Around The NBA 2.0

SWedd523 · Post #61 » by **SWedd523** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 3:52 am

Welcome to the Charlotte Bobcats RealGM board where some people don't realize that MJ and co. aren't happy being a treadmill team. That Raptors team is AT BEST a 5th seed and has no shot of beating the top teams in the East, much less whoever comes out of the West.

Also where some folks don't realize that nobody is saying we plan to suck then automagically be a top 5 team in the league. We realize it's a process and at best will go from bad, to less bad, to good, to great. We would just prefer to have a team actually capable of becoming great at some point instead of topping out as the Raptors.

Also where some folks aren't happy with mediocrity. You want to be the Raptors so bad then feel free to support them instead.

Liver_Pooty · Post #62 » by **Liver_Pooty** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 3:56 am

Raptors win a few games in a row and their bandwagon is over flowing. Cute.

MasterIchiro · Post #63 » by **MasterIchiro** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 3:58 am

Rather be topped out with their youth than bottomed out with ours.

Post #64 » by **BigSlam** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 4:00 am

Liver_Pooty wrote:Raptors win a few games in a row and their bandwagon is over flowing. Cute.

The cutest part is that while their bandwagon might be flowing their cap situation still sucks arse!!

MasterIchiro · Post #65 » by **MasterIchiro** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 4:06 am

catch20two wrote:
MasterIchiro wrote:I'd give my left nut to have the 5th seed and Toronto's youth. Is this team expected to skip from worse team 2 years running to 4th seed or better? Something's gotta happen in between.

Welcome to the Charlotte Bobcats RealGM board where they believe a few draft picks will automatically take them from the league's worst team to championship contender bypassing every other team acquiring talent overnight and the label of being a treadmill is used for any playoff team that doesn't stand a chance against the Miami Heat in a series.

Well, fortunately there is this little thing called accounting and it relates to money, budgets, revenue and business.

They simply can't project out 3-5 years forever.

It's unsustainable.

We'll be Toronto before you know it.

catch20two · Post #66 » by **catch20two** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 4:08 am

I must admit that lately I have enjoyed watching the Toronto Raptors on League Pass. I witnessed them beat the Clippers, Pacers, Nuggets, and Knicks since trading for Rudy Gay. They still have some ways to go as far as chemistry with quality players scratching their prime in Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson, and Andrea Bargnani alongside Gay, not mentioning a young nucleus of Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross. If Valanciunas quickly develops and reach the ceiling they expected of him then they can become a dangerous team in the East.

MasterIchiro · Post #67 » by **MasterIchiro** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 4:15 am

They do show promise. And it's always going to be rare (as in so uncommon that you can't logically plan for it) for a small market team to outperform some of these elite teams now the way free agents are teaming up together. These days, with the superstargangbang crowd, you take what you can get when you can get it and you keep it together as long as possible. If you're a team with a 4-5 seed for 5 or 6 years, you're not on a treadmill, you're taking a shot to upset a juggernaut and winning a title.

OKC is an anomaly.

BlackOutBuzz · Post #68 » by **BlackOutBuzz** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:04 am

MasterIchiro wrote:Rather be topped out with their youth than bottomed out with ours.

Their youth is also less youthful than ours. Starting lineups...

Lowry (26) vs. Kemba (22)
DeRozan (23) vs. Hendo (25)
Gay (26) vs. MKG (19)
Bargs (27) vs. Mully (24) - Look at that, today was Mully's birthday.
Val (20) vs. Biz (20)

Raps Bench Youth: Amir Johnson (25), Fields (24), Ross (22)
'Cats Bench Youth: Sessions (26), Taylor (23), Adrien (26)

Kemba v. Lowry is a push right now, at his current trajectory Kemba will be a much better play at 26 than Lowry is now. DeRozan is better than Hendo, but I don't think Hendo's in our future plans. DeRozan is a nice player, but not worth his contract. Gay is of course better than MKG, but he's also 7 years older. MKG will probably be a better all-around player in every aspect aside from scoring. Hell, rookie MKG isn't far off in most categories aside from points and 3s. Mully is basically Bargs 2.0, he's younger and more athletic but perhaps not as good of a shooter. Not to mention that contract (yuck), edge Mully. Val and Biz are the same age, and Val looks like the better prospect in all honesty (then again, he was drafted I think 3 spots higher).

Their bench is actually a bit younger than ours, but they're paying Johnson and Fields over 6 million per :lol:

I have no doubt we could overpay for a couple marginal guys like those two if we really wanted to, but why? Point being: yeah they're pretty young, but they're also capped out. I don't think that team's higher than a 5-6 seed, and with their current payroll they don't really have the flexibility to improve on that. It's not that we think that taking the tank route will turn things around instantly, it's that we think it'll prove to be more sustainable. We went the whole overpay veterans route before...didn't really work out.

BlackOutBuzz · Post #69 » by **BlackOutBuzz** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:06 am

Oh, and the super-teams should be on the way out with the new luxury tax rule about to kick in. Just gotta wait it out a bit longer.

thruthefire · Post #70 » by **thruthefire** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:10 am

Amir Johnson is quite good, actually. His contract is one of the few reasonable ones on that roster.

SWedd523 · Post #71 » by **SWedd523** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:13 am

If by quite good you mean average then sure.

thruthefire · Post #72 » by **thruthefire** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:16 am

14/10 on 57 percent shooting as a starter. Let's hope Biz and Mullens can be average one day.

TheKingofSting · Post #73 » by **TheKingofSting** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:26 am

Suck it Jamison, you could have had more money to be just as miserable here!

MasterIchiro · Post #74 » by **MasterIchiro** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 4:54 pm

Utah is trying to pull off a Millsap-Bledsoe deal.

They could have a great young team with a ton of cap space:

Bledsoe
Hayward
Favors
Kanter

Sign Josh Smith maybe?

MasterIchiro · Post #75 » by **MasterIchiro** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 3:06 am

5 in a row for the Raptors. Undefeated with Rudy Gay I think. Solid young team.

HornetJail · Post #76 » by **HornetJail** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 3:52 am

MasterIchiro wrote:Utah is trying to pull off a Millsap-Bledsoe deal.

They could have a great young team with a ton of cap space:

Bledsoe
Hayward
Favors
Kanter

Sign Josh Smith maybe?

Bledsoe is so vastly overrated. Almost to Avery Bradley levels. On what planet is he worth a 16/8 big man?

catch20two · Post #77 » by **catch20two** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 3:53 am

MasterIchiro wrote:5 in a row for the Raptors. Undefeated with Rudy Gay I think. Solid young team.

They've loss 2 games since Rudy's been there, I think to the Heat and then the Celtics, but they have been impressive. They'll be very exciting to watch next season when they're actually contending for the playoffs.

thruthefire · Post #78 » by **thruthefire** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 4:48 am

CHA_77_Bobcats wrote:Bledsoe is so vastly overrated. Almost to Avery Bradley levels. On what planet is he worth a 16/8 big man?

It would be a great trade for Utah. Bledsoe ain't CP3, but he still had a line of 14/5/5/2.5/1.3 as a starter. He's 23 and, as those rebounds, blocks and steals averages will attest to, physically superior to all but a handful of point guards. Utah's not in a position to throw big money at Millsap this summer, anyway.

Liver_Pooty · Post #79 » by **Liver_Pooty** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:27 am

CHA_77_Bobcats wrote:
MasterIchiro wrote:Utah is trying to pull off a Millsap-Bledsoe deal.

They could have a great young team with a ton of cap space:

Bledsoe
Hayward
Favors
Kanter

Sign Josh Smith maybe?

Bledsoe is so vastly overrated. Almost to Avery Bradley levels. On what planet is he worth a 16/8 big man?

Hes getting overrated. But no one is more overrated than Bradley. You would think hes a poor mans Gary Payton the way Boston fans talk about him.

HornetJail · Post #80 » by **HornetJail** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:07 am

Stats aren't everything. You have to look at the fact that LA was losing left and right with Bledsoe starting, a very very sharp contrast from when CP3 was starting.

Bradley is severely overrated by the average RealGMer, and then there are Celtic fans. They think he's the best defender in the league. :lol:

Speaking of the Celtics, anyone think they pull off a big move for a point guard? With Rondo out, I could see them going after Augustin or Knight. Maybe even Austin Rivers. :lol: