Season Speculation, Trade Ideas & Discussion Pt. 1

[DirtyDez]

believe that Boston grossly overpaid for Kyire.

Boston is a contender so it makes more sense for them to overpay than for us to. You rarely see a bottom feeder give up the "house" for a star player.

After thinking some more about Boston giving up the BRK pick it's making more sense. They could've used it on George or Butler but Irving is younger and a better fit as they need a PG. The argument would've been just taking Fultz but who knows if he'd be ready for a Finals run plus they picked up an asset.

Irving
Smart
Brown
Hayward
Horford
-
Rozier
Tatum
Morris
Yabusele
Baynes

I think their success will depend how Jaylen Brown develops...

[lilfishi22]

Trade's done, thus ending the second coming of anyone's hope to see Kyrie in a Suns jersey next year. All for a second rounder. Wonder how much time IT ends up missing to start the season, if any?

And Cleveland probably pissed off IT in the process, making his injury out to be a bigger deal than it was, likely costing him money next summer. I guess ultimately it could allow Cleveland to sign him for less, but it was kind of a cheap move by the rookie GM, as they already had a great deal and were very unlikely to get much more.

Maybe

I haven't read a ton about the seriousness of IT's injury but it does sound like recovery period could be extensive if some reports are to be believed so I'm not sure if Cleveland was really making a mountain out of a molehill here. Trading for IT without realising the seriousness of his injuries was risky but I think it was within Cleveland's rights to ask for more compensation. The problem is with perception, all the rookie GM could get out of stalling and kicking up a stink was an early-mid 2nd rounder which made it look like he was arguing over pennies.

To be fair, Cleveland did get an awesome deal but if IT's injury is as bad as some have reported then I definitely would've revisited the trade.

[bwgood77]

believe that Boston grossly overpaid for Kyire.

Boston is a contender so it makes more sense for them to overpay than for us to. You rarely see a bottom feeder give up the "house" for a star player.

After thinking some more about Boston giving up the BRK pick it's making more sense. They could've used it on George or Butler but Irving is younger and a better fit as they need a PG. The argument would've been just taking Fultz but who knows if he'd be ready for a Finals run plus they picked up an asset.

Irving
Smart
Brown
Hayward
Horford
-
Rozier
Tatum
Morris
Yabusele
Baynes

I think their success will depend how Jaylen Brown develops...

It's interesting. There is a poll on the Celtics forum about who starts other than their big 3, and Morris and Brown lead the voting by far, and are neck and neck. Tatum barely got any votes. Smart less than half of Morris/Brown.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1608866

[SideSwipe]

believe that Boston grossly overpaid for Kyire.

Boston is a contender so it makes more sense for them to overpay than for us to. You rarely see a bottom feeder give up the "house" for a star player.

After thinking some more about Boston giving up the BRK pick it's making more sense. They could've used it on George or Butler but Irving is younger and a better fit as they need a PG. The argument would've been just taking Fultz but who knows if he'd be ready for a Finals run plus they picked up an asset.

Irving
Smart
Brown
Hayward
Horford
-
Rozier
Tatum
Morris
Yabusele
Baynes

I think their success will depend how Jaylen Brown develops...

It's interesting. There is a poll on the Celtics forum about who starts other than their big 3, and Morris and Brown lead the voting by far, and are neck and neck. Tatum barely got any votes. Smart less than half of Morris/Brown.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1608866

Yeah if I were them, I would still be on the lookout for length. They seriously need length.

I would probably go:

Irving
Hayward
Morris
Horford
Baynes

I think that provides more balance. Scoring from 3 and a half positions, and balanced defense. I would let a Rozier, Smart, Tatum, Brown, Yabusele unit come in and work over second units.

[kennydorglas]

Ainge got worked. Every move (except signing Hayward) was questionable.
They just made the Cavs better and if LeBron stays and the BKN pick is gold... they're super screwed.

[jredsaz]

And it's done. Who else is excited for Booker and Jackson?!?!?! I am!

Just got an uber home from the dbacks game (#BeatLA) and had a great convo with the driver about our young and fun Suns. We will lose a lot but will keep it exciting!

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[Saberestar]

Read on Twitter

[jcsunsfan]

I"m 99% sure about nothing related to this trade at this point

Read on Twitter

Smart to just take the trade. Isiah Thomas was a good asset; Crowder was a good asset; that Nets pick is a great asset.

who knows, they still might flip Isiah for something

Cleveland is screwed. They can't really compete this year without a pg. They need to do another deal.

Funny. They have DRose and IT and they still need a pg.


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[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

Smart to just take the trade. Isiah Thomas was a good asset; Crowder was a good asset; that Nets pick is a great asset.

who knows, they still might flip Isiah for something

Cleveland is screwed. They can't really compete this year without a pg. They need to do another deal.

Funny. They have DRose and IT and they still need a pg.


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If they just surround LeBron with shooters they will be fine. They'd probably play better if they didn't play Rose and just started JR Smith and Korver at guards. I'm not convinced IT will be out that long though. I think his injury is a bit overblown.

[lilfishi22]

Smart to just take the trade. Isiah Thomas was a good asset; Crowder was a good asset; that Nets pick is a great asset.

who knows, they still might flip Isiah for something

Cleveland is screwed. They can't really compete this year without a pg. They need to do another deal.

Funny. They have DRose and IT and they still need a pg.


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If they just surround LeBron with shooters they will be fine. They'd probably play better if they didn't play Rose and just started JR Smith and Korver at guards. I'm not convinced IT will be out that long though. I think his injury is a bit overblown.

Cavs really just need more shooters and defenders so Lebron can orchestrate without expending a ton of energy guarding the Durant's, Greens', Thompsons and Curry's all game. Then they need a closer type player and that's where Thomas comes in. Rose isn't a closer, a PG or even a shooter so I don't think he will have a big impact for them anyway.

I still think IT's injury concerns are well-founded and a legitimate cause for concern. I've read a lot is dependent on his non-surgery recovery. If it's successful then he'll maybe miss the start of the season. If it's not as successful then he may need to go down the surgery route which could take him out of much of the season. That being said, regular season in the East is bit of a cake walk for any Lebron team and making playoffs isn't at risk even without an elite secondary scorer.

[AtheJ415]

How are the Cavs screwed? They will easily make the playoffs in the east and by then IT will be ready and will be playing for his new contract. They will be fine. Rose is capable enough for part of a season, and it's the east, so all they have to do is make the playoffs and they will end up coming out of the East. They absolutely destroyed Boston in this trade.

[AtheJ415]

believe that Boston grossly overpaid for Kyire.

Boston is a contender so it makes more sense for them to overpay than for us to. You rarely see a bottom feeder give up the "house" for a star player.

After thinking some more about Boston giving up the BRK pick it's making more sense. They could've used it on George or Butler but Irving is younger and a better fit as they need a PG. The argument would've been just taking Fultz but who knows if he'd be ready for a Finals run plus they picked up an asset.

Irving
Smart
Brown
Hayward
Horford
-
Rozier
Tatum
Morris
Yabusele
Baynes

I think their success will depend how Jaylen Brown develops...

What? He's not a "better fit" and they didn't "need a PG" until they traded IT. Butler and George are drastically better fits BECAUSE they would have kept IT. They had a shot at contending with GS and absolutely threw it out the window. Their current success depends on the development of both Brown and Tatum, but it didn't have to. I still expect them to be a 1 or 2 seed, but to lose to Cleveland in the playoffs and not progress from there.

[thamadkant]

They can sign Bogut.

Then trade for Marc Gasol.... They dominate small ball by having smart bigs who can play make and play defense.

I like the Smart and Irving rotation at PG. They need someone like Courtney Lee or a Morrow as a backup SG and they will beat Cavs.

[Waylay13]

believe that Boston grossly overpaid for Kyire.

Boston is a contender so it makes more sense for them to overpay than for us to. You rarely see a bottom feeder give up the "house" for a star player.

After thinking some more about Boston giving up the BRK pick it's making more sense. They could've used it on George or Butler but Irving is younger and a better fit as they need a PG. The argument would've been just taking Fultz but who knows if he'd be ready for a Finals run plus they picked up an asset.

Irving
Smart
Brown
Hayward
Horford
-
Rozier
Tatum
Morris
Yabusele
Baynes

I think their success will depend how Jaylen Brown develops...

I think their success will depend on if someone will take the ball out of Irvings hands and pass it.

[Shank]

Would of liked Kyrie with us oh well..

SUPER EXCITED about Josh Jackson dude is so solid.


I don't know about you guys but I don't see Isaiah Thomas and LeBron James meshing well at all. I guarantee you Isaiah thomas thinks he is a better player than LeBron.

Isaiah Thomas's Head is THAT BIG

[NavLDO]

How are the Cavs screwed? They will easily make the playoffs in the east and by then IT will be ready and will be playing for his new contract. They will be fine. Rose is capable enough for part of a season, and it's the east, so all they have to do is make the playoffs and they will end up coming out of the East. They absolutely destroyed Boston in this trade.

Shoot. He's more than just capable enough for part of the season, if he stays healthy (which is a big IF, I know). But Rose isn't a 'bad' PG...he's just been banged up a bit. And he doesn't need to shoot on the Cavs, so yeah, the Cavs are just fine, IMO, and better off than they were last season to match GSW, more than likely, since they will have more depth in the Finals...assuming health, of course. IT/Rose > Kyrie/D. Williams. And '17-'18 Forwards + Crowder > '16-'17 Forwards. At least, that's my take.

[LukasBMW]

Glad we kept JJ and didn't overpay for Kyrie.

Bledsoe to the Cavs could still be a possibility. They might not give up that BKN pick, but the option to swap our pick for the BKN pick in exchange for Bledsoe might be an option. We could also take back a bad contract in return.

[LukasBMW]

Smart to just take the trade. Isiah Thomas was a good asset; Crowder was a good asset; that Nets pick is a great asset.

who knows, they still might flip Isiah for something

Cleveland is screwed. They can't really compete this year without a pg. They need to do another deal.

Funny. They have DRose and IT and they still need a pg.


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If they just surround LeBron with shooters they will be fine. They'd probably play better if they didn't play Rose and just started JR Smith and Korver at guards. I'm not convinced IT will be out that long though. I think his injury is a bit overblown.

Was Cleveland just leaking stuff about IT to screw with Boston?

Even if his injury is overblown, DRose is old and injury prone. IT is a question mark at this point. Is Calderon the answer?

Losing Kyrie is losing 20-30 sure point per game. Do they plan to make up for that with ball movement? More shots for Kevin Love?

Does IT come back and get stuck playing "super sub" again as a 6th man to provide scoring with Lebron out?

Gonna be interesting. Lebron must be worried because there are unanswered questions and the Cavs are not stronger at the moment.

[AtheJ415]

Cleveland is screwed. They can't really compete this year without a pg. They need to do another deal.

Funny. They have DRose and IT and they still need a pg.


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If they just surround LeBron with shooters they will be fine. They'd probably play better if they didn't play Rose and just started JR Smith and Korver at guards. I'm not convinced IT will be out that long though. I think his injury is a bit overblown.

Was Cleveland just leaking stuff about IT to screw with Boston?

Even if his injury is overblown, DRose is old and injury prone. IT is a question mark at this point. Is Calderon the answer?

Losing Kyrie is losing 20-30 sure point per game. Do they plan to make up for that with ball movement? More shots for Kevin Love?

Does IT come back and get stuck playing "super sub" again as a 6th man to provide scoring with Lebron out?

Gonna be interesting. Lebron must be worried because there are unanswered questions and the Cavs are not stronger at the moment.

IT is a sure 20-30 points per game. They replaced Kyrie with a clone who outperformed him last year, and also added a great role player in Crowder, plus size in Zizic (though I don't expect him to play a ton as a rookie). I fail to see how the Cavs aren't stronger come playoff time.

[DirtyDez]

believe that Boston grossly overpaid for Kyire.

Boston is a contender so it makes more sense for them to overpay than for us to. You rarely see a bottom feeder give up the "house" for a star player.

After thinking some more about Boston giving up the BRK pick it's making more sense. They could've used it on George or Butler but Irving is younger and a better fit as they need a PG. The argument would've been just taking Fultz but who knows if he'd be ready for a Finals run plus they picked up an asset.

Irving
Smart
Brown
Hayward
Horford
-
Rozier
Tatum
Morris
Yabusele
Baynes

I think their success will depend how Jaylen Brown develops...

What? He's not a "better fit" and they didn't "need a PG" until they traded IT. Butler and George are drastically better fits BECAUSE they would have kept IT. They had a shot at contending with GS and absolutely threw it out the window. Their current success depends on the development of both Brown and Tatum, but it didn't have to. I still expect them to be a 1 or 2 seed, but to lose to Cleveland in the playoffs and not progress from there.

Nobody is competing with Golden St and they needed a longterm PG. Boston was never re-signing IT. Kyrie had expressed interest in playing for Stevens and waived his trade kicker. They'll be a contender so I doubt he'd leave. We'll have to see how good Fultz is to find out if they'll regret it.