Discussing Other Teams' Moves Part 3

[LyricalRico]

If the Wizards end up needing some back court scoring off the bench, I wonder if Marcus Thornton for Ariza makes sense?

Meh, Ariza for Thornton straight up doesn't really excite me. Maybe if we didn't already have Webster.

Now if you're talking something like Nene for Thompson+Thornton+pick, then I'm much more interested. Expecially if it's a 3-way where the Sacto pick and Ariza to go to MIL for Ersan.

[Ruzious]

If the Wizards end up needing some back court scoring off the bench, I wonder if Marcus Thornton for Ariza makes sense?

Monta's a SG, not a PG.

Vasquez is probably going to start at PG IMO, since he's the guy they traded for.

That would make Thornton odd man out. Can the Wizards get some assets with Thornton?

(The Kings are possibly HOPING to trade Okariza for Thornton/Cousins IMO. They would want to bend the Wizards over to get that done IMO).

Bucks fans will tell you that Ellis was more effective playing the point than he was at the 2. Either way, his shot selection was horrific last season.

[payitforward]

... I remember saying the Rockets were ruining careers and basically screwing up just a few months ago, when they had like 10 PFs on the team. ...they've got Harden and Dwight now.

You weren't the only one either.

And you might put this next to your thought that the Magic has too much young talent. Hennigan is a young Darryl Morey.

[Severn Hoos]

Speaking of Atlanta, I hope Mike Scott's value continues to be depressed. He is going to be a very solid rotation guy for someone eventually. In fact, I think he'd do very well as a stretch 4 for us if we can somehow trick the hawks into some sort of trade.

Severn Hoos was the first guy I recall mentioning how good UVA's Mike Scott is. I don't see enough ACC games out here, and Mike Scott seemed to me to come out of nowhere to becoming a really good prospect. I had no clue about the guy but once Sev mentioned him I learned.

Yeah, pancakes3, I agree with you that he's a player the Wizards can use.

I think Mike Scott has range and he can be a low-cost, Carl Landry-type player. I would love for the Wizards to have a guy with that skill set in their playing rotation.

Aww shucks, nice to be remembered....

Funny think about Mike Scott - and I loved having him as a Cav (not the thugs from Cleveland, the real Cavaliers). He got an injury redshirt, so was a 5-year college player. And with the talk about McGary or Mclemore or whoever being "overaged", you might think that I'd be down on him as a prospect. Well, I do think it's becoming almost an absolute rule that guys who don't dominate their peers before they turn 20 will never be a true star in the NBA.

But the corollary is that guys who develop late or stay in school tend to become very good role players in the NBA. The extra years of hands-on coaching - if they're willing to listen and put in the work their coaches ask of them - helps them to play "smarter" than the guys who didn't get that extra time of instruction.

I wasn't against Thomas Robinson as a prospect, I was against Robinson as a top-5 pick. I always thought he'd be a decent role player / hustle guy / rebounder - kind of a high octane Reggie Evans. But a stud, cornerstone piece? No way. And that was almost entirely because of the fact that he couldn't force his way onto the court his first two seasons. But take his teammate Jeff Withey - I'd have been all over him with the #38 pick, because I think he'll be a very solid role player, and represents a great value at that slot.

You can keep your Derrick Williams and Wesley Johnsons and Hilton Armstrongs and Jordan Hills and so on - guys who had "breakout years" as older prospects and then got drafted higher than they should. But those 4- (and 5-) year players make great, cheap 15 minute per game role players and specialists.

So yep, let's bring in Mike Scott. Maybe I'll go watch an old episode of The Office, for old time's sake.

[Liverbird]

You weren't the only one either.

And you might put this next to your thought that the Magic has too much young talent. Hennigan is a young Darryl Morey.

Yup. He's done a really nice job rebuilding after Dwight. Definitely recognizes talent. It's interesting that they were the only team to actually benefit from the Dwight trade.

[LyricalRico]

The Mavs, who have approximately $8.2 million in salary-cap space, have made filling the massive void at center a priority.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/maverick ... a-maverick

That number apparently takes into account the deals for Calderon, Harris, and Ellington. Since they seem to be signing guys to multi-year deals, would they be interested in Nene? I'd have to see about making the deal work (maybe they send us Vince Carter and we buy him out so he can re-sign after the waiting period), but I don't see them doing any better. And we've already discussed how 2014 isn't looking great for FA, so maybe they try to do as well as they can this summer to keep Dirk at least semi-competitive in his twilight.

[closg00]

Marc Stein: Just added to @espn_macmahon's Andrew Bynum story: Sources say Cavs' 2-year, $24M offer only guaranteed for $6M. Still Drew's highest offer Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

Marc Stein: To get full $12M in Year 1 from Cavs, Bynum would have to hit loads of contract benchmarks. And Year 2, of course, would be at Cavs' option Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

See, here's a GM that includes common-sense clauses in an offer to a player with an injury history like Bynum, something Grunfeld was to stupid to do with Gilbert, Josh Howard, and Webster.

[Rafael122]

Marc Stein: Just added to @espn_macmahon's Andrew Bynum story: Sources say Cavs' 2-year, $24M offer only guaranteed for $6M. Still Drew's highest offer Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

Marc Stein: To get full $12M in Year 1 from Cavs, Bynum would have to hit loads of contract benchmarks. And Year 2, of course, would be at Cavs' option Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

See, here's a GM that includes common-sense clauses in an offer to a player with an injury history like Bynum, something Grunfeld was to stupid to do with Gilbert, Josh Howard, and Webster.

Cavs are going to be one of those teams that either makes the playoffs or everything blows up in their face. Having to rely on Irving and Bynum, two guys made of glass is an extremely huge risk. It's the type of move that gets you fired.

[closg00]

Bynum signs with the Cavs. The Cavs have Bynum, we have Nene, let the race for the 7th and 8th seed begin.

[dckingsfan]

Damn, if Bynum works out, they may have just passed NY. What a perfect contract... Anthony Bennett would probably look good next to Bynum

[dckingsfan]

... let the race for the 7th and 8th seed begin.

So true, so sad...

[jivelikenice]

Cavs are now also going after AK47....do they have cap space left or will they have to do a sign and trade?

[stevemcqueen1]

Bynum signs with the Cavs. The Cavs have Bynum, we have Nene, let the race for the 7th and 8th seed begin.

If Bynum plays, they'll be a lot better than the 7th or 8th seed. A healthy Bynum is the starting center for the EC all stars. He's the big bodied 7 footer they lacked. And now they probably won't have to rush anything with Bennett or rely on Varejao.

They've got depth and quality in both the front court and back court. The only thing they really lack is a reliable set of SFs, but I'm thinking Bennett will get minutes there. They're one of the most talent laden teams in the conference now. And if Kyrie makes a leap this season, they've got a chance to move up into the second tier of the East with Indy.

Bynum's a risk, but they got him at a deal that almost totally mitigates it. If he pans out, Cleveland is going to be really good. They're better than us now. They've had a tremendous offseason.

[closg00]

Cavs are now also going after AK47....do they have cap space left or will they have to do a sign and trade?

The Cavs aren't messing around, they waited, kept their cap space, and now they are striking strategically.

[Jay81]

and we are capped out with a team who won 29 games. Ladies and gentleman, the worst GM in sports manages your washington wizards

[stevemcqueen1]

Damn, if Bynum works out, they may have just passed NY. What a perfect contract... Anthony Bennett would probably look good next to Bynum

Yeah, damn. That's a game changer if he plays. They'll suddenly have a better center than Indy, Chicago, New York, and Brooklyn...

The knock on Cleveland was that they were building a smallish team that was going to have trouble defending and banging with the bruising teams in the East. Bynum can change that. And Bennett is an ideal PF to pair with a goon like Bynum. That front court is going to be beefy and very very skilled offensively. They'll have more talent and balance than Indy and NY and I think they've got a much more cohesive and stable situation than Brooklyn.

Assuming Bynum works out of course.

It's a bit demoralizing, because I thought our young pieces were just a little bit better than theirs so far. But we don't really have an answer for a guy like Bynum. Nene will have to come up big for us and we're going to need Seraphin to work out because they're the only bodies we can throw on him.

We're going to have to hope Bynum doesn't stay healthy.

[fishercob]

It's a nice signing for the Cavs because it's so low risk. But the fact that this is the best deal Bynum could get should tell you about how confident the marketplace is about his ability to get on the floor and produce at a high level.

[TGW]

Bynum look flabby and out-of-shape in those few workout videos that came out recently. I mean, he looks BAD. I wouldn't put too much stock in him turning Cleveland into some powerhouse just yet...not until he gets in basketball shape.

The guy was looking like Oliver Miller.

[nate33]

It's a nice signing for the Cavs because it's so low risk. But the fact that this is the best deal Bynum could get should tell you about how confident the marketplace is about his ability to get on the floor and produce at a high level.

I'm not sure if it's a good deal or not. Wojo words it like this:

Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Bynum's deal will include $12 million in guaranteed money over two seasons and $6 million in Year 1. The Cavaliers hold an option for Year 2 worth $12.5 million.

So it's $6M in Year 1 and a $12.5M option in Year 2. But since it's guaranteed for $12M over the course of 2 years, it sounds to me like there's a $6M buyout for Year 2.

Is that such a great contract? It's locking in a $6M cap hit next year even if he never gets healthy and plays well again.

[stevemcqueen1]

Well it's a 6 million dollar lotto ticket. Considering the potential upside, I think it's a good deal. All he needs to do is get on the court.

Put it this way, I'd much rather take a chance like that then spend 5 million dollars a year on Zaza Pachulia. Or rely on Chris Anderson. Or take a shot on Greg Oden. Getting these big bodied 7 footers is going to involve all sorts of risks unless you draft them and develop them yourself.