Discussing Other Teams' Moves - Part 7

[nate33]

Agree with PIF - McCoy would be a nice pickup for the Wiz. He could develop into a Monroe type center.

You say that like it's a good thing.

[nate33]

At Center, the Bucks now have under contract: Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Brook Lopez, Thon Maker, Brandon McCoy & Christian Wood.

And their best center is actually Giannis. In crunch time, they're better off playing him at 5, surrounding him with skill, shooting and quickness, and forcing the other team to adapt.

[Illmatic12]

Speaking of the Bucks - which I like to do - it seems like their moves this offseason are dedicated to make them a more jump-shot oriented team - to complement Giannis. They drafted Donte D, acquired Ilyasova, Connaughton, Bazz Muhammed, and Brook Lopez. Shooting 3's is all some of them can do. Even Wood is interesting in part because he has 3 point range.

Agree with PIF - McCoy would be a nice pickup for the Wiz. He could develop into a Monroe type center.

All 3s and no defense.
Milwaukee was 18th in defense and 28th in rebounding.. you'd think they would have addressed those things more directly

I'm a little worried for the Bucks if Budenholzer is having input on their roster moves . He's a good coach but that's how he got himself ran out of Atlanta, he had POBO powers and overpaid for a bunch of "system" guys who were only good at one thing!

[dckingsfan]

At Center, the Bucks now have under contract: Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Brook Lopez, Thon Maker, Brandon McCoy & Christian Wood.

And their best center is actually Giannis. In crunch time, they're better off playing him at 5, surrounding him with skill, shooting and quickness, and forcing the other team to adapt.

Best rebounder and right there in shot blocking with anyone on the team. This was a unique situation for the Bucks to go small. Add a bunch of S4s and 3D players. And what did they do - end up with Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Brook Lopez, Thon Maker, Brandon McCoy & Christian Wood. I would Jon Horst did a worse job than EG given the circumstances.

[Ruzious]

Agree with PIF - McCoy would be a nice pickup for the Wiz. He could develop into a Monroe type center.

You say that like it's a good thing.

Well, as a backup that costs pennies - relatively speeking - yeah, I think that's a good thing. If we were talking about someone we used a 1st round pick on, then yeah, that would be a bad thing. It's all relative... as they say in West Virginia.

[Kanyewest]

Nene still likes Melo.

Read on Twitter

[nate33]

Nene still likes Melo.

Read on Twitter

We'll see how that opinion changes after a few hundred low-percentage long 2's and consistent matador defense while providing no help on the defensive glass.

[verbal8]

Wouldn't it be great if the Lakers-Thunder meet up in the first round? I could see it being a 3/6 or 4/5 match-up.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/251013/Paul-George-Didnt-Want-To-Want-To-Waste-Lakers-Time-In-Free-Agency

Although it isn't a given the Lakers make the play-offs.

[FAH1223]

Nene still likes Melo.

Read on Twitter

We'll see how that opinion changes after a few hundred low-percentage long 2's and consistent matador defense while providing no help on the defensive glass.

From May 2017

Nene: Carmelo Anthony Is ‘Too Selfish…He Could’ve Been The Best in the League’



Tell me a little bit about Carmelo Anthony, one of the best scorers I’ve ever seen.



Nene: “Carmelo man… He’s a guy who could’ve been the best player in the League—the way he uses his body, the accuracy on his shots, the variation of dribbles and shots that he has, and his low-post fundamentals…”



He’s insane in the post. His jab step is the best in the League.



Nene: “Yeah he is simply the best down there, but he’s just too selfish. He can’t make his teammates better. If he did that, he could’ve been the best in the League. Oh, and if he played defense… Because he knows how to guard people, I played with him for 8 years, so I know.”

[closg00]

Just kicking Ernie in the nuts, 6'10 rookie locked-up on a cheapie deal because Ernie loves giving the player option and extra years to scrubs.

Watch on YouTube

The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to sign Chimezie Metu to a three-year rookie deal.

Metu was the 49th overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft out of USC.

Metu averaged 11.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game in Summer League with the Spurs.

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Morey knows what he's doing. Sheds a big contract AND takes a flier on a young player with potential.

Man, how good would it feel to have a sentient being as your team's GM?

[pcbothwel]

Morey knows what he's doing. Sheds a big contract AND takes a flier on a young player with potential.

Man, how good would it feel to have a sentient being as your team's GM?

Suns clearly won this trade.
The best player in the deal is Anderson (Thats not saying much).
The best prospect is Melton.

Before Knight tore his acl he was one of the worst players in the league.
Criss is useless and we've had front row seats to those types.
Eddie Griffin 2.0. The guy will be out of the league within 24 months...if not sooner.

This would be like us trading Mahinmi and Troy Brown for Dellavedova and Thon maker... This board would collapse...

But EG would be a genius right? Because he got a cheaper bad contract in Delly (But worse player) and a 2016 top 10 pick with "upside" (But worse player)

[payitforward]

Morey knows what he's doing. Sheds a big contract AND takes a flier on a young player with potential....

Suns clearly won this trade.
The best player in the deal is Anderson (Thats not saying much).
The best prospect is Melton.

Before Knight tore his acl he was one of the worst players in the league.
Criss is useless and we've had front row seats to those types.
Eddie Griffin 2.0. The guy will be out of the league within 24 months...if not sooner.

This would be like us trading Mahinmi and Troy Brown for Dellavedova and Thon maker... This board would collapse...

But EG would be a genius right? Because he got a cheaper bad contract in Delly (But worse player) and a 2016 top 10 pick with "upside" (But worse player)

Don't write stuff like that! One of Ernie's staff may get wind of the idea!

There has to be more to this trade than meets the eye. Not that I can figure out what it is. Yes, Anderson is a better player than Chriss, for example, but he's in his 11th year. He's going to get worse not better. Chriss, otoh, just turned 21 last month. I can imagine being interested in taking a chance on him.

What I can't understand at all is why they'd be willing to absorb Knight & lose an even cheaper prospect with potential (Melton). They do save a few million dollars a year.

Is Houston a luxury tax repeater? Probably. If so, that might make the deal seem worth it to them -- with penalties those few millions might triple or even quadruple in cost.

Can that be what's behind this trade?

[Kanyewest]

Morey knows what he's doing. Sheds a big contract AND takes a flier on a young player with potential....

Suns clearly won this trade.
The best player in the deal is Anderson (Thats not saying much).
The best prospect is Melton.

Before Knight tore his acl he was one of the worst players in the league.
Criss is useless and we've had front row seats to those types.
Eddie Griffin 2.0. The guy will be out of the league within 24 months...if not sooner.

This would be like us trading Mahinmi and Troy Brown for Dellavedova and Thon maker... This board would collapse...

But EG would be a genius right? Because he got a cheaper bad contract in Delly (But worse player) and a 2016 top 10 pick with "upside" (But worse player)

Don't write stuff like that! One of Ernie's staff may get wind of the idea!

There has to be more to this trade than meets the eye. Not that I can figure out what it is. Yes, Anderson is a better player than Chriss, for example, but he's in his 11th year. He's going to get worse not better. Chriss, otoh, just turned 21 last month. I can imagine being interested in taking a chance on him.

What I can't understand at all is why they'd be willing to absorb Knight & lose an even cheaper prospect with potential (Melton). They do save a few million dollars a year.

Is Houston a luxury tax repeater? Probably. If so, that might make the deal seem worth it to them -- with penalties those few millions might triple or even quadruple in cost.

Can that be what's behind this trade?

Saving money. As you speculated they are in the repeater tax. They gave CP3 a significant contract to stick around. They also have new owners who apparently have not been willing to foot the bill. They let Ariza walk($15 million). They let Mbah Moute go ($4.3 million). They re-signed Capella although it took a bit of haggling in which they agreed to.

Yes the Rockets were able to resign Capella and Gerald Green as well as CP#. Their offseason signings have included Ennis, Melo, MCW, and Bruno(no not the guy from the Sasha Baron Cohen movie but who an ESPN insider called him 2 years away from being 2 years away in the 2014 NBA Draft). Maybe Morey is on to some sort of analytical formula that no one else is looking.

Everyone is pointing out that Houston becomes the frontrunners in the buyout market. this upcoming season.

Something doesn't feel right though in Houston.

[payitforward]

Even w/ this trade, it's hard to see how Houston can avoid the repeater tax this year. Plus, they have $137m guaranteed to 6 players next year!! Meaning that it'll be almost impossible not to repeat again. That will put the tax well into nosebleed territory!

That's what "doesn't feel right" -- it's unsustainable.

If they'd won a title last year, even if they win a title this year, maybe ownership thinks it's all worth it. But... I don't think that's gonna happen. They'll feel the loss of Ariza & Mbah a Moute especially -- but also of Anderson & even Tarik Black. They might well win 10 fewer games this year.

Then again, if Bruno really was 2 years away from being 2 years away in 2014 -- well then, now is his time! Maybe that's their plan? ride Bruno Caboclo to the promised land?

[dckingsfan]

44.5 wins - interesting.

https://wdef.com/2018/08/28/nba-win-total-over-under-predictions-for-all-30-teams-lakers-dont-crack-50-celtics-clear-60/

[Ruzious]

Morey knows what he's doing. Sheds a big contract AND takes a flier on a young player with potential.

Man, how good would it feel to have a sentient being as your team's GM?

Suns clearly won this trade.
The best player in the deal is Anderson (Thats not saying much).
The best prospect is Melton.

Before Knight tore his acl he was one of the worst players in the league.
Criss is useless and we've had front row seats to those types.
Eddie Griffin 2.0. The guy will be out of the league within 24 months...if not sooner.

This would be like us trading Mahinmi and Troy Brown for Dellavedova and Thon maker... This board would collapse...

But EG would be a genius right? Because he got a cheaper bad contract in Delly (But worse player) and a 2016 top 10 pick with "upside" (But worse player)

Chris was awful last season, but ya gotta factor in that he was a kid with a rudderless team with zero leadership. He's a helluva talent, and Houston knows what they're doing. 9 out 10 times, Houston's organization is going to be smarter than Phoenix. I'd be surprised if Chriss doesn't show dramatic improvement with Houston. And what's Phoenix going to do with an aging player like Anderson? Win 29 games instead of 26? As he continue to decline?

[I_Like_Dirt]

Suns clearly won this trade.
The best player in the deal is Anderson (Thats not saying much).
The best prospect is Melton.

I'm not convinced any of that is true.

(1) The Rockets saved a pretty significant amount of money in this trade at a time when teams are dumping 1st round picks to save on the tax. That isn't to be taken lightly here. There are so few teams that can actually take on added salary that the Suns were working from a major position of advantage.

(2) Is Anderson really the best player? Despite being a big who can shoot, he's becoming almost unplayable the way the NBA is going. He was probably a little better than Knight last season but not by much, and it's a tough comparison to make - both guys missed a lot of time, but Anderson was slightly healthier and Anderson also found himself in a much better situation. Brandon Knight's play last season wasn't outrageously out of line with Eric Gordon's, and Eric was glorified for his production while Knight was dumped on and forgotten about. The way the league is headed, and the situations they're heading into, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Anderson sit more games this season while Knight thrives a bit more with D'Antoni. Anderson and Knight are actually pretty darn close in terms of overall talent levels at this point, it's just that they play different positions so it depends entirely on what you're looking for.

(3) Melton might be the best prospect, but I'm not convinced yet. He's a scoring PG who can't shoot much and doesn't run a great offense. He has some skills and an intriguing foundation to build on; he might make it, but it's far from a guarantee and you could say the same about Chriss. And there is less than a year difference in age between Melton and Chriss despite Chriss being in the NBA. There is more mystery surrounding how Melton will do, sure, but even having seen Chriss struggle these past couple seasons, I feel he's the better prospect, though it might be more of a push, really. The Suns just let Elfrid Payton walk and now appear poised to give Melton that same opportunity; and it would have cost them less money to keep Payton and not make this trade. I think Melton is a worse prospect than Payton.

[pcbothwel]

Suns clearly won this trade.
The best player in the deal is Anderson (Thats not saying much).
The best prospect is Melton.

I'm not convinced any of that is true.

(1) The Rockets saved a pretty significant amount of money in this trade at a time when teams are dumping 1st round picks to save on the tax. That isn't to be taken lightly here. There are so few teams that can actually take on added salary that the Suns were working from a major position of advantage.

(2) Is Anderson really the best player? Despite being a big who can shoot, he's becoming almost unplayable the way the NBA is going. He was probably a little better than Knight last season but not by much, and it's a tough comparison to make - both guys missed a lot of time, but Anderson was slightly healthier and Anderson also found himself in a much better situation. Brandon Knight's play last season wasn't outrageously out of line with Eric Gordon's, and Eric was glorified for his production while Knight was dumped on and forgotten about. The way the league is headed, and the situations they're heading into, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Anderson sit more games this season while Knight thrives a bit more with D'Antoni. Anderson and Knight are actually pretty darn close in terms of overall talent levels at this point, it's just that they play different positions so it depends entirely on what you're looking for.

(3) Melton might be the best prospect, but I'm not convinced yet. He's a scoring PG who can't shoot much and doesn't run a great offense. He has some skills and an intriguing foundation to build on; he might make it, but it's far from a guarantee and you could say the same about Chriss. And there is less than a year difference in age between Melton and Chriss despite Chriss being in the NBA. There is more mystery surrounding how Melton will do, sure, but even having seen Chriss struggle these past couple seasons, I feel he's the better prospect, though it might be more of a push, really. The Suns just let Elfrid Payton walk and now appear poised to give Melton that same opportunity; and it would have cost them less money to keep Payton and not make this trade. I think Melton is a worse prospect than Payton.

Where to start:
1) Knight: We are talking about different players... or we must be. Knight tore his ACL last year and didnt play a minute, which means that was his best year in the last few.
I dont think you understand how bad he is. Every Single Metric shows him to be a TERRIBLE, Non NBA caliber player. For you to compare him to Eric Gordon is laughably bad. Maybe start with Brandon Jennings and work your way up...if you can

2) Money: Ummm, the Rockets sent out 22M and took back 18M... 4M savings. LOL. Half of the teams in the league are 5M+ under the tax level and could of taken on that money.
Are you also forgetting that Anderson is waiving 5M in guaranteed money next year? Thats a big deal

3) Chriss: Sure, he is still young and is very good, not great, athlete. But there are two HUGE red flags.
1) Bigs that cant shoot are in quick decline and are dinosaurs.
2) Athletic, Low IQ bigs have an astoundingly high fail rate

Chriss has both of those issues along with a questionable work ethic/low motor. Combine that with him having a very average set of tools (below average reach, average hand size, good but not elite athlete)