Official Speculation Thread (Pt. XLIX"Reg. Season"Ed.)

[glennathan]

if the Bucks throw in a lotto protected 1st does it help?

Make it a top 5 protected and then maybe they start to entertain the idea

[Bensational]

if the Bucks throw in a lotto protected 1st does it help?

not really. you're essentially proposing we give Afflalo away for Harris (since Monta most likely won't be here after free agency). landing a mid round 1st doesn't help to balance it all that much.

[BrettC03]

While this may be true, I don't think the target should be another player that can't score or hit ft's we've seen how that works. I'd rather they draft a skilled wing player since that's what the league is geared towards now. An actual go to player we can depend on to close games.

There's only one guy in the draft that can create his own offense right away. And that's Bazz. I'd take Bazz over Noel, but that's it.
For me: Bazz>Noel>Best PG in the class>McLemore>Goodwin

[IGotDaMagicInMe]

This is a fair trade, right? http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bg96msh

[BrettC03]

This is a fair trade, right? http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bg96msh

If Al Harrington was healthy, then it may even be in favor of the Lakers.

[glennathan]

This is a fair trade, right? http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bg96msh

Honestly I would do this trade. Then trade Gasol next year as a 19 million expiring contract. Sounds like a rebuild step but doubtful Hennigan does something like this.

[Def Swami]

I like both jj and aa but I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to move aa rather than jj though. I think hennigan would catch much slack from an already scored fan base if he traded jj.

Maybe. But, I still think he should trade the one that gets him the most in return or at least what he wants. I really have don't have a major preference for one or the other. They're equally good IMO.

[Def Swami]

I just see Moe's D as a big + right now. If he can improve his 3 ball and get into the flow of the offense he will flourish. I feel like he has that motor to improve as well? Could be me lol

He has also had quite a few diff 3 and 4 block games....They aren't happening all the time or anything but anyone that can get those type of numbers at the SF position in 19 minutes is clearly valuable. Even without using him much on the offensive end.

I think he will be a gem in 2 years

I would love Moe to prove everyone wrong or right! But, sometimes, if a player doesn't learn to play the NBA game and only relies on athleticism, they won't be a starter on a Playoff or Championship caliber team because this is team basketball. But, I like Moe's chances for success. Odds are in his favor and he has the right coaches and players around him to get to improve.

Nic Batum and Paul George give me hope for Moe.

[thelead]

I just see Moe's D as a big + right now. If he can improve his 3 ball and get into the flow of the offense he will flourish. I feel like he has that motor to improve as well? Could be me lol

He has also had quite a few diff 3 and 4 block games....They aren't happening all the time or anything but anyone that can get those type of numbers at the SF position in 19 minutes is clearly valuable. Even without using him much on the offensive end.

I think he will be a gem in 2 years

I would love Moe to prove everyone wrong or right! But, sometimes, if a player doesn't learn to play the NBA game and only relies on athleticism, they won't be a starter on a Playoff or Championship caliber team because this is team basketball. But, I like Moe's chances for success. Odds are in his favor and he has the right coaches and players around him to get to improve.

Nic Batum and Paul George give me hope for Moe.

Eh, George is averaging a whopping 17 ppg on 42% as the first option. Batum is averaging the same as the 3rd option. 42% shooting from two 6'8" guys is quite inefficient. If that's Moe's ceiling, which it probably is, it's not much to get excited for.

[Bensational]

looks like Wilson Chandler is starting to find form again. i wonder if we could swing an AA for Chandler deal? at least Chandler can play the 3, allowing JJ to move to the 2.

i also think Chandler's ceiling is higher than AA's, particularly if he's used as a primary option, the way AA has been.

[Def Swami]

I would love Moe to prove everyone wrong or right! But, sometimes, if a player doesn't learn to play the NBA game and only relies on athleticism, they won't be a starter on a Playoff or Championship caliber team because this is team basketball. But, I like Moe's chances for success. Odds are in his favor and he has the right coaches and players around him to get to improve.

Nic Batum and Paul George give me hope for Moe.

Eh, George is averaging a whopping 17 ppg on 42% as the first option. Batum is averaging the same as the 3rd option. 42% shooting from two 6'8" guys is quite inefficient. If that's Moe's ceiling, which it probably is, it's not much to get excited for.

That's assuming that George and Batum have hit their ceilings. If he can be Paul George or Batum 3 years from now, I'd take that as a win for us. I like both of their games for where they have come from. Both were kind of like Moe their rookie years in the league. George is still 22 and has had some pretty insane games this season. He'll continue to improve. As will Batum. Both are really good defenders that fill up a stat sheet on a nightly basis. While they struggle to shoot the ball efficiently right now, their contributions in on-ball defense, steals, rebounds, and assists make them pretty good swingmen in the NBA. Luol Deng-esque. Wouldn't mind that for Moe.

[IGotDaMagicInMe]

This is a fair trade, right? http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bg96msh

Honestly I would do this trade. Then trade Gasol next year as a 19 million expiring contract. Sounds like a rebuild step but doubtful Hennigan does something like this.

Well of course orlando would do it, i mean, its not like you're really taking on any extra money if your orlando. theres no way the lakers would though right?

[arsenal6106]

Read this tweet from the bottom up so you don't get your hopes up. Lol

mrlarryridley: Nothing official, but 1 or 2 will be traded, working on that soon RT @Airbed2121: Any orlando trade talk? @stevekylerNBA @mrlarryridley

Sent from my VM670 using Tapatalk 2

[j_n]

Eh, George is averaging a whopping 17 ppg on 42% as the first option. Batum is averaging the same as the 3rd option. 42% shooting from two 6'8" guys is quite inefficient. If that's Moe's ceiling, which it probably is, it's not much to get excited for.

FG% is a meaningess stat when youre talking about a guy whose averaging 7 three point attempts a game, Batum is actually one of the most efficient scorers in the league, if oure looking at TS% where he is at 57.4%, a few spots ahead of Kenneth faried whose FG% is over 54%.

[Carlos Arroyo]

Read this tweet from the bottom up so you don't get your hopes up. Lol

mrlarryridley: Nothing official, but 1 or 2 will be traded, working on that soon RT @Airbed2121: Any orlando trade talk? @stevekylerNBA @mrlarryridley

Sent from my VM670 using Tapatalk 2

[RickB-Orlando]

Nic Batum and Paul George give me hope for Moe.

Eh, George is averaging a whopping 17 ppg on 42% as the first option. Batum is averaging the same as the 3rd option. 42% shooting from two 6'8" guys is quite inefficient. If that's Moe's ceiling, which it probably is, it's not much to get excited for.

This got me thinking about shooting percentage and PPG, and who they're comparable to. Baum is shooting almost 43%, George closer to 42%. You know who else shoots around 43%? Harden. Iguodala. Ryan Anderson. Kebab Walker.

Aaron Afflalo, our supposed first option, shoots 44% and averages 17 PPG. He's just above those guys.

So I'm not sure about the efficiency or inefficiency of any of those people. Is height really a factor in deciding how shooting percentage factors into scoring efficiency?

I would think a more important factor in scoring efficiency is Points Per Shot. Looking at that statistic, Harden is at 1.49, good enough for sixth in the league (and in my opinion, quite efficient, makes the most of his opportunities) despite a sub-par shooting percentage. Paul George is at 1.14, Batum at 1.29, making Batum a middle of the pack guy, George closer to the bottom.

BBD is among the worst at 1.09. Afflalo is at 1.20. Vucevic is a paltry 1.13, which among centers is very low. Our best player in this area is JJ at 1.32.

[Bensational]

Nic Batum and Paul George give me hope for Moe.

Eh, George is averaging a whopping 17 ppg on 42% as the first option. Batum is averaging the same as the 3rd option. 42% shooting from two 6'8" guys is quite inefficient. If that's Moe's ceiling, which it probably is, it's not much to get excited for.

This got me thinking about shooting percentage and PPG, and who they're comparable to. Baum is shooting almost 43%, George closer to 42%. You know who else shoots around 43%? Harden. Iguodala. Ryan Anderson. Kebab Walker.

Aaron Afflalo, our supposed first option, shoots 44% and averages 17 PPG. He's just above those guys.

So I'm not sure about the efficiency or inefficiency of any of those people. Is height really a factor in deciding how shooting percentage factors into scoring efficiency?

I would think a more important factor in scoring efficiency is Points Per Shot. Looking at that statistic, Harden is at 1.49, good enough for sixth in the league (and in my opinion, quite efficient, makes the most of his opportunities) despite a sub-par shooting percentage. Paul George is at 1.14, Batum at 1.29, making Batum a middle of the pack guy, George closer to the bottom.

BBD is among the worst at 1.09. Afflalo is at 1.20. Vucevic is a paltry 1.13, which among centers is very low. Our best player in this area is JJ at 1.32.

sweet, another convert to the PPS measure! i think a combination of PPS and PPG is a solid measure for how elite a scorer is - particularly if players are changing roles. for example, Harden went from a 3rd option to a 1st option, and saw his ridiculous 1.69PPS from last year take a slight dip to 1.49PPS (still good for the best guard in the league). meanwhile, Afflalo went from 3rd-5th option with 1.32PPS on the Nuggets, to 1.20PPS as a 1st option here. i think that if a player can maintain efficiency as their role increases, then they're a solid option to feature on offense. (Batum, OJ Mayo and JJ all managed to improve their PPS with increased FGAs)

you can check on mysynergysports for a PPP (points per possession) score and rank for these guys, too. if you're interested.

[KillMonger]

Kinda off topic but even though i'm not a stat guy even i'm kinda impressed by what i saw at NBA.com/AdvancedStats. For example just for kicks i wanted to compare Redick and Afflalo and i took a look at their shooting chart for this season so far.

This is Afflalo's Shooting Chart



Looks like he's below average in almost every spot except right in the middle of the key and point blank at the rim


This is Redick's Shooting Chart



He's pretty much been on fire nothing more to say really, all in all pretty good stuff for the stat heads at NBA.com/Advancedstats unless you have synergy that is

[Cigamodnalro]

Afflalo's really weird in that he shoots a much higher percentage from the weak side corner than from the strong side too. Rest of the team is the complete opposite.

[OMPunk]

This got me thinking about shooting percentage and PPG, and who they're comparable to. Baum is shooting almost 43%, George closer to 42%. You know who else shoots around 43%? Harden. Iguodala. Ryan Anderson. Kebab Walker.

I like it!