I never considered that Durant would consider Boston, just dismissed it out of hand as a fantasy. He's about the most perfect fit for this team in terms of skill set. Add in maximum skill level...
Durant came out of tonights game as doctors looked at his surgically repaired right foot. This isn't the first problem he's had with this same foot. He returned and finished the game but 7-1 and up players are prone to foot injuries and once they get them their careers generally end a short time later. I stay as far away from Durant as possible.....major buyer beware.
What NBA team wouldn't give up their first pick, even if it were Simmons or Ingram for Durant? It's buyer beware, but if that is the price, you need to take it.
Some people believe Durant is 6'11" the way KG and Bill Walton were 6'11". I don't really see the difference in HRB's point, tall people have foot problems, a few inches here or there doesn't really effect that.
I hope not, I'm not really an Okafor fan. But maybe Boston lands #1 and Philly get locked out of the top three and Okafor can be the price of the pick swap. Because, really, I think the NBA game is passing guys like Okafor by.
He's a free agent this offseason. And I think Boston makes a lot of sense for him. With him, the Celtics become real title contenders. Winning a top 2 pick in the lottery makes it an even more appealing destination.
He's signing a 1 year to take advantage of the max deals going up. He's not doing his free agency tour for another year.
Specifically how is it passing him by? Is it because he isnt a rim protector?
The thing is that it's really hard to play two bigs simultaneously against most opposing lineups these days, so the one big really needs to be able to defend the rim. It doesn't matter too much how good they are on offense if they give it all back on the other end and more, a la Amare Stoudemire in recent seasons.
The bolded is the key. The post-up itself isn't a great play these days, since defense are much better about providing help and preventing deep penetration in the first place. Plus, the upside of a successful postup is a good, but not great efficiency shot. But if you can pass out of it, then it becomes a great weapon.
I agree it's tough to play two bigs, but with sufficient perimeter D, you can still have a good defense. The Celtics don't have much rim protection, but are a good to almost great defensive team for instance. But I agree this is another issue - you now need to tailor the rest of your team around your C if they don't protect the rim.
I also think the passing out of the post is a skill that takes a few years to develop. Coming into the league the great offensive scorers never really had to worry about passing out of doubles in college because their opponents either didnt have the ability to do this effectively or they were so skilled offensively that they could make their moves before a double even got there. Early in their careers most of your elite offensive players look kind of baffled when a double comes their way because of this. And this is another one of those skills that I think can indeed be taught.
Aldridge is one of, if not the most effective mid-range shooters in the league. He's one of the few guys who shoots a 20 foot jumper at a high enough percentage that it becomes a valuable shot.
To pile on this point. He's been used differently, but he's a serious threat beyond 12 ft.
Well we know that Ainge loves him and had a scheduled meeting to (presumably) offer him the max that we could last summer. Then Chicago stepped up when they recognized they had to max him out to retain him. So there was a delay on the Bulls part.....was it to try and save a few bucks which generally doesn't occur when you commit to a star or were they simply looking to retain an asset to move later and earn a return?
Considering we (supposedly, not sure i believe it) tried to trade 4 firsts to go from 16 to 9, that seems like a screaming deal. Not sure why NO would want AJ considering how much he seems to be slowing. But I'd certainly throw him or JJ in, as well as a couple seconds.
I mean I could see the Pelicans wanting to move down as a means of adding depth and losing a sunk cost like Asik. I'm just not sure I'd really be up for taking on Asik for the right to draft Henry Ellenson or the hope that you can find a team willing to eat Asik along with the two lottery picks for a real star. But if Trader Danny could find a way of convincing the Lakers that they really need Asik to backline their perimeter guys then hey, I'm all for it.
I always wonder about that "4 PICKS!!!" line. It sure seems like classic Ainge Bullshitting, I'm sure one of them was the Minny pick which was always going to be 2 seconds.
This is fair but back to original comment. 17 and 23 figure to move you up into the 13-14 range......not into 6-7. Oh but they get Amir's expiring deal yippee. That swap needs some major tweaking to be realistic.
At his point, to trade Butler is to blow it all up and rebuild from scratch. The Bulls only have about $27.5m committed in 17/18 to Butler, Dunlevey, McDermott, and Portis. Butler plus cap space for 2 max contracts in summer 2017 is a pretty ok plan; it at least gives them an established star to try to attract other stars and market as the post-Rose "face of the franchise."
Amir is still an excellent defender, but dumping a high pick for one year? Seems crazy, but who knows.
Is he though? Opponents shoot better, score better and rebound better when he's in the game as opposed to when he's not. This passes my eye test of him being pretty much what he is......an ordinary backup big.
Well, if they're losing Asik's relatively useless $45 million I could see it. That essentially frees them up to sign additional help to go with Davis.
He's really light on his suggestion.
Johnson seems to be wearing down, and Stevens is taking him out earlier and keeping him off the court longer. Like Olynyk's, Johnson's strong performances depend heavily on matchups; unlike Olynyk's, Johnson's offense is limited to converting Thomas's passes inside. It looks like Ainge would take Jerebko's option over Johnson's. Johnson is the team's only rim protector, but they seem to play better defense without rim protection.
Yeah, um, mea culpa. Total brain cramp by me, I feel somewhat embarrassed by my stupidity.
It was reported a couple of months ago that Johnson had plantar fascitis. That doesn't just go away. It will debilitate a player for awhile, then abate for awhile, neither with much rhyme or reason. I think he's in the "debilitated" phase these days.
Don't be embarrassed, it happens. Now the Republican debate tonight. That is a national embarrassment the universe can see, but I digress.
You and the last couple posts are making fanboy-zenter drool over a Cs lineup built around Thomas, Butler, and Durant. So... Stop it.
Has he always had it? Amir isn't debilitated this is the player he was last year as well. Aside from a little less bounce which 11-year vets typically experience this is the same player he's always been.
I'm seeing a different player from the first 30 games or so, which roughly corresponds to when it was announced.
Amir's monthly splits have improved each month with Janaury far and away his most productive. He has been pretty awful the past several games but that's what you expect from bench players with small samples like a handful of games.
So much for him being hurt. 15/8 tonight.
In the end you're probably right. He's such a generally limited player that its hard to tell, But if you've ever had -- or read the accounts of athletes that have had -- plantar fascitis (Antonio Gates comes to mind), there are some days you barely feel it and others where its like there's broken glass in your shoes.
