Discussing Other Teams' Moves Part 3

[hands11]

steve, I don't see Charlotte as too young. Haywood, Jefferson, Sessions, Gordon, and Pargo are all very experienced. They and teammates Adrien, McRoberts, and Henderson are all over 26 years of age.

http://www.nba.com/bobcats/roster/2013

Charlotte might not be good (I think they will) but they are stacked with veterans who have plenty experience. The young guys, Walker, Biyombo, Taylor, MKG, and Zeller, won't have to do all the heavy lifting.

It's not impossible for the Bobcats/Hornets to make the playoffs IMO.

No, it not impossible. But highly unlikely.

I dont see them being better then ATL, MIK, TOR. That not even mentioning CLE and DET

But I will watch them when I can. I want to see what Zeller does. MKG should fit in better this year with a little more talent around him. But the team needs more time on the stove. Its not soup yet.

[dckingsfan]

Probably so. But then again, I thought it was a small window when KG and RA went to the Celtics. TD is like some kind of zombie basketball player. Nash is like 82. Look how long Kidd played.

The big things is to get to the very top of winning. Once there, a team can sometimes make moves to keep it going. The key will be winning, then keeping Lopez and Williams together. If they can roll in a PP replacement after 2 years they could keep rolling players in there. Owner is willing to spend to do it, that's clear.

Going to be sick in my stomach if playing with all those players and getting that kind of winning experience turn Dray into a long term legit piece that is balling in conference and title games for the next 6 years. He hit is rock bottom. Now he is playing with KG so there is access to learn. Not going to bet the farm on it but I could see Dray contributing in the playoffs for a while it this all works out.

So what you'll think Drays next contract looks like ? If you had to guess today.

I think Pierce contract is for 1 yr and Garnett 2 - hence the small window. Although Brooklyn seems willing to spend so maybe they could re-up Piece.

If Blatche does well - my guess would be another 8M contract for 2 or 3 years - and that wouldn't make me happy...

[hands11]

Probably so. But then again, I thought it was a small window when KG and RA went to the Celtics. TD is like some kind of zombie basketball player. Nash is like 82. Look how long Kidd played.

The big things is to get to the very top of winning. Once there, a team can sometimes make moves to keep it going. The key will be winning, then keeping Lopez and Williams together. If they can roll in a PP replacement after 2 years they could keep rolling players in there. Owner is willing to spend to do it, that's clear.

Going to be sick in my stomach if playing with all those players and getting that kind of winning experience turn Dray into a long term legit piece that is balling in conference and title games for the next 6 years. He hit is rock bottom. Now he is playing with KG so there is access to learn. Not going to bet the farm on it but I could see Dray contributing in the playoffs for a while it this all works out.

So what you'll think Drays next contract looks like ? If you had to guess today.

I think Pierce contract is for 1 yr and Garnett 2 - hence the small window. Although Brooklyn seems willing to spend so maybe they could re-up Piece.

If Blatche does well - my guess would be another 8M contract for 2 or 3 years - and that wouldn't make me happy...

My God Joe Johnson is getting paid. 21.5, 23 and then 25M
No way he was worth that kind of coin. Maybe up to the 14/15M range.

I wonder what PP would resign for. I bought he would want to move again if KG is there and the team is winning.

He can stay up there in the NW where he is comfortable. Gotta be high odds saying PP stays.

[verbal8]

It looks very likely Butler is headed to Milwaukee.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/22 ... tler-Trade

I wonder what the final deal will end up being. Butler can only be traded by himself. Udoh almost definitely has to be included in the deal. It is pretty clear he isn't anything special, but not really a lot wo

Ridnour probably is the other piece. It would actually give the Suns a pretty good(but small) guard rotation with Dragic, Bledsoe and Ridnour. It also would let them bring Godwin along slowly. If that is the deal, I think it is really good for the Suns. They take a player they didn't have a need for and turn him into a couple of expiring vets who can help them be competitive without ruining the tanking option.

[LyricalRico]

^IIRC the Bucks have like $7M in cap space left, so they may not have to send out much. From the Suns perspective, Butler was just filler to facilitate getting Bledsoe so I'd imagine they'd take the financial savings and run.

[payitforward]

And Butler gets to end his career at home. In all a nice result.

[Ruzious]

Smart end of a series of moves by Phoenix - re the Bledsoe acquisition. Suns ownership has to be thrilled about the cost savings. For Milwaukee... it's a pandering to the fans move. CBut's a popular guy in Wisconsin, and they really want that 8th seed in the playoffs - Hey, that's better than publicly shooting for the 9th seed - Who would do that? At least he's an expiring contract, so the trade won't hurt their future. I'm surprised the Bucks didn't get a future 2nd round pick - they've acquired 5 or 6 of them this offseason, so far.

[verbal8]

And Butler gets to end his career at home. In all a nice result.

Yeah that part is nice. Definitely a classy guy and good to see him getting to end his career this way.

Here is the funny part about the deal, the Bucks were involved in the deal that ended up with Butler going from the Clippers to the Suns. In fact that appears to how the Bucks got the cap space.

From basketball-reference:

July 10, 2013: As part of a 3-team trade, [Bledsoe] traded by the Los Angeles Clippers with Caron Butler to the Phoenix Suns; the Los Angeles Clippers traded a future 2nd round draft pick to the Milwaukee Bucks; the Milwaukee Bucks traded J.J. Redick to the Los Angeles Clippers; the Phoenix Suns traded Jared Dudley to the Los Angeles Clippers; and the Phoenix Suns traded a 2014 2nd round draft pick to the Milwaukee Bucks.

I wonder if the initial discussions had Butler going to the Bucks, but for some reason the Suns preferred to acquire him.

[LyricalRico]

^ Don't forget, that deal was before MIL signed Teague to the offer sheet and acquiring Butler at that time would have impacted their flexibility. But how that they just have cap space lying around and still have a big hole at SF, acquiring Butler makes sense.

[payitforward]

^ Don't forget, that deal was before MIL signed Teague to the offer sheet and acquiring Butler at that time would have impacted their flexibility. But how that they just have cap space lying around and still have a big hole at SF, acquiring Butler makes sense.

Good point! So the whole sequence of moves may have been planned in tandem, and it was just a matter of waiting until the right time to flip the switch. Good thinking, lyrico!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Smart end of a series of moves by Phoenix - re the Bledsoe acquisition. Suns ownership has to be thrilled about the cost savings. For Milwaukee... it's a pandering to the fans move. CBut's a popular guy in Wisconsin, and they really want that 8th seed in the playoffs - Hey, that's better than publicly shooting for the 9th seed - Who would do that? At least he's an expiring contract, so the trade won't hurt their future. I'm surprised the Bucks didn't get a future 2nd round pick - they've acquired 5 or 6 of them this offseason, so far.

This seems like a win/win deal for the Suns and the Bucks.

In addition to the cost savings, Phoenix acquired another Ukrainian big man. Alex Len is very fluent in English, but having a compatriot on his team cannot do anything but show Len just how supportive the Suns are of him as their pick.

The Bucks did Caron a solid, too. He gets to compete in a very supportive atmosphere. Caron will be a coach on the floor for Milwaukee.
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[closg00]

Fab Melo waived, I guess he was pretty terrible. Yet another guy who left college too-soon, should have balled another two years.

[dckingsfan]

Fab Melo waived, I guess he was pretty terrible. Yet vanother guy who left college too-soon, should have balled another two years.

Dang, we could have had Melo in the Crawford trade to go with Seraphin, Vesely, Booker and Singleton.

[payitforward]

Fab Melo waived, I guess he was pretty terrible. Yet another guy who left college too-soon, should have balled another two years.

Yeah, poor guy'll probably be stuck making a half million dollars a year to play the game of basketball.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Fab Melo waived, I guess he was pretty terrible. Yet another guy who left college too-soon, should have balled another two years.

I don't think he was terrible. Melo was a numbers game cut and a salary cap-saving move by Memphis.

http://nba.si.com/2013/08/30/fab-melo-r ... n-celtics/

Melo, 23, averaged 1.2 points and 0.5 rebounds in only six games for the Celtics last season. The No. 22 pick in the 2012 draft out of Syracuse, Melo spent most of last season with Boston’s D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. There, he averaged 9.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 blocks.

With a stacked big man rotation that includes Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Kosta Koufos and Ed Davis, Memphis was in a position to handle Melo like the project that he is or simply cut-and-run from a player who has had his commitment and maturity questioned. The Grizzlies have taken the latter route, perhaps hoping that a rebuilding team will claim Melo off of waivers, thus saving Memphis the cost of his $1.3 million contract for the 2013-14 season

Money also played a part in Boston moving Melo. (As did the coaching change and the additions of Olynyk and Colton Iverson).

Financial reasons also explained Boston’s decision to part with Melo after roughly 14 months. Trading Melo’s salary and subsequently releasing Greene, who is on a non-guaranteed contract for next season, would bring Boston’s payroll from $72.5 million to $71.2 million, according to ShamSports.com. Moving below the tax line allows the rebuilding Celtics to be tax recipients rather than payers.

Fab Melo is a good shot blocker, Brazilian, and 23 years old.

The Wizards won't do this but they'd just as well waive Chris Singleton (because he won't play with Otto, Harrington, Ariza, Webster, and new Jan Vesely on the roster) and sign Fab Melo. The Wizard can use another C.

[closg00]

CCJ, I don't remember much about Fab, he had a nice workout video and they hated!!! him on the Celtics board.
If he ends-up in Europe the perhaps he's got to put-in another 3 years of work before getting another shot at the NBA.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I remember is Syracuse had a wicked zone defense, and Melo was a great NCAA defender in that defense. My interest was him being Brazilian and a shot blocker.

FWIW, I'd just as soon see Washington give Zeke Marshall a tryout. Also, Hamady N'Diaye is still around looking for an NBA gig. I am not advocating Melo as a good player. I just think he might be worth a look.

[Dat2U]

Melo isn't a terrible player, he just looks & performs terrible against NBA competition.

Ernie should take cue from GMs like Ainge & Morey who know when it's time to cut bait.

[Kanyewest]

Melo isn't a terrible player, he just looks & performs terrible against NBA competition.

Ernie should take cue from GMs like Ainge & Morey who know when it's time to cut bait.

I wouldn't pick up Melo, but FYI Morey did cut Jeremey Lin once upon a time.

[closg00]

Undrafted forward Kenny Kadji has agreed to sign a non-guaranteed contract and play in training camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a league source told RealGM.

Kadji, 25, turned down several substantial offers from European clubs to focus on starting his career in the NBA. He will travel to Cleveland next week to begin preparing for camp.

Kadji was on the Cavaliers’ summer league team in July, averaging 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds.

After putting up nearly 13 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior at the University of Miami, Kadji wasn’t selected in the June NBA draft. At 6-foot-10, he also has a smooth touch from outside, shooting 35.1 percent from three-point range last season.

The on-going search for the next Ryan Anderson/stretch-4.
http://www.fearthesword.com/2013/7/19/4 ... -cavaliers