George is a beast. It would be good to see Granger hang about for depth's sake, as I'd love to see the Pacers knock Heat off their perch and remain a force over the next few seasons.
NBA Thread 2013-2014
- Thread starter Eboue
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Actually I have no idea, is that the case? I've read we're supposed to be one of the teams in the LeBron sweepstakes (next contract) which made me think Granger's salary space would be open, but maybe not. Otherwise I'm not sure how we would be getting enough space to sign someone to another max deal.
Stephenson will need a new, bigger deal, and it would certainly be nice to keep Granger if he can actually play. He might take a fair sized pay cut because the team has paid him for not playing for so long. So we might not really end up with all that much space.
That's exactly true..
This is how Indiana's salaries look like for the coming years:
With Hibbert, Hill, West and George (who signed an extension three months ago) all having guaranteed contracts till 2015 (practically till 2016 actually), the Pacers are already paying $60m+ in guaranteed contracts next year (which is above the cap max)..
Then you have Stephenson (which imo is very important for them, and definitely worth more than a minimum contract) and Scola...
However, will it be possible for them to re-sign Granger (for max contract) and then trade him for a max contract player (assuming he'll be a tradable piece for a max player next year)? I think he qualifies for the Bird right rule, but I'm not 100% sure I fully understand the rules of the new CBA..
Rasual Butler is still in the league?
He was out for a bit, this is a comeback.
Good stuff, thanks Danny.
The Pacers can look to pick up a big free agent in 2015, it looks like, by opting out on Hibbert and/or West. We could probably pay Stephenson something like what West is getting, and then give someone whose worth it, like LeBron, the max deal in place of Hibbert.
Or we might even be able to clear out everyone but Hibbert and George then pick up a third All-Star and fill the rest of the team with minimum contracts. But I'd rather not do that, we have good team chemistry.
Good stuff, thanks Danny.
The Pacers can look to pick up a big free agent in 2015, it looks like, by opting out on Hibbert and/or West. We could probably pay Stephenson something like what West is getting, and then give someone whose worth it, like LeBron, the max deal in place of Hibbert.
Or we might even be able to clear out everyone but Hibbert and George then pick up a third All-Star and fill the rest of the team with minimum contracts. But I'd rather not do that, we have good team chemistry.
I don't think they can do that either, because that year is a player option not a team option.
I think the only way they can land a big name is by re-signing Granger and trading him.. The problem with that is I don't think coming back from injury he can be traded for a big name, unless he proves himself this season in a big way, in which case he'll have to play a lot of minutes, which brings up the question: Can he fit in? And is Indiana ready to take the risk of messing up with a system that is working perfectly for them?
Otherwise, they have to depend on the mid-level exception, which isn't a bad choice imo, because the team they have now isn't shabby at all, and with the MLE they could still improve it, like they did by bringing Scola this year.
Okay, so the stuff in blue is player option, and West and Hibbert will almost certainly be taking their option, I would think, though some think James is gonna opt out so he can sign a longer deal, so maybe Hibbert might do the same. At that point we could resign Hibbert to another max deal and trade him for another max deal, right? Not that I want to do that, Hibbert is pure gold these days, and young to boot. But for James, I suppose you'd have to, most would say.
But yeah, George's deal is replacing Granger's, basically.
Check this out... revamping the lottery... intriguing. It gets more in-depth in the article so take a gander if you have the spare time.
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-t...ng-good-bye-to-the-lottery-hello-to-the-wheel
--Grantland obtained a copy of the proposal, which would eliminate the draft lottery and replace it with a system in which each of the 30 teams would pick in a specific first-round draft slot once — and exactly once — every 30 years. Each team would simply cycle through the 30 draft slots, year by year, in a predetermined order designed so that teams pick in different areas of the draft each year. Teams would know with 100 percent certainty in which draft slots they would pick every year, up to 30 years out from the start of every 30-year cycle. The practice of protecting picks would disappear; there would never be a Harrison Barnes–Golden State situation again, and it wouldn’t require a law degree to track ownership of every traded pick leaguewide.
The system is simpler to understand in pictorial form. Below is the wheel that outlines the order in which each team would cycle through the draft slots; the graphic highlights the top six slots in red to show that every team would be guaranteed one top-six pick every five seasons, and at least one top-12 pick in every four-year span:
Put another way: The team that gets the no. 1 pick in the very first year of this proposed system would draft in the following slots over the system's first six seasons: 1st, 30th, 19th, 18th, 7th, 6th. Just follow the wheel around clockwise to see the entire 30-year pick cycle of each team, depending on their starting spoke in Year 1.
The system is designed to eliminate the link between being very bad and getting a high draft pick. There is no benefit at all to being bad under a wheel system like this. If you believe tanking is morally wrong, or that it hurts business by alienating fans and cutting into attendance, this is a system you could get behind. --
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-t...ng-good-bye-to-the-lottery-hello-to-the-wheel
--Grantland obtained a copy of the proposal, which would eliminate the draft lottery and replace it with a system in which each of the 30 teams would pick in a specific first-round draft slot once — and exactly once — every 30 years. Each team would simply cycle through the 30 draft slots, year by year, in a predetermined order designed so that teams pick in different areas of the draft each year. Teams would know with 100 percent certainty in which draft slots they would pick every year, up to 30 years out from the start of every 30-year cycle. The practice of protecting picks would disappear; there would never be a Harrison Barnes–Golden State situation again, and it wouldn’t require a law degree to track ownership of every traded pick leaguewide.
The system is simpler to understand in pictorial form. Below is the wheel that outlines the order in which each team would cycle through the draft slots; the graphic highlights the top six slots in red to show that every team would be guaranteed one top-six pick every five seasons, and at least one top-12 pick in every four-year span:
Put another way: The team that gets the no. 1 pick in the very first year of this proposed system would draft in the following slots over the system's first six seasons: 1st, 30th, 19th, 18th, 7th, 6th. Just follow the wheel around clockwise to see the entire 30-year pick cycle of each team, depending on their starting spoke in Year 1.
The system is designed to eliminate the link between being very bad and getting a high draft pick. There is no benefit at all to being bad under a wheel system like this. If you believe tanking is morally wrong, or that it hurts business by alienating fans and cutting into attendance, this is a system you could get behind. --
The Christmas games look shit now.
Mike D'Antoni needs to find another team to coach for.
League Standings:
1. Pacers .821 (23-5)
2. Blazers .821 (23-5)
3. Thunder .821 (23-5)
4. Heat .786 (22-6)
5. Spurs .759 (22-7)
6. Clippers .667 (20-10)
7. Rockets .633 (19-11)
8. Suns .630 (17-10)
9. Mavs .571 (16-12)
10. Warriors .567 (17-13)
Very, very congested at the top, which should make for some really exciting playoffs...in the West, anyway.
Clippers have jumped up the charts after a slow start and not all that much press. The Blazers have shown they're for real by staying at the top of the league. The Thunder have quietly climbed into the top three by winning 9 of 10.
And how about those Suns?! That team is a group of castaways and bench players, Jeff Hornacek must be some kind of super genius, his job there is as impressive as Brad Stevens in Boston at the top of the coaching exploits of the season.
The Rockets have also climbed the pile and look like they're starting to click.
1. Pacers .821 (23-5)
2. Blazers .821 (23-5)
3. Thunder .821 (23-5)
4. Heat .786 (22-6)
5. Spurs .759 (22-7)
6. Clippers .667 (20-10)
7. Rockets .633 (19-11)
8. Suns .630 (17-10)
9. Mavs .571 (16-12)
10. Warriors .567 (17-13)
Very, very congested at the top, which should make for some really exciting playoffs...in the West, anyway.
Clippers have jumped up the charts after a slow start and not all that much press. The Blazers have shown they're for real by staying at the top of the league. The Thunder have quietly climbed into the top three by winning 9 of 10.
And how about those Suns?! That team is a group of castaways and bench players, Jeff Hornacek must be some kind of super genius, his job there is as impressive as Brad Stevens in Boston at the top of the coaching exploits of the season.
The Rockets have also climbed the pile and look like they're starting to click.
The only thing Hornacek has done wrong this season is to play Bledsoe over Dragic at PG. I've my doubts over whether Bledsoe will be returning next season.
Kyrie Irving was fantastic to watch yesterday. Even though he gave away a few turnovers, was quiet in the first quarter, he was fantastic in the other three. Cavs lost after going to OT but they played well enough to get the win. First game I watched in a few years, it was a cracker.
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I bet he wouldn't be as good if he was called Kevin.
You have alley-opp'd that over my head. Get me with a basketball joke.....
Vogel and Pop took a lot of heat last year for playing the last seconds against the Heat without their traditional center. Last night was one of those occasions where Bosh showed why they did have a point...
Blake Griffin has really improved I'd put only Love and Aldridge above him at the 4.
Got to agree there, I've been really surprised with his development this season. He's hitting his jumpers now and actually has a few post moves up his sleeve.
Been following the Suns since 2006-2007 season when Steve Nash return to Phoenix. Still can't believe they can go 18-11 on this roster. The starting five is basically like this: Ex-backup, ex-backup, ex-backup of backup, journey man, and return-after-a-year-with-injury guy.
Hornacek and McDonough has been fantastic so far. McDonough somehow managed to get Bledsoe for Dudley and a second round pick. And how do you like the Scola trade gooDevil?
. Very please that he does well on Pacers. He was one of the few who actually played hard for Suns last season. Miles Plumlee has been a revelation and Green has been shooting lights out from 3. Hornacek looks and sounds like a guy who knows what he's doing, so glad he went back to Phoenix. Utah must be kicking themselves not offering him a job earlier.elmo, this is Bledsoe first starting job, so he's learning on the fly on how to lead a team. There are flashes of what he's capable of, but yeah not consistent enough. But Dragic has been so good playing off ball, and has been shooting well, so Bledsoe will play the 1. It will do the Suns good in the long run once Bledsoe got the hang of it.
I'm so happy to see Miles Plumlee play well in the NBA. He's put in tons of work after graduating, and it's paying off. I wish he had been this assertive at Duke. He was a great rebounder and solid defender, but in the NBA, he's doing it on the offensive end too.
Been following the Suns since 2006-2007 season when Steve Nash return to Phoenix. Still can't believe they can go 18-11 on this roster. The starting five is basically like this: Ex-backup, ex-backup, ex-backup of backup, journey man, and return-after-a-year-with-injury guy.
Hornacek and McDonough has been fantastic so far. McDonough somehow managed to get Bledsoe for Dudley and a second round pick. And how do you like the Scola trade gooDevil?
elmo, this is Bledsoe first starting job, so he's learning on the fly on how to lead a team. There are flashes of what he's capable of, but yeah not consistent enough. But Dragic has been so good playing off ball, and has been shooting well, so Bledsoe will play the 1. It will do the Suns good in the long run once Bledsoe got the hang of it.
I've no doubts over Bledsoe's talents, I just have doubts whether he'll return next season as he's a free agent and some team will surely offer him a max contract that he wants which I'm not sure we'll match, seeing what cheap bastards our owners are.
Xavier Henry out at least 7-10 days, Pau is back for tomorrow against the Bucks..
I think Sarver will offer him max. Suns can offer him more years and bigger raise IIRC. Did you read that piece by Woj on Yahoo Sports? Sarver seems to see the error of his ways.
Btw, Suns are now destroying Clippers is not even funny.
Max contract for Bledsoe seems a bit much! Would anyone else offer him that, I wonder. Not that many teams need a point guard that badly.
Dragic went beast mode again.
Suns could offer Bledsoe an extra year, but that would make him the designated 5 years max contract player and with how stacked the 2014 draft is, the Suns might prefer to use that on the player they draft instead.
Raptors have been better without Rudy Gay, Kings have been better with him! Guess that was a great trade, then.
Beating the pacers by 13, ouch!
Oh yeah, and who was saying Dallas wouldn't make the playoffs? Raspberries!
Beating the pacers by 13, ouch!
Oh yeah, and who was saying Dallas wouldn't make the playoffs? Raspberries!
Hibbert was in foul trouble, played only 21 minutes and eventually fouled out.
However it's still impressive that Toronto beat Chicago (in Chicago) and Indiana in back-to-back games. They also beat OKC (in OKC!) a few days ago.
Steph Curry, that is all.
Griffin-for-Carmelo rumor/talks gaining some steam supposedly. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10233011/carmelo-anthony-blake-griffin-proposal-mulled Also heard a Bynum-for-Gasol deal which would be a shit trade for the Lakers. How about a Carmelo-for-Gasol deal?
Nasty dunk by DeAndre last night. Unlike Griffin, Jordan actually dunks versus just throwing the ball through the hoop with power.
Nasty dunk by DeAndre last night. Unlike Griffin, Jordan actually dunks versus just throwing the ball through the hoop with power.
Gasol for Bynum would be amazing for the Lakers. They would save tons of money.
Bynum doesn't appear to have interest in the game. Do you think a return to LAL would change his mindset?
No, I think they would release him and save tons of money.
So like switching to Geico NBA-style.
Golden State up to 3 in the espn power rankings:
"Make it nine straight wins and a gaudy record of 18-3 when the first-choice starting five of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, David Lee and Andrew Bogut are all in uniform."
"Make it nine straight wins and a gaudy record of 18-3 when the first-choice starting five of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, David Lee and Andrew Bogut are all in uniform."
Still the heat to win it all?
No way.. I don't think the Heat are even a favorite anymore..
I know people (almost) always tend to pick the champions as favorites because, well, they are "the champions" and as long as they keep their core together it will be hard for people to bet against them, but, in reality, the Miami Heat right now do not have an advantage imo over several teams (Indiana and OKC just to name a couple)..
With being a back-to-back champion comes fatigue and more importantly a bit of arrogance, complacency, and less hunger to win more and on the other hand more hunger by the rivals to topple you. Indiana just needed to be a tiny little bit better to beat the Heat last year, and I think it's pretty obvious that they proved that they have got a lot better this year. Durant on the other hand is turning into a beast by learning how be even better without Westbrook, and honestly I don't think Miami can beat the two-headed monster that is OKC when Westbrook is back this season.
Add to that the fact that other teams are learning how to play against the Heat now, and exploit their major weakness (size in the paint)..
All-in-all, I don't think Miami will win it this year.. At least they are not the favorites to win it as things stand right now imo.
I call bollocks Danny. You've written the Heat off for the past 2 seasons
...The Heat are coasting now. The East is abysmal. Wade has missed about 10 games this season and they are neck to neck with Indiana record wise. It's a foregone conclusion that the Heat will meet Indiana in the finals. I think Indiana will hold home court advantage, because they want every advantage possible, and I think they want it more than the Heat. If the Heat can neutralize Hibbert in the finals by putting Oden (yeah I know) on him and giving him foul trouble, then the Heat will be in the final. Otherwise it's the Pacers in the finals.
If (and a big if) the Heat make it to the finals, they are putting any contender away from the West away in 6 games, period. Whoever makes it out of that conference will be sapped of strength, compared to the Heat/Pacers.
I call bollocks Danny. You've written the Heat off for the past 2 seasons
The Heat are coasting now. The East is abysmal. Wade has missed about 10 games this season and they are neck to neck with Indiana record wise. It's a foregone conclusion that the Heat will meet Indiana in the finals. I think Indiana will hold home court advantage, because they want every advantage possible, and I think they want it more than the Heat. If the Heat can neutralize Hibbert in the finals by putting Oden (yeah I know) on him and giving him foul trouble, then the Heat will be in the final. Otherwise it's the Pacers in the finals.
If (and a big if) the Heat make it to the finals, they are putting any contender away from the West away in 6 games, period. Whoever makes it out of that conference will be sapped of strength, compared to the Heat/Pacers.
Last season Miami were lucky to win it, and they didn't even meet OKC because of Westbrook's ill-timed injury.If you think Indiana are going to win home court advantage, you think Miami will beat Indiana at Indiana more than once?? Because Indiana are definitely going to win at least 1 out of 3 in Miami. Can't see it happening..
And Oden, I'll believe it when I see it.
So Deng for Bnyum with the latter being released following the trade, and probably getting offers from a few clubs desiring a big man as backup.
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-t...hinking-playoffs-the-bulls-are-thinking-ahead
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-t...hinking-playoffs-the-bulls-are-thinking-ahead