Season Speculation, Trade Ideas and Discussion

[Zelaznyrules]

He's just in a slump. He's not the only player in the league who's struggling right now. There are some really good players who really suck ass right now. Before last game you could easily add Booker to THIS LIST. Some people need to chill the **** out with this Knight hate, he will improve his game soon.

I'm okay with waiting out a slump and I know he has to be a far better player than we've seen so far. But his effort defensively against the Pelicans really pissed me off. It seemed to me that he defended with far more energy the night he started for Booker and it's difficult to not draw the obvious conclusion.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

He's just in a slump. He's not the only player in the league who's struggling right now. There are some really good players who really suck ass right now. Before last game you could easily add Booker to THIS LIST. Some people need to chill the **** out with this Knight hate, he will improve his game soon.

I'm okay with waiting out a slump and I know he has to be a far better player than we've seen so far. But his effort defensively against the Pelicans really pissed me off. It seemed to me that he defended with far more energy the night he started for Booker and it's difficult to not draw the obvious conclusion.

I've been impressed with BK's overall effort on defense. It's all the suckage on offense I can't stand, and the fact that Ulis has very clearly earned some minutes. I'm sure we're trying to put BK in a position to succeed, whether it be to win games or to increase his trade value. But man, it sure is painful to watch him struggle.

[Zelaznyrules]

He's just in a slump. He's not the only player in the league who's struggling right now. There are some really good players who really suck ass right now. Before last game you could easily add Booker to THIS LIST. Some people need to chill the **** out with this Knight hate, he will improve his game soon.

I'm okay with waiting out a slump and I know he has to be a far better player than we've seen so far. But his effort defensively against the Pelicans really pissed me off. It seemed to me that he defended with far more energy the night he started for Booker and it's difficult to not draw the obvious conclusion.

I've been impressed with BK's overall effort on defense. It's all the suckage on offense I can't stand, and the fact that Ulis has very clearly earned some minutes. I'm sure we're trying to put BK in a position to succeed, whether it be to win games or to increase his trade value. But man, it sure is painful to watch him struggle.

I was fine with his defensive effort up until the Pelicans game. And yeah, I want to see Ulis out there and I can't figure out why it isn't happening.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I'm okay with waiting out a slump and I know he has to be a far better player than we've seen so far. But his effort defensively against the Pelicans really pissed me off. It seemed to me that he defended with far more energy the night he started for Booker and it's difficult to not draw the obvious conclusion.

I've been impressed with BK's overall effort on defense. It's all the suckage on offense I can't stand, and the fact that Ulis has very clearly earned some minutes. I'm sure we're trying to put BK in a position to succeed, whether it be to win games or to increase his trade value. But man, it sure is painful to watch him struggle.

I was fine with his defensive effort up until the Pelicans game. And yeah, I want to see Ulis out there and I can't figure out why it isn't happening.

As long as we're on the topic, Marquese Chriss's mental errors have been mounting. Regardless whether Dragan can hit that 3, I highly doubt he'd be passing the ball into the stands every 5 minutes the way Chriss has. I think Dragan should get a shot at Chriss's spot in the rotation.

[OGBAH]

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/81002/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-john-wall-jahlil-okafor-brandon-knight-three.htm


1. The Philadelphia 76ers will get guard John Wall from the Wizards;

2. The Washington Wizards will then acquire Jahlil Okafor from the 76ers and Brandon Knight from the Suns; and

3. The Phoenix Suns will be rewarded by a 2017 first-round pick and 2019 first-round pick also all coming from the 76ers.

[bwgood77]

He's just in a slump. He's not the only player in the league who's struggling right now. There are some really good players who really suck ass right now. Before last game you could easily add Booker to THIS LIST. Some people need to chill the **** out with this Knight hate, he will improve his game soon.

I'm okay with waiting out a slump and I know he has to be a far better player than we've seen so far. But his effort defensively against the Pelicans really pissed me off. It seemed to me that he defended with far more energy the night he started for Booker and it's difficult to not draw the obvious conclusion.

It gets more and more difficult to wait out this slump when the slump has last 1 1/2 years. He had a couple good games. I don't remember any extended periods of good games where he shot well AND didn't have many turnovers. His first year and this year he's shot about 35% from the field, and last year, 41%. Even in the games he shot above 40% last year he had between 4 and 8 turnovers in many if not most of them.

I keep hoping he gets out of this almost two year slump, but my optimism is waning.

[gaspar]

He's just in a slump. He's not the only player in the league who's struggling right now. There are some really good players who really suck ass right now. Before last game you could easily add Booker to THIS LIST. Some people need to chill the **** out with this Knight hate, he will improve his game soon.

I'm okay with waiting out a slump and I know he has to be a far better player than we've seen so far. But his effort defensively against the Pelicans really pissed me off. It seemed to me that he defended with far more energy the night he started for Booker and it's difficult to not draw the obvious conclusion.

It gets more and more difficult to wait out this slump when the slump has last 1 1/2 years. He had a couple good games. I don't remember any extended periods of good games where he shot well AND didn't have many turnovers. His first year and this year he's shot about 35% from the field, and last year, 41%. Even in the games he shot above 40% last year he had between 4 and 8 turnovers in many if not most of them.

I keep hoping he gets out of this almost two year slump, but my optimism is waning.

He played great basketball at the start of last season. In the first 23 games he averaged 21.4 pts, 5.2 ast, 4.4 reb, 1.6 stl, 3.3 tov, .445 FG%, .375 3P%.

[NavLDO]

Spoiler:

This trade is horrible. Our team would be without any defense with this trade. Jesus No!

http://thesportsquotient.com/nba/2016/2/13/brook-lopez-nbas-most-underrated-big-man

Defensively, Lopez is no slouch. Because of his ability to score, we often measure his success by points and offensive efficiency. Lopez gets a lot of criticism defensively, but he clearly can hold his own. According to fastbreak.com, opponents within six feet of the rim are shooting 10.1 percent worse against Lopez than they are against the rest of the league. Lopez also ranks eighth in the NBA in blocks per game, right ahead of Karl-Anthony Towns and behind Kristaps Porzingis. What he lacks in quickness and athleticism he makes up for with his 7‘5 1/2 wingspan along with excellent timing and intelligence.

...AND...

http://thebrooklyngame.com/valuable-brook-lopez/

I beat this drum like there’s draft picks inside of it, but that’s because it’s true: Lopez is an underrated rim protector, a big man defends more shots taken within six feet than any other NBA player, according to NBA.com’s defensive statistics. He’s also effective at turning them away, turning what’s regularly a 60 percent look into a 51 percent look.

Another rim protection figure — Nylon Calculus’s excellent “Rim Protection” stat — has Lopez saving just under a point per game, ahead of his more defensive-minded brother and sixth out of 23 centers with at least 1,000 minutes played. He is a solid shotblocker and shot deterrer, and both the eye test and the numbers back that up.

Also, what defense are you particularly worried about?? Between Lopez and Chandler, we'd be fine down low. Not to mention Tucker and what he just did to AD a couple of nights ago. Also, Chriss has shown a real penchant early o hi his career for defense, as has Bender. Warren has shown this season that he is getting better defensively, as well.

So, we lose Bledsoe, the only real Defensive presence on this team, but Ulis, should he develop as he has shown in SL, also showed a real penchant on the defensive side of the ball, as well. Len has been hit or miss, so I'm not concerned about trading him out for Lopez one bit, and Knight, well, he's just garbage, so I'm not sure what defense you are so worried about losing.

I'll take what Lopez brings to the table over what Bledsoe does any day of the week. And Bojan as a SG over Knight is a no brainer. And Len, at this point is hit or miss; Lopez is pretty much 'hit' day in and day out, so I'm surprised that that anyone would have real heartache with this trade, unless you are worried about winning too many games, because Lopez, Warren, and Booker are three offensive weapons that will keep us in any game, whereas Bledsoe, Len, and Knight have all been highly inconsistent this season...heck, they've been inconsistent throughout their entire careers with the Suns.

I respect your opinion, but I think completely different from you. Lopez just left another injury, I see it better than Bledsoe offensively, defensively not even need to speak.
Bogdanovic is doing a good season, but is a poorly complement to Devin. (Not defending anything). In your view, what would be our first team with this trade? who would defend after this trade? Ulis? Booker? Cris? Lopes? Bogdanovic? Ulis is ready?
I wish you would point me all the solutions to my questions.

It would likely be as I listed above, but now that I think of it, I would put Barbosa and Ulis split 2nd PG minutes, since he has experience playing the position:

Booker/Ulis/Barbosa
Bogdanovic/Jenkins/LeVert
Warren/Tucker/Derrick Jones Jr.
Chriss/Bender/Dudley
Lopez/Chandler/Williams

But as I mentioned, Booker, Warren, and Lopez would keep us in any game with our offense, and Warren has looked a lot better defensively. And while you are right, Ulis is not ready for starter minutes, he could contribute 10-15 mpg, as could Barbosa, and in a pinch LeVert could play PG as well, since he played the position some his Senior year.

So yes, we would take a bit of a hit defensively in the backfield, but not enough so, as to prevent us from taking Lopez in exchange for Bledsoe. And I don't want to change your opinion, and don't expect you to think along the same lines I do; I respect your opinion as well, and I do understand your concerns; they are valid. I'm just saying I'd be willing to take those risks on defense to get an All-Star on the team...

[TeamTragic]

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/81002/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-john-wall-jahlil-okafor-brandon-knight-three.htm


1. The Philadelphia 76ers will get guard John Wall from the Wizards;

2. The Washington Wizards will then acquire Jahlil Okafor from the 76ers and Brandon Knight from the Suns; and

3. The Phoenix Suns will be rewarded by a 2017 first-round pick and 2019 first-round pick also all coming from the 76ers.

Approved. This trade makes sense

[LukasBMW]

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/81002/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-john-wall-jahlil-okafor-brandon-knight-three.htm


1. The Philadelphia 76ers will get guard John Wall from the Wizards;

2. The Washington Wizards will then acquire Jahlil Okafor from the 76ers and Brandon Knight from the Suns; and

3. The Phoenix Suns will be rewarded by a 2017 first-round pick and 2019 first-round pick also all coming from the 76ers.

Approved. This trade makes sense

Jesus Christ! Where do I sign?

[lilfishi22]

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/81002/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-john-wall-jahlil-okafor-brandon-knight-three.htm


1. The Philadelphia 76ers will get guard John Wall from the Wizards;

2. The Washington Wizards will then acquire Jahlil Okafor from the 76ers and Brandon Knight from the Suns; and

3. The Phoenix Suns will be rewarded by a 2017 first-round pick and 2019 first-round pick also all coming from the 76ers.

I need a change of pants

[Kerrsed]

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/81002/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-john-wall-jahlil-okafor-brandon-knight-three.htm


1. The Philadelphia 76ers will get guard John Wall from the Wizards;

2. The Washington Wizards will then acquire Jahlil Okafor from the 76ers and Brandon Knight from the Suns; and

3. The Phoenix Suns will be rewarded by a 2017 first-round pick and 2019 first-round pick also all coming from the 76ers.

The funny thing is, i have googled NBA trade info soooooooo much that it now pops up in my news feed, but 98% of them are the junk sites that are quoting another junk site that quotes a 3rd junk site that got the info from a trade idea from yet another. They are always some crazy whacked out trade that usually neither team would do.

Case in point, just today:

NBA Trade Rumors: OKC Thunder acquiring Indiana Pacers Paul George as Kevin Durant Replacement

http://www.hngn.com/articles/215366/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-okc-thunder-acquiring-indiana-pacers-paul-george.htm

New York Knicks trading Kristaps Porzingis for Anthony Davis? Benching from Hornacek could lead to blockbuster deal with New Orleans Pelicans

http://www.sportsrageous.com/rumors/nba-rumors-knicks-trading-kristaps-porzingis-for-anthony-davis-benching-from-hornacek-could-lead-to-blockbuster-deal/54803/

John Wall to Lakers, D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle to Wizards

http://www.inquisitr.com/3651555/nba-trade-rumors-wall-lakers-russell-randle-wizards/

Websites like Yibada and Inquisitr are the worst, as they constantly flood the net with these weak-ass stories that the grab from other smaller bs sites that get them from ideas stolen from forums and fansites (Fansided/Bleacher Report).


.......As for Lopez....i'd pass. Too long of an injury history, doesnt play good defense at all, another 7 footer that can barely rebound, all the things that i want in a bigman. Add on that he is considered the Nets best player and they will want an arm and a leg for him and that makes the idea even worse. Seriously, for the people wanting Lopez, why not just grab a clone of him with no injury history and at a fraction of the price in Kanter? Sure, Kanter doesnt hit the 3 ball, but he is a muuuuuch better defender, 4 years younger, has less of an injury history AND went to KENTUCKY! His PER36 so far this season read out at 21 points, 14 rebounds, a block and a steal.

[TeamTragic]

Obviously that site is making up rumors. However any opportunity to get Knight off this team.

[NavLDO]

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/81002/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-john-wall-jahlil-okafor-brandon-knight-three.htm


1. The Philadelphia 76ers will get guard John Wall from the Wizards;

2. The Washington Wizards will then acquire Jahlil Okafor from the 76ers and Brandon Knight from the Suns; and

3. The Phoenix Suns will be rewarded by a 2017 first-round pick and 2019 first-round pick also all coming from the 76ers.

The funny thing is, i have googled NBA trade info soooooooo much that it now pops up in my news feed, but 98% of them are the junk sites that are quoting another junk site that quotes a 3rd junk site that got the info from a trade idea from yet another. They are always some crazy whacked out trade that usually neither team would do.

Case in point, just today:

NBA Trade Rumors: OKC Thunder acquiring Indiana Pacers Paul George as Kevin Durant Replacement

http://www.hngn.com/articles/215366/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-okc-thunder-acquiring-indiana-pacers-paul-george.htm

New York Knicks trading Kristaps Porzingis for Anthony Davis? Benching from Hornacek could lead to blockbuster deal with New Orleans Pelicans

http://www.sportsrageous.com/rumors/nba-rumors-knicks-trading-kristaps-porzingis-for-anthony-davis-benching-from-hornacek-could-lead-to-blockbuster-deal/54803/

John Wall to Lakers, D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle to Wizards

http://www.inquisitr.com/3651555/nba-trade-rumors-wall-lakers-russell-randle-wizards/

Websites like Yibada and Inquisitr are the worst, as they constantly flood the net with these weak-ass stories that the grab from other smaller bs sites that get them from ideas stolen from forums and fansites (Fansided/Bleacher Report).


.......As for Lopez....i'd pass. Too long of an injury history, doesnt play good defense at all, another 7 footer that can barely rebound, all the things that i want in a bigman. Add on that he is considered the Nets best player and they will want an arm and a leg for him and that makes the idea even worse. Seriously, for the people wanting Lopez, why not just grab a clone of him with no injury history and at a fraction of the price in Kanter? Sure, Kanter doesnt hit the 3 ball, but he is a muuuuuch better defender, 4 years younger, has less of an injury history AND went to KENTUCKY! His PER36 so far this season read out at 21 points, 14 rebounds, a block and a steal.

Well, I hate to disagree, so I won't, but others that watch a heck of a lot more than I do see it a bit differently regarding his defensive prowess, and even back up their assertions with metrics, etc.

On him being 'broken', I demonstrated the difference between he and Bledsoe, and there isn't much...except, that Bledsoe's missed time due to injuries is much more 'present' than that of Lopez.

And on the point about a 'big' that doesn't rebound, I'd counter that Bledsoe is a PG that doesn't Assist. The difference is that Lopez outscores Bledsoe by an avg of 4 pts/36.

So what's worse, a big that has per36 numbers of 20.2/8.2TRB/1.9Blks...or a PG that has per 36 numbers of 16.2/5.9Asst/1.9STLs...And the 'big' shoots better FT% and a better WS/48 of .135 to .94, and a lower TOV of 2.2 vs 3.5...

The numbers just favor Lopez, overall. Sure, Bled wins some, but he's had the more recent injury major issues than Lopez, so if it boils down to who I'd rather have on the Suns, EB or Lopez, I'm taking Lopes, personally.

NOW, however, I do agree that I would rather have Kanter than Lopez, but that wasn't what was being discussed, because, yeah, I could careless that Lopez can shoot the 3 ball, even if I do like that he has some range to his shot. But you find a way to get Kanter, and I'm on board with that--he's younger, healthier, cheaper--just doesn't have that 'recognition' piece of Lopez.

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=hpzz823

Centers for Centers, and we'll throw in a lotto protected pick for 2018...BOOM...we're done here...thanks for the trade idea, Kerrsed, I probably just ruined your appetite with that trade proposal, and if not yours, somebody elses...

But seriously, when anyone puts out a trade idea, most others will find ways to poke holes in it, There's no perfect trade, but I'm good with this one--Adams/Chandler/Len might be quite formidable for OKC, and for us, Kanter/Lauvergne/Williams should suit us fine.

[NavLDO]

Here's your chance, Kerrsed!!!

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/243893/Lance-Stephenson-To-Undergo-Groin-Surgery

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/243896/Pelicans-To-Sign-Archie-Goodwin-Waive-Lance-Stephenson

[Kerrsed]

http://www.parentherald.com/articles/81002/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-john-wall-jahlil-okafor-brandon-knight-three.htm


1. The Philadelphia 76ers will get guard John Wall from the Wizards;

2. The Washington Wizards will then acquire Jahlil Okafor from the 76ers and Brandon Knight from the Suns; and

3. The Phoenix Suns will be rewarded by a 2017 first-round pick and 2019 first-round pick also all coming from the 76ers.

The funny thing is, i have googled NBA trade info soooooooo much that it now pops up in my news feed, but 98% of them are the junk sites that are quoting another junk site that quotes a 3rd junk site that got the info from a trade idea from yet another. They are always some crazy whacked out trade that usually neither team would do.

Case in point, just today:

NBA Trade Rumors: OKC Thunder acquiring Indiana Pacers Paul George as Kevin Durant Replacement

http://www.hngn.com/articles/215366/20161104/nba-trade-rumors-okc-thunder-acquiring-indiana-pacers-paul-george.htm

New York Knicks trading Kristaps Porzingis for Anthony Davis? Benching from Hornacek could lead to blockbuster deal with New Orleans Pelicans

http://www.sportsrageous.com/rumors/nba-rumors-knicks-trading-kristaps-porzingis-for-anthony-davis-benching-from-hornacek-could-lead-to-blockbuster-deal/54803/

John Wall to Lakers, D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle to Wizards

http://www.inquisitr.com/3651555/nba-trade-rumors-wall-lakers-russell-randle-wizards/

Websites like Yibada and Inquisitr are the worst, as they constantly flood the net with these weak-ass stories that the grab from other smaller bs sites that get them from ideas stolen from forums and fansites (Fansided/Bleacher Report).


.......As for Lopez....i'd pass. Too long of an injury history, doesnt play good defense at all, another 7 footer that can barely rebound, all the things that i want in a bigman. Add on that he is considered the Nets best player and they will want an arm and a leg for him and that makes the idea even worse. Seriously, for the people wanting Lopez, why not just grab a clone of him with no injury history and at a fraction of the price in Kanter? Sure, Kanter doesnt hit the 3 ball, but he is a muuuuuch better defender, 4 years younger, has less of an injury history AND went to KENTUCKY! His PER36 so far this season read out at 21 points, 14 rebounds, a block and a steal.

Well, I hate to disagree, so I won't, but others that watch a heck of a lot more than I do see it a bit differently regarding his defensive prowess, and even back up their assertions with metrics, etc.

On him being 'broken', I demonstrated the difference between he and Bledsoe, and there isn't much...except, that Bledsoe's missed time due to injuries is much more 'present' than that of Lopez.

And on the point about a 'big' that doesn't rebound, I'd counter that Bledsoe is a PG that doesn't Assist. The difference is that Lopez outscores Bledsoe by an avg of 4 pts/36.

So what's worse, a big that has per36 numbers of 20.2/8.2TRB/1.9Blks...or a PG that has per 36 numbers of 16.2/5.9Asst/1.9STLs...And the 'big' shoots better FT% and a better WS/48 of .135 to .94, and a lower TOV of 2.2 vs 3.5...

The numbers just favor Lopez, overall. Sure, Bled wins some, but he's had the more recent injury major issues than Lopez, so if it boils down to who I'd rather have on the Suns, EB or Lopez, I'm taking Lopes, personally.

NOW, however, I do agree that I would rather have Kanter than Lopez, but that wasn't what was being discussed, because, yeah, I could careless that Lopez can shoot the 3 ball, even if I do like that he has some range to his shot. But you find a way to get Kanter, and I'm on board with that--he's younger, healthier, cheaper--just doesn't have that 'recognition' piece of Lopez.

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=hpzz823

Centers for Centers, and we'll throw in a lotto protected pick for 2018...BOOM...we're done here...thanks for the trade idea, Kerrsed, I probably just ruined your appetite with that trade proposal, and if not yours, somebody elses...

But seriously, when anyone puts out a trade idea, most others will find ways to poke holes in it, There's no perfect trade, but I'm good with this one--Adams/Chandler/Len might be quite formidable for OKC, and for us, Kanter/Lauvergne/Williams should suit us fine.

The funny thing is that there is currently a Kanter Thread on the Trade Board, and someone offered up Knight and Len for Kanter and Payne, and a few OKC fans said they would be open to Knight for Kanter straight up. They need scoring and are looking for someone that can get buckets.

As for his defense, yeah, its not good, but all the stats show it has been better than Lopez's D. Im against trading for either of the two, but if we HAD to, i would be for Kanter all the way.

[RaisingArizona]

Kanter for Knight. Put me down for some of that.

[Kerrsed]

Here's your chance, Kerrsed!!!

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/243893/Lance-Stephenson-To-Undergo-Groin-Surgery

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/243896/Pelicans-To-Sign-Archie-Goodwin-Waive-Lance-Stephenson

Lance played great for them. Sad to see. He was the last player signed to stay on the team, yet played great and was getting major minutes and was providing.

[OGBAH]

I'd do the Chandler and Len for Kanter and who ever that was.
Then we can unleash #thesauce

[lilfishi22]

Here's your chance, Kerrsed!!!

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/243893/Lance-Stephenson-To-Undergo-Groin-Surgery

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/243896/Pelicans-To-Sign-Archie-Goodwin-Waive-Lance-Stephenson

Lance played great for them. Sad to see. He was the last player signed to stay on the team, yet played great and was getting major minutes and was providing.

I kinda feel bad for him. He looked like he wasn't going to picked up anywhere only to finally sign with the Pels and he played well. Now with a injury, he gets waived. A bit unfair but that's the nature of the business.