Discussing Other Teams' Moves

[fishercob]

That assumes that Nash is willing to take the MLE -- essentially below market value.

I'd advise him to go to Indiana. They were 7th in offense and 9th in D this year and have a huge hole at point guard. Nash makes them an elite offensive team and I don't think he makes their defense appreciably worse. They have the room to re-up Hibbert and pay Nash what he's worth -- close to $10M.

Orlando certainly makes sense, but I have no confidence in Howard doing what he says he'll do. I suppose if he signed a long term extension I'd be fine with it, but I'm not sure he can do so (can he?).

I think it really depends on what Nash thinks his window is. If it is one year, then Orlando makes a lot of sense. The Heat would of course love to add him, but they or the Lakers would be a waste of his PG skills.

If it is a 3 year window, then an team that will grow into an elite one like Indiana is the best choice.

Nash has stated that he wants to play at least 3 more seasons. I the more I think about it, the more I agree with Nivek about Orlando -- especially if they hire D'antoni. Nash, Howard and those shooters? Holy crap. Especially if they can get some value for Jameer Nelson.

[Nivek]

Funny, the more I think about it, the more I like Nash in Indy.

I still think Orlando is the best spot for him. That kind of move ought to be enough to get Hamlet...umm...Howard to make up his mind and stick around.

[Ruzious]

Good call - Nash would make Indy's offense fun to watch, and they probably have good enough team defense to hide his deficiencies there.

[LyricalRico]

I still think Orlando is the best spot for him. That kind of move ought to be enough to get Hamlet...umm...Howard to make up his mind and stick around.

I kept trying to figure out Nash-to-ORL deadline deals, and just couldn't get it to work since I didn't think PHX wanted to add any contracts. But wouldn't a Nash sign-and-trade in the offseason present the same issues? Other than Nash for Nelson straight up, I'm not sure how it would work.

[closg00]

"These are the days you dread in this business," Magic CEO Alex Martins said in a statement Monday. "But we feel it's time for new leadership and new voices."

House-cleaning in Orlando

[verbal8]

If you were the new GM of the Magic what would you do?

It seems like there are two possibilities, try to build around Dwight Howard or try to deal Howard and rebuild.

I think a deal for Bynum, especially if Turkoglu can be included is the best option for a rebuild.

I would probably also shop some of the role players like Reddick and see what was available in return.

[Nivek]

If you were the new GM of the Magic what would you do?

It seems like there are two possibilities, try to build around Dwight Howard or try to deal Howard and rebuild.

I think a deal for Bynum, especially if Turkoglu can be included is the best option for a rebuild.

I would probably also shop some of the role players like Reddick and see what was available in return.

I'd put a full-court recruiting pitch on Steve Nash. I'd try to swap Jameer Nelson for a SF -- Marvin Williams might be a nice fit (Orlando would probably have to give up more, but something along those lines). I'd target Brandan Wright as a cheap free agent to add frontcourt depth.

A good offseason might be to sign Nash on a two-year MLE deal with a mutual option on the 3rd season. Trade Nelson and change for Williams. Draft Crowder at 20. With their 2nd round pick (if DX's most recent mock is close to accurate), they could get Machado (who could be a solid backup to Nash) or Barton or Denmon. Could also go for a physical depth big like Mike Scott.

[LyricalRico]

^Orlando would look good if they were able to make those moves, Kev. But how exactly will the Magic get Nash? Nash can certainly get more than whatever level of MLE the Magic can offer, and I can't imagine that PHX wants much of anything from the Magic roster that would potentially come back in a sign-and-trade. Maybe Jameer Nelson and change, but then that negates the idea to deal him for SF help.

Is there something I'm missing?

[Nivek]

^Orlando would look good if they were able to make those moves, Kev. But how exactly will the Magic get Nash? Nash can certainly get more than whatever level of MLE the Magic can offer, and I can't imagine that PHX wants much of anything from the Magic roster that would potentially come back in a sign-and-trade. Maybe Jameer Nelson and change, but then that negates the idea to deal him for SF help.

Is there something I'm missing?

That's why I'm saying they'd have to recruit him. Nash has made a lot of money in his career, and he's clearly not spending it on hair care products. Sell him on coming to Orlando to be the guy to put them over the top. If Nash wants another maxish deal, I'd have to think about how that could happen. Might be better to go with a Plan B at that point, but I don't know what that is yet. I could probably come up with something.

[LyricalRico]

What about a sign-and-trade of Nash and others to the Lakers for Gasol? Maybe something like:

Suns trade: Nash, Morris, and Dudley
Lakers trade: Gasol and Blake

Solves LA's PG problems and gives the Suns a darn good frontcourt IMO. If my calculations are correct, PHX would also still have something close to $10M in cap room to get some backcourt help.

[pancakes3]

i don't know about "hole" with Indy. they've got a platoon thing going with george hill and collison and it seems to be working out for them. however i do agree that playing with granger and george would make career years for those two.

however, nash on the magic? with their shooters?! it would be an epic year for 3 pointers. a freakin' historic year. the '96 bulls of 3 point shooting.

[Nivek]

Rico: I thought we were trying to fix Orlando.

[LyricalRico]

Rico: I thought we were trying to fix Orlando.

Dude, that's so 20 minutes ago! On to the Lakers!

[Nivek]

Rico: I thought we were trying to fix Orlando.

Dude, that's so 20 minutes ago! On to the Lakers!

I just lost interest. Laker fans in general, and Kobe butt sniffers specifically, have gotten on my nerves to the point that I don't mind seeing them fall apart.

What the Lakers oughta do is trade Kobe. They should be able to get a lot for him since he's the best player in the league...oh wait...he's 33. MAYBE Lebron is a little better now. Maybe. Or MAYBE Durant. But Kobe's still 2 or 3.

[verbal8]

What the Lakers oughta do is trade Kobe. They should be able to get a lot for him since he's the best player in the league...oh wait...he's 33. MAYBE Lebron is a little better now. Maybe. Or MAYBE Durant. But Kobe's still 2 or 3.

They could trade him to the Knicks for Anthony lol

[montestewart]

What the Lakers oughta do is trade Kobe. They should be able to get a lot for him since he's the best player in the league...oh wait...he's 33. MAYBE Lebron is a little better now. Maybe. Or MAYBE Durant. But Kobe's still 2 or 3.

They could trade him to the Knicks for Anthony lol

Carmelo and J.R. Smith for Kobe. That would solve Knicks' ballhandling issues and Lin could be a backup PG on the court and stay fresh for the playoffs.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

What about a sign-and-trade of Nash and others to the Lakers for Gasol? Maybe something like:

Suns trade: Nash, Morris, and Dudley
Lakers trade: Gasol and Blake

Solves LA's PG problems and gives the Suns a darn good frontcourt IMO. If my calculations are correct, PHX would also still have something close to $10M in cap room to get some backcourt help.

A couple variations on this theme:

-- Fire Mike Brown. Sitting Kobe at the start of the fourth and watching the lead go from 6 to IIRC 13 was really bad.
-- Hire Mike D'Antoni. Kobe likes him. Kobe is in charge.
-- Trade Pau to the Knicks for Amare Stoudemire.
-- Sign Steve Nash and draft a speedy PG, like Tyshawn Taylor
-- Send Blake back to a team like the Wizards, or anyone who can use him as a backup.
I think Amare would work a lot better with Bynum than Pau does. Nash already is familiar with Mike D and Amare, and he's played in tons of all star games with Kobe.

I would think LAL can afford to eat Mike Brown's contract and just start all over. They are not going to be a defensive, grind-it-out team until Kobe retires.

[I_Like_Dirt]

Making moves that only make sense under the premise that 'Kobe is in charge' is about the worst thing the Lakers could do right now. Frankly, I'd be very interested to see the Knicks offer Kobe for Anthony to the Knicks. The Knicks have an aging frontcourt with injury concerns so Kobe's limited window doesn't necessarily hurt them and it would sell big for a season or two. Then they could turn around and do whatever it took to grab Howard - who cares if it costs both Gasol and Bynum. Build with Melo and Howard as the centerpieces - I think Melo makes a pretty good PF alongside Dwight - and they'd have got the star portion of rebuilding done in one offseason with no rebuilding seasons required. The added bonus of that move is that we'd all get to watch the Knicks spin their tires even worse and Kobe would look the absolute fool pointing the finger at all of his teammates in New York.

[LyricalRico]

What about Gasol to ATL for Josh Smith and Marvin Williams? The Hawks clearly need a shake-up in order to take another step forward, and this would give them a nice complementary 1-2 punch up front. OTOH the Lakers would get younger and more athletic, plus they would no longer have somebody else clogging the paint for Bynum.

[Dat2U]

Regarding the Lakers, I thought their biggest problem was a lack of depth. Beyond Kobe, Bynum & Gasol the Lakers roster was not NBA quality. So when one or two of the big three would struggle, they rarely had anyone capable of stepping up and filling the void.

Here's the rest of their roster outside of he big three:

4. Jordan Hill - It's funny that their 4th best player on the roster was an afterthough in the Houston deal. Was solid as the 3rd big off the bench.
5. Ramon Sessions - He's the starting PG but at best he's your 3rd guard. Got exposed in the series as teams packed the paint and dared him too shoot.
6. Metta World Peace - not much needs to be said. Thoroughly unreliable on offense at this stage of his career.
7. Steve Blake - I like the UMD alum as much as any Terp fan but he's got no business seeing major minutes for a legit contender.
8. Matt Barnes - Did a disappearing act in the playoffs. Killed the team with his inability to make open shots or defend. Got benched for...
9. Devin Ebanks - An athletic wing who doesn't do anything particularly well.
10. Josh McRoberts - deservedly lost his job to Hill. Can finish around the basket and attack the glass but overwhelmingly ineffective for the most part.
11. Troy Murphy - was washed up about five years ago.
12. Christian Eyenga - former Cavs draft pick whose struggled to make much of an impact.
13. Andrew Goudelock - recent 2nd rd pick
14. Darius Morris - recent 1st rd pick and current bust, lol.

Bottom line, the lack of talent (and the lack of a quality PG to run the offense and take the ball out of Kobe's hands) is a bigger obstacle than Kobe, Bynum or Gasol's performance.