2013-14 NBA Offseason/Draft Thread

[Groundhog]

Woo Hoo Cavs picking #1!!! I'm wary of big skinny guys coming off injuries, but no question he's the clear #1 in this crop.

[bulletsponge]

nothing says "cant miss" like and injured big man

[JonInMiddleGA]

Starting at center ... Sam Bowie

[cartman]

Yeah, the jury is still out on the Oden vs. Durant debate.

[Lathum]

If I'm the cabs I take Mclemore. Much safer pick for a team that needs guys on the court.

None of it matters anyway. Unless you get that once every 5-8 year player then some other stars to come along you aren't going to compete for a title. Of LeBron couldn't get guys to Clevelsnd no one can

[Groundhog]

Yeah he's an injured bigman, but I don't see any reason to assume he's got anything like the issues that Bowie or Oden had/have. Honestly, I feel this is an unimpressive draft and Noel has more boom potential than the other guys, none of whom are slamdunks like Durant was.

[Swaggs]

The bigger issue may be that he needs to gain 50 lbs in order to matchup with other NBA centers.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Lathum

None of it matters anyway. Unless you get that once every 5-8 year player then some other stars to come along you aren't going to compete for a title. Of LeBron couldn't get guys to Clevelsnd no one can

I disagree. With their young guys, especially a guy like Kyrie Irving, the Cavs could be title contenders if they hit it big with this pick once the Heat start to slow down in a couple of years.

[Kodos]

If Oladipo goes to Phoenix, that'd be great.

[korme]

Wow, tons of Noel haters. I actually expect him to be more of a stretch 4, at least entering the league. But that team of Waiters, Thompson, Irving and Noel can be really nice.

The real winners, of course, are the lucky crew that have the ball bounce their way next offseason.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Danny

I disagree. With their young guys, especially a guy like Kyrie Irving, the Cavs could be title contenders if they hit it big with this pick once the Heat start to slow down in a couple of years.

And by then Irving will be looking to get the hell out of Cleveland.

[JPhillips]

Wizards have their first good draft luck in ages and it happens in a crap draft. Porter might be a nice fit with Wall and Beal, but he looks like a good player rather than an All-Star.

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by korme

The real winners, of course, are the lucky crew that have the ball bounce their way next offseason.

I'm already hoping for a 76ers tank job in 2013-2014.

[Logan]

Kevin Durant’s Giant Back Tattoo Has a Typo | Big Lead Sports

[RainMaker]

Noel seems like a perfect fit for the Cavs.

[mckerney]

Surely it will finally be the Timberwolves turn to win the lottery next year, right?

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Surely it will finally be the Timberwolves turn to win the lottery next year, right?

i thought getting rid of Khan was like winning the lottery already?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Shocking.

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress Phil Pressey struggling so far here at the Nets Combine. Overdribbling, settling for tough jumpers, can't really make a shot. Tough day.

Welcome to all year long at Mizzou. Not sure what the hell people were expecting. He made a mistake leaving, but I'm not sure that his stock would have improved had he stayed at Mizzou.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Wizards have their first good draft luck in ages and it happens in a crap draft. Porter might be a nice fit with Wall and Beal, but he looks like a good player rather than an All-Star.

ages? really?

[korme]

I don't know about their odds in previous years, but scheduled to pick 8th and landing the 3rd pick is pretty good.

[QuikSand]

Just seems to me that mentioning John Wall in the very sentence might bring to mind that the Wiz "won" the lottery just three years ago with (I looked this up) the fifth worst record. I think there's a solid argument about the lottery never *really* shining on the Wiz with some combination of Kwame Brown and John Wall and Vesely and maybe Porter and whomever else you want to put into that conversation... but to say the issue is that they never do well recently with lottery pingpong balls doesn't seem fair.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Wizards have their first good draft luck in ages and it happens in a crap draft. Porter might be a nice fit with Wall and Beal, but he looks like a good player rather than an All-Star.

I like Porter quite a bit. Georgetown's system doesn't really let a player shine offensively and he's a guy that doesn't really have any holes in his game. I think he'll be a better pro than Beal.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I like Porter quite a bit. Georgetown's system doesn't really let a player shine offensively and he's a guy that doesn't really have any holes in his game. I think he'll be a better pro than Beal.

I'm afraid he's Tyshaun Prince, a good player, but not enough to make them really dangerous and this is likely the last lottery for them for a while. I'm not sure how they make the jump from 6-8 seed to legit conference contender.

[Groundhog]

It would be interesting if the Wiz moved their pick for Cousins to team him up with Wall. I'm really down on Cousins after this past season, but it might be worth the risk for the Wizards as he's got bigger star potential than whoever they would take with their pick 'if he ever gets it together'.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by bulletsponge

i thought getting rid of Khan was like winning the lottery already?

You'd think so, but I dunno. I think this managed to cover being a Timberwolves fan amazingly well.

The Minnesota Timberwolves Fan's Guide to the Five Stages of Post-Lottery Grief - The Triangle Blog - Grantland

Rooting for the Timberwolves feels like you're stuck in a prison, only the prison has no guards because nobody's forcing you to stay in prison. I just realized that's a terrible analogy because if there's one thing the Timberwolves do have in abundance, it's guards. Holy shit, why do we have so many guards? And why are they all white? How the fuck do you expect to win in the NBA in the 21st century when your entire starting five consists of white dudes? Thank god they fired David Kahn. Ndudi Ebi. Jesus Christ, what a train wreck. [Editor's note: Due to certain decency standards here at Grantland, I was forced to remove a large portion of this paragraph that described David Kahn performing lewd acts. Needless to say, it was very graphic and very angry.]

Ugh, who am I kidding? Like I said before, the Timberwolves are not bad. They're so much worse than bad. If the Wolves were simply “bad,” that would imply that they could possibly get better, that the basketball gods hadn't cursed them, that there was hope. Being a Minnesota Timberwolves fan is an affliction. It's a deep, personal shame that eats away at your soul like a cancer. That might seem hyperbolic, but it's true. When people find out you are a Timberwolves fan, they treat you like a cancer patient. Every time I meet someone who's into basketball, we'll start talking hoops, and eventually they ask, “Who's your team?”

“The Wolves.”

“The Wolves?”

“Yeah. The Timberwolves.”

“Oh, right ... sorry.”

“No, it's OK. You didn't know.”

[miami_fan]

Okay which one of the offseason threads are we going with?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Does the NBA have an offseason?

[korme]

Raptors considering name change to the Huskies

[Chief Rum]

This one has more posts, so we'll go with this one.

To bring forward the stuff from the other thread, George Karl was fired by the Nuggets, and Jason Kidd (amazingly) was hired as HC of the Nets.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by korme

Raptors considering name change to the Huskies

I still like Raptors.

[korme]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

This one has more posts, so we'll go with this one.

To bring forward the stuff from the other thread, George Karl was fired by the Nuggets, and Jason Kidd (amazingly) was hired as HC of the Nets.

Imagine a scenario where Deron Williams goes down, the Nets are on the playoff cusp, out of cap space.... and there's only one man to replace him. Scoot over Dave Cowens, the latest NBA player/coach is Jason Kidd!

[miami_fan]

I can't say I am really happy with the discussions the Competition Committee is having regarding rule changes. Challenge flags? Review of every Block/charge call in the last two minutes? The last proposed change that Zach Lowe reported was banning a player from standing out of bounds. I did not see this happen that often but I can't honestly say that is it not a problem they should look at.

[murrayyyyy]

If I'm Cleveland I take a chance on Bennett. Gee/Caspi/Walton gave you nothing this year at the SF spot. Don't trade down and try to get cute. Take the best SF in the draft and build around your young roster. (this way when LBJ opts out in 2014 and comes back you have the 4 open for him)

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

If I'm Cleveland I take a chance on Bennett. Gee/Caspi/Walton gave you nothing this year at the SF spot. Don't trade down and try to get cute. Take the best SF in the draft and build around your young roster. (this way when LBJ opts out in 2014 and comes back you have the 4 open for him)

Is Bennett getting the kind of buzz to go that high?

I realize this is a poor draft, but aren't there players with more upside than Bennett available?

[whomario]

Isn´t Bennett pretty much projecting as a full time PF ? Yeah, he can shoot the ball a bit, but still ... from what little i saw (and others write) he´s closer to a Millsap-type player than a SF really.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by korme

Raptors considering name change to the Huskies

I like it. Going back to the original BAA team name. Should've from the start.

[Young Drachma]

Fine with JKidd with the Nets. If it's arguably the best player in NJ Nets (yes BKN so what) history versus a guy who is a former player too, even with assistant experience, I say why not. Especially if you get Lawrence Frank willing to come in as Associate Head Coach. He own the locker room from Day 1 and they almost signed him before he went to the Knicks anyway. Might not work, but it can't hurt.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by korme

Raptors considering name change to the Huskies

Their mascot is a slightly overweight kid in a pair of corduroys.

[Sublime 2]

Lots of huffing and puffing about Doc Rivers trying to get out of Boston to coach LAC. Even potential 'trades' of Doc + KG for Bledsoe + Jordan + Picks.

To me, how does Ainge say no? To LAC fans...how the hell do you make that move?

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Is Bennett getting the kind of buzz to go that high?

I realize this is a poor draft, but aren't there players with more upside than Bennett available?

It depends on how much they trust Tristan probably. The reason I like Bennett more than Porter and Neol is size. Porter weights 10 more pounds than McLemore and Noel 16 more pound than McLemore. Either way Bennett has the ability to play the 3/4 and I think that is more valuable to them then finding Varejao's backup in Noel. They need some beef on that team.

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by Sublime 2

Lots of huffing and puffing about Doc Rivers trying to get out of Boston to coach LAC. Even potential 'trades' of Doc + KG for Bledsoe + Jordan + Picks.

To me, how does Ainge say no? To LAC fans...how the hell do make that move?

Clippers may have no choice... I think Paul ends up in Houston with Dwight. Do you really want to be the team that fired your head coach for your PG, who then left you... Lakers will have a field day with this.

Also any deal that involves getting rid of Jordan is a brilliant one. You can't have him or Blake on the court if it is close...

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Their mascot is a slightly overweight kid in a pair of corduroys.

I'm hoping the name change is so their mascot can be Husky.

[whomario]

Rockets (and Paul) would be better off just keeping Asik instead of Howard. Howard with a full offseason and good health is obviously the better player, but is he that much better that it offsets the cap managing difficulties the next few years ?
Will not cross Paul´s mind because players are idiots that way, but still ...

Question: I was under the impression that Asiks cap hit (as well as Lin´s) for the Rockets is the median of the contract each season (8 mio), however hoopshype and others list it at 5/5/15 which i thought would have only apllied had they stayed with the Bulls/Knicks. Anybody know what´s true ?

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by whomario

Rockets (and Paul) would be better off just keeping Asik instead of Howard. Howard with a full offseason and good health is obviously the better player, but is he that much better that it offsets the cap managing difficulties the next few years ?
Will not cross Paul´s mind because players are idiots that way, but still ...

Question: I was under the impression that Asiks cap hit (as well as Lin´s) for the Rockets is the median of the contract each season (8 mio), however hoopshype and others list it at 5/5/15 which i thought would have only apllied had they stayed with the Bulls/Knicks. Anybody know what´s true ?

I'm not a capologist but here is what I would do if I was Houston.

1) Offer Lin+Robinson+1st rounder in three years to the Lakers for Sign and trade Howard with the Lakers. Lakers have nothing on the books in 2014. They can also use the huge trade exception I believe they would get(not so sure on this part). Lakers get a PG and a 4 to move Pau to the 5 and play the type of ball their coach likes.

2) Rockets sign Paul as FA. Give them rotation of Paul, Harden, Parsons (Houston has 2 years of team rights at a steal of a number), Greg Smith, Howard. They have soom good team option contracts out there right now which is where Miami screwed up.

[molson]

I love the idea of shopping Doc Rivers around considering he seems to be a commodity, the Celtics have already denied at least two teams the chance to talk with him. Even though I didn't really know trading coaches was even a thing. Of course, I'd rather the Celtics just keep him for the next 10 years, but he seems like he's just done there.

[Desnudo]

Doc is a good coach who's benefited from great circumstance. I would do the Jordan + Bledsoe + picks trade in a heartbeat. No one else is winning the east until Wade retires anyway. Although supposedly the hold up is including Bledsoe. Just Jordan and some late 1st round picks isn't worth it.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

I still like Raptors.

So do I. Huskies is too common a name.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Is Bennett getting the kind of buzz to go that high?

I realize this is a poor draft, but aren't there players with more upside than Bennett available?

No. Bennett's widely reported as having the best upside of any player in the draft.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by whomario

Isn´t Bennett pretty much projecting as a full time PF ? Yeah, he can shoot the ball a bit, but still ... from what little i saw (and others write) he´s closer to a Millsap-type player than a SF really.

I see him as a combo forward, able to play both the 3 and 4.

[Ironhead]

In some good news for the Nuggets when the doctors performed surgery on Gallinari they found that his ACL was only partially torn instead of fully torn. Updated timetable is a December return instead of February.