Mike1989

To be fair there are worse players on play off rosters than Turk, and some declining former decent players. Take the Heat they signed Juwan Howard, James Jones and Rasheed Lewis. Granted only Lewis gets limited minutes but there's a player on a contender that has been going worse every year since leaving Seattle. So if Lewis can find a spot on a team, then a healthy Turk could.

I think that the plan will be to continue developing the young players and that will pretty much ensure a lottery pick next season, if not a top four pick again. So if we could land another lottery pick for AA and Baby, and if we could get something in return for Turk and Harrington, then it would be great considering next year's draft class. I honestly don't see this team making a push for the play offs next season. The best I can see us doing is finishing with a record like the T-Wolves and Wizards, but no more if we head into the season with a young talented roster. Granted if we were to field a healthy Nelson, AA, and Baby alongside Harris and Vuc, plus any further additions, then that might be enough to push us into outside contention for a play off spot like the Raptors were. But personally I don't see Henny taking that path because he will not want us to be in that awkward position of not being bad enough for a top pick, but equally not being good enough to be a legit contender for the play offs and having our hands tied to 'bad' contracts that restrict the moves we can make. So I think it is pretty safe to say we'll have another 'tanking' season, and then push on in 2014/5 season, unless of course our young roster surprises us... :mellow:

What about taking McLemore? Him and Smart could form a decent long term back court duo.

I have to admit I think Burke could be a very good pick. He has an excellent skill set, but has also proved he's got that leadership and clutch ability to win games. He's good enough to start straight away, but with Nelson in that position it would allow us to nurture Burke into his long term successor. Granted we have other more pressing needs to address, but if we miss out on McLemore then I think grabbing Burke would be my next choice. I can understand why Noel should be under consideration, but personally I am still in favor of going for McLemore, then Burke, and finally Noel. At the minute I'd rather see us continue trying to develop Harris and Vuc in their respective roles. If Noel was healthy I guess Harris could always drop to SF, then Harkless to SG or the bench, that could work. But as good as Noel is defensively I think our pick could be better used on landing a long term guard - especially the shooting guard because that could allow us to trade AA away for a pick or a further piece. But I do agree with you that if we draft Noel there is no reason to rush him back too quickly.

Interesting idea, and to be honest it would be nice to come out with two players like that. The only issue I have with us taking Noel is that his selection might mean that Harkless or Harris will drop to the bench because Noel will either start at PF or C, with Vuc starting the other. Personally I'd rather see Harkless and Harris remain at the SF and PF positions for next season because I think they could develop into a very good forward combination, and defensively they should improve with work too. But taking this idea of trading back into the top 10, we could potentially draft McLemore and McCollum which could give us a young talented starting line up. That could be a good scenario. It would also help us shift AA and Baby, cut Turk and Harrington, and keep Nelson on for leadership. Though as you say such a scenario is a pipe dream! :lol:

That's what I thought. Williams/Harkless at small forward, and Harris and Nicholson at power forward has a lot of potential. Plus if we did miss out on a top two pick and didn't draft a PG this year, then we'll have a good chance to grab Smart. Personally I think AA or Baby plus our pick for the T-Wolves pick and Williams I think has good value. Granted it would mean missing out on Noel, McLemore and perhaps Burke. But I think the acquisition of Williams and someone like Bazz, Oladipo etc could more than make up for it. That said if we stayed and picked one of Noel, McLemore or Burke, then we could still shift Baby and/or AA in exchange for Williams. Best of both worlds then.

I read a mock on bleacher (not a great site, I know), and they had the T-Wolves trading their pick, plus Derrick Williams and Greg Shiemsma for the Bobcats pick and Tyrus Thomas. The T-Wolves take McLemore nd the Bobcats take Len. So it got me thinking, would we consider the same deal if we gave them Big Baby and our pick for their pick, Derrick Williams and Shiemsma? Williams would be an excellent addition at small forward and would push Harkless to move. At the PF we have Harris and Nicholson, and at C we have Vučević, O'Quinn and Shiemsma. At the guards we have Nelson and AA. So that would allow us to take a PG like McCollum, Schroeder or MCW; or a SG like Oladipo, Bazz or Caldwell-Pope. Granted they are projects, but a few of them have decent ceilings. So if Henny isn't sold on Noel, McLemore or Burke, then trading back for this type of deal could be an option.

I agree with you that Nelson seems to have the patience to be a mentor to this young team, and to be honest he looks to have thrived in that role. Like you, I hope that Jameer is a Magic lifer, but there is a big question mark over his long term role on this team. He's 31 now, so sooner or later this team will look to draft or sign his long term replacement, and if that happens this year with Trey Burke, then it wouldn't surprise me to see Henny trade Nelson while he still has decent value. Like you, I'd rather him stay on this team because he will be useful as a leader for the next two seasons on starting money ($8.6 million next season, and $8 million the following season), and by his next contract he could be retained as a valuable role player. Now I'd love if that scenario happened because he is one of my favorite players, but Henny has already shown by trading away JJ that he is not the type of GM that will keep hold of expensive role players, and at $8 million a season that is starting money, not bench money if we take Burke. Plus, Henny seems to be the type of GM that would rather make a move than lose a player with value for nothing, and Nelson still has value. That being said, I hope Nelson remains on our roster. In a trade for Big Baby and AA, or one of them and another player could see us land a mid first round pick, or at worst a pick in the 20-30 range. A top ten would be unlikely, but if a trade happen early on then we could strike it lucky if a team really really underachieved (for example, the T-Wolves were tipped for the play offs, but after injuries throughout the season they never fielded their strongest team and missed out by quite a distance). From a competitor perspective it might be a hard hit to take, but I'm sure they wouldn't complain about the money they would be earning. Plus, Harrington as a stand-up pro could take a vocal leadership role in the team, and heck if they could get Turk into shape he could still play a minor/useful role off the bench (though that is very unlikely).

If that deal is a possibility then I'd like to see it happen. Adding Williams to our forward position would give us another decent forward to go along with Harkless, Harris and Nicholson. Factor in another pick and that would be a great. That said, not sure they would want to give up Williams and a pick and take on AA. He's a decent player, AA, but his contract might hurt their chances to re-sign their out of contract players and/or land other big name free agents.

We've also go Harrington as well. Keep hold of Harrington and Turk and keep them on the bench, don't even have to play them. If we do trade away AA, Baby and Nelson I think it would be very likely that we would have a top five pick again without too much trouble. I'm interested to see what we could get in return, in an ideal world another top ten first round pick to go along with ours would be great. But equally if we can land more young talented players with upside then that could be a good swap to.

I didn't see a great deal of them during the regular season, but I've been very impressed by how they've played so far in the play offs. Randolph and Gasol have been immense, and Conley has played very well too. Personally I think they've played better without Rudy Gay than they did with him, and they are certainly looking like a title contender based on how they are playing.

As a base Smart, McLemore, Wiggins, Harris, and Vuc could be extremely exciting to watch, and that is without using any of our cap space to try and sign an all star or a couple of borderline stars. I guess the big thing Henny needs to try and do if he trades away Nelson, Afflalo and/or Big Baby is to try and land a top ten first round pick next year to allow us to grab another top young talent. If he can do that we'll be in very good shape. Depends though if we could get another pick in that range.

Agreed, can't see them wanting to replace Vazquez with Burke, Gordon with McLemore, or Davis/Lopez for Noel. So a small forward like Porter or Bennett would make the most sense for them - that is, unless they go into free agency and pursue a guy like Josh Smith to add borderline all star, but no idea how their cap space stands.

Shame he int declare because he'd have been a very good addition. But we may end up with him next year if we don't get a top two or three pick, or manage to grab another early pick va a trade.

I pretty much agree with the whole of your post, but this part stood out for me. It might seem that we are locked and loaded in that position if we go with Harkless (SF), Harris (PF), and Vuc © as starters; and with our backups we have Jones (SG/SF), Nicholson (PF), Big Baby (PF/C), and O'Quinn ©. But I wouldn't be surprised to see us draft Noel to give us more size and a dominant defensive presence on the court. Sure the Vuc has done very well last season, but Noel has the potential to be an excellent compliment to Vuc. Having those two at our C and PF positions would give the team a good defensive backbone, something which it lacked last season. By going that this route it would allow us to continue to use Nicholson as our backup power forward, and then shift Harris to his more natural small forward position, with Harkless becoming our backup small forward. I think Harris is undersized for the power forward position, and although a lot of players have made a living out of being undersized, in Harris' case I think his hustle, athleticism and his explosive scoring ability would be better ultilized at small forward. Sure Harkless is decent defensively, but the addition of Noel would give us the extra size we need. It would also allow us to develop Harkless' game to be a decent player off the bench. In this scenario if we could get a second top ten pick in next year's first round draft, then we could potentially end up landing Smart for the point guard position, and one of Harrison, Young, Selden or Hezonja for the shooting guard position. That would then give us a line up of: - Smart (PG), Harrison/Young/Selden/Hezonja (SG), Harris (SF), Noel (PF/C), Vuc (PF/C) Off the bench we'd have: - Harkless, Nicholson, O'Quinn, Moore, Jones and Lamb, plus any other players we acquire. For me that team would be defensively solid, and also possess an offensive threat as well. Granted it would be fleshed out with potential free agents with proven ability to help the team become competitive and make strides towards the play offs. But in terms of talent it would be a good base for this team's future. That said, going with a player like Burke or McLemore would give us the long term answer at one of our guard positions, and would then allow us to continue developing Harkless and Harris at the forward positions, with Vuc at C. Then in next year's draft we could address the other guard position if we did not land a top two pick. So a team could be: - Burke/Smart (PG), McLemore/Harrison, Young, Selden or Hezonja (SG), Harkless (SF), Harris (PF), Vuc © That line up has potential, and once fleshed out could help us become competitive. I guess that is the case with whoever we take in this year's draft, and of the two, I am honestly not sure which I would rather have at this time. I'd be happy with either turnout if we miss out on Wiggisn or Parker next year, but obviously I'd rather we grab one of them.

I've been impressed by how the Bulls have coped and been as competitive as they have without Rose: 5th best team in the east in the standings, good series win against the Nets, and now beating the Heat in game one. Makes you wonder how good this team would have been if they had a healthy Rose on the team. I wonder if Rose will make a comeback soon? I know they said they hinted that he was out of the play offs, but now that they are one up against the Heat they have a chance, so would Rose comeback to help them win the series, or continue to sit out?

McLemore would give us a good scoring shooting guard. It would also allow us to try and move Afflalo for either another young player or future draft picks. Equally Burke can bring leadership and decent play making ability, and that could allow us to move Nelson for another young player or future draft picks. So there are benefits to grabbing one of them, if we went McLemore and landed a second early pick in next year's draft, then we could go in there and grab Wiggins/Parker for SF, then Marcus Smart for PG (though that scenario is probably unlikely). That being said, my preference would be taking Noel. If he can return to full health he will add a dominant defensive presence to the court. He can slot in at PF, or go at C if we shift Vuc to PF. That could potentially sort our PF and C position for years to come. For me if he hadn't got injured he would have been the first pick off the board, though I'd be happy with McLemore or Burke.

Glad the Spurs and Bulls got past the Lakers and Nets. I wanted to see another Bulls/Heat series, should be interesting to see how competitive they can be against the Heat, and whether or not they can cause the upset of the play offs. And as for the Spurs, would be 'nice' to see them win another title.

Go to agree that if they offer that deal I think we should take it. I like the look of Williams, he's got the potential to be a very good player. And while Roy has injury problems, he does only have another year left on his deal so it doesn't come with a lot of risk. Plus grabbing another 1st round pick would be useful in getting another decent player, some good players can be had late on.

Close game, could easily have been a Grizzlies win if not for a mistake or two. Going to be a tough series for the Thunder, I can see it going to a decider.

Should have been more clear, the four teams with the best chance to win. Didn't feel like going through every lottery team.

That would certainly be the concern with the four teams that can get the first pick. Of them all the only team that would pass on McLemore is the Cavs since they have Waiters, but ourselves, the Suns and Bobcats all potentially need a shooting guard (unless of course the Bobcats re-sign Henderson). For me, if McLemore is the guy that we want, and we pick first, then we should go for it unless one of the other lottery teams offers us their lottery pick and their other first round pick (the Cavs have a lottery pick plus the 19th; the Suns have theirs plus a 30th; and the T-Wolves have a top ten pick and the 26th pick). Now if the T-Wolves came along and said we'll give you our top ten pick and our 26th, then we could do a trade in that scenario if they really want a player like Noel or McLemore. Statistically they are likely to have the 9th pick, and in mocks they see Shabazz going there, he could be an option at SG; otherwise we could grab a player like Oladipo, Olynyk or MCW with the 9th pick. Not sure who will be available come the 26th, but we could grab a decent late first round pick to add further talent. Though personally I'd probably still rather see us draft one of McLemore, Burke or Noel.

SVG might not be a pushover, but he still let things get out of hand, though he was to some degree isolated during the Dwight saga. My point was that under a great head coach, they would potentially be able to get more out of him, and generally those type of guys don't have players quit on them. So it was more aimed at D'Antoni than SVG. As for LeBron, he might be tempted to go to the Lakers. The one thing that was questioned in Miami was how will LeBron work with Wade. Wade was used to everything revolving around him, and then suddenly in comes LeBron who is used to everything revolving around him. They found a way to work together, and while they are significantly different characters to Dwight, I think in the right environment LeBron and Dwight could find a way to work together. But I see your point and agree with it to an extent, but ultimately money does a lot of talking in this league and if the Lakers offers LeBron the most money to go and pair with Dwight, then he may well end up being on the same team because LeBron might pursue the most money in his next contract now that he has got his ring. That said, Dwight is a very talent player, and for him to have the shortcomings he does is sad.

I hadn't thought of that either. If they went in for Paul instead of Howard, then a guard combination of CP3 and Harden would be arguably one of the best in the league. Certainly an improvement on Lin and Harden.

Not going to happen but if he went to the Spurs he would not get the better of a head coach like Coach Pop. If you pair him with the right head coach that knows how to deal with him, and motivate him to play to his potential then Dwight can still be an asset to the majority of teams. But I agree with you, he doesn't deserve to be among the highest paid players any more in the league, especially after the last two seasons have shown just how much of a cry baby he is.