What Do You Want To Happen With Ellis?

[paulpressey25]

I know they are playing the wrong guys right now and fell into the idiot trap with Foye but surely the Jazz aren't stupid enough to trade for Monta Ellis with the group of guys they have on that roster. Surely.

Shhhh. Don't wake them up.

No seriously there are always going to be about five teams that might be desperate for some type of scoring boost and Monta could be a worthwhile gamble for them given his modest length contract. We would have taken Monta in 2010 against the Hawks in the playoffs and I think he would have helped during those nights no one else could even get within 20 feet of the rim.

[paul]

I know they are playing the wrong guys right now and fell into the idiot trap with Foye but surely the Jazz aren't stupid enough to trade for Monta Ellis with the group of guys they have on that roster. Surely.

Shhhh. Don't wake them up.

No seriously there are always going to be about five teams that might be desperate for some type of scoring boost and Monta could be a worthwhile gamble for them given his modest length contract. We would have taken Monta in 2010 against the Hawks in the playoffs and I think he would have helped during those nights no one else could even get within 20 feet of the rim.

Or we could have removed Amar'e's hand from Bogut's back a month earlier and swept them in 4 games

No smart team should ever want Monta with the way he's played for the past several seasons, certainly not at any kind of pay packet. I've always considered the Jazz a relatively savvy FO, there's a disconnect there for me.

[old skool]

I think that we need to be realistic about what Ellis could bring back in a trade.

What team would give the Bucks a first round pick? Maybe a win-now team like the Lakers. Maybe. But that would be for a late first round - virtually a second round pick.

What players would net a Monta Ellis that most here would not want as a starter on their team? Ben Gordon? Corey Maggette? Richard Jefferson? Stephen Jackson?

I don't see very many desperate teams looking to take on Ellis. Not at $11-million this year and next. Not at 40% FG%.

If the Bucks end up stuck with him, I think the best scenario might be to move him to the bench. Play him as a second string PG behind Jennings. Stop forcing him to defend much taller SGs. Have him feast against other bench players. Have him sidelined when defensive stops are needed at the end of the game. Of course he will likely pout and mope, making such an option untenable.

One trade that would work would be to send him back to Golden State for Andrew Bogut! The Warriors might want to placate their fans. Trading an injured Bogut for Ellis is better than nothing, right?

[coolhandluke121]

Trade, win-now. I believe this team is quite talented. They can't trade him for a good pick and they won't get a good pick themselves. I would have liked to have seen them stockpile some more high-lottery talent before making their move, but I have little doubt that they're about to start a long upswing that will see them pushing 50 wins or more in most seasons. They just need a better fit at sg.

ETA: They should package him with a young player or two. I like the young players but as they grow they will need more minutes and there won't be enough to go around. I see two starting-caliber centers, 3 starting-caliber pf's, and 2 starting-caliber sf's, counting LRMAM at both forward spots. Quality trumps quantity and they need to consolidate.

I am shocked by your optimism here. This based on Henson and Harris or what? Am I missing a joke?

Harris, Henson, LRMAM, Ersan, Udoh, and Sanders. I believe LRMAM, Ersan, and Udoh are all the type of player who could start for really good teams. Sanders is a borderline starter as well. Harris and Henson could end up being the best of the 6. It's not just a bunch of mediocre talent.

Imagine the supporting cast of the 2001 Sixers before they traded for Mutombo. That's Ratliff, Kukoc, Tyrone Hill, Geiger, Eric Snow, and Aaron McKie. A bunch of guys who got Allen frickin' Iverson, of all people, an MVP award. Now imagine they're all 26 or under and under team control for at least the next several seasons at less than $25m combined. That's pretty sick.

My only concern is that the Bucks will keep Jennings, pay him more than any of those guys, and sit back and watch while he gets credit for all the good things the team accomplishes when he's really not doing that much for them at all and would be more useful as trade bait. The same way Iverson was in 2001. Trade Jennings for a good player who's actually worthy of that supporting cast and the team will be pushing 50 wins for the foreseeable future. And I'm usually one of the most pessimistic people here.

Or trade Jennings and Ellis for the best player you can get, even if you have to include a 3rd team. That would be cool too. I do think the Bucks are in a position where they should trade Ellis and a young guy or two for a significant upgrade at some position. The young guys will be rfa's before you know it, and the Bucks will be forced to make some tough decisions with regard to matching offers or losing players for nothing. I don't think they will ultimately be able to keep everyone, so they need to trade for a veteran who's locked into a reasonable contract. Otherwise they end up having to hand out a whole bunch of significant raises for each of the next several seasons.

[paulpressey25]

CHL...who do you want to trade for?

[Lippo]

Is the board down on Ellis enough to support a this trade:

Ellis/Gooden/2nd

for

DeRozan/Calderone(exp)

as much as you guys hate DD, he would great compliment to Dunleavy at the 2, has great repoire w/ Jennings and would give us the athletic wing we need, maybe Skiles can turn him into an elite defender.

[CanadaBucks]

Is the board down on Ellis enough to support a this trade:

Ellis/Gooden/2nd

for

DeRozan/Calderone(exp)

as much as you guys hate DD, he would great compliment to Dunleavy at the 2, has great repoire w/ Jennings and would give us the athletic wing we need, maybe Skiles can turn him into an elite defender.

Colangelo is a moron imo, but not that big of one.

[paulpressey25]

Lippo, I would probably not do your trade since DD is turning into the Monta of SF's and he now has a big crappy contract.

[mlloyd10]

I will now say trade him for best assets you can get. I know there was the Jazz trade out there, but I will modify it for a win-now trade, while getting a young asset.

Bucks get: Millsap, Bell, Burks
Jazz get: Ellis, Luc

[paul]

Lippo, I would probably not do your trade since DD is turning into the Monta of SF's and he now has a big crappy contract.

Worse, he's the Monta of SG's, less the blinding speed.

[paulpressey25]

I will now say trade him for best assets you can get. I know there was the Jazz trade out there, but I will modify it for a win-now trade, while getting a young asset.

Bucks get: Millsap, Bell, Burks
Jazz get: Ellis, Luc

Jazz wouldn't give up Milsap for that package IMO. We be including Sanders or Udoh at least, even though Milsap is a FA.

[coolhandluke121]

CHL...who do you want to trade for?

I like Rondo the most. I think a 3-teamer involving Gasol, Rondo, Jennings, and Ellis as principles, with others to make it equitable from a talent standpoint and legal under the CBA, is my pipe dream.

It's hard to say though. You usually can't tell which good veterans are going to be available until closer to the trade deadline. Eric Gordon maybe? I would trade Ellis and whichever young guy NO wants for Gordon.

I don't really want Gasol per se, but would certainly entertain a deal just to unload Ellis, even at the expense of Ersan, or LRMAM and Sanders. It would require a separate trade to clear up the frontcourt logjam and get depth at sg though.

Ellis + young asset for Rudy Gay would work.

Luol Deng would be an option. He's going to be pretty good for a few more years.

You throw enough young assets at a losing team at the trade deadline, and suddenly teams might be more willing to entertain trading guys you don't think would have been available under any circumstances. And the Bucks, in my opinion, are in just such a position where they need to make a deal like that.

ETA: F*** it. I think Dallas is going to end up tanking. Go get Dirk. Cuban would do it in a heartbeat if he thinks it's time to rebuild, and Dirk has gone on record saying they should trade him once they fall to the middle of the pack in the West.

[mlloyd10]

Would you take Bargnani if you got Ross in the deal too?

Thinking a package centered around Ellis for Bargnani and Ross

[paul]

Rondo would douche his way out of town in about 4 hours imo, as much as I love the theory.

His teammates hate him, his coaches hate him, his GM hates him, and that's while playing for the Boston Celtics lol.

Deng I like, but we couldn't be more set at SF unless it was a real superstar coming in. Likewise Gay - though he does provide more scoring and less defense and passing which we've already got a fair bit of so might not suffer from the diminishing returns as much as say Deng.

I don't disagree with the theory, but tossing young assets to add another 'good' player to a team of 'good' players is not the answer for me, whoever we get has to provide something we really don't have. What we really don't have is a 4 or 5 who can play on the block. Like at all.

Despite his obvious state of decline and probable reluctance, Gasol might be the biggest difference maker in our price range.

[paul]

Would you take Bargnani if you got Ross in the deal too?

Thinking a package centered around Ellis for Bargnani and Ross

I should cut and paste. I wouldn't take Bargnani if he came with Kate Upton.

[AussieBuck]

Ross surely can't be worth parking 30 million dollars in Bargnani on the bench for.

[coolhandluke121]

Would you take Bargnani if you got Ross in the deal too?

Thinking a package centered around Ellis for Bargnani and Ross

I should cut and paste. I wouldn't take Bargnani if he came with Kate Upton.

Well of course not. He'd be the one banging her, not you.

[paul]

Would you take Bargnani if you got Ross in the deal too?

Thinking a package centered around Ellis for Bargnani and Ross

I should cut and paste. I wouldn't take Bargnani if he came with Kate Upton.

Well of course not. He'd be the one banging her, not you.

You're saying that an NBA player making $10m per is more attractive than a slightly overweight mid 30's web designer making his 10 month old daughter's breakfast?

In what universe?

[diener34]

Jennings - Free Agent
Lamb - Draft Pick/Free Agent or Guy we get from Monta trade
Harris - LRMAM - Draft Pick/ Free agent
Henson - Ersan - LRMAM - Gooden
Sanders - Udoh

That is the core I want to see going into next season. I'm all for Bring MDJ back as well.

Find a coach thats not afraid to run the young guys and let the stellar front court lead the defense.

But if there is a 2 guard with some talent, I say we go after him in a Monta deal.

[kid idioteque]

What do the Blazers think of Wesley Matthews at this point? Are they in full-on rebuilding mode? Is he a guy they'd be willing to part with for a guy that might opt out?