The NBA 2014 Offseason Thread

[Groundhog]

Biggest worry with Bradley is 2 shoulder surgeries and 1.... ankle? I think. I don't think it's an overpay exactly (hell, Ben freakin' Gordon just got 4.5 million), but it's a little bit of a risk.

Re: Hayward he's a guy I really like and I hope we get him, but this isn't a good sign (bottom section re: favourite/least favourite cities:

[Groundhog]

Despite the injury, Spurs re-sign Patty Mills for 3 more years. Not sure of the $$$.

[stevew]

Eh. I guess Gordo's checks are direct deposited to the top of the dresser. I'll live with it.

[Matthean]

Houston tries to lure Melo with signs of him in a Rockets uniform. Too bad they used Lin's number.

[Groundhog]

Yeah, talk about a clusterf*ck. Not quite Milwaukee Bucks-level of douchery, but not far off it.

[Groundhog]

Morey: "Bottom line, if Carmelo comes Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin have to be traded. It’s just math. It’s not personal."

Yeah... it might feel a bit personal to the dude on your team that wasn't told about it beforehand.

[Young Drachma]

Meh, Lin has $8.3 million reasons to be okay with it. Also, the real bad feeling is that Melo has been haunting him for ages. But hey...that's how it goes. I'm sure he'll be fine wherever he ends up and if it's Philly that's perfect because they'll let him just run the floor and start.

[murrayyyyy]

Magic sign Ben Gordon to a 2 year/9 million dollar deal.

That's right, Ben Gordon who score 99 points total last season just got 4.5 million a year for 2 years. That gives them 15 players I think and only 42.7 in salary.

Unfortunately they need to spend 90% of the cap figure so they have to hit 59.4 maybe (if it is 66 mil).

Pretty sad when you can give 4.5 million to a stiff and still be off what you need to spend by 17 million. Who the hell can they even trade for to get this high (assuming they signed Gordon to trade him in 60 days).

[Neuqua]

They can have Boozer.

[Neuqua]

Raptors re-sign Lowry for $48/4 years.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

Magic sign Ben Gordon to a 2 year/9 million dollar deal.

That's right, Ben Gordon who score 99 points total last season just got 4.5 million a year for 2 years. That gives them 15 players I think and only 42.7 in salary.

Second year is a team-option, so I imagine the thinking behind this is - a) we have a minimum amount we need to spend, and b) this gives us a potential trade chip.

TBH I wouldn't be surprised to see this kind of thing happening more often.

[stevew]

Its probably non-guaranteed. The new market efficiency is to make expirings that can die instantly. Like all these shitty nowhere teams should be doing 1+1s cause you can get real stuff in return if someone wants to clear space in the off season for a run or mid season to dodge the tax. I think they don't fully guarantee until January 7.

[Danny]

It's amazing to watch the differences in nba and nhl free agency. In nhl the stories are about the teams, and players sign pretty quickly without any drama. In the nba all the stories are about the players and it's this long drawn out dramatic process.

[stevew]

Nobody can sign for like 7 days so it's all hype and verbal agreements. NBA superstars are way more important than NHL players due to playing time. Also the best basketball player in the world is a free agent. Meanwhile the best NHL guy is probably in the middle of a 15 year contract.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by stevew

Nobody can sign for like 7 days so it's all hype and verbal agreements. NBA superstars are way more important than NHL players due to playing time. Also the best basketball player in the world is a free agent. Meanwhile the best NHL guy is probably in the middle of a 15 year contract.

That's mostly true, just stating how different they are

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

I think Rondo is and should be on the way out too, but Danny Ainge doesn't let himself get forced into bad trades, and I don't see this as that clear signal. Given both the injury history of Rondo/Bradley, and that Smart is a rookie and they're not sure if he's a 1 or a 2 going forward, you could easily have them as a 3-guard rotation with each guy playing 30-35 minutes a night, and getting close to 40 when/if one of them is out for a couple games. Now, if they sign a 4th guard...

Oh, I don't think Ainge will make a bad trade. But let's face it, you don't play an All-Star, a #6 pick and a guy who you just paid $32m to play in a 3 man rotation. I think they'll start the season that way, but I can't imagine Rondo being on the roster after December and may be gone possibly before that.

Glad the C's aren't getting Hayward. Green offers similar production for less money and his contract is winding down in the perfect time so that Young can take over a couple of years from now.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

Meh, Lin has $8.3 million reasons to be okay with it. Also, the real bad feeling is that Melo has been haunting him for ages. But hey...that's how it goes. I'm sure he'll be fine wherever he ends up and if it's Philly that's perfect because they'll let him just run the floor and start.

I can't believe how much play this story has gotten, considering, and I know this is putting it glibly, but some team's backup PG.

Originally Posted by twitter

We really gonna do this thing where a photoshop involving Jeremy Lin's jersey #, and Lin's measured reaction, is a giant story?
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 2, 2014

SI

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

Meh, Lin has $8.3 million reasons to be okay with it. Also, the real bad feeling is that Melo has been haunting him for ages. But hey...that's how it goes. I'm sure he'll be fine wherever he ends up and if it's Philly that's perfect because they'll let him just run the floor and start.

That's his cap hit. He actually has just under $15 million reasons to be okay with it next season.

I think this is a complete non-story also, and I say that as someone who felt Lin kinda got screwed in New York.

[Logan]

And Lowe should have sent that tweet directly to his site's owner.

[Chief Rum]

I agree with the concept that Lin is no big thing as a player. A subpar starter or a good backup at best. But Lin is a story people still follow and are enamored with, and he also probably does get more Asian viewers to watch as well.

So for that reason and because of the asshattedness of the move by the Rockets, the story is at about the level of attention I think it should be getting.

That was a pretty big douche move, which is disappointing because I always thought the Rockets and Morey were classier than that.

[nol]

Darren Collison signed with the Kings for 3 years/$15M. Must have something in the works for Isaiah Thomas.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by nol

Darren Collison signed with the Kings for 3 years/$15M. Must have something in the works for Isaiah Thomas.

I'm happy for Collison, although again, it feels to me like he could have signed for more (much like last year with the Clips). Although I kinda like a team with Collison, Gay, Boogie and if McClemore starts to show off his talent. Let's face it, the Pacific Division is tough, so the Kings need to start doing some stuff to make a run here.

[korme]

You're overrating Darren Collison

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by korme

You're overrating Darren Collison

Not when Meeks signs for 3 years/$19 M I am not.

[korme]

There is an argument here that Meeks is a much bigger asset than Collison. Wing 3D guy, Collison an undersized point in a league full of talented pgs.

[whomario]

I like Collison as a backup playing 20 minutes, getting to run some pick and rolls and be allowed to create his own shot. I´d hate him to be my starter who plays 35 minutes and has to organize the halfcourt offense rather than concentrating on his strengths.

I also think Jeremy Lin has become underrated. He played decently in a system not at all fitting with his style of play. Imo he is a solid playmaker, someone you can entrust to run the Pick and Roll effectively, get his own shot if needed and play good defense in a good scheme.

Lowry is a good contract for now, although i don´t think he is quite as good as people think. It really is not like he hasn´t got some major holes in his game. But for "good starter" money, that is a good signing. Just not the total steal people made it out to be.

The Pacers add 2 players in CJ Miles (18/4) and Damjan Rudez (no numbers to be found, presumably the rest of the MLE after Miles). Miles is a good shooter and decent defender, nice addition to essentially replace Turners minutes. Rudez is essentially a european version of Chris Copeland. Terrific shooter, decent passer but a terrible rebounder.

Patty Mills back to the Spurs for 12/3. I guess this is the perfect "we know that you know that you won´t get as much as you´d have liked, but we are not going to lowball you either" contract after he sustained the injury.

Thabo Sefolosha 12/3 to the Hawks. Seen some criticism here, but does it really matter if a guy gets 3 or 4 mio a year ? He should be a great fit with the offense they run (even if his shooting struggles continue, that is not as much of an issue with the Hawks featuring shooters everywhere else, and he should score some points on cuts in 4/5 out sets) and he adds some much needed perimeter defense opposite Kyle Korver, freeing up DeMarre Carrol for a 6th man type role where he isn´t asked to guard the Lebrons and Georges of the league all the time.

Ben Gordon also shares an agent with Oladipo btw.

[whomario]

Also, Dirk reportedly resigns for 3/30 Still leaves them some cap space to play with, but not enough for a max contract (then again, no max guy was ever coming, anyway). Carter and Marion from last years rotations are Free Agents, as well.

edit: 3rd year a player option and no-trade-clause.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by korme

There is an argument here that Meeks is a much bigger asset than Collison. Wing 3D guy, Collison an undersized point in a league full of talented pgs.

And if you look further up, you'll see my opinion of that argument. Wing 3D guys are not hard to find. Starter level PGs, even if they aren't a Top 20 starter at the position, are much more difficult to find and much more important to the operation of a team.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I'd argue that non-top-20 guys at ANY position aren't hard to find.

[korme]

I guess that is where we disagree about Collison being starter level

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by korme

I guess that is where we disagree about Collison being starter level

Yup. You musta missed how the Clips didn't miss a beat while CP3 missed two months in the middle of the season.

Not saying Collison is great. He's not. As I noted, he's not one of the top 20 starting PGs in the league. But he's a decent player at least, with some flaws that keep him from being better.

[Young Drachma]

It's not real. Sorry. One of the ESPN guys retweeted it, but it's not real. Apologies!

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by nol

Darren Collison signed with the Kings for 3 years/$15M. Must have something in the works for Isaiah Thomas.

With this signing I think Thomas is gone. King were 6th in cap numbers last I saw before this deal.

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Yup. You musta missed how the Clips didn't miss a beat while CP3 missed two months in the middle of the season.

Not saying Collison is great. He's not. As I noted, he's not one of the top 20 starting PGs in the league. But he's a decent player at least, with some flaws that keep him from being better.

He's also a better price tag than Thomas who wasn't liked in the locker room and a shot first PG.

[RainMaker]

I like Collison a lot as a backup PG, but not sure on him being a starter. He plays no defense which the Clippers could adjust to but the Kings need defense badly.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I like Collison a lot as a backup PG, but not sure on him being a starter. He plays no defense which the Clippers could adjust to but the Kings need defense badly.

Say what?

http://www.nba.com/clippers/news/ver...maker-clippers

Collison has his limits defensively because he's shorter than most guards and while he's quick, he's not uber quick nor really long. But he's a knowledgeable and effective defender who puts effort into that side of the game.

Trust me, players don't stay and start on a Ben Howland team for four years and not play defense.

[Groundhog]

Put me down as another guy who likes Collison as a backup PG, but not so much as a starter.

After watching him in a Cavs jersey for 2 years, I'm really surprised CJ Miles got that kind of coin from the Pacers... He's a 3D guy, minus the D part. Does literally nothing else and very inconsistent.

[nol]

@KingJames hey bro hope you're having a good day...... Want to join us in philly?? Peace

— Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 1, 2014

Been a day.. still waiting for @KingJames to answer me like (TAPE DELAY GUYS) how can you do that to me? @espn pic.twitter.com/LkeGQLrszQ

— Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 3, 2014

I hope i'm not gonna get fined already with those Lebron's tweets is it legal to recruit over twitter @NBA ?

— Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 3, 2014

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Say what?

http://www.nba.com/clippers/news/ver...maker-clippers

Collison has his limits defensively because he's shorter than most guards and while he's quick, he's not uber quick nor really long. But he's a knowledgeable and effective defender who puts effort into that side of the game.

Trust me, players don't stay and start on a Ben Howland team for four years and not play defense.

He is really bad at fighting through screens. The defense went to complete shit in the playoffs when he was on the court and Paul was on the bench. Teams really exploited him there. He'll probably make the Kings 3-point defense better but he's not a good defender by any metric I can find or from what I've seen of him.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

He is really bad at fighting through screens. The defense went to complete shit in the playoffs when he was on the court and Paul was on the bench. Teams really exploited him there. He'll probably make the Kings 3-point defense better but he's not a good defender by any metric I can find or from what I've seen of him.

Not a good defender is not the same as "plays no defense", which is what you first said. He puts good effort into defense. Obviously, being 6'0 tops and smaller doesn't help him fighting through screens, so it makes sense he would struggle with that.

I noted his size and not elite quickness are detriments to him being a good defender.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by nol

@KingJames hey bro hope you're having a good day...... Want to join us in philly?? Peace

— Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 1, 2014

Been a day.. still waiting for @KingJames to answer me like (TAPE DELAY GUYS) how can you do that to me? @espn pic.twitter.com/LkeGQLrszQ

— Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 3, 2014

I hope i'm not gonna get fined already with those Lebron's tweets is it legal to recruit over twitter @NBA ?

— Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 3, 2014

I love Embiid. Kid is awesome.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Put me down as another guy who likes Collison as a backup PG, but not so much as a starter.

After watching him in a Cavs jersey for 2 years, I'm really surprised CJ Miles got that kind of coin from the Pacers... He's a 3D guy, minus the D part. Does literally nothing else and very inconsistent.

I was surprised by the Miles deal, too. But I was also surprised by the Meeks deal. So maybe I am behind the times and these guys aren't a dime a dozen after all. :shrug:

[Groundhog]

Embiid has gotta be one of the most likeable guys to enter the league in awhile. I really hope it works out for him in Philly, as much as it would suck having been one of the 2 teams to pass him up.

Pacers are overreacting after their playoff loss. "We need shooters! We need to surround Paul George with shooters! Someone get Meeks' agent on the line! Oh, he's signed? CJ Miles, stat!"

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Oh, I don't think Ainge will make a bad trade. But let's face it, you don't play an All-Star, a #6 pick and a guy who you just paid $32m to play in a 3 man rotation. I think they'll start the season that way, but I can't imagine Rondo being on the roster after December and may be gone possibly before that.

Glad the C's aren't getting Hayward. Green offers similar production for less money and his contract is winding down in the perfect time so that Young can take over a couple of years from now.

I disagree. With the increased focus on keeping players rested I don't think its a stretch to have 3 guys playing approximately 32 minutes each (with Rondo probably getting a couple extra.). Some of the rumors are hilarious, like today's involving Rondo to the Suns for Dragic, then Dragic flipped to Indy for Hibbert. That would be the rare trade that makes all 3 teams worse based on playing styles.

I think some people need to look up what a 3&D guy is... Meeks and Miles (and Sefolosha) qualify for half that label haha

[Groundhog]

Let the record show that I did specify that Miles is a 3D minus the D.

[stevew]

Im getting to be irrationally confident in LBJ coming back. I was like 1% before. Now im like 25%. But im pretty much happy as long as he doesn't go back to Miami.

I also think a Love trade that works for Minny has been set. Otherwise they'd just do the klay thing.

[Groundhog]

Could all be talk, but sounds more likely that he doesn't re-sign with Miami. I still don't think he'll come to Cleveland though, but who knows. Irving-Wiggins probably look like a pretty good foundation compared to a broken down Wade, and Chris Bosh....

[Matthean]

What gets me is I watched ESPN plan out how Miami was going to fill out their roster, I honestly didn't see really any improvement, and Lowry already signed back with Toronto.

[Groundhog]

"Hey 'Bron, it's Pat Riley. Good news! We've got Anthony Morrow, Marvin Williams, Shawn Marion, and Elton Brand onboard!"

[RainMaker]

Probably all talk. Maybe to put pressure on Riley, maybe for attention.

Although him on the Suns would be a really fun team.