The 2016 Offseason Thread

[bwgood77]

Oh boy
RWB running solo will be one of the ugliest thing I can ever remember.
With Durant he already jacked a ton of non-sense shots... oh boy

This is Kobe after Shaq left all over again (RWB has a better supporting cast, but he just doesnt care)

It will be interesting to see how they do. Their biggest problem will be outside shooting and spreading the floor.

[saintEscaton]

I have more respect for Russ he's not backing down from the occasion and stayed loyal, he was fantastic last regular season and had a Top 30 All Time peak as much grief as I give him, but he would still be the last superstar I would want to build around due to lack of compatibility/intangibles orchestratign the show. He will get his but dunno at what cost

[kennydorglas]

Oh boy
RWB running solo will be one of the ugliest thing I can ever remember.
With Durant he already jacked a ton of non-sense shots... oh boy

This is Kobe after Shaq left all over again (RWB has a better supporting cast, but he just doesnt care)

It will be interesting to see how they do. Their biggest problem will be outside shooting and spreading the floor.

Yeah, a lot of non-shooters on this team already.
I guess they will run the Adams-Kanter lineup all the time to clean up all those misses.
Either way, it's going to be so ugly. Durant screwed them BIG time

[bwgood77]

Oh boy
RWB running solo will be one of the ugliest thing I can ever remember.
With Durant he already jacked a ton of non-sense shots... oh boy

This is Kobe after Shaq left all over again (RWB has a better supporting cast, but he just doesnt care)

It will be interesting to see how they do. Their biggest problem will be outside shooting and spreading the floor.

Yeah, a lot of non-shooters on this team already.
I guess they will run the Adams-Kanter lineup all the time to clean up all those misses.
Either way, it's going to be so ugly. Durant screwed them BIG time

Durant seemed passive and uninterested at times this past season and I have to wonder if the Ewing theory might come into play as the whole team steps up. It will be interesting to see how Oladipo and Sabonis play. They will be good defensively though Oladipo and Roberson starting along with Adams. Ilyasova will have to bring the shooting, but Dipo has been getting better each year from 3 though and shot 34.8% which isn't great, but better than say, Brandon Knight this past year. Roberson has gotten better each year too from distance but still needs quite a bit of improvement.

[Frank Lee]

Better than which Knight.... The one we see or the one McMully sees?

[NTB]

Read on Twitter

Do you guys know when exactly?

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

Do you guys know when exactly?

It seems to start a little earlier every year. It used to be like November 1st, then it was October 31st, and last year it was like October 29th or 30th, but usually there is only like one or two games the first day on like a Wednesday on ESPN and then two on Thursday on TNT, and then maybe two more on ESPN on Friday and then a full slate of games on Saturday. If you look at the calendar you can probably guess which exact day. I'm almost certain it will start on a Wednesday or Thursday..they may want the TNT crew to open up, though with the new big ESPN deal, they may get dibs.

Edit: It just occurred to me that you probably meant when will the schedule be released and in that case I don't know.

[bwgood77]

Better than which Knight.... The one we see or the one McMully sees?

I don't know if there are many players better than the one McMully sees.

[saintEscaton]

It will be interesting to see how they do. Their biggest problem will be outside shooting and spreading the floor.

Yeah, a lot of non-shooters on this team already.
I guess they will run the Adams-Kanter lineup all the time to clean up all those misses.
Either way, it's going to be so ugly. Durant screwed them BIG time

Durant seemed passive and uninterested at times this past season and I have to wonder if the Ewing theory might come into play as the whole team steps up. It will be interesting to see how Oladipo and Sabonis play. They will be good defensively though Oladipo and Roberson starting along with Adams. Ilyasova will have to bring the shooting, but Dipo has been getting better each year from 3 though and shot 34.8% which isn't great, but better than say, Brandon Knight this past year. Roberson has gotten better each year too from distance but still needs quite a bit of improvement.

Actually I don't think Westbrook is committed for the long run, this basically a one year extension and gives OKC more time try to win him over with Presti's vision/gain leverage in a trade before he qualifies for the super max in the Summer of 2018 after hitting the 10 year max. If he reups he would get 5 years 204 million, absurd

[bwgood77]

Yeah, a lot of non-shooters on this team already.
I guess they will run the Adams-Kanter lineup all the time to clean up all those misses.
Either way, it's going to be so ugly. Durant screwed them BIG time

Durant seemed passive and uninterested at times this past season and I have to wonder if the Ewing theory might come into play as the whole team steps up. It will be interesting to see how Oladipo and Sabonis play. They will be good defensively though Oladipo and Roberson starting along with Adams. Ilyasova will have to bring the shooting, but Dipo has been getting better each year from 3 though and shot 34.8% which isn't great, but better than say, Brandon Knight this past year. Roberson has gotten better each year too from distance but still needs quite a bit of improvement.

Actually I don't think Westbrook is committed for the long run, this basically a one year extension and gives OKC more time try to win him over with Presti's vision/gain leverage in a trade before he qualifies for the super max in the Summer of 2018 after hitting the 10 year max. If he reups he would get 5 years 204 million, absurd

That's at the max 35% of the cap. There is a chance the premier players will push for that to be higher in the new CBA. I guess the question is whether or not the mid level players are getting more overpaid than the all star type players. They all seem overpaid of course, but they are still going to get the same total dollar amount.

I have a feeling though, unless things really go wrong in OKC, that he will stay long term. Though if he does really want to go to LA, going in two years is probably better than going now if he hopes to compete. I guess the Lakers will only get one of their first round picks over the next two years though so will only add one more high pick in the draft.

[Zelaznyrules]

Better than which Knight.... The one we see or the one McMully sees?

I don't know if there are many players better than the one McMully sees.

I know most of us here can't stand watching Knight play and it's almost impossible to not make fun of Ryan for giving away a good pick for the guy. But seriously, even if you think he's the worst GM ever, have you seen anything at all from Brandon that would even remotely come close to justifying the trade in the first place? For me, the answer is a resounding NO which leads me to believe that he's telling the truth. We haven't seen the real Brandon Knight in Phoenix yet.

[bwgood77]

Better than which Knight.... The one we see or the one McMully sees?

I don't know if there are many players better than the one McMully sees.

I know most of us here can't stand watching Knight play and it's almost impossible to not make fun of Ryan for giving away a good pick for the guy. But seriously, even if you think he's the worst GM ever, have you seen anything at all from Brandon that would even remotely come close to justifying the trade in the first place? For me, the answer is a resounding NO which leads me to believe that he's telling the truth. We haven't seen the real Brandon Knight in Phoenix yet.

He had two really good games early in the season and one crazy good game where he had a triple double with like 38, 15 and 10 or something. That's the Brandon Knight I'd like to see more of. Ideally if he could just at least get to twice as many assists as turnovers and only shoot twice as many shots as he has assists, he would be much more efficient.

I never want the ball in his hands in late game situations ever. He has to be one of the most unclutch performers I've ever seen when things really matter.

[saintEscaton]

Hence why I don't think Knight has the killer instinct/crunchtime decision making to be a microwave 6th man. If he was J-Crossover wouldn't matter if he's a blackhole as long as has a good enough handle to take care of the ball and break down his man in isolation, but he can't even dribble without looking down at this feet. I thought Knight would be more than a heatcheck guy but he isn't.I wouldn't expect him to come off the bench at a moment's notice and light it up considering how long it takes him to establish a rhythm on most nights after bricking long twos

[bigfoot]

I don't know if there are many players better than the one McMully sees.

I know most of us here can't stand watching Knight play and it's almost impossible to not make fun of Ryan for giving away a good pick for the guy. But seriously, even if you think he's the worst GM ever, have you seen anything at all from Brandon that would even remotely come close to justifying the trade in the first place? For me, the answer is a resounding NO which leads me to believe that he's telling the truth. We haven't seen the real Brandon Knight in Phoenix yet.

He had two really good games early in the season and one crazy good game where he had a triple double with like 38, 15 and 10 or something. That's the Brandon Knight I'd like to see more of. Ideally if he could just at least get to twice as many assists as turnovers and only shoot twice as many shots as he has assists, he would be much more efficient.

I never want the ball in his hands in late game situations ever. He has to be one of the most unclutch performers I've ever seen when things really matter.

I agree we saw hints of what Knight could do at the beginning of the season before he got injured and Bledsoe went down. It is really unfair to say an unknown first round pick from the Lakers is going to be better than Knight. Really that pick is #4 or worse this year. At that spot you could end up with a lot of "potential players" that are never going to be as good as Knight. For example, Alex Len at #5 is he as good as Knight or will Len be better or is it a tossup? I hate that a lot of posters assume a top 10 draft pick is money when we have seen so many failures over the past ten years (http://www.complex.com/sports/2015/06/biggest-draft-busts-10-years/)

[bwgood77]

I know most of us here can't stand watching Knight play and it's almost impossible to not make fun of Ryan for giving away a good pick for the guy. But seriously, even if you think he's the worst GM ever, have you seen anything at all from Brandon that would even remotely come close to justifying the trade in the first place? For me, the answer is a resounding NO which leads me to believe that he's telling the truth. We haven't seen the real Brandon Knight in Phoenix yet.

He had two really good games early in the season and one crazy good game where he had a triple double with like 38, 15 and 10 or something. That's the Brandon Knight I'd like to see more of. Ideally if he could just at least get to twice as many assists as turnovers and only shoot twice as many shots as he has assists, he would be much more efficient.

I never want the ball in his hands in late game situations ever. He has to be one of the most unclutch performers I've ever seen when things really matter.

I agree we saw hints of what Knight could do at the beginning of the season before he got injured and Bledsoe went down. It is really unfair to say an unknown first round pick from the Lakers is going to be better than Knight. Really that pick is #4 or worse this year. At that spot you could end up with a lot of "potential players" that are never going to be as good as Knight. For example, Alex Len at #5 is he as good as Knight or will Len be better or is it a tossup? I hate that a lot of posters assume a top 10 draft pick is money when we have seen so many failures over the past ten years (http://www.complex.com/sports/2015/06/biggest-draft-busts-10-years/)

If it conveys this next year I think you'd have to really mess up not to pick someone who will be really good. If it doesn't convey until next year who knows how good the Lakers will be? I really don't see them getting any better than many other teams in the west in the foreseeable future though.

I guess it all depends on what you think of Knight. I haven't been convinced at all that he can add value to a team that plays over 500 basketball, much less a really competitive playoff contender. That 20,5, and 4 people keep talking about comes at a huge cost that turns into basketball losses.

I just hope him being healthy, going into a season without so many moving parts for the first time, and under Watson's coaching that we really do see a different Brandon Knight. He has shot as high as 38% from 3 a couple of years and got his overall fg% up to 42.2%. I don't think that's really high enough for a SG unless you are shooting like 80% of your shots from 3 though, but I don't know how much improvement you can really expect in his shooting.

[bigfoot]

He had two really good games early in the season and one crazy good game where he had a triple double with like 38, 15 and 10 or something. That's the Brandon Knight I'd like to see more of. Ideally if he could just at least get to twice as many assists as turnovers and only shoot twice as many shots as he has assists, he would be much more efficient.

I never want the ball in his hands in late game situations ever. He has to be one of the most unclutch performers I've ever seen when things really matter.

I agree we saw hints of what Knight could do at the beginning of the season before he got injured and Bledsoe went down. It is really unfair to say an unknown first round pick from the Lakers is going to be better than Knight. Really that pick is #4 or worse this year. At that spot you could end up with a lot of "potential players" that are never going to be as good as Knight. For example, Alex Len at #5 is he as good as Knight or will Len be better or is it a tossup? I hate that a lot of posters assume a top 10 draft pick is money when we have seen so many failures over the past ten years (http://www.complex.com/sports/2015/06/biggest-draft-busts-10-years/)

If it conveys this next year I think you'd have to really mess up not to pick someone who will be really good. If it doesn't convey until next year who knows how good the Lakers will be? I really don't see them getting any better than many other teams in the west in the foreseeable future though.

I guess it all depends on what you think of Knight. I haven't been convinced at all that he can add value to a team that plays over 500 basketball, much less a really competitive playoff contender. That 20,5, and 4 people keep talking about comes at a huge cost that turns into basketball losses.

I just hope him being healthy, going into a season without so many moving parts for the first time, and under Watson's coaching that we really do see a different Brandon Knight. He has shot as high as 38% from 3 a couple of years and got his overall fg% up to 42.2%. I don't think that's really high enough for a SG unless you are shooting like 80% of your shots from 3 though, but I don't know how much improvement you can really expect in his shooting.

Not sure why so many people are down on Knight other than his injuries have certainly colored the glasses. As a player coming off the bench in a sixth man role he compares favorably to Jamal Crawford in his first five seasons.

http://bkref.com/tiny/AO1OC

Even comparing career numbers they are close and Crawford was sixth man of the year three times.

http://bkref.com/tiny/f1mNh

If Knight accepts the sixth man role he can be a big benefit for the team off the bench with Bledsoe and Booker as the starters.

[TeamTragic]

Westbrook signs an extension with OKC. Apparently they want to sign Griffin next offseason. I'm not sure how that team would succeed in the West.

[theSUNalsoRISES]

Westbrook signs an extension with OKC. Apparently they want to sign Griffin next offseason. I'm not sure how that team would succeed in the West.

It may not be a serious contender (with GSW who is?) But it be one hell of a fun team to watch, ironically Durant would be the ideal third piece.

Anyone feel that Westbrook signing a new deal means he is more likely to be moved?. Before Westbrook signed an extension, teams would be stupid to give up anything of real value, however, now teams like the lakers could actual justify giving up significant assets for 3 years of an Allstar in his prime.

Or is it career suicide for Presti to trade him in the first year of signing an extension?

[LukasBMW]

Westbrook signs an extension with OKC. Apparently they want to sign Griffin next offseason. I'm not sure how that team would succeed in the West.

It may not be a serious contender (with GSW who is?) But it be one hell of a fun team to watch, ironically Durant would be the ideal third piece.

Anyone feel that Westbrook signing a new deal means he is more likely to be moved?. Before Westbrook signed an extension, teams would be stupid to give up anything of real value, however, now teams like the lakers could actual justify giving up significant assets for 3 years of an Allstar in his prime.

Or is it career suicide for Presti to trade him in the first year of signing an extension?

I agree 100%. And if they find the right offer, they should consider it as a "plan C". But I think plan A for them is to have one more shot at making a blockbuster trade and then working the phones next summer in free agency. Plan B is probably striking out on a trade, but again hustling hard to land a big free agent.

[LukasBMW]

What I want to see this year:

I want to see Bledsoe attack the rim and IF HE LANDS ON THE FLOOR WITH NO CALL, HE DOESN'T POUT AND STAY DOWN LOOKING AT THE REF like a sad little puppy dog.

Seriously, if he ditches that "lie down and cry" BS, then I think he really has embraced his role as a leader. That was always one thing that drove me crazy about him.