Season speculation, free agency, and trade ideas: #ValleyBoyz rise up

[bwgood77]

Yea I'm even po'ed about it. I think Memphis had a 23 pt lead.
Not sure if they pulled their best players or what, but they should have won that game...
That was probably Charlotte's last best chance to make the playoffs.

It does make me think we could have a crack at griffin this summer.

Why does it make you think we would have a crack at Griffin? Just because they were playing bad against Memphis and will likely just get swept in the playoffs?

I think they had lost like 4 in a row before that. The looked firmly in the 6th spot and now were barely hanging on to that 8th spot. But they have another easy game I think tomorrow against a tanking team (I think) and could maybe still end up as high as 6th since it's so close. And likely even if they lost tonight, if they won tomorrow they'd probably have knocked Charlotte out. They may play NY tomorrow.

Hornets have the tiebreaker, so unless the Hornets lost to Miami, the Pistons would be out.

I'm just going by the turmoil the Pistons had earlier in the season and if they blew their lead in a weak east, it shows they've basically peaked as a team. They won't have cap room to improve. This is their team. I just don't see them keeping this squad together, even if it's not Griffin that they trade.

Maybe not. I heard one of the podcasts last night talk about a TJ Warren for Reggie Jackson trade.

[King4Day]

Why does it make you think we would have a crack at Griffin? Just because they were playing bad against Memphis and will likely just get swept in the playoffs?

I think they had lost like 4 in a row before that. The looked firmly in the 6th spot and now were barely hanging on to that 8th spot. But they have another easy game I think tomorrow against a tanking team (I think) and could maybe still end up as high as 6th since it's so close. And likely even if they lost tonight, if they won tomorrow they'd probably have knocked Charlotte out. They may play NY tomorrow.

Hornets have the tiebreaker, so unless the Hornets lost to Miami, the Pistons would be out.

I'm just going by the turmoil the Pistons had earlier in the season and if they blew their lead in a weak east, it shows they've basically peaked as a team. They won't have cap room to improve. This is their team. I just don't see them keeping this squad together, even if it's not Griffin that they trade.

Maybe not. I heard one of the podcasts last night talk about a TJ Warren for Reggie Jackson trade.

I feel like that'd be more of a salary dump. Jackson would be an expiring if I'm not mistaken.
I'd only consider that as a last ditch option if nothing else panned out (ie: Rubio, Holiday, Conley, Kemba)

[bwgood77]

Hornets have the tiebreaker, so unless the Hornets lost to Miami, the Pistons would be out.

I'm just going by the turmoil the Pistons had earlier in the season and if they blew their lead in a weak east, it shows they've basically peaked as a team. They won't have cap room to improve. This is their team. I just don't see them keeping this squad together, even if it's not Griffin that they trade.

Maybe not. I heard one of the podcasts last night talk about a TJ Warren for Reggie Jackson trade.

I feel like that'd be more of a salary dump. Jackson would be an expiring if I'm not mistaken.
I'd only consider that as a last ditch option if nothing else panned out (ie: Rubio, Holiday, Conley, Kemba)

No way would I do that. TJ is extremely useful as an elite scorer from anywhere on the court...even if he is coming off the bench. I would be fine starting Tyler Johnson over Reggie Jackson (while not losing a weapon like TJ in the process).

[BobbieL]

Maybe not. I heard one of the podcasts last night talk about a TJ Warren for Reggie Jackson trade.

I feel like that'd be more of a salary dump. Jackson would be an expiring if I'm not mistaken.
I'd only consider that as a last ditch option if nothing else panned out (ie: Rubio, Holiday, Conley, Kemba)

No way would I do that. TJ is extremely useful as an elite scorer from anywhere on the court...even if he is coming off the bench. I would be fine starting Tyler Johnson over Reggie Jackson (while losing a weapon like TJ in the process).

Agreed. Don’t dump Warren for Jackson. Granted Bowers would have knowledge - so he might want Reggie


Magic out - would LeBron hire Griff?

[WeekapaugGroove]

I'd rather start Tyler Johnson than Reggie Jackson.

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[lilfishi22]

I don't understand the point of Reggie. He's on a 1yr deal (also $18m like TJo) and while it adds depth to the PG position, are we going to resign him (or TJo)? What would be the plan with him? We would've given up a great scorer and reliable on an attractive and very tradeable contract for a year of Reggie? If TJ is as tradeable as those who wants to trade TJ say, then for sure we could get better than Reggie Jackson right?

[Kerrsed]

Im all for looking to trade TJ for a established PG, but Jackson is NOT that guy. Reggie is as mediocre as can be. He is a horrible defender, isnt a good distributor, and his shooting is very middle of the road. Believe it or not he shoots on average 10 3's a game (Thats one more than Booker) despite being a 36% 3PT shooter.

Im all for trying to snag Ball away from LA, and think it could be very possible. If we cant do something like that, im almost ready to just say screw it and make Booker the full-time PG and look at obtaining a better 3point shooting more defensive SG to put next to Booker.

[bwgood77]

Im all for looking to trade TJ for a established PG, but Jackson is NOT that guy. Reggie is as mediocre as can be. He is a horrible defender, isnt a good distributor, and his shooting is very middle of the road. Believe it or not he shoots on average 10 3's a game (Thats one more than Booker) despite being a 36% 3PT shooter.

Im all for trying to snag Ball away from LA, and think it could be very possible. If we cant do something like that, im almost ready to just say screw it and make Booker the full-time PG and look at obtaining a better 3point shooting more defensive SG to put next to Booker.

I don't want him but funny you mention him shooting so much from 3 and more than Booker when Book shot 32% from 3. Jackson actually shot better from 3 than everyone on our whole team outside of Warren and Daniels. If we did trade TJ for him he might end up being our sharpshooter next year.

[Kerrsed]

Im all for looking to trade TJ for a established PG, but Jackson is NOT that guy. Reggie is as mediocre as can be. He is a horrible defender, isnt a good distributor, and his shooting is very middle of the road. Believe it or not he shoots on average 10 3's a game (Thats one more than Booker) despite being a 36% 3PT shooter.

Im all for trying to snag Ball away from LA, and think it could be very possible. If we cant do something like that, im almost ready to just say screw it and make Booker the full-time PG and look at obtaining a better 3point shooting more defensive SG to put next to Booker.

I don't want him but funny you mention him shooting so much from 3 and more than Booker when Book shot 32% from 3. Jackson actually shot better from 3 than everyone on our whole team outside of Warren and Daniels. If we did trade TJ for him he might end up being our sharpshooter next year.

Nah, i do realize he was better from 3 than our team, but i think thats partly in due to many factors. Him being on a better team, having a great passing big in Griffin, being in an already established system. I think if he played for us this season, his numbers would most likely be even lower than guys like Booker/Warren/Oubre. I mean while being a better 3 point shooter than those guys, they all have a better True Shooting percentage.

I do have to add that while i really didnt like the Tyler Johnson acquisition one bit, when the team was all together (Minus Warren), we were on a roll, and i do factor Johnson as being a large part of that. When researching the Top defensive players at each position, Johnsons name came up quite a bit. One link i came across (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2698613-metrics-101-the-top-5-nba-defenders-at-every-position#slide0) had him as the #4 defensive PG in the league (Yes i understand it was from 2017). I think he very well could be the player that we need next to Booker. Like have Booker run the point on offense, but on defense have Johnson guarding the point. We just really need to get whoever worked with Warren and Jackson on their 3 point shooting to do what they can with Johnson, and if he can hit around 38%-40% from 3 i think we would absolutely be golden in the guard department.

Then its just trying to land a defensive PF (**COUGH COUGH CLARKE COUGH).

[bwgood77]

Im all for looking to trade TJ for a established PG, but Jackson is NOT that guy. Reggie is as mediocre as can be. He is a horrible defender, isnt a good distributor, and his shooting is very middle of the road. Believe it or not he shoots on average 10 3's a game (Thats one more than Booker) despite being a 36% 3PT shooter.

Im all for trying to snag Ball away from LA, and think it could be very possible. If we cant do something like that, im almost ready to just say screw it and make Booker the full-time PG and look at obtaining a better 3point shooting more defensive SG to put next to Booker.

I don't want him but funny you mention him shooting so much from 3 and more than Booker when Book shot 32% from 3. Jackson actually shot better from 3 than everyone on our whole team outside of Warren and Daniels. If we did trade TJ for him he might end up being our sharpshooter next year.

Nah, i do realize he was better from 3 than our team, but i think thats partly in due to many factors. Him being on a better team, having a great passing big in Griffin, being in an already established system. I think if he played for us this season, his numbers would most likely be even lower than guys like Booker/Warren/Oubre. I mean while being a better 3 point shooter than those guys, they all have a better True Shooting percentage.

I do have to add that while i really didnt like the Tyler Johnson acquisition one bit, when the team was all together (Minus Warren), we were on a roll, and i do factor Johnson as being a large part of that. When researching the Top defensive players at each position, Johnsons name came up quite a bit. One link i came across (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2698613-metrics-101-the-top-5-nba-defenders-at-every-position#slide0) had him as the #4 defensive PG in the league (Yes i understand it was from 2017). I think he very well could be the player that we need next to Booker. Like have Booker run the point on offense, but on defense have Johnson guarding the point. We just really need to get whoever worked with Warren and Jackson on their 3 point shooting to do what they can with Johnson, and if he can hit around 38%-40% from 3 i think we would absolutely be golden in the guard department.

Then its just trying to land a defensive PF (**COUGH COUGH CLARKE COUGH).

Johnson is a stud. Oubre took his credit. We didn't win a game without TJ after adding Oubre until we added Tyler Johnson. Then a few games after adding him we finally had a good run once he gained a bit of chemistry with him. But most everyone credited Oubre for it even though he had been here through our entire 17 game streak. Once Johnson went down we only won 3 more games...but only one of those involved Oubre...the Pelicans win we were kind of gifted.

Tyler Johnson is a stud. His ast/to ratio is like 4/1 and he is a hard nosed player. He didn't shoot well with us but in his career he is a near 37% 3 pt shooter.

[Kerrsed]

Johnson is a stud. Oubre took his credit. We didn't win a game without TJ after adding Oubre until we added Tyler Johnson. Then a few games after adding him we finally had a good run once he gained a bit of chemistry with him. But most everyone credited Oubre for it even though he had been here through our entire 17 game streak. Once Johnson went down we only won 3 more games...but only one of those involved Oubre...the Pelicans win we were kind of gifted.

Tyler Johnson is a stud. His ast/to ratio is like 4/1 and he is a hard nosed player. He didn't shoot well with us but in his career he is a near 37% 3 pt shooter.

Yeah, ive really come to like what Johnson brings to the table for us. Its also crazy to think that the Johnson we saw (Yeah, i just typed that lol) wasnt even close to where he can be. His short time with us was his absolute worst when it came to defense. I mean i attribute that to a combo of going to a new team and learning teammates tendencies, learning a new system, and dealing with worse teammates when it comes to defense. While he looked like a solid defender to us, truth be told his defensive rating was at 117.But his previous 4 seasons were all under 110 (His rookie season being the best at 105). So while we were impressed with what he was doing, he can do and already has done much much better, so my hope is high that coming into next season with a full training camp and knowing a large majority of his teammates already will help him settle in and become the even better defender he once was.

He just needs to work on fixing his shot and i'd be ecstatic!

[bwgood77]

Johnson is a stud. Oubre took his credit. We didn't win a game without TJ after adding Oubre until we added Tyler Johnson. Then a few games after adding him we finally had a good run once he gained a bit of chemistry with him. But most everyone credited Oubre for it even though he had been here through our entire 17 game streak. Once Johnson went down we only won 3 more games...but only one of those involved Oubre...the Pelicans win we were kind of gifted.

Tyler Johnson is a stud. His ast/to ratio is like 4/1 and he is a hard nosed player. He didn't shoot well with us but in his career he is a near 37% 3 pt shooter.

Yeah, ive really come to like what Johnson brings to the table for us. Its also crazy to think that the Johnson we saw (Yeah, i just typed that lol) wasnt even close to where he can be. His short time with us was his absolute worst when it came to defense. I mean i attribute that to a combo of going to a new team and learning teammates tendencies, learning a new system, and dealing with worse teammates when it comes to defense. While he looked like a solid defender to us, truth be told his defensive rating was at 117.But his previous 4 seasons were all under 110 (His rookie season being the best at 105). So while we were impressed with what he was doing, he can do and already has done much much better, so my hope is high that coming into next season with a full training camp and knowing a large majority of his teammates already will help him settle in and become the even better defender he once was.

He just needs to work on fixing his shot and i'd be ecstatic!

Those b-ref defensive ratings are primarily going to be team based, with slight variations depending on the +/- of who you are on the floor with. But if your team is getting beat badly every night, everyone's on the team will be pretty bad.

RPM is a little better, because it tries to separate that stuff to some extent, but not great. RAPM might be a little bit better...it's supposed to try and remove all that pretty well.

He won't ever be the best defender but the entire reason he is in the NBA is effort...he will always be on his guy trying to create havoc..that type of stuff is contagious and that is a huge reason why we won those games.

Funny thing is, there was an interview with him on the Athletic and he talked about how some of the rest of the team, or Oubre, said he needed to celebrate more after a big play...have some swag...but what I liked about him is that he didn't do that...he stayed engaged. But the primary take away from that was that it was kind of contagious with Oubre and that he thought it was infectious for others. Regardless of which approach they take, the combo was impressive.

[Crives]

If I am James Jones, I am calling Lebron and asking if he wants to come to PHX. Short flight to business interests in la.

I am offering Tyler + Jackson + 2019 pick swap + #32 + Milwaukee 1st. Lebron/Book will be sharing pg duties so we can pull Bridges or Warren into starting lineup.

[JDJ26]

If I am James Jones, I am calling Lebron and asking if he wants to come to PHX. Short flight to business interests in la.

I am offering Tyler + Jackson + 2019 pick swap + #32 + Milwaukee 1st. Lebron/Book will be sharing pg duties so we can pull Bridges or Warren into starting lineup.

That sounds good in theory but Sarver is probably going to shoot it down because of Rich Paul and Klutch.

[Frank Lee]

You cant blacklist an agent.... you just learn how to deal with them. If AD trade talks pick up, do you NOT want a seat at the table? There will be no negotiation on his next contract as he will get the super Max .... as he is a top three player and will be for another 5-6 yrs.

Just for gits and shiggles, come draft day, if we land #1 (or may be #2) TJ/Oko/#1(zion, yes zion) can be traded for AD. Is there a better offer available ? Just saying.

[BobbieL]

You cant blacklist an agent.... you just learn how to deal with them. If AD trade talks pick up, do you NOT want a seat at the table? There will be no negotiation on his next contract as he will get the super Max .... as he is a top three player and will be for another 5-6 yrs.

Just for gits and shiggles, come draft day, if we land #1 (or may be #2) TJ/Oko/#1(zion, yes zion) can be traded for AD. Is there a better offer available ? Just saying.

If the Suns get Zion - it’s worth a call
If they get #2, would the Pels want Morant with the guys like Tatum and Brown

As for Tyler - he did well. I think he Booker and a more traditional PG would be a solid rotation

[bwgood77]

If I am James Jones, I am calling Lebron and asking if he wants to come to PHX. Short flight to business interests in la.

I am offering Tyler + Jackson + 2019 pick swap + #32 + Milwaukee 1st. Lebron/Book will be sharing pg duties so we can pull Bridges or Warren into starting lineup.

How could the Lakers turn down that deal?

[bwgood77]

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[BobbieL]

Read on Twitter

Gina and Bob Young on the Suns beat was good coverage. Thought they did a good job.


Still nothing on Igor -but again the season is not over like in NFL where the leagues all play Sunday so the firings happen Sun night or Monday

[BobbieL]

If I am James Jones, I am calling Lebron and asking if he wants to come to PHX. Short flight to business interests in la.

I am offering Tyler + Jackson + 2019 pick swap + #32 + Milwaukee 1st. Lebron/Book will be sharing pg duties so we can pull Bridges or Warren into starting lineup.

How could the Lakers turn down that deal?

Hmm.... do the Suns want LeBron now?