Didn't seem like we were that interested in bringing Holmes back and the weed arrest probably didn't help, plus we have Baynes now. Still like Holmes for his hustle and athleticism, plus he can block shots.
If I had to guess, he was borderline in before the arrest, and now he's borderline out depending on the cap situation. This was not that big of a deal but if you're a player on the verge of making it and you have a marijuana conviction on your record...it's bad. He probably lost close to 10 million over three years on that.
Having Saric doesn't even give me pause, there is room for both as Ayton-Dedmon-Saric is a very solid C/PF rotation. Also, that means no Bridges/Oubre at PF.
What about Baynes?
Also, no minutes for Oubre/Bridges at the 4 means they get 24 each and it means no minutes for Cam Johnson
Having Saric doesn't even give me pause, there is room for both as Ayton-Dedmon-Saric is a very solid C/PF rotation. Also, that means no Bridges/Oubre at PF.
What about Baynes?
Also, no minutes for Oubre/Bridges at the 4 means they get 24 each and it means no minutes for Cam Johnson
Maybe thats the plan, for his hip's sake. If there is anything James Jones has taught us in his NBA career, it is that good character players can positively impact team performance on the bench.
Ring_Wanted wrote:
In any case, Dedmon is a player that fits perfectly here. Rim protection, rebounding and athleticism on defense, while also being a space provider on offense (38%3pt on 3 attempts over 25mpg). He is exactly what you need alongside Ayton-Booker, and I'd make a considerable effort to get him. Having Saric doesn't even give me pause, there is room for both as Ayton-Dedmon-Saric is a very solid C/PF rotation. Also, that means no Bridges/Oubre at PF.
Oubre at PF is not a thing that's going away. There will be a small lineup that gets to blow the doors off at times. I will not be surprised to see Saric out as first sub with Bridges coming in and Papi sliding over to PF. It's hard to engage in this kind of exercise without knowing who else we may sign though.
Here's my top targets at PF that are attainable. They are selected for age(23-30), expected cost, three point shooting, and defensive ability.
1. Daniel Theis. Meets all the criteria, and likely to be relatively cheap. Probably even better than Saric.
2. Al Farouq Aminu: defensive stud, decent shooter
3. Mirotic: Probably not going to be available, but MIL may not want to go deep into the luxury tax to keep him
4. Trey Lyles: Had a bad season last year, but was very good in 2017/1018 when his 3 point shot was falling. Probably available for low cost. Similar to Saric in that same year.
5. Henry Ellenson: Good three point shooter, even better defensive player who can play stretch 4/5. Probably a good vet min guy
Notable omissions: Julius Randle (pricey, terribly on defense, so-so 3 point shooter), Tobias Harris (more of a SF), Milsap (Old)
F/A PGs. Based on availability, age (23-30), fit with the team, passing ability, three point shooting.
1. Malcom Brogdon. Hits most of the sweet spots, but only OK as a distributor. Doesn't demand the ball. MIL likely to match, unless we make an outrageous offer however. Probably the best "fit" with the team we have.
2. DLO: High cost, high risk, high reward. Pro: Lots of assists, legit scoring threat. Ball dominant, poor defender. High end: we make the playoffs. Low end: he and Booker end up murdering each other for the ball. Availability dependent on Kyrie Irving situation.
3. Patrick Beverly: Does a lot of these things. 3 point shooter, takes care of the ball, good rebounder, Not a great distributor. High intangibles guy who will likely be in our price range and legit make us better. Just not playoff better.
4. Tyus Jones: High A/TO ratio. Young. Great defender. RFA. Similar in some respects to Beverly (i.e. top quality back up on most teams). SLight down year last year after a hand injury. Statistical outlier "intangibles" guy per RPM. If he could get his 3 point percentage up, he'd be ranked well above Beverly.
5. Cory Joseph: Same category as Jones and Beverly, but slightly worse in most regards.
Notable omissions: Ricky Rubio (made noises like he doesn't want to be here), Terry Rozier (just enough of a head case that we won't touch him after Jackson), Elfrid Payton (didn't work last time), COllison (too old, doesn't want to play for a terrible team), Ish Smith (poor shooter, too small), McConnell (ghastly defensive numbers), Teodosic (hated NBA life and returning to Europe)
Having Saric doesn't even give me pause, there is room for both as Ayton-Dedmon-Saric is a very solid C/PF rotation. Also, that means no Bridges/Oubre at PF.
What about Baynes?
Also, no minutes for Oubre/Bridges at the 4 means they get 24 each and it means no minutes for Cam Johnson
It remains to be seen if Baynes is on the roster by opening day. It's been rumored he wants a buyout to play for a winning team. We'll see, but Aron Bynes doesn't preclude me from acquiring better players that I see better fit alongside Booker-Ayton.
No minutes for Cam Johnson is something I can perfectly live with, again, if a better fit is added. And I am very sceptical about Oubre/Bridges at PF. Actually, that's an experiment I don't want to try.
Of course, I am not Jones, and those are not the guys I traded for, so we'll see. In my opinion, it just doesn't look good, but many things can happen over the summer.
Didn't seem like we were that interested in bringing Holmes back and the weed arrest probably didn't help, plus we have Baynes now. Still like Holmes for his hustle and athleticism, plus he can block shots.
If I had to guess, he was borderline in before the arrest, and now he's borderline out depending on the cap situation. This was not that big of a deal but if you're a player on the verge of making it and you have a marijuana conviction on your record...it's bad. He probably lost close to 10 million over three years on that.
I'd bring him back on a minimum deal.
So much for marijuana being “the cheapest drug there is.”
Having Saric doesn't even give me pause, there is room for both as Ayton-Dedmon-Saric is a very solid C/PF rotation. Also, that means no Bridges/Oubre at PF.
What about Baynes?
Also, no minutes for Oubre/Bridges at the 4 means they get 24 each and it means no minutes for Cam Johnson
It remains to be seen if Baynes is on the roster by opening day. It's been rumored he wants a buyout to play for a winning team. We'll see, but Aron Bynes doesn't preclude me from acquiring better players that I see better fit alongside Booker-Ayton.
No minutes for Cam Johnson is something I can perfectly live with, again, if a better fit is added. And I am very sceptical about Oubre/Bridges at PF. Actually, that's an experiment I don't want to try.
Of course, I am not Jones, and those are not the guys I traded for, so we'll see. In my opinion, it just doesn't look good, but many things can happen over the summer.
Those initial reports were shot down. We acquired Baynes to play him. And there is no way we reached at 11 to draft one of the most nba ready guys to not play him.
I get that what you want to do is different than Jones, so I’m not saying your idea would be bad. I like Dedmon, I just can’t see it happening. Although I didn’t see a lot of what we did on draft night happening.
As for Oubre/Bridges at PF. I know most people don’t like the idea, but I think that mostly stems from last year when one of those guys was essentially playing PF full time. Almost every team in the league plays a guy like Oubre or Bridges at PF for stretches and I think both showed they can do well there at times. They’re both very long and Oubre especially has shown some rim protection abilities. They could both use some strength and do better on the boards, Oubre again showed flashes here, but I’m not worried in the least about them playing 16-20 minutes combined at the 4.
Don’t play them when Griffin or Millsap or Aldridge or AD or Favors, etc are on the court at the 4. But can they defend Aminu, Tucker, Grant, Barnes, Kuzma, etc? Ya, I have no problem there.
Don’t play them when Griffin or Millsap or Aldridge or AD or Favors, etc are on the court at the 4. But can they defend Aminu, Tucker, Grant, Barnes, Kuzma, etc? Ya, I have no problem there.
That's my opinion as well. Aminu, Harkless, Grant and other "PFs" in that 6-8 or 6-9 220 range. That's where I also see Cam Johnson maybe seeing some minutes down the road (assuming he proves he belongs out there). Shouldn't be a full time option or something that's part of our gameplan everynight but if the matchup and advantage is there, we should have the players to take advantage.
I also haven't seen confirmation that Baynes does want to be here, but I know we can't comment until the trade is official. I wouldn't put it past our FO to have not spoken with his agent and done some due diligence beforehand to make sure he's cool coming here. I could just as easily see us getting bent over and him ask for a buyout or something.
Well it’s not really up to Baynes. Gambo said we are keeping him. I know Gambo isn’t necessarily the most reliable source, but I tend to think he’s right here.
Well it’s not really up to Baynes. Gambo said we are keeping him. I know Gambo isn’t necessarily the most reliable source, but I tend to think he’s right here.
I sure hope so. It's about time we got a rugged Aussie that can throw dudes around like rag dolls.
"Too little, too late, too unbothered."
- Phoenix Suns 2023-2024 season motto.
Well it’s not really up to Baynes. Gambo said we are keeping him. I know Gambo isn’t necessarily the most reliable source, but I tend to think he’s right here.
I sure hope so. It's about time we got a rugged Aussie that can throw dudes around like rag dolls.
Agreed. I like him in a role to toughen up Ayton in practice. This has multiple layers of positives.
"When we all think alike, nobody is thinking" - Walter Lippmann "Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them." ~ Frederick Douglass
Last time we traded for an Aussie center, I didn’t like it.
Maybe this is a little different, he was born in New Zealand.
"When we all think alike, nobody is thinking" - Walter Lippmann "Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them." ~ Frederick Douglass
