Small MIN/PHI Rumor

[shrink]

I don't believe any rumors between the lottery and the draft, but I thought you guys might be interested in this. A MIN fan picked up this post in another MIN forum.

For what its worth, I got a cousin who lives in a suburb of Philly and he was telling me one of the local hosts on radio there was talking about the Sixers asking for McCants and Craig Smith (S&T?) for their first rounder and the Wolves are mulling it over...he wasnt sure how serious the rumor was but the radio hosts def. said the Sixers have floated it out there to the Wolves.

My guess would be something like:

Craig Smith $2.8 mil S&T for Willie Green
Rashad McCants $2.7 mil for TPE + pick

McCants averaged 15 PPG off the bench for MIN, and shot over 40% for 3, however, he made several mistakes defensively, often because he was over-aggressive. He came back from microfracture surgery (while rehabbing, he added 35 pounds of muscle!) this season, and was regaining his explosiveness at the end.

Craig Smith was a top ten rookie of 2006-07, which was surprising since he was picked in the second round. He's exclusively a PF, but he's short. however, he's muscular, works hard, and he has so much quickness though, that he can easily get his shot off against taller defenders. He needs a big center behind him though, IMO. MIN loves his attitude, but with no center and Al Jefferson in front of him, the guy needs a new home.


Anyway, I'm skeptical. Since S&T's can only start being done on July 1st, if a deal was in place, PHI would have to pick a player, and hold him a week until July 1st, which makes me suspicious. And this is the time of year when false rumors are everywhere.

Has anyone here heard any of these rumblings?

[PhilasFinest]

na i havent heard anything about this or any other rumors...
but to be honest,id rather take a chance on someone with the 16th pick than take on an undersized PF with limited offensive abilities and another swingman...

[PhillyRocks1]

na i havent heard anything about this or any other rumors...
but to be honest,id rather take a chance on someone with the 16th pick than take on an undersized PF with limited offensive abilities and another swingman...

McCant's isn't really a swing man is he? Looks more like a SG who can really hit the 3....Something the Sixers need just as much as a PF.

[Mahorn at the 4]

That rumored deal sounds okay, especially if WG is going to Minny.

Yes, Smith is only 6-7, but he would be a solid guy to have in the 4 rotation. He is a solid post player and a very good rebounder. I am a huge BC fan, so I watched this guy a lot while in college. He plays his heart out every game.

McCants sounds like a player that needs a change of scenery to fully meet his potential.

Such a move tells me that Carney, and possibly Iguodala, may be on the move.

[corwin]

I think Philly will try to make their major moves (FA signing & draft) prior to making any moves that are at the edges for role players. They have plenty of those & they need to keep getting core pieces. They should be able to get a prospect who has a chance of being one of those core pieces at #16 this year. Starting PF, back-up center, & a developmental PG seem to be the main needs. Of course that depends on Iguodala becoming the starting SG. I doubt this rumor is true unless it is part of a larger deal to try to get the #3 pick from Minnesota & that would only occur if Minnesota was interested in Iguodala & I doubt they are.

[SendEm]

This rumor sounds like something that a Wolves fan created. We already have Willie Green and Lou Williams why would the Sixers trade for another short flawed SG that is a bench player? There are players available in the second round of this years draft that can do what Smith does. Smith is like 6'4-6'5 PF but listed at 6'7-6'8". We already have a Reggie Evans who is a better defensive player and rebounder while not having the same scoring ability.Thad Young is also a player that has been an undersized PF for us. This is just a Wolves fan rumor where they are simply overvaluing their own players. The Wolves fans understand that their team needs a center out of this draft but they want to draft OJ Mayo with the 3rd pick. Sorry our 16th pick is worth more than two players that came off of your bench which we already have on OUR team that come in the form of Willie Green, Thad and Lou Williams. I can't wait to see McHale screw this draft up by drafting yet ANOTHER combo guard to go along with all of the perimeter players he has drafted since Garnett was the last front court player that he drafted that was any good.If the Wolves don't get a center in this years draft they will never have a good big to play alongside Jefferson...

[MN Die Hard]

lol it looks like SendEm is bitter after getting beat down on the Wolves board...

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=792989

[Fire BK]

No interest in SendEm's feud with the Minny boards.

Even less interest in yet another swingman in McCants, who plays the wrong way.

Craig Smith, however, is a name I've thrown out there all year long. He's a surefire upgrade over Reggie Evans in the banger department because he can score. He put up 36 points on the Wiz this past season (Dec 12), and he plays with the exact kind of huster's spirit that makes the Sixers go. Also, he's very young, and he can only improve.

Don't give me the height argument either, because Charles was even shorter, and he played a damn good PF. Craig Smith is a glass-eater, and his big body would compliment Sam the stickman.

Not saying Craig Smith is our long-term answer at the 4, but he's a major improvement from what we've got IMO. Jason Smith is not a starting 4 and Reggie Evans got WAYYY overrated during the playoffs. Thad is a 3. Craig Smith would be the ideal stopgap as a cheap option.

But the 16th pick? Eddie should just wait until July 1st and outbid Minny for his services. Shouldn't be a problem, whatsoever, because everyone in Woles-land agrees that he's not a long-term fit. Leave McCants alone.

[SendEm]

Why compare Craig Smith to Charles Barkley when there are PLENTY of non HOF short power forwards that had uneventful careers? So you think that Charles Smith will be as good as Sir Charles? LMAO!!!!!!!!!!
Charles Smith is just another Byron Houston or POOR MANS Clarence Weatherspoon. Craig Smith is the complete garbage version of Malik Rose. This is OBVIOUSLY a Wolves fan rumor. When have two garbage bench players on an AWFUL team EVER been the centerpieces of a trade for a mid first round pick?

[Fire BK]

SendEm, I never compared Craig Smith to the Chuckster. Wouldn't dare. Merely debunking the height argument on its merits.

Further, I don't support the trade idea either. No way. Keep the draft pick. Lure Craig Smith as an RFA.

I don't recall Malik Rose ever scoring 36. Smith is mad young, too. Stopgap, SendEm. Stopgap.

[SendEm]

Having a 30+ scoring game for a completely AWFUL team means nothing. Willie Burton and Trevor Ruffin put up so nice scoring outbursts for the Sixers. Craig Smith is simply not a real NBA player. Wherever he goes losing will follow. He's a terrific basketball player but just not a NBA player on a team with hopes of seriously competing. We are better off with continuing to develop Jason "Gator Arm" Smith.

[PhillyRocks1]

No interest in SendEm's feud with the Minny boards.

Even less interest in yet another swingman in McCants, who plays the wrong way.

What is the wrong way and what is the right way. All I know is that this team needs a 3 point shot more then a PF.

[Fire BK]

What is the wrong way and what is the right way. All I know is that this team needs a 3 point shot more then a PF.

no defense.
no heart.
prima dona.
plays for himself.
not a team-player.

someone like luther head can shoot, too... and he embodies the team concept.

[SendEm]

As for McCants he is a terrible basketball player as well. He's a very mistake prone player. Terrible defensive player, bad executor. He has the singular ability to play 1-on-1 offensive basketball which does NOTHING for win percentage in a TEAM game.

He came off the bench and put up some very good numbers but according to 82games.com the player that he was guarding for the entire season outplayed him every night. A big time bench player like Josh Childress outplayed his opponent every night. You can't just look at the scoring average, and field goal percentages of a BENCH player on an AWFUL team and not think about his contributions to the losing. McCants is a loser and it even shows statistically with his opponent's PER.

McCants is a little bit better than being a poor mans JR Smith.

[Fire BK]

McCants is a little bit better than being a poor mans JR Smith.

Totally agree.

I'm all for taking a flyer on Craig Smith via FA, though.

Either way, I'm not down with the trade proposal whatsoever.

[corwin]

Giving this rumor some thought, if WG could be moved for McCants (not Smith) & the #1 could be shipped to Minnesota, that would save Philly $800,000 & another $1.2 million (for the pick). That would give the Sixers $2 million in cap flexibility which could be used on a FA. Would Ed do that? I don't think so unless Minnesota turns over both of their early second round picks which are #31 & #34. This is a deep draft & a decent prospect or 2 could land there, say Jawai, Dorsey, Hickson. Are those picks worth a center prospect, say Robin Lopez of McGhee? In my mind they absolutely are. There could be some legs to this rumor.

[shrink]

I really only posted this because I was curious if any of you had heard it on a local sportstalk radio station. Since none of you heard it, I'm going to stick this rumor where I stick most of them .. the colostomy bag.

Addressing a couple of points:

1. There are a lot of rumors out of MIN that the Wolves already have a deal in place to trade the two seconds for a 1st, so they may not be available.

2. Regarding picking Smith up in free agency, I have no doubt you could outbid MIN. The problem would be outbidding someone else. I'll bet there are 2-3 other teams out there that could use Smith.

[shrink]

Oh - and the financing of the deal wasn't part of the rumor, that was all from my own brain, how I thought a deal with those names would play out. Even if there's truth to the rumor (which I doubt), the specifics were all guesswork. I will say though that the Wolves are getting better at doing deals for financial reasons. They've done pickswaps to get the player they wanted at a lower price, and made a deadline deal using their cap space to get another team under the cap that made money for both of them.

[mrtaz2u]

lol it looks like SendEm is bitter after getting beat down on the Wolves board...

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=792989

I like it he is trying to get anyone to take AI2 SendEm just hates iggy

[tk76]

I wouldn't give up the #3 pick for AIG- and I'm a "home" fan of his.