Lightning Strike wrote:ESPN has us getting Bayless, who somehow slipped by everyone (including New Jersey, who takes Augustin? Huh?)
I would be extatic to get Bayless.
Ballings7 wrote:mitch wrote:But that's missing my point--everybody right now is a value piece. When you don't have a clear-cut franchise player, your roster is never set until you are legitimately contending.
I'm just talking about one general area of the team.
I don't see us trading Kevin, unless some great deal comes along. Who really knows if that happens. So, basically, I think Kevin's here to stay for awhile.
Hence, why all the talk about "fit", next to Kevin, in setting up the wings. That's going to have to be done sooner, or later, whether it's Kevin and one guy, then another, and then maybe even another. But, regardless of who, and possibly a player or two who does not fit, in between the good fit players - the guy who's there when we're good and beginning to make the playoffs (maybe not the 1st time), has to complement Kevin with notability. Of course, that guy possessing; good defense (w/ some range in who he can guard), 3PT shooting, and possibly some form of facilitating. While I think all three should be sought for in that player, the passing skill wouldn't be mandatory for me, unless we had a PG who isn't that skilled running a team.
Now, if we don't go with that, then were simply ignoring a specific team aspect which is lacking compatability. A change is then required to get better, and thus more balanced.
The basic idea and situation is there, just needs to be set with somebody when the team is set. Which I see no reason why that won't happen down the line.
Gallinari is what he is for us.
And, I'm not sure if you fully understood me on something earlier - when I mentioned taking a player like Bruce Bowen next to Kevin, over somebody like Gallinari? That wasn't in relation to a draft pick or trade, it just meant in some time. Whether Gallinari's there (and trade for value sometime), or an average journeyman is there, the good defender/3PT shooter/maybe more, is the guy who eventually would come in and be the guy next to Kevin.
All this Gallinari stuff is probably moot anyway, because of where he's always been projected - ahead of us. I just pointed it out because Amick (or somebody) mentioned him now, so it surprised me and brought back my original position on him.mitch wrote:But my issue is that if somebody is not the perfect fit, then it's just not that important to draft them just because they're a better fit. You think that Orlando would trade Hedo for Haslem just because they have a need for a guy like Haslem? Of course not. No sane person would. If that is essentially how Geoff views Arthur and Gallinari, I would sure hope that he would pick Gallinari.
I think it depends on each situation.
With Hedo and Haslem, no, I don't think you don't do that trade.
With drafting Arthur/Gallinari? It's good fit, significant team improvement vs. pure value... I'll take Arthur because he's the better prospect and will improve the team and front-court well. Aside from what's already on the team, it's only a matter of time before I can get more value, too. I don't think Gallinari's "value" outweighs Arthur's talent and fit for the team, long-term.
I'd disagree with Geoff or anybody there in taking Gallinari over Arthur for us. Simple as that.mitch wrote:Now of course I'm saying "if" because I really don't know at all that he sees them that way. I don't see Arthur in that way, but I also know that Geoff is a much, much more qualified judge of talent than anybody here. That's why I will trust him with any decision he makes, regardless of how it appears to fit with our franchise.
Okay.
xx_skaterdude_xx wrote:TRADES ALREADY!!!!
Yi/Simmons/8th? for Richard Jefferson
4th pick for 7th/future 1st.
I hope we're next in line for a trade!!
jeffjtk1234 wrote:xx_skaterdude_xx wrote:TRADES ALREADY!!!!
Yi/Simmons/8th? for Richard Jefferson
4th pick for 7th/future 1st.
I hope we're next in line for a trade!!
those trades have not gone down...where are you getting this info from sir?
-Memphis is in the words of one NBA executive “doing everything in their power to trade their pick.” The team doesn’t have any real preference regarding where they are heading in, as they are “calling everybody in the league,” looking to move up or down, trying to get veterans primarily, while also possibly trying to move down. One trade that they reportedly offered was Mike Conley to Portland in exchange for the #13 pick, Sergio Rodriguez and Travis Outlaw. Another offer was to Detroit: the #5 and filler for Rodney Stuckey, which was rejected. If Memphis keeps the pick, we’re hearing they like Eric Gordon, as well as Kevin Love.
-Houston may trade out of the first round, according to reports we received from a team drafting in the 20’s. If Courtney Lee is not available at their pick (25), they may trade down with Minnesota and acquire the #31 and #34 picks. They are also talking with other teams.
-Rumors that Houston will trade up to the 18th pick in exchange for Luther Head and the #25 have been called “completely false” by sources with knowledge of the situation. The Wizards like Roger Mason much more than Luther Head and don’t consider him any kind of upgrade to what they have already.
There is "lots of interest in the #18 pick" though.
-Several teams indicated to us that their intel indicates that the LA Clippers have Eric Gordon ranked ahead of Jerryd Bayless on their board. Gordon’s agent Rob Pelinka is reportedly telling teams that his client doesn’t get past Memphis at 5 at worst. If Bayless slips past 7, he will likely be available with the 10th or 11th pick. This could indeed be all the Portland Trailblazers need to pull the trigger on the rumored trade sending the #13 pick to New Jersey plus a player for the #10 pick. The Trailblazers have been high on Bayless all season long.
-Making things even more interesting are the rumors that the New Jersey Nets have Anthony Randolph ranked first amongst all realistic available prospects on their board. If Bayless and Augustin get to 10, then New Jersey could easily swap picks with Portland, pick up a player like Jarrett Jack, and still land Randolph at 13. Bayless would go 11 to Indiana in that scenario, while Sacramento would celebrate as D.J. Augustin miraculously fell to them at 12.
If Portland keeps the pick, we hear they like Donte Greene as the perfect replacement to James Jones, who just opted out of his contract.
-At 9, there appears to be a split in Charlotte’s front office regarding whether to take Russell Westbrook (if he’s there) or D.J. Augustin. Head coach Larry Brown apparently favors Augustin, while part-owner Michael Jordan reportedly likes Westbrook. Look for Jordan to win this one. Westbrook has a chance to go 4, 5, or 6, and doesn’t get past 9 according to his camp.
-Most teams we talk to are indicating that they don’t anticipate any trades happening at the top of the draft, and that all the talk about Michael Beasley slipping past Miami are nothing more than “smoke and mirrors” in the words of one executive. We’re still waiting to hear if Minnesota will be O.J. Mayo’s final destination as anticipated. Multiple teams told us that Kevin Love has a minor issue that came up in a physical with his knee, which is not expected to affect his draft stock or ability to play in the short or long-term. A text message sent to his agent about this issue was not returned.
-There appear to be a great deal of rumors being discussed about Darrell Arthur’s health, both in the lead up to this draft and today. He was reported to have a problem with his back and then his hamstring—which sidelined him for about a week during workouts. Those were minor issues. There were also media reports that Arthur has a kidney problem, which his camp has denied, and was also refuted by an NBA team we spoke with that tested him. The latest talk is that he may have a minor stress fracture in his knee that does not require surgery, but that he has not had an issue playing with. This is not a huge issue according to multiple teams we talked to. An email sent to a member of his camp about this issue was not immediately returned.
-Nicolas Batum will almost certainly get drafted by San Antonio if he’s there, as we reported last night. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Spurs are still the only teams that have his physical, and the two are reportedly in cahoots with each other to help keep it away from the rest of the league. The top of Cleveland’s front office is made up of two former Spurs execs—Danny Ferry and Lance Blanks, so the connection here is pretty obvious.
Lightning Strike wrote:Gawd, everythying was so quiet and now it's all going crazy.
xx_skaterdude_xx wrote:New update: According to the LA times, Seattle just rejected the LA/Seattle draft trade...
Even though ESPN in Chicago/LA/NY was reporting that it was a done deal ???