2013 Offseason Topic

Rockets sign Dwight Howard
Golden State sign Andre Iguodala
Atlanta signs Paul Millsap
Indiana signs David West
Dallas signs Jose Calderon

and the Knicks sign/trade for Andrea Bargnani??? Its truly painful to be a Knicks fan, at least we will make the playoffs again but nothing more


7/6/2013 10:23 AM (edited)
I can understand Dwight not wanting to play with Kobe or for D'Antoni but I can't fathom how he picked the Rockets over the Warriors

Dwight-Lee-Iggy-Thompson(or Barnes)-Curry would have been conference favorites

Lin-Harden-Parsons-Asik-Dwight not so much
7/6/2013 3:01 PM
Posted by felonius on 7/6/2013 3:01:00 PM (view original):
I can understand Dwight not wanting to play with Kobe or for D'Antoni but I can't fathom how he picked the Rockets over the Warriors

Dwight-Lee-Iggy-Thompson(or Barnes)-Curry would have been conference favorites

Lin-Harden-Parsons-Asik-Dwight not so much
They had to make a trade with the Jazz to clear cap space for Iggy, so I doubt signing both him and Howard was possible.  With regards to Houston, Harden is a better player than anyone on the warriors, imo, and I figure Asik (and maybe Lin) will get traded.
7/6/2013 4:55 PM
it was totally possible, they had a S&T for Bogut's expiring and either Barnes or Thompson in place - the Lakers were prepared to do it (they might have wanted a future first thrown in) - the iggy move actually got them back into the conversation after D12 had initially told them and the mavs they were out


that would have meant getting the extra year at 30m, living in San Francisco instead of Houston and a ready-made conference finalist instead of limited cap mobility for two years and the not quite right fit of  Lin and Asik (who make 15m each next season btw)
7/6/2013 5:05 PM (edited)
meanwhile Josh Smith is going to the Pistons? wtf?
7/6/2013 5:05 PM
Felonius harden is best pick and roll player in nba and Howard was the best pick and roll finisher in Orlando Asik is gone possibly Lin to and delfino still top 5 team in stacked west.
Also I do you guys think wizards and cavs make playoffs this year with there improved and hopefully healthy rosters and half the conference tanking
7/6/2013 10:12 PM
pure nonsense - Lin is 15m worth of ****, Asik cant be on the floor at the same time as Howard (another wasted 15m), and Delfino was waived on Monday - I'm not even sure that the Rockets were a better basketball choice than the Lakers beyond this season

meanwhile

two pure shooters (Curry/Thompson), great spacing (even Lee can roam to 18-20'), lock down perimeter defender (Iggy) and 2 playmakers (Iggy and Curry) but no ball hogs (like Lin and Harden)

GSW >>> HOU
7/6/2013 10:32 PM
Wow felonius, so many points in one post . . . and I agree with them all.
7/6/2013 10:53 PM
Howard to GSW would've been the most intriguing move. Even if it probably would have cost them Barnes to get rid of Bogut.

I don't like Howard going to Houston mostly because it makes the Harden trade even worse, however it is hilarious all the Lakers fans dissing Howard. They can't believe anyone would leave them. Lakers are toast this season and it's hard to see them finding a star in 2014 to play with Old Kobe.

Dallas has to be kicking themselves over not keeping Tyson Chandler. It made sense to keep the flexibility to sign a star, but after getting nobody two years straight they're just wasting Dirk's final good years. I do think they should bet the farm on Andrew Bynum. 4 years 40 million and throw an injury provision in there.

Josh Smith was just following the money. He's a bad fit since he's a 4, but they'll play him at the 3 so he can keep pretending he's Paul Pierce or Carmelo with all his awful 20 footers.
7/7/2013 4:13 AM
Posted by felonius on 7/6/2013 10:32:00 PM (view original):
pure nonsense - Lin is 15m worth of ****, Asik cant be on the floor at the same time as Howard (another wasted 15m), and Delfino was waived on Monday - I'm not even sure that the Rockets were a better basketball choice than the Lakers beyond this season

meanwhile

two pure shooters (Curry/Thompson), great spacing (even Lee can roam to 18-20'), lock down perimeter defender (Iggy) and 2 playmakers (Iggy and Curry) but no ball hogs (like Lin and Harden)

GSW >>> HOU
Humorous and misguided.

First, the Rockets are a much better choice that the Lakers.  Kobe at 75% (which is all that can be hoped for after that injury) will still be the biggest ball hog in the league (other than maybe Melo).  Why would anyone want to play with Kobe.  He talks **** about everyone he plays with.  He did it to Shaq, Gasol, and Howard why won't he continue to do it.  Another reason the Rockets are a better choice.  Jim Buss.  His incompetence knows no bounds.  The Rockets are better than GSW as well.  Why play in an offense where it is unlikely that he will even be a second option.  Curry is first, but Lee and Thompson are going to want plenty of shots too.

Second, if Asik stays (and I admit it is a big if) how can he not play with Howard.  Howard can play PF to Asik's C and vice versa.  Asik doesn't demand the ball.  He rebounds, scores well inside with limited opportunities, and helps clog the middle.

Third, Lin is just in his third year and he is a better than average defender, ok shooter, and good passer.  He is better than any point guard the Lakers have put on the floor in 20 years (including Nash due to injuries) with the exception of Payton.  How is Lin a ball hog?  20% usage and almost 30% assists.  Sounds like he is really hogging the ball.

Fourth, Harden had to dominate the ball last season for the Rockets to win.  He was no worse than Kobe (considering he had slightly better eFG, slightly lower ast%, and less usage), but you Laker fans still act as though he is the greatest player that ever walked the Earth.  I love how diluted you are that you can say Curry is a "playmaker" and Harden is a "ball hog" when you consider that Curry shot the ball more in an offense with many more weapons that what the Rockets had last season.

Finally, this is classic Laker complaining.  You all didn't get the big player so now you have to complain about how stupid the player is.  The Rockets were the most logical choice.  It is the only team that has the big man legacy of the Lakers, but the big difference is that with the Rockets he will be able to learn to improve his game with the help of McHale and Olajuwon.  Who is going to help Howard with the Lakers?  Kareem only cares about having a statue, Shaq is too busy being an ***, and Wilt being dead and all there is no one there to continue helping him unless you think the "seven seconds or less" guy cares about big men.

If Houston does roll with a Lin, Harden, Parsons, Asik, and Howard this is essentially the 93-94 Rockets with a upgrade at every position except C (where there is a obvious downgrade).  Three guys that can knock down the three, one guy that can play D down low, and a couple of good perimeter defenders, and two guys that can dominate the defensive boards.  If Houston does lose Asik I do trust Morey to find a solid replacement.  This a much more than I can say for Jim Buss.
7/7/2013 10:15 AM
Malone you silly man - my argument was GSW over Houston but let's go ahead anyway

Lin is thoroughly mediocre at everything and requires the ball in his hands to produce (just like Harden) he will probably be making 15m next year to back up Patrick Beverly- the structure of his contract will make it almost impossible to move
 
Asik has no range on offense, no foot speed to speak of and is an overrated defender - his presence on the floor allows opponents to glut the paint and render Dwight ineffective - this is not WiS, two centers doesn't work unless one of them can pop from mid or better, that's neither of these guys

Harden is great but youre flat out nuts if you think he only dominated the ball because he had to - if so how do you explain OKC? he played just like that there too - the only perfect fit player on the Houston roster is Parsons

The Rockets should try to see if they can trade Asik to the Pelicans for Ryan Anderson which might make sense for both teams (no one is going to take on Lin's 15m in 2015), even if they do manage to move Asik for Ryan they will have limited cap space for most of Dwight's run so this is them for the next few seasons

bad defensively, miscast, overpaid

meanwhile

Steph Curry - 45% 3p
Klay Thompson - 41% 3p

that is what two pure shooters looks like and contrary to your contention Houston doesn't have that - not a single player hitting over 40% let alone 2 starters

add Iggy and you have a wing defender to match up with the Durant's and Lebron's of the world who can facilitate on offense, can slash and who is also ok from behind the arc

unlike Asik who takes 86% of his shots (er- put backs) right in the middle of where(tips, dunks, inside) Dwight wants to operate, last season half of David Lee's shots were jumpers

this is a no brainer, what bothers me about all this is that you were so blind and prejudicial in your assumptions about what my attitude would be that you clearly didn't bother to read my actual post (and based on what?)

here's the first sentence in my initial post
 

I can understand Dwight not wanting to play with Kobe or for D'Antoni but I can't fathom how he picked the Rockets over the Warriors

 

now go jump in a lake


7/18/2013 11:13 PM (edited)
Lakers are toast this season and it's hard to see them finding a star in 2014 to play with Old Kobe.


one star? hmm

at the moment the Lakers are slated to have 9m worth of Steve Nash and whoever they pick in the first round of the 2014 draft on their roster next summer (and I'd bet on a Nash dump/waive/retirement) - assuming that the cap is 60m+ and that Kobe takes Timmy money (10m but he's actually been pretty clear about taking even less than that) you are talking about 50m in cap room - 1 star? try 3
7/7/2013 11:58 AM
Having the cash doesn't mean players will pick up and move there. The Lakers haven't signed a star free agent away from a team in 17 years. The dynamics are much different as the CBA has changed.

Lin and Asik both count 8 million against the cap this year and next year even though they'll make 15M in 2014-15. The CBA/salary cap rules are weird sometimes.

Lin isn't worth that unless he takes a gigantic leap and starts making 40% of his 3s. He's negative value so tossing him means you need to put an asset with him. Asik will be traded, but I'm not sure what a good fit would be. The New Orleans idea for Anderson is bad for New Orleans. Anthony Davis is their C, and Anderson is needed there.
7/7/2013 1:39 PM
No I read your post, but mainly what I hear is blah, blah, Lakers going to really, really suck and I can't stand it, blah, blah.

I get the GSW thing, and you obviously missed where I made references to that.

Lin is not a huge negative like he is played to be.  Lin has one full season of experience and two partial seasons.  Another season is only going to make him better, and at this point he is an above average defender (10th in steals last season).  He had a poor showing in the playoffs, but so did Kobe and many others.  In this league you have to learn how to win.  Lin is only hitting the cap for about 8 mil and change not 15 mil.

Harden was in his first season as being the primary scoring option.  He will be much better as he matures and settles into his position.  Even with that he was fourth in win shares (behind only James, Durant, and Paul) and 7th in steals.  Harden worked it on both sides of the ball and proved himself to be an elite player.

Chandler Parsons was 7th in eFG% last season including shooting 38.5% from 3pt range which was better that any GSW player last season.

Asik can play the Otis Thorpe to Howard's Olajuwon.  I fully understand the difference in playing styles of Howard and Dream, but having a tough guy down low like Asik helps Howard  far more than hinders him.  Asik can do the dirty work and score the putbacks (and punish people the try to harm Howard or any one else for that matter).  Howard and Asik were one and two in total rebounds last season.

If the Rockets give up Asik I wouldn't mind Anderson, but I would prefer a defensive minded rebounder that doesn't mind dirty work.

The point here is that this is a young nucleus that is full of promise, and adding Howard makes this team an instant title contender.  The Rockets thoughtfully built a strong contender.  GSW lucked into the success they had last year.  Three of the four highest paid players on that lineup were Bogut, Jefferson, and Biedrins.  What player would think they were making wise decisions?  Two that went to the team in trades that were questionable and one that was resigned for an insane amount that had many scratching their heads.  They have a good coach, but the reason why they are good is because they got lucky twice in the draft and Lee was a solid signing.  Howard going to GSW is intriguing, but how can you trust them to keep making the best choices?  As a player I would trust the decision making skills of Morey since he has proven prudence and basketball since are the key things he brings to building a contender.

To the Lakers thing...who is signing there in 2014.  Not LeBron.  Sorry, but it ain't happening.  The Lakers will likely have to build through the draft.  They will get some free agents, but when Kobe comes back he isn't going to be the superstar anymore.  He is too old with a far too horrific injury to be the Kobe of old.  I always hated Kobe, but I respect him to.  At the end of all of this it is rebuilding time for them and the Celtics.

Now Die in a Fire.
7/7/2013 2:56 PM
um: "I don't like the lakers, I don't like the lakers, I don't like the lakers" - got it

"I don't know anything about the game of basketball so I think adding a defensive minded big next to a one dimensional defensive minded big is better than putting a stretch 4 next to Dwight" and/or "I don't know anything about basketball so I think Steve Novak er, Parsons(who shot 38.5% from behind the arc so that's an insult to Novak) is better pure shooting than Thompson/Curry (41%/45% from behind the arc on double the volume each)" - got it

Asik can play Otis Thorpe's role? jesus dude, different dude, different game, different time (no zone/illegal d back then) - Asik is nothing like Thorpe and that role doesn't even exist anymore, not since changes to defensive spacing/illegal d rules

  Three of the four highest paid players on that lineup were Bogut, Jefferson, and Biedr
 
you poor sad sob - Bogut's expiring contract would have been shipped out in the s&t to land Dwight and the other 2 expiring contracts are already gone in the trade that made space for Iggy +8m

why am I bothering talking to people who don't know ****? seriously, keep up - delfino was waived, biedrins/Jefferson and 2 picks were converted into 20m in cap space 8m of which is still left over after signing Iggy

the Warriors are just as young as the Rockets, have more talent and would have been a better fit all around

seriously, seriously...u r dumb

7/7/2013 4:03 PM (edited)
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