Lawson jerked around in and out of rotations, they deserve some stability, can't have Thornton out their playing 40 minute going off for 20 and a game winner one nighy and the next night he gets 5 minutes and benched for the rest of the the game, like cmon. It shortens the rotation and is addition by subtraction by getting guys who deserve it more minutes. As for the PF rotation, I think Motie/TJ/Harrell is solid but because of the contract situation one of TJ or Motie has to go, and that is where a TJ or Motie + Fillers like KJ, Dekker, Brewer etc come in to net us another solid backup 4 on a good contract. One that hopefully fits our system well and is a good lockerroom presence.
What happened to Taj Gibson this year? And Noah of course. They both still seem to be doing the little things, but their offense and mpg have taken nose-dives. The Bulls aren't doing horribly, but it is clear they need to make changes to be championship or even ECF contenders. That said, I don't see them moving Mirotic, and don't really see Gasol happening given the Dwight/Gasol history.
Rockets out: Jones, Brewer, KJ Rockets in: Ryan Anderson, PJ Tucker -get a stretch 4 and another wing defender to pair with Harden Suns out: Morris, PJ Tucker Suns in: Jones, Brewer -get rid of a headcase and replace with a young PF and a track star that can fit well in their high-octane offense Pels out: Ryan Anderson Pels in: Morris, KJ -take a risk on Morris, but get to take a flier on KJ's potential OR Rockets out: Jones, Brewer, KJ Rockets in: Ilyasova, PJ Tucker, Meeks -SHOOTERS!!! + another wing defender to pair with Harden Suns out: Morris, PJ Tucker Suns in: Jones, Brewer -get rid of a headcase and replace with a young PF and a track star that can fit well in their high-octane offense Pistons out: Ilyasova, Meeks Pels in: Morris, KJ -take a risk on Morris, but get to take a flier on KJ's potential
Pels are looking to move Ryan Anderson for Markieff. We need to squelch that deal. Ryan IS the stretch 4 we need...
Good comments. I'm not sure I trust Thornton as much as you do, but I agree he's earned more minutes. Regarding the PF rotation, one trade I'm really starting to buy into is TJones and KJ for Teletovic and Cleveland's 2016 1st. From the PHX perspective, they get two young prospects that they can control beyond this year. What they lose is a guy that's going to walk next summer (unrestricted free agent with no bird rights) and a late first rounder. For Houston, they get the big 3 point shooter they've been looking for and replace the 1st rounder they lost in the Lawson deal. What they lost is a PF that didn't fit and who they probably weren't going to resign next year, and a project SG/SF that wasn't in the rotation. If we add Thornton and Teletovic to the rotation.... Beverley / Lawson Harden / Thornton Ariza DMo / Teletovic Howard / Capela Maybe the idea would be that you switch between Thornton and Brewer depending on need.
Throw in Brewer for Tucker on 1/15 and I'd be interested in that deal, especially with the Cavs pick coming back.
I could see Brewer for Tucker from Houston's perspective. We cut salary (almost no luxury taxes since Tucker makes $3 million less), cut a year off salary commitments (3 years for Brewer vs 2 for Tucker), and add a much needed wing defender behind Ariza. The drawback is that we've clearly moved away from the fastbreak. I have a harder time seeing why Phoenix would do it without Houston including something else, and I don't see Houston throwing more assets into the deal for a marginal upgrade. Maybe if Phoenix just really likes TJones and KJ....
From Phoenix's prospective.....Brewer is already signed. They don't have to worry about re-signing PJ. They've got Brewer at a fixed cost. Also, they're about the same shooters. PJ probably slightly better but he's not a great shooter by any means. And Brewer is more conducive to Phoenix' fast break. They want to run and gun. Brewer gives them an added edge there. From our perspective we get a better man-on-man defender in PJ. He's got tremendous defensive versatility, can guard 1 through 4's effectively. No, he doesn't help us run. But we get to remove Brewer forcing 1 on 3's and Harden and Lawson will get a few more looks. When you combine the deal from Phoenix's perspective I think it makes a lot of sense for both teams.
