Links to interesting NBA articles - Blueprints for teams

[bwgood77]

New column today from Pelton about what the Suns may be able to get for Markieff.

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14613440/phoenix-suns-top-trade-targets-assets-nba

[Saberestar]

New column today from Pelton about what the Suns may be able to get for Markieff.

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14613440/phoenix-suns-top-trade-targets-assets-nba

Anyone who is insider can resume what Pelton said?

[bwgood77]

New column today from Pelton about what the Suns may be able to get for Markieff.

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14613440/phoenix-suns-top-trade-targets-assets-nba

Anyone who is insider can resume what Pelton said?

I guess he is slowly going through each team saying whether they will be buyers or sellers this trade deadline, so here is his take (not anything groundbreaking):

Status: Sellers

A disappointing start, followed by season-ending knee surgery for guard Eric Bledsoe, has Phoenix closer to the Western Conference cellar than the eighth seed. While the Suns surely hope to reload for next season with a healthy Bledsoe rather than rebuild, Phoenix could look to move some veterans for picks or prospects.

Potential trade targets

Terrence Jones
Since the Suns are nearly certain to trade disgruntled Markieff Morris, they could use a young power forward with the ability to stretch the floor. Jones, a restricted free agent this summer who hasn't helped his value on the market with a poor season, could fit the bill.

Patrick Patterson
Patterson is a stretch-4 who fits the vision Phoenix has for its power forwards, and the team might be able to buy low with Patterson shooting just 34.8 percent from beyond the arc off the bench this season.


The Klay Thompson comparisons should start soon for Devin Booker.
Most trade value

1. Devin Booker
The one upside of Bledsoe's injury has been more playing time for Booker, who has contributed ahead of schedule as the league's youngest player. Booker continues to make nearly 45 percent of his 3-pointers, including a career-high six on Tuesday, and has shown more all-around game than he demonstrated at Kentucky. Expect Booker to start drawing comparisons to Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.

2. Eric Bledsoe
The series of cartilage injuries Bledsoe has suffered in both knees is a concern, especially given how dependent his game is on otherworldly athleticism. Still, Bledsoe's team-friendly contract pays him an average of $14.5 million over the next three seasons, which looks like a bargain as the cap rises.

3. Brandon Knight
Knight isn't a natural point guard, which limits his upside, but he's a natural scorer who is averaging a career-high 19.7 points per game this season. Having just turned 24 in December, Knight is signed through his prime for an average of $14.1 million over the next four seasons.

4. T.J. Warren
Despite living mostly in the midrange, Warren is averaging 17.4 points per 36 minutes with solid efficiency in his second season. His ability to develop as a defender will determine whether Warren's future is high-scoring sixth man or starting forward. Either way, his rookie contract is a bargain.

5. Alex Len
Drafted ahead of Nerlens Noel, Len hasn't developed as quickly as the Suns hoped, and he'll enter the final season of his rookie contract without having proved he can be a full-time starter in the NBA. That will make the right price for an extension next fall tricky to find.

6. Jon Leuer
The Suns stole Leuer for a second-round pick on draft night and have watched him make 50 percent of his 2-point attempts and 41 percent of his 3s. The only downside is Leuer's value contract (he's making $1 million this season) expires at season's end, when he'll be an unrestricted free agent.

Most valuable draft pick

2016 first-rounder
If the season ended today, the Suns would flip a coin with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the fourth spot entering the lottery. And Phoenix might still fall further, having gone 1-10 with a minus-13.5 point differential since Bledsoe's injury. The Suns could easily finish with the worst record in the West.

Most likely to be traded

Markieff Morris
There's still the potential for Morris' contract to be one of the league's best. He'll make an average of $8 million over the next three seasons, a steal if he's a decent starter at power forward as in 2014-15. Since other teams know Morris badly wants out of Phoenix -- and since his play reflects it -- the Suns will have a hard time getting much value in return.

P.J. Tucker
Tucker has developed into a useful 3-and-D specialist during four seasons in Phoenix, but he'll be 31 in May and doesn't really fit on a team that's building around younger players. The Suns should be able to get a second-round pick for Tucker, who is making a reasonable $5.5 million this season. Just $1.5 million of the $5.3 million he's due in 2016-17 is guaranteed, giving any team that acquires him flexibility this summer.

[bwgood77]

New Lowe column today.....Will Jazz be able to keep their core?

Utah has at least seven players 25 or younger it might consider part of its core. That core hasn't produced a single winning season, but each member of it is appealing enough that Utah won't be able to afford all of them once their next contracts kick in. Hayward can already hit free agency after next season, just as the cap skyrockets to a record $108 million, and he'll demand a max contract. Gobert can start extension talks after this season, and if he finishes strong, he will enter negotiations confident a max offer awaits on the other end. Favors and Hood are further from free agency, but the Jazz have to project mammoth raises for both -- and possibly a third max deal for Favors, meaning three players that have won basically nothing could suck up 85 percent of Utah's cap. They have a chasm at point guard that Exum might not be ready to fill. Utah's payroll could crack $120 million before factoring in any outside free agents, ritzy territory for a small-market franchise with little history of paying the luxury tax.

"All teams will have to deal with this issue," Utah GM Dennis Lindsey told ESPN.com. "Maybe we'll have to deal with it a little more, with so many young players, and having had some good fortune in the draft. It's going to be tricky for everyone."

Hayward understands that financial realities could break up a team on the rise. "I'm constantly thinking about that," he said. "Contracts are so short now. A lot of our guys are on their rookie deals, and they'll come up for extensions. It all might determine whether or not I stay in Utah."

Utah has acted boldly before in the face of tough choices, and the bold move at next month's trade deadline would be flipping Hayward or Favors as their values crest.

Hood and Burks could absorb most of Hayward's playmaking duty. Dealing Hayward now would act as a hedge against his free agency and perhaps land Utah a top-five pick -- one last shot at finding that elusive superstar. The Jazz have to at least think about calling Boston and Brad Stevens, Hayward's college coach, about a deal sending Hayward to the Celtics for the Nets pick, and maybe another first-rounder if Danny Ainge wields his arsenal with the hyperaggression that had Boston dangling four first-round picks for Justise Winslow.

Favors and Gobert have worked hard to mesh on offense, but at heart, they are both rim-runners who belong inside the foul line. If the Jazz feel that Lyles is ready for more, they could sniff around dealing Favors for a real starting point guard.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14647616/the-jazz-hope-enough-money-their-rebuilding-plan-work

This part still leaves me shaking my head at trading the Lakers pick for Knight. I really think that was kind of a panic move by McD.

Those picks are insurance against such a trade, and the Jazz know set-in-stone rookie deals will look even better as the cap leaps. Don't expect Utah to deal them for a short-term upgrade. "Picks are that much more valuable," Lindsey says.

and of course....

3. Brandon Knight's failed lob artistry

It's painful watching Knight fling hopeless lobs to Tyson Chandler on the pick-and-roll, trying and failing to replicate the chemistry Chandler had with Monta Ellis amid the Mavericks' impeccable spacing.

Knight just doesn't understand the rhythms of a sound two-man game -- the same issue that frustrated Milwaukee's coaching staff. He lofts long-distance lobs when he really needs to take one or two more dribbles in, freeze the defense, and find Chandler with a shorter pass. He still has the score-first habit of jetting around a pick and then crossing back in front of it, right into Chandler's path to the rim.

Knight is only 24, and he'll do better once Phoenix gets its real roster back. But the stasis in this part of his game is discouraging.

[RunDogGun]

Is that last piece really suggesting Knight should dribble more?

[MathiasPW]

I find it funny that, within that trend of superstars concentrating more and more of a teams' cap, as mentioned in the Utah example, teams continue to draft one and done rookies looking for their next star. If rookies are your way of calibrating cap with some talent, I would go for older players with a better overall skill level, yet less upside.

Enviado de meu GT-I9195 usando Tapatalk

[AtheJ415]

All that tells me is we should trade for Hayward or Favors. If Utah is really worried about that and is set to move either, we should be very involved. I'd be okay throwing Warren in there, along with basically anyone but Booker and this year's Suns pick.

[bwgood77]

All that tells me is we should trade for Hayward or Favors. If Utah is really worried about that and is set to move either, we should be very involved. I'd be okay throwing Warren in there, along with basically anyone but Booker and this year's Suns pick.

Yeah, I was kind of surprised at their predicament that Lowe had figured out. I LOVE Warren, but Hayward is obviously an enormous upgrade. The problem is I don't think we have a player they'd want to make that deal happen. Bledsoe would be the one guy they want, but he is our best player and is injured so likely not very tradeable....they certainly won't want any other guys we want to put on the table.

[Saberestar]

Nash-Produced Series Highlights Chandler, Booker

Suns Ring of Honor member Steve Nash, whose passion for film-making is well known, decided to delve deep into the Suns' unique pairing of one of the most accomplished big men in basketball and the youngest player in the league.

The result: a four-episode series titled Rookie/Vet that shows raw interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of two Suns at very different points in their respective career.

http://www.nba.com/suns/blog/nash-produced-series-highlights-chandler-booker

[dremill24]

Knight for Hood make it happen!

[bwgood77]

Knight for Hood make it happen!

Man I hate when people bring up Hood when we could have drafted him instead of Ennis. Think about that. Instead, we USE Ennis AND the Lakers pick to trade for Knight who you want to trade for a guy we could have had anyway WITH and kept the Laker pick.

[dremill24]

Knight for Hood make it happen!

Man I hate when people bring up Hood when we could have drafted him instead of Ennis. Think about that. Instead, we USE Ennis AND the Lakers pick to trade for Knight who you want to trade for a guy we could have had anyway WITH and kept the Laker pick.

Ew..thanks for that lol. I guess The last draft pick I was really mad about was Markieff over Kawhi, and hadn't really put that particular bit together that you bring up. Now I just threw up in my mouth.

[kennydorglas]

Eh, i didnt want Hood here, especially after taking TJ earlier.
I think they're virtually the same player (efficient/advanced scorers, bad defenders)
You only take one of them and try to hide'em with a great defense (like what Utah is doing for Hood).

I'm still bummed we passed twice on Kyle, tho. I actually loved that UCLA duo (Kyle&Adams)

[dremill24]

Hood >> Warren

[kennydorglas]

hahaha ok

[aIvin adams]

All that tells me is we should trade for Hayward or Favors. If Utah is really worried about that and is set to move either, we should be very involved. I'd be okay throwing Warren in there, along with basically anyone but Booker and this year's Suns pick.

Yeah, I was kind of surprised at their predicament that Lowe had figured out. I LOVE Warren, but Hayward is obviously an enormous upgrade. The problem is I don't think we have a player they'd want to make that deal happen. Bledsoe would be the one guy they want, but he is our best player and is injured so likely not very tradeable....they certainly won't want any other guys we want to put on the table.

i would want the suns to trade bledsoe for hayward if utah wanted to do that

[denial]

People seriously still think we are in the playoff hunt. Silly

[8on]

Hood and Warren don't compliment each other well. Ennis doesn't compliment anything well. Booker, on the other hand, compliments Bledsoe and Warren very well. Gotta work with what you have.

[dremill24]

A playmaking wing with the ability to stretch the floor and pass well doesn't fit with A slithery scorer who does his best work off the ball? Ok.

And Warren, though solid, hasn't shown that he's the guy incoming players just have to complEment or no deal can be had.

[bwgood77]

Pelton delves into whether the Cavs should trade Love, and after really diving into the numbers, it looks like it's pretty clear they should not trade him.

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14636364/should-cleveland-cavaliers-trade-kevin-love-nba