bpcox05 wrote:LightTheBeam wrote:bpcox05 wrote:Did I not say the minutes would be fine if Monk left? That’s not a point we’re arguing (well maybe you are trying to argue that with me but I’m not).
I happen to believe it’s more likely that Monk resigns with Sac than not so I’m operating with that in mind.
As for Len, you’re missing the point. It can be another backup C but the point is that I don’t think it’s wise to commit to a full-time small ball 5 in the non-Sabonis minutes (e.g., Lyles as the backup 5) which means we should have another C in the rotation getting minutes (whether that is Len or someone else).
So again, that gives us 10 players in the rotation getting minutes. Now that we’re back on the same page again, I can address your comments about Mitchell…
Mitchell showed a lot of promise after the all star break. He always brings his stellar defense, but in addition to that, he averaged .416 from three on 5.3 3PA per 36 min, 14.3 points per 36 min, .606 TS%, and a 3.3 AST:TO ratio. Let’s be clear, that’s not a star player but that’s not someone that you simply discard. That’s pretty darn good impact from your backup PG.
As for your last point, general depth is not our issue. We already have solid depth. The issue is that we need another shot creator. You can have a team full of 12 good 3&D players and be a “deep” team. Our issue is finding the right players at the top of that depth.
You reference the Mavs, but what happens if one of their two shot creators goes down with an injury (like what happened to us)? They are no way in the tier they are now. Similar to the Mavs, we really only have 2 shot creators on our team…Fox and Monk. Murray (at this point) and Sabonis aren’t really that good at creating their own shot. That’s not really the strength of their game. And I think it’s fair to say that Fox and Monk are well below Doncic and Irving in that department. So how do we close the gap in quality of shot creation between us and the Mavs? We add another shot creator to the team. Portis and Brown don’t address that. It’s a trade that makes more sense if you already have your shot creators in place (we’re not done yet).
Yes Mitchell has had probably 5 good months in his career. I'm not upset if he's in the rotation, although I don't think he's really earned a spot as of now.
And you are correct we need to upgrade a shot creator, but the hope is that Keegan takes that leap. I don't see the team sustainable with adding another large contract. Maybe the cap shoots way up, or maybe it doesn't. I don't think we know just yet.
And as for your last point in that Portis and Brown don't address shot creation, that is somewhat true as Portis can get a shot, but they do improve the team. Post trade I see the roster as
Fox - Keon - Keegan - Portis - Sabonis
Monk**** - Brown - Barnes - Lyles.
Just because we do that trade, doesn't mean we can't look at another one. You could package Barnes + Lyles + 23 and look for a shot creator starting forward while pushing Portis to the bench.
With the way Mitchell ended the season, I don’t think it’s far fetched to say that Mitchell is a guy that will be getting consistent minutes next year (at least to start the season). Remember, Mitchell is still on his rookie deal. His recent improvement could be a fluke (which is maybe what you are leaning towards) or it could be a young player starting to put things together.
Sure, we all hope that Murray becomes someone that we can give the ball to and he can create his own shot but there’s no guarantee that will happen. Considering Grant is a relatively low usage, efficient, volume scorer, it still gives Murray an opportunity to grow his offense. And as Grant continues to age, I could easily see Murray’s offensive role grow while Grant takes a step back and focuses more on the defensive end.
Why don’t you see the team as sustainable if Grant’s contract is added? After Murray is on his 2nd contract, we’ll have ~$185 mil wrapped up in Fox, Monk, Murray, Grant, and Sabonis. Resigning Ellis would probably put us in the low $200 mil range. However, the 2nd apron would be around $230 mil. That means we’d have our entire starting lineup and elite 6th man in place with another ~$30 mil to fill out the rest of the roster without dipping into the 2nd apron. I don’t see his contract being that big of an issue.
To your last point, Barnes/Lyles/#23 doesn’t seem like that great of a package. The goal is to try and improve our quality at the top. Adding a low level shot creator for that package doesn’t do much for me. I’d rather try to use #13 to find that quality piece vs. diluting it for multiple depth pieces.
Maybe it's fluke, maybe it's not? Mitchell did this at the end of his rookie season and I remember people on the board questioning if we should move on from Fox for him. Even with his months of (very low volume) good 3pt shooting, he still is a sub 33% 3pt shooter. And he's soon to be 26, which is even more why I question if it's a real improvement or a hot streak. To start the season he was so awful he was costing us games without a doubt.
As for your projections on Aprons, they are projections right? Unless I missed something (I totally could have) nothing is set in stone. Vivek so far hasn't sniffed being even a tax payer let alone getting near the 2nd Apron, I'm not as confident as you that he suddenly decides he's okay spending that money.
As for the last package, that's just the start. You can add future picks, young guys like Colby, re-route some guys to 3rd teams. I'd prefer Kuzma over Grant, but I'd also rather look for someone like Bridges. Assume it's Kuzma here.
Kings out: Barnes, Colby, #23, Portland 2nd, 2 future sac 2nds
Kings in: Kuzma
Dallas out: THJ, Max
Dallas in: Barnes
Washington out: Kuz
Washington in: THJ, Max, Colby, #23, Portland 2nd, 2 Sac 2nds
Fox - Keon - Keegan - Kuzma - Sabonis
Mitchell - Monk - Brown - Lyles - Portis
All I'm saying is that this trade clearly makes us better, and doesn't preclude us from looking for upgrades elsewhere. That is a solid 9 man rotation, and realistically if you are able to bring Monk back, you keep Mitchell as an emergency player off the bench.
Sabonis 34 - Portis 14
Kuzma 24 - Lyles - 18 - Portis - 6
Keegan 32 - Brown - 10 - Kuzma - 6
Keon 26 - Brown 10 - Monk 12
Fox 34 - Monk 14
or
Sabonis 34
Fox 34
Keegan 32
Kuzma 30
Keon 26
Monk 26
Portis 20
Brown 20
Lyles 18
