Big Al's Paint: The Al Jefferson Thread

[Braggins]

So Rondo, like Al is in his walk year. Al is virtually an expiring contract.

Like Rondo, Al is the face of the franchise and a crutch to many fans.

Like the Hornets, the Celtics are a terrible team yet the Celtics' record is even better and current proximity to a playoff spot, even closer.

Trading Rondo caused some rioting among fans as would an Al Jefferson trade.

Danny Ainge had the balls to do it anyways.

Does Cho?

Brandan Wright + a late 1st is the market rate for an expiring star with severe limitations on one side of the ball and shaky health issues.

Oh wow, i didnt know about that Rondo trade. The backcourt combo of Rondo/Monta seems iffy but that team has scary potential. I like making a splash like that and really going for it.

[MasterIchiro]

So Rondo, like Al is in his walk year. Al is virtually an expiring contract.

Like Rondo, Al is the face of the franchise and a crutch to many fans.

Like the Hornets, the Celtics are a terrible team yet the Celtics' record is even better and current proximity to a playoff spot, even closer.

Trading Rondo caused some rioting among fans as would an Al Jefferson trade.

Danny Ainge had the balls to do it anyways.

Does Cho?

Brandan Wright + a late 1st is the market rate for an expiring star with severe limitations on one side of the ball and shaky health issues.

Oh wow, i didnt know about that Rondo trade. The backcourt combo of Rondo/Monta seems iffy but that team has scary potential. I like making a splash like that and really going for it.

Cho has to find his own Mark Cuban - an owner with guts - while having the guts to deal away the household name.

[yosemiteben]

I would be shocked if we trade and/or don't resign Al. It would be such a departure from everything we've seen and heard from both the coaching staff and the FO.

[MasterIchiro]

I would be shocked if we trade and/or don't resign Al. It would be such a departure from everything we've seen and heard from both the coaching staff and the FO.

To be fair, team performance is such a departure from MJ's expectations.

6-19.

In an interview, when pressed, MJ said 5-seed.

I don't know how much of a departure MJ needs to reconfigure his thought process.

[Braggins]

I would be shocked if we trade and/or don't resign Al. It would be such a departure from everything we've seen and heard from both the coaching staff and the FO.

I think you are probably correct about this.

[yosemiteben]

I would be shocked if we trade and/or don't resign Al. It would be such a departure from everything we've seen and heard from both the coaching staff and the FO.

To be fair, team performance is such a departure from MJ's expectations.

6-19.

In an interview, when pressed, MJ said 5-seed.

I don't know how much of a departure MJ needs to reconfigure his thought process.

True, and I think the same about Cho. I think Cho is less philosophically attached to having a big like Al than Clifford is, but I also think Al fit into Cho's long term plans for the team. Will be interesting to see if that changes.

[JDR720]

I dont think it makes sense to resign Al

-He doesn't fit with the core (Kemba/Cody/MKG etc)
-He is getting old and we should/need to rebuild
-Stats say he is a net nagative
-He will be expensive

[MasterIchiro]

I would be shocked if we trade and/or don't resign Al. It would be such a departure from everything we've seen and heard from both the coaching staff and the FO.

To be fair, team performance is such a departure from MJ's expectations.

6-19.

In an interview, when pressed, MJ said 5-seed.

I don't know how much of a departure MJ needs to reconfigure his thought process.

True, and I think the same about Cho. I think Cho is less philosophically attached to having a big like Al than Clifford is, but I also think Al fit into Cho's long term plans for the team. Will be interesting to see if that changes.

One interesting tidbit is not too long ago, towards the beginning of the year, Ainge and the front office postured on Rondo, publicly asserting they had no plans to trade him only to magically shift direction on a dime more recently, saying they were back open for business.

We know the Hornets are aggressively pursuing trades and they have publicly made other GM's aware they are unwilling to discuss Al Jefferson.

When I go to a pawn shop, I never bring my merchandise. I leave it in the car. I make the broker initiate the sale. If he's not interested, no sense in me displaying it. I believe I can get more value/money for an item if I get the buyer to at least acknowledge sufficient interest to view it.

[MasterIchiro]

I dont think it makes sense to resign Al

-He doesn't fit with the core (Kemba/Cody/MKG etc)
-He is getting old and we should/need to rebuild
-Stats say he is a net nagative
-He will be expensive

All factors that should influence Cho and MJ reconfiguring their original thought process. I would add team performance there and the benefits of rebuilding as the Celtics and other realistic teams out of the playoff picture are doing.

[Braggins]

I would be shocked if we trade and/or don't resign Al. It would be such a departure from everything we've seen and heard from both the coaching staff and the FO.

To be fair, team performance is such a departure from MJ's expectations.

6-19.

In an interview, when pressed, MJ said 5-seed.

I don't know how much of a departure MJ needs to reconfigure his thought process.

True, and I think the same about Cho. I think Cho is less philosophically attached to having a big like Al than Clifford is, but I also think Al fit into Cho's long term plans for the team. Will be interesting to see if that changes.

Agree again. This is just speculation but based on what I know and have heard from Clifford/Cho/MJ i feel like they might not be on the same page at all. I think originally Cho planned on Al being a longterm piece but at this point I wouldnt be surprised if Cho was in the deal Al or let him walk camp. I think MJ just wants to win now and probably still sees Jefferson as the key to that and Jefferson is presumed to be a major factor in turning the franchise around and helping the rebranding so I dont see MJ wanting to part with him. I think Cho would have rather continued the rebuild and probably wants to move back in that direction. Clifford is the biggest Al fan in the world and Cho's draft choices make me feel like he and Cliff definitely arent on the same page. We seem to have a weird dynamic in our front office.

[JDR720]

Didn't Higgins leave because MJ wanted to give more power to Cho? I think MJ would let Cho do what he feels is best and i dont think Cliff should/does have much influence, he is a 2nd year mediocre coach its not like we have a Pop or Doc Rivers coaching, they would have big time influence. Also have to factor in other front office members like Buchanan (Cho guy from Portland) and Cho's computer.


EDIT: i just remembered a Cho vs MJ thing that went Cho's way, the Zeller vs McLemore draft, Cho wanted Zeller and MJ wanted Ben.

We have done things like this before, remember Gerald Wallace? We traded him to Portland, its not impossible for us to dump a face of the franchise.

[Diop]

I dont think it makes sense to resign Al

-He doesn't fit with the core (Kemba/Cody/MKG etc)
-He is getting old and we should/need to rebuild
-Stats say he is a net nagative
-He will be expensive

Bonnell always said that Al was a Higgins move.

it was his way of rating Higgins over Cho, but still is interesting

[Liver_Pooty]

If we keep this up Jefferson will almost certainly be traded by the deadline.

[MasterIchiro]

If we keep this up Jefferson will almost certainly be traded by the deadline.

[yosemiteben]

If we keep this up Jefferson will almost certainly be traded by the deadline.

I don't know, the fact remains that we don't have any reliable perimeter shooters in the starting lineup. I wonder if the FO will be willing to move Al when we are missing the type of player that he needs to play with to be most successful.

I can just as easily see Cho resigning Jefferson to a short term deal, which he might agree to so he can hit FA just as the cap goes up, to give us another shot at surrounding him with shooters before moving him.

Who knows.

[JDR720]

If we keep this up Jefferson will almost certainly be traded by the deadline.

I don't know, the fact remains that we don't have any reliable perimeter shooters in the starting lineup. I wonder if the FO will be willing to move Al when we are missing the type of player that he needs to play with to be most successful.

I can just as easily see Cho resigning Jefferson to a short term deal, which he might agree to so he can hit FA just as the cap goes up, to give us another shot at surrounding him with shooters before moving him.

Who knows.

Well, it would be a lot easier to trade Al, who is a bad fit here than to find some good shooters without giving up too much.

[Hornet Mania]

If we keep this up Jefferson will almost certainly be traded by the deadline.

I don't know, the fact remains that we don't have any reliable perimeter shooters in the starting lineup. I wonder if the FO will be willing to move Al when we are missing the type of player that he needs to play with to be most successful.

I can just as easily see Cho resigning Jefferson to a short term deal, which he might agree to so he can hit FA just as the cap goes up, to give us another shot at surrounding him with shooters before moving him.

Who knows.

If Al wants to enter free agency after the cap rise he can just take his player option for next year(I think). You may be right about the front office loyalty factor, they do seem to commit to guys who have been there awhile like in the cases of Hendo and Kemba. Not sure Al is worth that commitment even at best, to be honest, but I wouldn't be shocked if they gave it to him.

[EwingSweatsALot]

If we keep this up Jefferson will almost certainly be traded by the deadline.

I don't know, the fact remains that we don't have any reliable perimeter shooters in the starting lineup. I wonder if the FO will be willing to move Al when we are missing the type of player that he needs to play with to be most successful.

I can just as easily see Cho resigning Jefferson to a short term deal, which he might agree to so he can hit FA just as the cap goes up, to give us another shot at surrounding him with shooters before moving him.

Who knows.

Well, it would be a lot easier to trade Al, who is a bad fit here than to find some good shooters without giving up too much.

Yep. Al isn't good enough to build a team around. You don't build around a fringe top 25 player in the league. We are trying to force 12 guys to fit 1 guy. A guy that has never been an all star or won a damn playoff game. When you have the type of team and talent we have you build around a concept and a team. Not an individual. We have 12 guys that can run, jump, and defend with the best of them. We score well in transition and when we push the ball. Missed shots that land in the hands of Kemba, Lance or MKG turn into gold for us. The problem is we don't do this because we force 12 guys to play what caters towards 1 guy. Get rid of the run and just become a fun up and down team this year and find shooters in the draft and offseason. Get a defensive center, DeAndre Jordan, possibly. Hopefully Zeller really can stretch it out even more next year or find a 4 that can. And if we keep Lance hopefully he scores better or not trade him for a 2 that can shoot.

[yosemiteben]

I hear you guys on that take and am not even saying I disagree with it, but I can see the argument that since we have a team full of inefficient offensive players who haven't shown the ability to score consistently, Cho might decide to include the one efficient scoring option on our roster in his plans for the future until he sees that we have enough offensive talent on the roster to make up for what we would lose in Al.

I know Braggins has talked over and over about how we were better offensively before Al came and we aren't currently better with him on the floor than with him off. Maybe he's right about that. I'm not debating the merits of the argument, I'm saying that it's not a given that Cho shares that view and I can see him keeping Al around.

[EwingSweatsALot]

I hear you guys on that take and am not even saying I disagree with it, but I can see the argument that since we have a team full of inefficient offensive players who haven't shown the ability to score consistently, Cho might decide to include the one efficient scoring option on our roster in his plans for the future until he sees that we have enough offensive talent on the roster to make up for what we would lose in Al.

I know Braggins has talked over and over about how we were better offensively before Al came and we aren't currently better with him on the floor than with him off. Maybe he's right about that. I'm not debating the merits of the argument, I'm saying that it's not a given that Cho shares that view and I can see him keeping Al around.

Oh we are keeping him. And we will do our best to try and resign him. I don't see how the FO won't. I guess unless this season gets even worse but even as it stands now I think they are stuck to an inefficient plan. Maybe they aren't, but they have never shown any different so why believe it will change.