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NBA
Feb 8, 2024 16:27:05 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Feb 8, 2024 16:27:05 GMT
Another 76ers trade, which reportedly is intended to set up yet another move.
Philly is sending Danuel House, a 6-6, 30-year-old, role-playing wing who hasn't consistently been in the rotation, and a 2024 2nd rounder to New York ... apparently for nothing. (I believe NY has cap room to absorb the $4.3m.) The point of this is reportedly to create room on Philly's roster to sign Kyle Lowry or some other buyout player after the deadline.
Lowry--a Philly native who played his college ball at Villanova--is expected to be bought out by Charlotte after today's deadline (unless someone is crazy enough to trade for Lowry and pay the remainder of his $29+ million salary rather than wait for the inevitable opportunity to sign him for the vet minimum next week).
House, it seems, did not last long in NY: he is headed to Detroit, presumably as part of the trade sending Quentin Grimes to the Pistons for the oft-injured but otherwise productive veteran guard Alec Burks. That trade makes no sense to me, as Grimes is a quality player who is clearly much younger and healthier. Classic Thibs move, though.
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NBA
Feb 8, 2024 16:40:05 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Feb 8, 2024 16:40:05 GMT
And another discontent international player from a board member's team of choice gets his wish to be traded: the Knicks made yet another move with Detroit, sending French wing Evan Fournier and newly acquired Malachi Flynn to the Pistons for the much sought-after Bojan Bogdanovic.
Bogdanovic has been seen as a possible trade target for more than a year, with the whole league knowing Detroit was rebuilding and Bojan being 34 years old. Bogdanovic makes $20 million this season--one for each ppg he scores, as he hits 20 ppg--and has one more year on his deal, at $19m. He is a career 39.5% 3pt shooter, and hits 41.5% 3pt this season. But a subpar defender, it will be interesting watching how Thibs deals with him. I'm predicting a lot of Josh Hart subbing in for him...
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 8, 2024 18:02:32 GMT
Well, well, well...
Much of these 76ers' moves is too complicated for me to dissect/opine on with all of the salary cap implications. I'm not up on it sufficiently. The Sixers will not miss Furkan Korkmaz or Marcus Morris. They were end-of-the-bench role players. I thought Danuel House was decent. He hustled, he had his moments offensively, but he was also expendable. So, I don't think they're losing that much as far as players is concerned.
I can't believe Buddy Hield is 31 years-old already. I remember when he was drafted; the Sixers expressed interest in him then. Hield will fit in quite nicely with the Sixers. They've been looking for an outside shooter like him for years; I don't know what kind of defense he plays. I don't understand the attraction to Kyle Lowry - not at age 38. They were after him last year. Very good player but for how long?
Which leads me to my overall thoughts (which don't mean much). Obviously, Joel Embiid ain't going anywhere - and Daryl Morey is in serious WIN NOW mode. So, say goodbye to a lot of the future. Goodbye to three second-round draft picks for Hield. Goodbye to another second-round pick with House. And, who knows what else Morey will package before the deadline. Sure, the addition of Buddy Hield, possibly Kyle Lowry, and who knows who else make the 76ers a better team. Does it simply elevate them from a 9 seed to a 6 seed? From a 6 to a possible 3 or 4? To a legitimate championship contender?
They better win big now or Philly will run Daryl Morey out of town...with the team's future.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 8, 2024 18:15:45 GMT
Well, well, well...
Much of these 76ers' moves is too complicated for me to dissect/opine on with all of the salary cap implications. I'm not up on it sufficiently. The Sixers will not miss Furkan Korkmaz or Marcus Morris. They were end-of-the-bench role players. I thought Danuel House was decent. He hustled, he had his moments offensively, but he was also expendable. So, I don't think they're losing that much.
I can't believe Buddy Hield is 31 years old already. I remember when he was drafted; the Sixers expressed interest in him then. Hield will fit in quite nicely with the Sixers. They've been looking for an outside shooter like him for years; I don't know what kind of defense he plays. I don't understand the attraction to Kyle Lowry - not at age 38. They were after him last year. Very good player but for how for long?
Which leads me to my overall thoughts (which don't mean much). Obviously, Joel Embiid ain't going anywhere - and Daryl Morey is in serious WIN NOW mode. So, say goodbye to a lot of the future. Goodbye to three second-round draft picks for Hield. Goodbye to another second-round pick with House. And, who knows what else Morey will package before the deadline. Sure, the addition of Buddy Hield, possibly Kyle Lowry, and who knows who else make the 76ers a better team. Does it simply elevate them from a 9 seed to a 6 seed? From a 6 to a possible 3 or 4? To a legitimate championship contender?
They better win big now or Philly will run Daryl Morey out of town...with the team's future.
If I remember correctly, Hield was relatively old for a draftable player in the first place. He might have been 23 or 24, which was normal in the 80s and before, but very rare once underclassmen became the most common draftable players. I think that was an excuse as to why he went relatively late (6th) considering his college production. But it's definitely worth noting that he turned out better than Dragan Bender (long since out of the league) and Kris Dunn ... and now it seems than Ben Simmons, who had a great start but, well, y'know... Absolutely, I agree with you about Lowry. I loved Kyle Lowry ... in college. Or even into his early 30s. But he's very nearly 38, and was getting about 8 ppg and 4 apg in Miami before being dealt for Terry Rozier. His defensive tenacity was a major calling card: can a 38-year-old be a perimeter stopper? I also agree that these moves mean Philly is going all-in now. They're currently 5th in the East, but of course have to try to maintain ground (if not move up) without Embiid for about a month, and then figure out how to work him back into shape. It's going to be interesting. And if it doesn't pay off, I don't see the point of paying Morey what must be in the upper eschelon of salaries for GMs/Presidents/Decision-makers.
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NBA
Feb 8, 2024 18:48:34 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Feb 8, 2024 18:48:34 GMT
Yet another Philly trade:
Defensive stopper (or at least one-time defensive stopper) Patrick Beverly is sent to Milwaukee to help them shore up their abysmal perimeter defense, with backup PG Cameron Payne coming to Philly. Payne is a much more traditional PG than Beverly (who really can't even play that position on offense), though he hasn't been able to play as much as he had in recent years due to Damian Lillard being the obvious star at that spot for the Bucks. Philly also gets a 2nd rounder in the deal.
But the previous two seasons (in Phoenix), Payne was a 10 ppg, 5 apg player in about 20 mpg as a backup. He would also let Tyrese Maxey spend more time off the ball. To me, this is an improvement for Philly.
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NBA
Feb 8, 2024 19:01:10 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 8, 2024 19:01:10 GMT
Yet another Philly trade: Defensive stopper (or at least one-time defensive stopper) Patrick Beverly is sent to Milwaukee to help them shore up their abysmal perimeter defense, with backup PG Cameron Payne coming to Philly. Payne is a much more traditional PG than Beverly (who really can't even play that position on offense), though he hasn't been able to play as much as he had in recent years due to Damian Lillard being the obvious star at that spot for the Bucks. Philly also gets a 2nd rounder in the deal. But the previous two seasons (in Phoenix), Payne was a 10 ppg, 5 apg player in about 20 mpg as a backup. He would also let Tyrese Maxey spend more time off the ball. To me, this is an improvement for Philly. Pat Bev and Doc Rivers (ha ha ha). I must confess I'm not familiar with Cameron Payne. Thanks for the scouting report. And he's ONLY 29. Morey is really targeting the backcourt. And, hey, he got a 2nd rounder back!
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 12, 2024 13:09:22 GMT
As expected, veteran Kyle Lowry will sign with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers after the post-trade buyout with Charlotte is completed. I didn't like this idea if it was a primary strategy for the 76ers, but considering they are going to start star Tyrese Maxey and have Cameron Payne as a legit backup PG, I don't mind it. They aren't going to be depending on Lowry, I don't think, so much as leaning on his experience and attitude in the locker room and on the bench, and using him in spots. If that turns out to be the case, I think it's fine. Not earth-shattering in a good or a bad way, but a reasonable signing. And at $2.8 million, it's very inexpensive (in a league where even role players regularly make more than $10-20 million).
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NBA
Feb 23, 2024 13:07:39 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Feb 23, 2024 13:07:39 GMT
The Wolves announced a downright shocking transaction: they signed point guard Mike Conley to a 2-year, $21 million extension.
Our PG situation has been the biggest cause of concern, with our roster flexibility highly restricted due to our cap situation: next year we're due to pay Karl-Anthony Towns $49 million; Rudy Gobert $44 million; Anthony Edwards $35 million; and Jaden McDaniels $23 million. Those four players alone put us $10 million over the salary cap, while we have another half dozen or so guys under contract for another $25 million or so. In short, we could only sign guys for the minimum salary or the limited "exceptions." But basically, these aren't enough to entice even key rotation players, much less starters, much less starting point guards.
Conley is making $26 million this year, the last of his contract. And frankly I was not excited about the idea of signing him to an expensive extension because he's 36 years old.
But he agreed to a massive pay cut to stay here two more years. I love it, as this gives us an opportunity to find the replacement before Conley's game seriously declines. He can help mentor his own replacement.
This kind of signing is really, really rare: valued, winning players agreeing to pay cuts to play for Minnesota!?
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NBA
Feb 23, 2024 13:25:00 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 23, 2024 13:25:00 GMT
The Timberwolves have the best record in The West! Are you doing cartwheels, Kapitan? Or, after decades of disappointment, are conditioned to...temper your enthusiasm?
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NBA
Feb 23, 2024 13:28:20 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Feb 23, 2024 13:28:20 GMT
The Timberwolves have the best record in The West! Are you doing cartwheels, Kapitan? Or, after decades of disappointment, are conditioned to...temper your enthusiasm? I have to admit, it's the latter. I'm enjoying it as it comes, but being careful not to get ahead of myself.
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NBA
Mar 7, 2024 22:10:43 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 7, 2024 22:10:43 GMT
Karl-Anthony Towns out indefinitely with torn meniscus:
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 7, 2024 22:16:09 GMT
Of all our important players, he's the most replaceable. Frankly, Naz Reid can step in and replace a lot of what KAT does. Or we could go with a more "blend" player, and have Kyle Anderson as a playmaking PF. Or we could go a little smaller and put Jaden McDaniels at PF and insert somebody like Nickeil Alexander-Walker into the lineup as another wing.
Conley, Ant, McDaniels (for his defense) and Gobert would all have been bigger losses. I'm not too worried.
On another injury note, Ben Simmons has been declared out for the season with his lingering back issues. He played in 15 games this year. For his career, he has played in 332 of what would be a possible 656 regular season games, if there were no covid-shortened seasons. (I forget how many games were lost in those abbreviated seasons.) So let's say 332 of 640 or something? Such a strange career: a hugely talented guy who produced several All-Star, even All-NBA caliber seasons, and yet not only has ongoing injury issues but has become absolutely terrified to shoot the ball. I can't think of someone similar.
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NBA
Mar 10, 2024 16:09:54 GMT
Post by B.E. on Mar 10, 2024 16:09:54 GMT
Knicks vs. Sixers tonight on ESPN. Is Embiid playing? Maxey is out. Randle and OG are out for the Knicks. Former Sixer and Wolve, Shake Milton, is the newest Knick. Any thoughts on him? I remember him playing well at times for the Sixers. Not sure he'll play, though, with Brunson back.
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NBA
Mar 10, 2024 16:47:55 GMT
B.E. likes this
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 10, 2024 16:47:55 GMT
Knicks vs. Sixers tonight on ESPN. Is Embiid playing? Maxey is out. Randle and OG are out for the Knicks. Former Sixer and Wolve, Shake Milton, is the newest Knick. Any thoughts on him? I remember him playing well at times for the Sixers. Not sure he'll play, though, with Brunson back. No Embiid. No Maxey. No Covington. No Melton. Maybe GM Elton Brand and 76ers' pre/post game analysts - Jimmy Lynam and Marc Jackson - will suit up!
Shake Milton can provide a spark off the bench. He's a good scorer; his defense is mediocre. I was surprised the Sixers gave up on him. Maybe he was salary cap casualty, I don't know. Maybe Kapitan has more on Shake after playing for the Timberwolves last year.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 10, 2024 17:54:49 GMT
Knicks vs. Sixers tonight on ESPN. Is Embiid playing? Maxey is out. Randle and OG are out for the Knicks. Former Sixer and Wolve, Shake Milton, is the newest Knick. Any thoughts on him? I remember him playing well at times for the Sixers. Not sure he'll play, though, with Brunson back. No Embiid. No Maxey. No Covington. No Melton. Maybe GM Elton Brand and 76ers' pre/post game analysts - Jimmy Lynam and Marc Jackson - will suit up!
Shake Milton can provide a spark off the bench. He's a good scorer; his defense is mediocre. I was surprised the Sixers gave up on him. Maybe he was salary cap casualty, I don't know. Maybe Kapitan has more on Shake after playing for the Timberwolves last year.
The Wolves signed him as a free agent in the hopes that he could be a key ball-handler and shot creator off the bench. By all accounts, they had high hopes for him. (I believe Philly was trying to retain more cap flexibility, and didn't want to overpay him.) However, Milton was as bad as he's ever been in the NBA. I'm not sure whether his poor play affected his playing time or vice versa, but he played the fewest mpg of his career (12.9 mpg), shot as poorly from the field and 3 as he has in his entire career, turned it over, didn't get others involved, and was just basically bad. I actually always liked him, and was happy with the signing. But for whatever reason, it just did not work in MN. We moved him to Detroit in the Monte Morris deadline acquisition; they (not needing or wanting vets) waived him. I assume NYK paid him the minimum, in which case, great, low-risk signing.
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