2024-25 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

By NBA script it was supposed to be C Bags -Denver in a finas, but after Tatum injury they completely reversed it

 

LoL
Caruso+26 , Westbrook -26

 

Who thinks the NBA has already set up the trade finals of NY vs Minnesota?

 

I think you just convinced me to go for Capela now as a stopgap until we can land that Big we will keep for the next 6-8 seasons.

 

It was hilarious to me that all series long, the “broadcasters” were slobbering over the fact that Westbrook was “playing so well for Denver” and always a “difference maker.”
Yeah, he sure did make a difference- just not the false narrative that the talking heads were trying to spin.

 

OKC will be in the Finals.
Minny can’t handle their defense, nor the tremendous depth of the Thunder.

 

Always weird to me why people attack Westbrook. As a vet minimum, he had an excellent playoffs and provided lots of value, won about 3 games for Denver. You couldn’t ask for better from what should be your 7th man.

The real crime is the team building at Denver.

MPJ shot 32% from the field and 25% from 3 vs OKC and averaged 5 rebounds as their PF. Just not good enough. He earns 35m and 38m next year. Rui gets you better production for less than half the cost.

Murray shot 40% from the field and 30% from 3. He earns 36m this year and 46m next. Reaves has comparable shot making abilities and offence for 14m.

These are their big game players that are meant to take some of the load off Jokic. That’s 84m in salary next year for - that’s the real crime. They’ve basically put themselves into a corner and they’re now stuck during Jokic’s prime. Gordon and Braun are good players to keep, Watson and Strawther are ok. They need to flip Murray and MPJ for a better second option and depth.

If I was them, I’d honestly do something desperate, go for PG or KD, or Beal. Just try to get out from Murray and MPJ.

 

That’s how it should be.we will see

 

i think part of what has to happen is reaves to the ginobili role. this solves a lot, imo, and i think austin will be ok with it.

he'll still play with luka some (and do well, and probably finish games with him), but it will shrink the number of minutes teams can go at us by just creating dribble penetration on every possession.

i've lost my own thread here, but i think capela's fall from grace is helpful to his next team, as neither he nor they will have high expectations.

i don't think it's strange at all. the idea that ceiling-raising applies equally across players is strange to me. think about, say, tim hardaway--does he look better playing with luka? no! he may have actually looked worse. we need to be looking for guys who can get a BIG boost on a small salary. goodwin might already be one in the fold.

he fouled a lot, but defensive metrics have him very close to some big time heroes on this forum. and again, jj said his benching was about offense, not defense. is nic claxton actually much better than hayes offensively? i'm honestly not sure.

i'm glad he said it. i just need to see it. i think he has a philosophy, and that philosophy diminishes the center spot's value.

boom. this is seriously my plan A at this point. use the trade assets to get a playable perimeter defender (read: great athlete, quick enough to defend 1s, big enough to defend 2s and 3s). i'd pay a lot more for one of these than for a center, tbh.

i don't see why they let him leave on a tpmle unless his agent asks for them to release the QO, a la lonnie walker.

stop reminding me of this particular summer. it was THE WORST.

we'll see. okc didn't impress me AT ALL in that denver series. they looked terrified for like, 80% of the minutes.

 

After what he did in a Lakers jersey, it’s weird to me that a Laker fan would defend his negative affect on a series, even after we all just witnessed it.

 

It just feels like the wrong thing to pick on in that situation. I guess the problem I have with it, is it feels more like an obsession of disliking a player than actual real tangible points. We’re blaming a team losing in 7 to a 67 win team on their 7th best player? When the 2nd and 3rd options played jsut as bad if not worse?

It’s focusing on the 1% and not the 50%.

 

i've been saying that mpj was an anchor for years. they got a ring despite him, imo. i've also been saying murray is mike bibby, and a not a real #2. jokic's offensive greatness props these guys up, and gordon's defensive greatness and ability to step up just enough on offense saved their bacon a bunch of times.

now, i wouldn't go for PG because his deal is too long. but i might try to see if mpj for beal got phx to eat that nnaji contract.

but i'd really go for durant. jokic, durant, gordon, braun, and a bulldog pg defender is an interesting proposition.

i'm still mad at russ, too, but svtzr's point about russ being a really valuable piece at the vet min in denver rings true for me.

but part of my residual russ anger is about that--he could have been a useful bench player here if he would have just accepted his decline. and he would have had a better experience, too (you know, fewer fan death threats or whatever).

i could see it. but are you arguing that they've looked good in the playoffs? i feel like all of my concerns about them have appeared VERY founded at this point.

maybe they needed to struggle against a battle-tested veteran team to break through, but if they play the same way against minny, they're in trouble.