Rockets, Blazers recently conducted trade talks centered on Robert Williams III

I do feel like Amen's cutting has been training these guys to throw more/better lobs... we're even seeing JG get in on it occasionally

It's weird how bad Fred is at it though, he's a pretty good passer otherwise. Maybe he's just too short to see over his man

 

Totally agree.

I’m half teasing the Bruno folks out there that were trying to appease KPJ/JG, (and trying to ship off Alperen for Mo Bamba because of measurements)

 

My gosh we definitely value things differently. The gap between these two things is a canyon to me, can't be brushed off:

- Jerami Grant comfortably 39% on 5 attempts shooting > he is an elite shooter and spacer, you will tangibly see a difference in Amen and Green's games
- The single best shooting season from among all of Jabari, Brooks and Tari's seasons is not comparable to that of Grant's last 40 years combined at 39% on 5+ attempts, reputationally no one cares about defending them and we haven't been able to punish teams for leaving these guys open to harass our big scorers

I don't want Grant, but "I'd rather stick with our guys" makes it seem as though they can do a pretty decent job at what he could do. They absolutely can not. We hope Jabari gets to that level in 1-2 years and then keeps doing that for 4 years. That's far away.

I think you're thinking about the future and I was actually discussing what someone can reliably deliver right now rather than aspirationally in a year. Jabari can always get his 30 minutes, it's a marginal nominal sacrifice IF he were to come off the bench. In fact it would be great to have him backing up all 3 positions (SF/PF/C) to get his 30 minutes, stretch the offense and probably create more shots against second units till he develops into the shooter that is needed to average out Sengun and Amen's negative spacing issues.

Again to be clear, wouldn't acquire Grant. But don't underestimate the domino effect of us getting a 40% shooter at the 4 or 5, it's the source of multiple layers of problems on our team and arguably everything else we're dealing with is a symptom of our poor 3PT shooting. We're in a tough spot right now and the kids genuinely need time to develop their jumpers. Jalen is almost there but even he can use another 6-12 months to stabilize I think.

 

Don't worry about it. His other nickname is Boo Butt. Oh, and Lob Williams (which sounds encouraging). Those are according to Basketball Reference.

 

Anything is better than the Initials+Jersey Number nicknames

 

Is he tall?

 

My gosh the current negotiations are centered on 2 2nd round picks or a protected first. That's so cheap, he's worth like $25m+ per year when healthy, he only makes $12m right now. IMO that's a no-brainer to acquire this asset even if we only play him 15 minutes a game for the remainder of this season and he's a little frustrated. He's that good.

I would go for it and see if they would throw in Avdija as a backup PF. That's worth:

• Expiring contracts (Adams or Uncle Jeff + Landale + Tate)
• 1 x Top 20 protected FRP

for

• Williams (C)
• Avdija (Backup PF, league average 3PT shooter over the past 2 years, good passer, poor defender, decent depth piece)

 

Ehh pass.

 

I initially wasn't a fan of spending so much on another center but I started to think more about it.

I actually think Adams can be retained for relatively cheap. Overall Adams hasn't played amazing (though better lately) and I don't think there will be teams willing to blow their MLE or cap room on him. I think he could be competing for BAE money and therefore could be retained in the $5MM range.

But mainly, you make this move because you think RW3 can be your primary backup center going forward. When you consider age it makes sense. Also, when healthy, he's just more of a different look defensively. Landale doesn't really give you much that Jabari doesn't.

Also, losing the NG Landale contract is a nonfactor because RW3 only has one more year left allowing him to be used as an expiring contract in the offseason and next year. Landale only has 1 more year after that.

 

could be a good move.

Salary wise on NBA trade machine , we can swap him for just jock .

Jock and assets for Rob Williams may not be a Homerun , but it could be a solid single.

But also , lets look at facts. He's played about 40 games over the last 2 years and only 15 out of 40 this year.

So those assets better not be much.


Im curious how we play this trade deadline. Even if our spot in the standings slip , im not sure where stone will go . We cant truly be ready to contend with a team this young.

When we are healthy ... we play our top 7 guys about 216 out of the 248 minutes. 36, 33 , 32, 31 , 31 , 30 , 23 : Fred , jalen , Brooks, Sengun, Jabari, Amen, tari.

We usually then split the last 32 into 2 or 3 other guys , like jeff and steven or cam and holliday / sometimes tate.

Are those guys playing more or less in the playoffs ?

What are we willing to give away to upgrade those guys for this playoff run ( its a very good chance we will at least make the play-in this time) ?

Are we upgrading Tari ( sorry ms eason ) ?

What kind of player fits best with our core 7 ( as determined by minutes ) ?

Im sure we want to see exactly what we have. We are going to put our young guys in the pressure situations. Although with udoka i dont doubt that if he thinks a Holliday, FVV, tate, Jeff, Adams lineup is the best he will play them lol. But does stone want to get guys better than our deep bench and increase the chance udoka plays a veteran lineup.

I dont think we want to make a big move.
Moving on from FVV and putting even more pressure on green , amen , and sengun is probably not what we want to do. Even if we upgrade from FVV , it would still take time to develop chemistry and I think vet teams can do it more quickly than young teams

 

I wanted Timelord for the Rockets as soon as I heard Udoka was coming here. Always thought it was just a matter of Time.

 

had to goggle it... why time lord?

Why is Robert Williams called “Time Lord?”

 

Sounds like a sad story....mine is equally as riveting but it's been said numerous times.

If you don't know me, I'm the guy that lives, eats
and sleeps basketball. I know a little something about basketball.

The Thunder often use micro ball which is a guards. Earlier in the season they were averaging about 20 turnovers a game by their opponents.

It was done by often playing Caruso at Center.
Guess what Grant is bigger......and guess what again the Thunder have built a substantial lead between them and the field.

They just kicked the Cavs @$$ sideways about a week ago.

In the playoffs the teams are going to get under Dillons skin and he will probably kick the ball in the stands or throw it at the ref. Get suspended for numerous games, and unless you are a doctor I don't want to hear your opinion on Tari and Jabari.

Nothing wrong with a lineup of:
Jalen Green/Cam Whitmore/Tari/Grant/Jabari
(If not Robert Williams at Center)

We'll make it fit. Grant don't mind shooting 8's a game where as Tari and Amen are afraid to shoot
more than 3 a game between the two.

I'm telling you teams will play zone against us.
I don't want that to be our dead end road this
year....., especially in a first round exit.

 

He's averaged less than 33 played games per season over 7 years. Has played 21 games total over the last two seasons so far.

He's a very productive player when he plays, but he's just about certified broken at this point. You can have him on the roster as a 3rd big, but you do so with the understanding that he will only give you 20-30 games a year, and that in those games, he's always "working him self back into shape/knocking the rust off" from a recent injury, the way Adams and Landale have been.

There's zero problem with a Sengun/Adams/Williams rotation for that reason, but you also can't give up real value for a 3rd string player. Landale and 2 2nds

 

Udoka doesn't seem like the type to put up with that but they are cool, or maybe he has improved his punctuality.

 

What Williams has over Adams or really most backup centers you can find on the market is that he's a true difference maker if he's healthy. So basically youre hoping you have enough depth to cover his injuries during the regular season, and hope he can stay healthy in the playoffs to give you 15-20mpg of above-average center play. But of course, 56 games in 2.5 seasons, so yeah, likelihood of him being healthy in the playoffs is at best a 50/50 proposition.

 

Put up with what? Making a mistake? As long as it's not a pattern, it's not a problem... just unfortunate timing for it to be one of your first impressions on your employers. Sounds like nobody was all that upset even at the time.

 

I'm sure it's a one-off....

The biggest issue is his injury.

I wonder if his knee surgery went well enough or if he will continue to be out regularly.

 

I'd love to add Williams. You are hoping that between the two of Williams and Adams, you have a competent backup center the rest of the season. You can rest each of them plenty to get them ready for the playoffs. Williams is really good at his role, and already knows Ime's defensive system.

 

(dp)