Bucks Free Agency Thread - Part III

[humanrefutation]

Yeah, I agree that you don't want to lump JR and Waiters together because JR has a marketable skill that would be great to a contender.

But, they're both guys who I don't want on a team that's growing. JR was naturally limited by having LeBron and Kyrie dominating the ball, and LeBron's leadership keeping JR in check. I think JR on the Bucks brings out his worst, ball-dominant, inefficient shooting tendencies.

[Bernman]

It's possible, but at some point everyone who is remotely reasonable comes to terms with who they are through mistakes, and adapts so they are of most value financially or otherwise. I think J.R. Smith falls in this category. Whereas, as of a couple years ago, Waiters was saying he was part of the best backcourt in the league, and he still acts and plays like his stuff doesn't stink. I think it's analogous to when later stage Chad Johnson and T.O. were grouped together in football. One was just a rascal who couldn't seem to focus enough to maximize his positive effect on a team and the other was a delusional cancer who eventually had a negative effect.

If J.R. Smith was affordable, which he's not, I'd take him as our 6th/7th man here. We could use a guy like that to provide a spark off a pretty much sparkless bench. But I wouldn't take Waiters at any price. They are just different cats.

[Fotis St]

Westbrook not seeking to trade from Thunder.
Thunder seeking to trade Westbrook.
Westbrook's ego doesn't want to get traded, but its not up to him and he hates it.

[Nowak008]

Hell yeah, I'm all for Larry coming back to us.

Bucks currently leading his poll with 35%.

Max are you trying to troll us on wanting Larry back? Don't get me wrong I love a good trolling, I just want to know when its being done to me.

[Max Green]

Hell yeah, I'm all for Larry coming back to us.

Bucks currently leading his poll with 35%.

Max are you trying to troll us on wanting Larry back? Don't get me wrong I love a good trolling, I just want to know when its being done to me.

Nah. If Larry can give us anything close to what he gave us before he left the team then he would be the perfect Center for us. I don't hate him or hold a grudge against him for leaving the team and ultimately the NBA to deal with personal issues.

[MilHammer]

I hold no grudge against Larry either. If the team could get beyond whatever issues he has, and accept the fact that he quit on the team and trust him again, I would love to have him back. However I'm 100% sure Milwaukee is literally the last place on his list. He lives in LA from his snap stories, so probably Lakers or Warriors

[Nowak008]

Nah. If Larry can give us anything close to what he gave us before he left the team then he would be the perfect Center for us. I don't hate him or hold a grudge against him for leaving the team and ultimately the NBA to deal with personal issues.

Personal issues? Come on. The guy likes to smoke weed. That's it. Even though I personally don't think it should be illegal, he quit on the team and stole money from our franchise. We could build our practice facility with the money we are paying him not to play for us. I think it's a joke we bought him out the way that we did.

The guy is a head case. Even he could help us win - which I very much doubt - I don't want him on my favorite team. I can't root for the guy. With all the idiotic moves we have done over the years, bringing back Larry could finally push me over the edge and quit following the team. Even though we are pretty stupid, I am pretty confident we aren't that stupid.

[Fotis St]

I want from the Bucks to sign and trade L.Sanders.

[BobbyLight]

I've always thought the idea that Larry Sanders stole money from us somewhat humorous. He was in a spot where he wanted to quit but had to appease a players union as well. No one looks at that angle but if you don't think the players' union was on him to get every penny he could, lest he set a precedent, you're crazy. I'd guess he settled for significantly less than the players' union would have liked.

Would Larry have walked away for free? Doubtful, but he had all of the leverage to get what he wanted (guaranteed contracts aren't his fault), which wasn't close to the full amount of his deal.

That payout could have been much, much worse.

Yeah, yeah, moral high ground, eff the player's union, all that... but when looking at the reality he did something that made everyone happy (Bucks, Players' Union, Himself). At least as happy as he could given the situation.

[Baddy Chuck]

I want from the Bucks to sign and trade L.Sanders.

Maybe the self proclaimed best GM on the Bucks board could work his magic but Hammond and the boys have to work within the boundaries of the CBA which wouldn't allow this.

[engelmartin]

I want from the Bucks to sign and trade L.Sanders.

Maybe the self proclaimed REALEAST GM on the Bucks board could work his magic but Hammond and the boys have to work within the boundaries of the CBA which wouldn't allow this.

[FlagsFlyForever]

To me, it seems that Kidd wasn't putting up with Larry's antics that his previous coaches did. I can't see any way Larry rejoins the Bucks as long as Kidd is here.

[Ron Swanson]

Kyler now saying that Sanders may be willing to sign for the vet minimum. For the record, it's just speculation:

LARRY SANDERS MAY BE WILLING TO PLAY FOR THE VETERAN'S MINIMUM, ACCORDING TO STEVE KYLER OF BASKETBALL INSIDERS.

To be clear, this is just Kyler's opinion and in no way is stemming from a direct quote from Sanders. Sanders is just 28 years old, so an NBA comeback is not all that far fetched, and he's currently keeping himself in shape in California. It'll be interesting to see if Sanders can earn another deal after walking away from millions in Milwaukee due to some issues with anxiety and depression, but it's worth noting that Kyler himself has not heard of any specific club being interested in Sanders.

[3Diamantidis]

David Lee is still available.

[Prince12]

Not anymore, hes a spur.

[Chuck Diesel]

Watch on YouTube

[Pachinko_]

when is the last day to sign or trade somebody?
when does this torture end LOL

[BroncoBuck]

Larry Sanders just put out a rap song/music video.

It's all just publicity. The guy is still smoking on the regular l

[Prince12]

Larry Sanders just put out a rap song/music video.

It's all just publicity. The guy is still smoking on the regular l

Is that what that was?

[Badgerlander]

Watch on YouTube

http://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/mbb/nuggets-summer-league-coach-micah-nori-impressed-by-josh-adams/article_cbd985d1-2807-5467-a0c9-cbe3d0239afd.html?utm_content=bufferde869&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=LEEDCC

Denver assistant coach Micah Nori got a close-up look at Adams as the Nuggets’ Summer League head coach in Las Vegas.

Adams gave Nori and the Nuggets a preview of his game a month ago when he worked out for Denver ahead of the NBA Draft.

“He did a good job, and he showed himself well there,” Nori said, “just his ability to score the basketball, his athleticism, his ability to defend, and his ability to score and make shots.”

So Nori knew what he was getting when Adams joined the Nuggets for Summer League.

“You know that you’re going to have someone that can put it in the goal and can get his own shot,” Nori said. “He’s athletic enough to guard (point guards and shooting guards), and he is a great point guard off the bench, especially in Summer League, because with that second unit, he would kind of lead the charge from an offensive standpoint.”

While Adams might not have had much of a chance of earning a permanent spot on his hometown Nuggets — “We have a full roster with the Denver Nuggets,” Nori said — he still had plenty of incentive to play well during the four games in which he saw action.

“It’s just another opportunity to show yourself in front of 29 other NBA teams who have D-League opportunities, and also you’re playing for all the European teams that send their scouts to Summer League,” Nori said. “So, to just go ahead and compete, play hard and show yourself well (is important).

“And at the end of the day, the NBA teams aren’t looking for guys to come in and score 20 points and start for them at Summer League. They have those guys. What you want to do is kind of what Josh did. Come in for that 15-20 minutes a night, do what you do and do it in a short amount of time, but defend, play hard, run your team, make open shots and try not to force anything.”

Though he averaged just 15.3 minutes per game, Adams had a big impact in Vegas. Nori said Adams had the biggest role in determining the outcome of the Nuggets’ Summer League games.

“Why I say that is we started Jamal (Murray) and Jimmer (Fredette), but there was 15-20 minutes a night where Josh was spelling both of them,” Nori said.

During those critical periods, Adams was running the show, for better and for worse. The Nuggets went 2-2 in the four games Adams played, falling in the quarterfinals to Phoenix on a last-second shot.

“I’m not blaming those losses on Josh,” Nori said. “But when he came in the other games that we won and he played very, very well, he had a lot to do with it, because he held down the fort.”

Nori expects Adams, who averaged 24.2 points per game for the Cowboys last season, to be invited to an NBA training camp. “And then it just kind of depends,” Nori said. “You need a lot of things to go right to make an NBA team when you figure that there’s 450 (players) on an active roster at the start of the season. That being said, he could go (elsewhere), whether it be Europe, whether it be the D-League. If he is lucky enough to make (an NBA) team, great.”

Size was one of the knocks on the 6-foot-2 Adams, as was his age; the 22-year-old played at Wyoming for four years.

Nori doesn’t see either of those as issues.

“I think that he showed that with his athletic ability and his strength that he can compete, obviously with other point guards but even with some of the smaller twos in the league, just because he is strong, he is athletic,” Nori said. “The fact that he played four years in college, I think some teams may look at that, but at the end of the day, you’re not as worried about guys’ age in the role that you’re talking about for Josh.”

Role is another key component to Adams’ ability to catch on in the NBA. As a senior at Wyoming, he was expected to play the whole game and do most of the scoring. That won’t be the case at the professional level.

“It’s hard for a guy, especially in college where they’ve been stars, to come in and switch that mindset over to being a role player,” Nori said. “And the thing is, they try to get done in 20 minutes what it took them 40 minutes in college. So you’ve got to let the game come to you. ... So I think that’s the biggest thing for him, is to be able to adjust to that role as a backup to start his career, as opposed to being ‘the man’ like he was in college.”

Adams took a big step in that transition during Summer League. Now, it’s up to his agent, Rade Filipovich of BDA Sports Management, to find him a spot either in an NBA training camp or on a team overseas.

“Josh did the hard part by performing well in Vegas and letting people see what he was capable of,” Nori said. “And now it’s just a matter of sorting through all that and finding out whether it’s the best path to take for Josh.”

Even if that does mean going overseas — Adams retweeted a report Sunday indicating Italian team Aquila Basket Trento had interest in him — Nori said there’s no reason to believe he can’t make it to the NBA at some point.

“I don’t think you need to close the window on him if he doesn’t make it this summer,” Nori said. “Because he is going to continue to get better, and his athletic ability is always going to give him a chance. The way that he can score the ball is always going to give him a chance.”