2013 NBA Offseason Thread...

Discussion in 'Sports and Fitness' started by HaventGotALife, Jun 30, 2013.

  1. HaventGotALife

    HaventGotALife Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    The draft is done, and free agency starts tomorrow. Brandon Jennings wants to play in a big market, my hometown Pistons are emerging as a potential suitor for Andre Iguodala. And then there's Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Where will they sign? I hear Dwight will meet with the Warriors soon after free agency begins. I would love to see him go to Houston. As for Paul, he should stay put.
     
  2. Alidar Jarok

    Alidar Jarok Everything in moderation but moderation Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Location:
    Norfolk, VA
    I suspect Howard will wait quite a bit before making up his mind on what to do. I think Chris Paul will re-sign, so he might do that quickly, but he'll probably test the waters a bit (not that players didn't test the waters before free agency started). Josh Smith might be a big prize for some teams as well.

    Other teams, of course, seem to want to be in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes instead (and, if not him, the rest of the 2014 draft is apparently pretty good). Both the Sixer and Celtic firesales will be intriguing (Sixers specifically for next year, the Celtics got a ton of picks for quite awhile). Obviously, Celtics fans will be sad to see Pierce go, but it's clearly time. Likewise, I love Jrue Holiday, but I don't think the Sixers were going to win with him so I'm cautiously optimistic about that trade.
     
  3. tomalak301

    tomalak301 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2003
    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Whatever happens with the Howard situation, I hope he doesn't come to the Warriors. He's a cancer that the Warriors don't need, and they have Bogut and Ezili when he is healthy.
     
  4. HaventGotALife

    HaventGotALife Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    Well, that was quick.
     
  5. Alidar Jarok

    Alidar Jarok Everything in moderation but moderation Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Location:
    Norfolk, VA
    Makes sense. Short of the Clippers being extremely stingy, this was always the most likely outcome.
     
  6. HaventGotALife

    HaventGotALife Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    You have to wonder what the future of Amar'e is if they do this deal.

    Wow. I would love to put him at the 3 instead of Iggy.

    Will they have a team left if Dwight Howard signs?

    Who? I hope he works out for them.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2013
  7. Alidar Jarok

    Alidar Jarok Everything in moderation but moderation Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Location:
    Norfolk, VA
    Isn't Marcus Camby 140 years old? Any trade involving him is probably good for the Knicks.
     
  8. Borgminister

    Borgminister Admiral Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2001
    Location:
    California
    What I find kind of ironic is Golden State trying to unload Lee after that melodrama last year in the playoffs...
     
  9. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2013
    Location:
    The Captain's Table
    Not ironic at all. He's not that good and doesn't really fit the defensive identity Mark Jackson's trying to build there. Then again, neither do Curry, Thompson, or Barnes, but at least they try on the defensive end. Lee's a complete liability there.

    --Sran
     
  10. Borgminister

    Borgminister Admiral Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2001
    Location:
    California
    He's an all-star.

    But what I meant by irony is how Jackson tried to stir inspiration by Lee playing "hurt" against the Nuggets last year in the playoffs, even though supposedly needing surgery. Now he's expendable. I remember Karl saying how "weird" that was...
     
  11. HaventGotALife

    HaventGotALife Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    Why would anyone outside of Clipperland do this deal? It's ridiculously bad for the other two teams.
     
  12. HaventGotALife

    HaventGotALife Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    Please let this happen! He would be a great addition to this team.
     
  13. Borgminister

    Borgminister Admiral Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2001
    Location:
    California
    Funny how Iggy sniffed at 56 million from Sacto and had the offer rescinded... :lol:

    It may take a few years, but Sacto will rise again. From the ashes, yes, but still, rise.
     
  14. gblews

    gblews Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    Location:
    So. Cal.
    I don't think you have anything to worry about. :)

    Yes. He can board his ass off and score down low. These are skills any team can use.

    Must be a salary dump for some or all of the other teams.

    That was wierd. Wonder what happened? Doesn't Sacto have new owners, or aren't they getting new owners?

    Well, Dwight is being smart this time and speeding up the process probably in order to quell the "diva" and "drama queen" talk. I expect he will make his decision known in a few days. July 10th is the first day they can sign, so we will probably know something before then.

    Whatever he decides, I'm not too worried about the Lakers, though I'd be a lot more "not worried" if Dr. Buss were still around. Our down time between contending teams has averaged about 3 years and some fans complain bitterly even about that. Yeah, we're spoiled.
     
  15. HaventGotALife

    HaventGotALife Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    Chris Paul (Clippers), Tony Allen (Grizzlies), Kevin Martin (Joining T-Wolves from Thunder), Chase Budinger (T-Wolves), JJ Redick (Joining Clippers in Sign-and-trade from Bucks), David West (Pacers), Tiago Splitter (Spurs), and Manu Ginobili (Spurs) all off the market.

    Pistons rumored to be in the running for Rajon Rondo as well (feelers to Danny Ainge from sources). Knicks going after Elton Brand. Dwight Howard is saying he will make his decision on Friday. The Lakers, Mavericks, Hawks, Rockets, and Warriors are courting him. He says the decision is "Completely up in the air." We'll wait and see.

    The Kings pulled the offer because Iguodala wanted to wait and see if Denver would match. Sacramento was unwilling to wait and that is why they pulled the offer. Yes, they have new ownership. The team was sold for over 400 million dollars to the Seattle group (the Maloofs majority share) although the NBA is not willing to let them move the team. It lowered the price. Their original bid was 550 million dollars that may have netted the franchise 664 million when you consider all parties involved. The Board of governors rejected their plan to move from Sacramento to Seattle, and therefore, the bid. They re-bid with the intention of staying in Sacramento (and the community building them a new arena). The other owners, sans the Maloofs, are still owners of the franchise, although not a majority share.

    As for the Clippers-Suns-Bucks trade, I don't see why Milwaukee traded for JJ Redick when they had Monta Ellis. 2 second round picks still seems light packing for this. If it were 2 first-round picks, then sure. The Clippers are the clear winner here. Coming off of last season, they had Chauncey Billups, great in his day, but not worth the money and the starting nod in 2013. Billups is a free agent and San Antonio is rumored to be after him. They should let him go. Their 3-guard rotation of Chris Paul, JJ Redick (who can run some point), and Jamal Crawford is a lot younger, more talented, and it stresses the three ball without giving up things like ball movement and foul shooting. Then there's Caron Butler. He has been absent in the second half of last season and the playoffs. When he's on, the Clippers looked like a different team. But he's 34 before the end of this season. He's had knee trouble, and his shot just wasn't falling. They get a very versatile and underrated player in Jared Dudley who can come in a shoot threes, rebound the basketball, played every position in Phoenix besides point guard, and is a good locker room guy. So, on paper, with Doc Rivers coaching them, they look like this:

    PG: Chris Paul
    SG: JJ Redick
    SF: Jared Dudley
    PF: Blake Griffin
    C: Deandre Jordan

    They still have an underrated Matt Barnes to play 2-4. He can play tough perimeter defense, rebound the basketball, and score consistently from outside as a stretch-4. This is just fantastic. I cannot imagine the offseason going better for them then it has. They still have Willie Green who is great on penetration into the lane and hitting the outside shot at the 1 and 2 positions. They get a backup point guard, and a couple of bigs off the bench, they will be ready to contend for a Championship starting next season.
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2013
  16. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2013
    Location:
    The Captain's Table
    The Boston Celtics have a new coach: Butler University's Brad Stevens. As a Butler alumnus (2005), I've had the privilege of watching Brad helm Butler's squad for the past six years, which included two trips to the Final Four and the NCAA National Championship Game.

    Stevens is a great coach. I only wonder if his hiring means the end of Rajon Rondo in Boston, as I can't see the two of them getting along. Brad's a class act, but Rondo is extremely high-maintenance and likely won't be happy leading a rebuilding effort in Beantown.

    --Sran
     
  17. Danny99

    Danny99 Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2002
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    I don't think Amar'e has anything to worry about.

    Bargnani is at best a bench player and the Raptors made a huge mistake in drafting him first overall, especially when Rondo went in the same first round.

    Hope he is as frustrating to Knicks fans as he has been to Raptors fans.
     
  18. HaventGotALife

    HaventGotALife Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    I thought this was an interesting read about what the Pistons are thinking. Looks like the Pistons are running out of their first options.
     
  19. HaventGotALife

    HaventGotALife Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    Tyreke Evans has landed in New Orleans with the Pelicans in a three-team trade that sent Robin Lopez to Portland Trailblazers, Grievis Vasquez to the Sacramento Kings. The winners of that trade are both the Pelicans and the Kings. Ben McLemore and Marcus Thornton are at the two now, Vasquez and Jimmer Fredette at the point. They are set in their guards with Jason Thompson and Demarcus Cousins up-front. They need a small forward, didn't lose much cap space, and still could go after one in free agency to make themselves playoff contenders. The Pelicans now have a three-guard rotation of Eric Gordon (17.0 ppg, 3.3 apg, and 1.1 spg), Tyreke Evans (15.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.5 apg), and Jrue Holiday (17.7 ppg, 8.0 apg, 4.2 rpg, and 1.6 spg). They still have Austin Rivers as well. Fantastic backcourt to go with Ryan Andersen and Anthony Davis upfront. They are playoff contenders.

    Kyle Korver stayed with the Hawks, I cannot believe that Chicago let Marco Belinelli go to San Antonio. They get another great shooter, like they need one. Earl Clark, formerly with the Lakers, has joined the Cleveland Cavaliers. In their first big free agency signee, the Charlotte Bobcats (soon-to-be the Hornets) landed Al Jefferson with a 40-million dollar deal. The Knicks agreed to bring back both J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni.



    And the Dwight Howard update. No decision as of yet. The Warriors are trying hard to clear cap space (call the Pistons!). The Lakers now fear they may lose Dwight Howard. And it is being reported that Houston and Golden State are the two teams Howard is pursuing.

    The Pistons are looking at bringing back both Will Bynum and Jose Calderon. They will probably have one of the other. Chicago and New York have made plays for Bynum. Chauncey Billups is being reported as a possible replacement should either bolt. Joe D and Chauncey are on better terms now then they have been since the trade to Denver in late 2008. And he would serve as a mentor (with shooting) to the younger Detroit members. I say bring him back. The Pistons need a leader in the locker room and Billups would be that, while they would have a late-game shooter if they need one.
     
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2013
  20. Borgminister

    Borgminister Admiral Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2001
    Location:
    California
    Hopefully the Chuckster will be yelling "Belinelliiiiiiii!!!" next year... :) San Antonio is ever unflappable, and has enough cap space to sign just one more surprise, maybe a serviceable big man. Andrew Bogut?