Around the NBA, 2022-23 season

Post #81 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Sun Feb 5, 2023 8:43 am

red4hf wrote:If everyone wants him, shouldn't we keep him?

Lol.....

What I gather from listening to podcasts and reading the rumors is that he is not entirely happy and would like to be moved. He's being a pro about it but he'd rather be somewhere else. Plus, with the emergence of Kessler, V8 was relegated to the bench, which is probably not something he's happy about.

He's on a great contract this year and next year, but after next season he's a UFA so we won't have control over him anyway, so it's better to sell high. I also think that while we all like him because he's a player that could fit and be valuable on any team, it's much easier to like him when he's making 4M. I'm not sure how much we'd like him when he's making 12M+ per season.

red4hf · Post #82 » by **red4hf** » Sun Feb 5, 2023 1:16 pm

Inigo Montoya wrote:
red4hf wrote:If everyone wants him, shouldn't we keep him?

Lol.....

What I gather from listening to podcasts and reading the rumors is that he is not entirely happy and would like to be moved. He's being a pro about it but he'd rather be somewhere else. Plus, with the emergence of Kessler, V8 was relegated to the bench, which is probably not something he's happy about.

He's on a great contract this year and next year, but after next season he's a UFA so we won't have control over him anyway, so it's better to sell high. I also think that while we all like him because he's a player that could fit and be valuable on any team, it's much easier to like him when he's making 4M. I'm not sure how much we'd like him when he's making 12M+ per season.

I agree with you..... We really need to have 4 shooters around Kessler......

Post #83 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Sun Feb 5, 2023 8:35 pm

Irving traded to the Mavs. The price turned out to be quite low so in terms of value it's a great deal for the Mavs. Having said that, I wouldn't want Irving anywhere near Doncic.

Also, the Lakers dropped the ball which is good for us. LeBron must be pissed.

zero24gravity · Post #84 » by **zero24gravity** » Mon Feb 6, 2023 9:34 pm

Inigo Montoya wrote:Irving traded to the Mavs. The price turned out to be quite low so in terms of value it's a great deal for the Mavs. Having said that, I wouldn't want Irving anywhere near Doncic.

Also, the Lakers dropped the ball which is good for us. LeBron must be pissed.

Condolences to Mavs fans. Giving up assets for a head case that turns on every team he plays for. Irving is really only effective when he has the ball in his hands, which is not good next to Luka. Also, neither of them are interested in D. This is a "flash" move with no substance, IMO.

Crunch 99 · Post #85 » by **Crunch 99** » Thu Feb 9, 2023 2:24 pm

Raptors acquired Poeltl last night. He is a good addition for them. If they don't make any other trades today, they have a good probability to pass by the newly weakened Jazz team for a better win-loss record.

Post #86 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Thu Feb 9, 2023 2:39 pm

I wonder what the Nets would want for Mikal Bridges.

zero24gravity · Post #87 » by **zero24gravity** » Thu Feb 9, 2023 3:52 pm

Crickets in here on the Durant trade, which is a huge deal, so....

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-kevin-durant-traded-to-phoenix-suns-in-blockbuster-move-060826326.html

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kevin-durant-trade-grades-suns-look-like-this-deadlines-big-winners-while-nets-work-seems-incomplete/

Suns clearly making a big push for a ring this year. Great trade for them, IMO. Nets needed to reset, so I can see why they made the move. Still great to see the Jazz got more for Gobert than what Durant was traded for. lol

Crunch 99 · Post #88 » by **Crunch 99** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 4:45 am

Inigo Montoya wrote:I wonder what the Nets would want for Mikal Bridges.

Nets Were Offered Four First Round Picks By Unnamed Team for Mikal Bridges
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/270428/Nets-Were-Offered-Four-First-Round-Picks-By-Unnamed-Team-For-Mikal-Bridges

Post #89 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 9:59 am

Timberwolves insider says D'Angelo Russell was 'very frustrated' with Rudy Gobert
https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/timberwolves/timberwolves-insider-says-dangelo-russell-was-very-frustrated-with-rudy-gobert

Crunch 99 · Post #90 » by **Crunch 99** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:08 pm

Inigo Montoya wrote:Timberwolves insider says D'Angelo Russell was 'very frustrated' with Rudy Gobert
https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/timberwolves/timberwolves-insider-says-dangelo-russell-was-very-frustrated-with-rudy-gobert

From article:

D'Lo wore those issues on his sleeve. He was very frustrated – often – with Rudy. With him not being able to catch some passes, with him missing layups and bunnies near the rim, with his offensive struggles this season for the Timberwolves. That frustration was palpable within the Timberwolves locker room."

We all know Rudy has offensive limitations, but imo the criticism above is diminished somewhat by who it is coming from and by stats. D'Lo has questionable leadership skills. Multiple teams have decided not to retain him, notwithstanding his exceptional offensive talent.

Rudy's ppg is down a bit over last season with Jazz, but he still has a very efficient TS% at .694 vs career average .672, and he is only turning the ball over 1.7x per game - right at his career average. I expect he is still doing well on screen assists.

That said, I can understand some resentment coming Rudy's way from other players seeing him getting paid like a great two way star when he has serious offensive limitations and he can't spread the floor. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Rudy has criticized the Wolves' guards' defensive efforts and D'Lo didn't like it.

Conley's superior interpersonal skills might help smooth out tension on the Wolves.

Post #91 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Sun Feb 12, 2023 5:10 pm

This video made my day.

Watch on YouTube

zero24gravity · Post #92 » by **zero24gravity** » Thu Feb 23, 2023 7:17 pm

Snyder potentially back in as a head coach already?

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/270600/Hawks-Attempting-To-Swiftly-Hire-Quin-Snyder

If it happens, I wish him luck. Despite not going as deep in the playoffs as most fans would have wanted, I thought he was a fantastic coach, innovative, intelligent, and really helped the franchise.

SoCalJazzFan · Post #93 » by **SoCalJazzFan** » Thu Feb 23, 2023 8:07 pm

Morant has gone from one of the more likeable players in the league, to not so much so this season.
https://fadeawayworld.net/ja-morant-says-he-is-the-best-player-in-the-league-remains-unconcerned-about-west-im-not-scared

red4hf · Post #94 » by **red4hf** » Thu Feb 23, 2023 8:12 pm

zero24gravity wrote:Snyder potentially back in as a head coach already?

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/270600/Hawks-Attempting-To-Swiftly-Hire-Quin-Snyder

If it happens, I wish him luck. Despite not going as deep in the playoffs as most fans would have wanted, I thought he was a fantastic coach, innovative, intelligent, and really helped the franchise.

I think he'd be a great fit in Atlanta.......

Crunch 99 · Post #95 » by **Crunch 99** » Sat Mar 11, 2023 2:32 pm

Crunch 99 wrote:
Inigo Montoya wrote:I wonder what the Nets would want for Mikal Bridges.

2/9/23 Nets Were Offered Four First Round Picks By Unnamed Team for Mikal Bridges - before he played his first game for the Nets.
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/270428/Nets-Were-Offered-Four-First-Round-Picks-By-Unnamed-Team-For-Mikal-Bridges

I think there is a reasonable chance that it was Ainge that made that offer to the Nets. How many GMs had four first round picks laying around to offer up on one day's notice following Mikal's Feb 8 trade to the Nets? Imagine if it was Ainge and the offer had been accepted. We would have been legit contenders next season.

Maybe I am jumping to a conclusion too quickly based on a small sample, but I think Mikal Bridges has already become a legit two way superstar. After only having two 30 point games for his entire career before being traded to the Nets, he's had five 30 point games in his last seven games. The Nets won four of those five games where he scored 30.

Post #96 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Sat Mar 11, 2023 5:24 pm

Crunch 99 wrote:I think there is a reasonable chance that it was Ainge that made that offer to the Nets. How many GMs had four first round picks laying around to offer up on one day's notice following Mikal's Feb 8 trade to the Nets?

Whenever I see a report about an undisclosed team offering a lot of picks I immediately assume it's the Knicks trying to unload their heavily protected picks they own from other teams.

AGE1207 · Post #97 » by **AGE1207** » Sun Mar 19, 2023 3:54 pm

T-Wolves in serious trouble with Edwards out and not an easy schedule ahead…

red4hf · Post #98 » by **red4hf** » Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:25 pm

Hawks not any better with Snyder as Coach.......

Post #99 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:01 am

red4hf wrote:Hawks not any better with Snyder as Coach.......

I didn't expect them to be better this season since the change came so late in the season. I think he can make them better than an 8th seed in a full season but I don't expect better results overall. He's not making them contenders so really all they'll do is tread water in the playoffs like the Jazz did (which is kind of what the Hawks were doing anyway, he'll just make them more consistent).

zero24gravity · Post #100 » by **zero24gravity** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:50 pm

Inigo Montoya wrote:
red4hf wrote:Hawks not any better with Snyder as Coach.......

I didn't expect them to be better this season since the change came so late in the season. I think he can make them better than an 8th seed in a full season but I don't expect better results overall. He's not making them contenders so really all they'll do is tread water in the playoffs like the Jazz did (which is kind of what the Hawks were doing anyway, he'll just make them more consistent).

Snyder's system (at least what we saw in Utah) is pretty complicated. I see this season as more of prep period for next season. And for the record, IMO Young seems like a nightmare PG for what Q uses a PG for, and I wonder if that pairing can work. I'm sure he thought of that before taking the job, though, so I'm interested in seeing how coach adjusts.