Season Speculation, Trade Ideas & Discussion Pt. 4

ImNotMcDiSwear · Post #1141 » by **ImNotMcDiSwear** » Wed Dec 27, 2017 9:51 pm

I think all this talk of consolidation is way, way premature. Young players tend to improve. I don't expect Josh to be pushing for TJ's starting job next year, but by year 4 I expect him to have earned it. I don't see any reason to think that Dragan and Quese won't eventually be able to play well together, though one of them would likely be coming off the bench. Whether or not these guys have value around the league, trading them at this point would not be smart.

Rather than consolidating, we need to add. We have cap flexibility this summer and more future picks than we are likely to use. Draft a PG with a high ceiling (if you can't get Young, Sexton or Duval?) and a C with a high ceiling (Ayton/Jackson/Williams/Bamba/Carter). Then sign or trade for a veteran PG. Maybe try to grab a better starting C, but honestly, Alex looks like our best option right now.

Most of our wins must come from internal growth. I guess that's less fun to talk about, and it's certainly not the mental magic wand that a trade is (especially trades that involve hypothetical players!). But it is the way of success, and it is our way, if we are wise.

On that count --- everything I've seen of McD is consistent with this approach. I totally expected us to trade EACH of the three point guards we had on the roster at the beginning of the 2014-15 season. I fully expected us to deal the MoBros. Now, there's no one left who needs to be moved. Nothing is urgent. The only thing to do is stay patient and stay the course. ON WE GO.

NTB · Post #1142 » by **NTB** » Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:29 pm

Read on Twitter

Post #1143 » by **bwgood77** » Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:38 pm

NTB wrote:

Read on Twitter

You're as reliable as Booker. I come here to post a tweet 5 minutes after it was tweeted and somehow you posted it 7 minutes ago.

RaisingArizona · Post #1144 » by **RaisingArizona** » Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:59 pm

NTB wrote:

Read on Twitter

Booker is going to want to compete next year.

Post #1145 » by **bwgood77** » Wed Dec 27, 2017 11:23 pm

RaisingArizona wrote:
NTB wrote:

Read on Twitter

Booker is going to want to compete next year.

Booker wants to compete right now. If we could have traded Bledsoe for 13 and nabbed Mitchell, it's too bad we didn't because that backcourt would be insane..

The 6-foot-3 Mitchell, whose 6-foot-10 wingspan factored into his nickname of "Spider," wowed the Jazz with his workout in Utah weeks later, adding to Lindsey's urgency to trade up to get the guard.

Utah packaged power forward Trey Lyles, a 2015 lottery pick who had fallen out of Utah's rotation, with the No. 24 overall pick to get the No. 13 overall pick from the Denver Nuggets. The hope was that Mitchell could contribute right away as a defensive-minded role player who complemented Hayward and steadily develop as an offensive threat.....

......Mitchell, an explosive leaper on pace to break Lillard's rookie record for 3-pointers made in a season, has started next to Ricky Rubio since mid-November but also plays a lot of point guard. Jazz head coach Quin Snyder calls Mitchell "just a guard," adding that labeling him as one particular position does a disservice to Mitchell's game.

It's notable that Snyder increasingly hands Mitchell the keys to the Jazz offense late in close games, a wise decision considering Mitchell's ability to create and his clutch production (27 points on 10-of-18 shooting in 32 minutes). He's the only rookie leading his team in clutch scoring this season, although Philadelphia's Ben Simmons and Boston's Jayson Tatum have also been remarkably productive and efficient in such situations.

"You trust him because he cares and he wants to improve," Snyder said. "When he makes a mistake, we're coaching him hard, and he's willing to accept that. As a result, his teammates respect him. That's how you grow -- not just your game, but your contribution to the team. We haven't been concerned about him being a rookie. He's just a player, and we try to help him, use him the best way we can to help our team. It's evolved into that.

"He's pretty selfless. He has a leadership component because of his commitment to the team that for a young guy is unique. Usually, you find that over time. He has not asked for that, he's not trying to become that, but the way he plays and the fact that he's able to create for other people allows guys to embrace him."

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21836778/nba-take-note-utah-jazz-rookie-donovan-mitchell

Mulhollanddrive · Post #1146 » by **Mulhollanddrive** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 1:39 am

Interesting McDonough seems to be targetting uncontracted players via FA and S+T which means adding to the young core rather than prying someone out with a godfather deal.

Uncontracted:
Centers - Capela, Cousins, Jordan, Noel, Kanter, Lopez
Point Guards - Paul, Evans, Bradley, Payton, Smart, Rivers

Clint Capela (S+T) and Trae Young (top 7 pick) might be a popular best case scenario.

LukasBMW · Post #1147 » by **LukasBMW** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 1:40 am

Did you see our reaction after the Grizzlies win thanks to the Tyson tip? These guys all want to win. No one would be OK with losing on purpose.

Booker probably wants to win....not only because he is a competitor, but also because it would increase his odds at a big payday. He's not going to make allstar/allNBA, etc unless we get in the playoff hunt.

Christine-In-AZ · Post #1148 » by **Christine-In-AZ** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 6:38 am

Wilber85 wrote:
RaisingArizona wrote:
Wilber85 wrote:Also the question I have. Do you really think Booker is a #1 option?

It was a question.

Look at the Contenders out there and their #1's

KD - Steph (not sure who u consider)
Lebron
Harden
Westbrook
Kawai Leonard

Is Booker equivalent to those? Can we build a championship team around him as our #1. I like the answers some of y'all posted and appreciate the feedback.

Booker with a little more "growth"

bigfoot · Post #1149 » by **bigfoot** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 2:47 pm

ChrisInAZ wrote:
Wilber85 wrote:
RaisingArizona wrote:

It was a question.

Look at the Contenders out there and their #1's

KD - Steph (not sure who u consider)
Lebron
Harden
Westbrook
Kawai Leonard

Is Booker equivalent to those? Can we build a championship team around him as our #1. I like the answers some of y'all posted and appreciate the feedback.

Booker with a little more "growth"

Booker averaging 33/5/5 for December on .600 true shooting percentage ... see if he keeps it up !!

NTB · Post #1150 » by **NTB** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 3:22 pm

Per NBA.com:

Ulis-Booker-Warren-Chriss-Chandler lineup has 8.4 Net Rating (14 games, 106 minutes)
Ulis-Jackson-Warren-Chriss-Chandler lineup has -35.4 Net Rating (9 games, 76 minutes)

Ulis-Warren-Chriss-Chandler lineup has -7.9 Net Rating (22 games, 200 minutes)

By looking at these lineup stats you can really see the impact of Booker.

https://stats.nba.com/lineups/advanced/?sort=MIN&dir=1&CF=TEAM_ABBREVIATION*E*PHX&Season=2017-18&SeasonType=Regular%20Season

Book1Nation · Post #1151 » by **Book1Nation** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 5:15 pm

A guy I'm thinking will fit here more and more is Tyreke Evans.

A backcourt of Booker and Evans would be deadly. No true PG, but both can handle the rock and both have size. Would allow for a lot of switching. Evans is all of a sudden a good 3 point shooter which we really need too.

Cutter · Post #1152 » by **Cutter** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 5:46 pm

I'm suddenly on the Tyreke bandwagon, but it's just because he's playing great this season. If his bump in performance was permanent I would be very interested in acquiring him, but I would be hesitant to sign him and have him fall back to his career 3 point percentages.

Plus there is the ever present injury concerns.

If McD and the medical staff signed off on him I would be ok with it too.

WeekapaugGroove · Post #1153 » by **WeekapaugGroove** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 5:57 pm

Cutter wrote:I'm suddenly on the Tyreke bandwagon, but it's just because he's playing great this season. If his bump in performance was permanent I would be very interested in acquiring him, but I would be hesitant to sign him and have him fall back to his career 3 point percentages.

Plus there is the ever present injury concerns.

If McD and the medical staff signed off on him I would be ok with it too.

Oh yeah if he keeps this up all season he's going to get PAID this summer. And because of the concerns you mention it will be a very very frightening contract that could work out very well or be spectacularly bad.

SideSwipe · Post #1154 » by **SideSwipe** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 7:00 pm

WeekapaugGroove wrote:
Cutter wrote:I'm suddenly on the Tyreke bandwagon, but it's just because he's playing great this season. If his bump in performance was permanent I would be very interested in acquiring him, but I would be hesitant to sign him and have him fall back to his career 3 point percentages.

Plus there is the ever present injury concerns.

If McD and the medical staff signed off on him I would be ok with it too.

Oh yeah if he keeps this up all season he's going to get PAID this summer. And because of the concerns you mention it will be a very very frightening contract that could work out very well or be spectacularly bad.

I'd like to trade for him in a try before you buy scenario, then hopefully target a 3 yr $30-$42 million contract. It looks like the cap may start to rise again, and it seems like that number is a good middle ground considering his history. I would be okay putting serious performance considerations in there as well. If his performance this year is any indication, he may actually be worth as much as $20/yr. Cannan has done well for us, but Reke's size would be to our advantage. He is a very versatile player as well. He can play the 1-4 positions. Figuring out Brandon Knight in that situation would be tricky, but I think solvable overall.

ImNotMcDiSwear · Post #1155 » by **ImNotMcDiSwear** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 7:14 pm

One-third of a good season does not make me a believer in Tyreke - not after several consecutive injury-riddled seasons.

phnart · Post #1156 » by **phnart** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 7:16 pm

Tyreke seems unguardable against the Suns....too bad he can't stay healthy.

Wilber85 · Post #1157 » by **Wilber85** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 7:17 pm

My question is what is Tyreke Evans going to do for the suns? Maybe give us 1 more win.

Book1Nation · Post #1158 » by **Book1Nation** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 7:20 pm

Wilber85 wrote:My question is what is Tyreke Evans going to do for the suns? Maybe give us 1 more win.

What. Have you seen our "point guards" this season? If you added Evans to this current team we'd probably be above .500...

NTB · Post #1159 » by **NTB** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 8:09 pm

Read on Twitter

Post #1160 » by **Qwigglez** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 8:10 pm

I'm actually excited about getting Knight back next season because he gives us another shooter. He did shoot 40% from 3 in 14-15 season with the Bucks, so if he gets the starting PG spot maybe he can replicate those numbers. Also excited for Reed to make his first NBA appearance. He has all the making of a 3 and D guy and over SL appeared to be a leader. Here's hoping we got a steal in the 2nd round equivalent of Kris Middleton.

What direction would you like the front office to take?