Miami needs 4 hot shooting nights to beat the Cavs, 4 out of 7. I'm not seeing that happening. I think Miami is one or two players away from being a serious contender but their offense looks awful every time I see them play.
I would have to think that Cousins could get the Kings a lot more than that. I don't know why they would want that Dragic contract.
I don't agree. Miami's defense is good enough on most nights that they'd be in most games against the Cavs. If they had two hot shooting nights and avoided having those nights where they can't hit anything then it would be a very close series. What hurts Miami is when they just go cold. Any night they don't go cold I'd expect it to be a close game and they have two good closers in Bosh and Wade.
Dragic contract is easily moveable, and that is a TON for Dmac. Actually too much, but I juiced it up as a way to make sure it gets done. If they resign HW, they actually win the trade outright.
Trip down memory lane in what was the most memorable playoff run of any pro team I root for...(95 Seattle Mariners a close second) This is when basketball was at its best, no tic tack p-ssy fouls and 110-108 games. [video=youtube;uo0nC3qpJNQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo0nC3qpJNQ[/video]
Wow Kevin Love injured the same shoulder and he walked to the locker room with the shoulder hanging just like last year..
Kevin Love will have plenty of time to rehab the shoulder and return for the playoffs. All depending if its the same injury as before (dislocation) or if its a rotator cuff injury then he is really screwed.
Can we just have Omri Casspi? Talk of giving away Dragic, Winslow and Whiteside for Cousins making me all nervous.
Off-topic but...holy ****! Barring injury, ROY is pretty much in the bag. Damn this kid is a franchise-changer. Making plays down the stretch to close it out too. THIS is a #1 overall pick. [video=youtube_share;Eq5QT6sEIFk]https://youtu.be/Eq5QT6sEIFk[/video]
No, I mean in the NBA whoever gets the best player wins the trade 99/100 and none of those players you're talking about trading are even close to Dmac. Bosh would be the only player Id have any interest in if I was Sac.
Nuts! [video=twitter;697607957555634176]https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/697607957555634176[/video] [video=twitter;697634705529671680]https://twitter.com/KellyScaletta/status/697634705529671680[/video]
Winslow has the potential to be better than Dmac. You are never going to get a player of equal value when you trade a Shaquille Oneal, James Harden, Dmac, etc...
Winslow will never be better than Dmac, I mean cmon. He might be a better guy for a team makeup because DMac is a head case, I'll give you that. But no one would trade DMac for Winslow's potential. I like Winslow by the way. And you're right, if you trade a franchise player you won't get the same in return 99.99999% of the time. If you think that highly of Winslow then why would you trade him? If I thought he'd be better than DMack I'd trade to build around him not use him for a piece to build around Bosh and Wade for a 2 year window of opportunity.
Is Kawhi Leonard better than Cousins? Because that is Winslow's upside. Will he reach that ceiling? Maybe not (in fact, the odds probably say he won't). Maybe he'll never become anything more than a Corey Brewer. But to say he'll never be better is a little unfair, because his upside is pretty damn high. The reason the Heat would trade him is the uncertainty of whether he hits his potential along with not wanting to wait for it. If he gets there, it's probably at least 2 more years away. When you have Wade at the beginning of the downside of his prime, and Bosh near the end of his, you don't really want to wait on that. Especially if you're Pat Riley and you might not be with the organization for the next wave that would be centered around Winslow. Personally, I'd hate to trade Winslow. I'd only do it if you're getting a star who's still relatively young.
The players he is mentioned as comparables, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler... are both better than Dmac. The reason you would trade him is for a shot at a title within the Bosh/Wade window. Wade has about 2 years left of effectiveness left, Bosh has around 5. They have 2 left together at reasonable production. Take a shot. But only for the right player.
Woj Bomb: Rockets trying to trade D12 before deadline. Fair Warning, Riley has always been enamored with him.
Ben McLemore (SG Sacramento)is getting trade interest as well. Heat should be all over that. he has been slow to develop, but mostly due to a lack of freedom. He can flat out shoot, and in our system, we managed to make Gerald Green a decent defender.
Yuck! Never been a fan of Howard. Lots of talent, but doesn't have it between the ears. I would be extremely upset if they gave up Winslow for him, and I'm not sure what else the Heat have that Houston would want that'd be enough for him.
Damn, that contract for his game right now is absurd. Every team thats had him over the last 3-4 years can't wait to move him. Team killer.
Wow, I thought this was the last year on his deal, but he's got a player option for $23M next year. Maybe the asking price will be much cheaper than I thought. Not sure he's worth it with that deal, though. You'd be out of money this offseason. Would clear a ton the following year for Westbrook, though. EDIT: Maybe not...
Supposedly Windhorst was on Cleveland radio and mentioned to watch the Heat as a trade partner for Dwight.
Ewing....Mourning......Shaq....I think you can figure out Pat likes big strong centers. However Dwight doesn't have a 1/10 of the toughness any of those guys displayed in their careers.
Random Thought: I wonder if we'd give Willie Reed a chance this off-season. Obviously if we trade Whiteside, even for Boogie, we're going to need some bench minutes. We're definitely not in on Birdman or Sideshow Josh McRoberts at those prices. Reed has a solid Per 36 line of 14.8 PTS, 9.4 TRB, and 1.9 BLK. If we're somehow able to re-sign Stoudemire (don't think he'll look for another vet minimum unless we land a huge piece), then Boogie/Whiteside, Stoudemire, and Reed (if healthy) is a solid 5 corps. I liked him a lot and said as much during preseason and I think he can be effective as a rebounder against anyone and an offensive threat against second/third string guys. He's on a 1-year, $500,000 deal and we may be able to get him at a minimum deal given the fact that he's been buried on a bad team. I think I blame Brooklyn more than I blame him for his lack of effectiveness and playing time.
Houston wants to get rid of him and he wants to get out of Houston. If you let Morey fleece you out of Winslow or Whiteside then you're doing it wrong. It may be possible to move him for Dragic. Lawson isn't guaranteed in 2016 and they may want long term stability at that position. They had Dragic before and I think he'd be great running alongside Harden. I like Dragic but he's a pace and space guy that cant't shoot but is an excellent finisher. He'd be better served passing out to Harden on a drive. The biggest problem with this scenario is I don't like Howard. I would add another piece if they'd send over Ariza as well. That would really muddle our center position up unless we can flip Howard and someone for Cousins though. All of a sudden what the hell is Whiteside's future? This has all the makings of a trade that will never happen.
A Al Horford for Dwight Howard deal including sweeteners from Houston to Atlanta makes a ton of sense. I would watch for that.
That IS a very possible trade. Where does that leave us though? Swooping in for Big Al in the off-season and leaving Houston holding an empty bag? If they want him I see Howard opting out and re-signing long term. Howard has been linked to Atlanta because he's from there but it has yet to happen. It's a good business move for Atlanta because he will sell merchandise and some tickets. If he bills it as a Lebron-esque homecoming then his capital with fans will be pretty solid. He can blame his shortcomings like his perceived lack of effort on home sickness from chasing the big lights of other teams. Say he's home now and ready to put in that work. There isn't much realistic star power in this year's free agent class but if they pair him with signing DeMar DeRozan, they can really sell some tickets and make noise in the east. Bazemore is definitely not the answer for DeMarre Carroll's departure and they would certainly be able to position as payback for Carroll's abrupt exit. It looks like they're ready to trade Teague and they could bolster their roster with something in return.
Just running scenarios through the NBA Trade Machine, I'm noticing an issue with compensation. The Hawks are spending literally nothing on salary this season. Any trade of Howard for Horford is not straight up and the only guys who seemingly make up the difference are Teague, Splitter, or Korver. I don't see Atlanta giving up Teague in that deal without something else in return. So, Atlanta may end up with only two centers rostered. I think they would be willing anyway considering it's just Splitter. Atlanta is far too well managed to give up Korver and Horford for Howard. If this swap happens, it may be a three-teamer if ATL refuses, as they should, to add Teague or Korver and Houston isn't interested in Splitter.
Horford for Howard would be a steal for the Rockets. If Atlanta's willing to trade Horford for Howard, would they be willing to do so for Whiteside? Obviously more would have to be added. EDIT: Horford and Hardaway Jr. for Whiteside, Bird, and Deng works on the trade machine.