Offseason Thread 7: A Tale Of Two Dragons

[bwgood77]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba-power-rankings--a-familiar-feel-at-no--1-155813725.html

This is a joke, Atlanta,Miami, Toronto, New Orleans, and Charlotte are all better then us lol.

Charlotte really Charlotte. I know it's just yahoo but wow lol.

It's not too far off in my mind. I have the Suns finishing roughly 14-15th in the league record-wise, though playing in the West we're probably closer to 12-13th "power-wise".

That's what I am saying, suns play in the west but will be better then most of those teams listed. Sorry in no way Charlotte better then the suns. I get it suns may not even make the playoffs but in no way does it make most of those team better then the suns.

I don't think Charlotte is better than us, but they are close, and could be. They only had five fewer wins last season and added Lance Stephenson and Noah Vonleh. Vonleh won't contribute immediately, but they should be better than last year and are pretty young so they could improve quite a bit.

Atlanta had ten fewer wins but added Horford which is huge. I expect them to be top 3 in the east. Toronto was about as good as us last year, Jonas should continue to improve so I don't know why that is a stretch. New Orleans is definitely possible. They have one of the best players in the league, were really banged up last year, Anderson being healthy should make a big difference and Asik is a huge addition. Wade and Bosh should be much better without LeBron, but with them it all depends on how healthy Wade is and how the other guys like Deng and McBob play. They could be really good though.

We may have gotten worse by losing Frye. I don't see any of them as a big stretch as possibly being better than us this year, though of course I hope that's not the case.

[JDLAW]

Guys JJ Barea just got bought out by Minnesota, he's available.

He'd be the perfect pass first PG for the Suns.

JJ Barea is hot garbage. He is likely to go back to the Mavs who already have 3 of the most mediocre point guards in the league.

[JDLAW]

It's not too far off in my mind. I have the Suns finishing roughly 14-15th in the league record-wise, though playing in the West we're probably closer to 12-13th "power-wise".

That's what I am saying, suns play in the west but will be better then most of those teams listed. Sorry in no way Charlotte better then the suns. I get it suns may not even make the playoffs but in no way does it make most of those team better then the suns.

I don't think Charlotte is better than us, but they are close, and could be. They only had five fewer wins last season and added Lance Stephenson and Noah Vonleh. Vonleh won't contribute immediately, but they should be better than last year and are pretty young so they could improve quite a bit.

Atlanta had ten fewer wins but added Horford which is huge. I expect them to be top 3 in the east. Toronto was about as good as us last year, Jonas should continue to improve so I don't know why that is a stretch. New Orleans is definitely possible. They have one of the best players in the league, were really banged up last year, Anderson being healthy should make a big difference and Asik is a huge addition. Wade and Bosh should be much better without LeBron, but with them it all depends on how healthy Wade is and how the other guys like Deng and McBob play. They could be really good though.

We may have gotten worse by losing Frye. I don't see any of them as a big stretch as possibly being better than us this year, though of course I hope that's not the case.

I never follow flavor of the month polls like this one. Every week it is someone new - NBA polls are among the most useless items concocted.

As for the other "comparable" teams, NOP has talent in the 4 (excellent) and 5 (OK) positions, is lacking on the wings and is enigmatic in the backcourt. They do not have much depth.

Atlanta will win games in the Eastern Conference, but they are not as good as the Suns talent or team wise.

Charlotte has one consistent player in Jefferson, but the rest of the team is enigmatic and/or mediocre.

Miami has 2 good players - the rest of the team is not very good. Any success they have will hinge on Dr. Wade's health. If he is not well, they will look a lot like the old Bosh Raptors.

[Fo-Real]

It would be very hard to trade for a big who is worth it for us this year. We do not have the salary trade chips to put up to match salaries of guys like Horford without giving up multiple players who we actually like, because most of our guys (the ones who are available), dont make much money. So our hopes would be to go after projects that other teames may have given up on... guys like Biyombo (who looks like a bust), or Tyler Zeller, Henson (Ennis and filler might get it done), guys we might be able to retap thier potential, or Monroe on his Q.O. but getting guys like Horford for 12 mil would require giving up someone we actually like and need. Our guard combo is outstanding with Bled, Dragic, Thomas and Green, all we need is our bigs not to get outplayed on a regular basis. Plum tends to dissapear, and Len is well iffy at best with his injury history. Is there a vet big who has not signed yet that may be worth it? I have not noticed any.

[phrazbit]

It would be very hard to trade for a big who is worth it for us this year. We do not have the salary trade chips to put up to match salaries of guys like Horford without giving up multiple players who we actually like, because most of our guys (the ones who are available), dont make much money. So our hopes would be to go after projects that other teames may have given up on... guys like Biyombo (who looks like a bust), or Tyler Zeller, Henson (Ennis and filler might get it done), guys we might be able to retap thier potential, or Monroe on his Q.O. but getting guys like Horford for 12 mil would require giving up someone we actually like and need. Our guard combo is outstanding with Bled, Dragic, Thomas and Green, all we need is our bigs not to get outplayed on a regular basis. Plum tends to dissapear, and Len is well iffy at best with his injury history. Is there a vet big who has not signed yet that may be worth it? I have not noticed any.

You have to give something to get something, in order to get a guy like Horford some guys we like would need to be involved.

Its also worth noting we have some wiggle room in cap space (about 4 mil) still because the Morris brother's extentions don't kick in until next year. So to get a guy on a 12 mil deal we'd only need to ship out 8 million in salary.

Just as an example... and I do mean example because Atlanta would shoot down this in an instant; a trade of Len, Green and Randolph works under the cap to get Horford.

[Fo-Real]

Thats the problem, not only do you have guys who say (obviously), no way in hell they take that garbage, while some say we dont want to give up on Len, and some like Green. There is no one guy out there who can be had who we should clearly go after without possibly hurting the team. I dont think there is any way we make any major trade this year. I thik the plan is to let players develope. The risk might not be worth the reward, Horford has been hurt often. Who else who would be worth it has been rumored to possibly be attainable? The only guy.... who most here would say hell no to... who could make an instant impact would be Greg Monroe, with the Pistons wanting to get something for him or else lose him for nothing... but then we would likely lose him for nothing just for a run this year... and at what cost???

[bwgood77]

It's more likely the Hawks will try to trade Millsap if they trade anyone, especially if an Antic/Horford lineup is effective. I think the Suns might try to make a deal for Millsap in this scenario IF Frye's loss and ability to spread the floor is missed and is really impacting Dragic's game and if the twins seem to work better as more punch off the bench.

[Fo-Real]

I guess I am just let down a little, I expected Plumlee to take steps and look better than last year righ away with a full offseason of knowing what his team expects of him (his hands are still terrible, he still cant shoot, and seems lost a lot), and also expected Len to come out healthy and in shape spry ready to go with some promise... hurt twice already.... DAMN MAN!! Hate getting pushed around and out rebounded. Hate watching Plum almost foul out of preseason games. Just a solid big is all I want, not just sometimes.

[Fo-Real]

Can Biyombo be had??

[phrazbit]

Thats the problem, not only do you have guys who say (obviously), no way in hell they take that garbage, while some say we dont want to give up on Len, and some like Green. There is no one guy out there who can be had who we should clearly go after without possibly hurting the team. I dont think there is any way we make any major trade this year. I thik the plan is to let players develope. The risk might not be worth the reward, Horford has been hurt often. Who else who would be worth it has been rumored to possibly be attainable? The only guy.... who most here would say hell no to... who could make an instant impact would be Greg Monroe, with the Pistons wanting to get something for him or else lose him for nothing... but then we would likely lose him for nothing just for a run this year... and at what cost???

Trading Len, a guy who IMO will be a career backup C... if he can stay healthy, and Green, a backup wing who won't be here in a year, for Horford, an all-star, is a no brainer. People would have to be seriously overvaluing our guys to think that would hurt the team. Personally I'd ship of the twins for him... without a second thought, but that would cause a ruckus here I'm sure.

As for realistic options, I think Horford, Sanders, Hibbert, Dalembert, Brook Lopez, McGee, Mozgov, maaaybe Ryan Anderson... thats off the top of my head. I think the majority of those guys will be attainable this year, some obviously far more expensive than others. My preference would be Larry Sanders. He can run run run, he protects the rim as well as anyone in the league, solid on the glass and he would probably come below market value because he is insane. Which of course also begs the question of if the team would want his personality. I'd leave that to them.

I also think you're underselling Plumlee. His defense comes and goes, he does foul too much and outside of being spoon fed dunks he can't do much on offense. However, his rebound rate is really really high, probably higher than any of the guys I listed as potential trade targets and he can run run run with this transition team. He is somewhere between being a below average starter and a superb backup. Certainly not a lost cause.

[bigfoot]

Hey ... the offseason is officialy over. Time to lock this baby up.