2016 Off-Season Thread

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

I'm not overly impressed. Assuming Vooch comes off the bench that sounds like a nice spark, but we have no clue how good he can be in whatever new role we'll have for him assuming he's still here by the time the season starts. Our best bench player will be whoever is not starting between Gordon and Green, which is good but the rest don't really impress me. Even if you want to call it above average, it still is silly to prefer that over a potential star player.

 

eh, it's not crazy to prefer stability + the chance at a great player in free agency vs a high likelihood of a great team for one year and then a terrible team the following year with no room for improvement.

 

because if Westbrook leaves, we're looking at Augustin-Fournier-?-ibaka-Biyombo with 42 million remaining to fill out the rest of the roster during a season where one max contract is 29 million.

 

vs

 

Payton-Fournier-Gordon-Ibaka-Biyombo; Vucevic-hezonja-augustin multiple draft picks with the option of dumping vucevic for a shot at a payton replacement.

[Mack1085 57]

I hope Westbrook is traded to the Lakers soon so we can move on from this and save the unrealistic point guard conversation for next offseason. There will plenty of that then.

 

On another note, I'm glad to hear Payton coming around on our "above average bench," comprised by 3-4 of our offseason moves that don't make sense on the whole to him.

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,032]

I'm not a huge fan of Westbrook's playing style but I respect him as a player and would be cool if we traded the farm for him.

 

I would also be cool if we didn't trade for him.

 

--

 

Right now, outside of the starting PG, I love our roster.

[Magicman28 295]

I'm not a huge fan of Westbrook's playing style but I respect him as a player and would be cool if we traded the farm for him.

 

I would also be cool if we didn't trade for him.

 

--

 

Right now, outside of the starting PG, I love our roster.

 

 

Yeah. Westbrook is so good but I really prefer Elfrid to elevate to another level. I just don't feel good about it.

 

Would be nice to see more clips of his off season training.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

I hope Westbrook is traded to the Lakers soon so we can move on from this and save the unrealistic point guard conversation for next offseason. There will plenty of that then.

 

On another note, I'm glad to hear Payton coming around on our "above average bench," comprised by 3-4 of our offseason moves that don't make sense on the whole to him.

 

dude, I advocated signing Green. I like Biyombo. I like Augustin as a backup. I like Meeks as a shooter off the bench. I love Ibaka.

 

I don't like having 10 similarly talented players, 4 of which are locked in to one position (payton, augustin, Biyombo, Vucevic) all deserving around 24 mpg minimum and effectively being limited in the amount of creativity we can throw out there because of a rigid rotation.

 

I want to see ibaka at the 5. I want to see Gordon at the 5 occasionally because it was a fun, weird lineup last year. I want to see us run out a Hezonja-Fournier-Green-Gordon-ibaka lineup to see how other teams deal with 5 6'7-6'10 guys who can all play on the perimeter and switch every screen on defense. I want to see how a payton-meeks-fournier-hezonja-gordon lineup looks on the court.

 

Over the past 3 seasons, vucevic has played less than 20 minutes only 7 times, and he's supposed to be ok with playing 20mpg or less, regularly?

 

Over the past 4 seasons, Green has played less than 20 minutes only 16 times, on veteran laden playoff teams, and he's supposed to be ok with not playing regularly?

 

Over his entire career, Ibaka has played about 2,300 minutes at center and he's going to suddenly play zero minutes at center?

 

This is concerning. I don't want Hezonja or Gordon's development stunted because we have to squeeze everyone's playing time in. What would Gordon look like now if he was given 30+ minutes 60 times last year instead of only 19? What would Gordon look like now if we treated him like Fournier and just handed a few games over to him, gave him 13 40+ minute games instead of zero. What would our team look like now if we didn't open up minutes for Fournier and instead treated him like Gordon?

[Odin 137]

dude, I advocated signing Green. I like Biyombo. I like Augustin as a backup. I like Meeks as a shooter off the bench. I love Ibaka.

 

I don't like having 10 similarly talented players, 4 of which are locked in to one position (payton, augustin, Biyombo, Vucevic) all deserving around 24 mpg minimum and effectively being limited in the amount of creativity we can throw out there because of a rigid rotation.

 

I want to see ibaka at the 5. I want to see Gordon at the 5 occasionally because it was a fun, weird lineup last year. I want to see us run out a Hezonja-Fournier-Green-Gordon-ibaka lineup to see how other teams deal with 5 6'7-6'10 guys who can all play on the perimeter and switch every screen on defense. I want to see how a payton-meeks-fournier-hezonja-gordon lineup looks on the court.

 

Over the past 3 seasons, vucevic has played less than 20 minutes only 7 times, and he's supposed to be ok with playing 20mpg or less, regularly?

 

Over the past 4 seasons, Green has played less than 20 minutes only 16 times, on veteran laden playoff teams, and he's supposed to be ok with not playing regularly?

 

Over his entire career, Ibaka has played about 2,300 minutes at center and he's going to suddenly play zero minutes at center?

 

This is concerning. I don't want Hezonja or Gordon's development stunted because we have to squeeze everyone's playing time in. What would Gordon look like now if he was given 30+ minutes 60 times last year instead of only 19? What would Gordon look like now if we treated him like Fournier and just handed a few games over to him, gave him 13 40+ minute games instead of zero. What would our team look like now if we didn't open up minutes for Fournier and instead treated him like Gordon?

 

Yep, the issue with the current roster is not that our team isn't deep, or that it is "too deep", it is that there is not much differentiation in talent level between any players that potentially could play the same position. It is that our bench is filled with guys that could be the fifth starter/six-man on a veteran playoff team, but that statement is true for almost all of our starters too.

 

Edit: Some of this issue will be resolved if our young players continue to improve, but that still means we need to do something with the other players. This is why most playoff teams only really run 8 or so man rotations with the other players picking up the scraps.

[fan for too long 2 531]

Maybe we set a new NBA trend. Play 10 guys 24 min each. Rotating players quickly keeping the other teams off balance.

[Magicman28 295]

Maybe we set a new NBA trend. Play 10 guys 24 min each. Rotating players quickly keeping the other teams off balance.

 

 

I hope not. That's a clusterf**k.

[fan for too long 2 531]

It would take time to work. For the players to gel. U never know.

[Mack1085 57]

dude, I advocated signing Green. I like Biyombo. I like Augustin as a backup. I like Meeks as a shooter off the bench. I love Ibaka.

 

I don't like having 10 similarly talented players, 4 of which are locked in to one position (payton, augustin, Biyombo, Vucevic) all deserving around 24 mpg minimum and effectively being limited in the amount of creativity we can throw out there because of a rigid rotation.

 

I want to see ibaka at the 5. I want to see Gordon at the 5 occasionally because it was a fun, weird lineup last year. I want to see us run out a Hezonja-Fournier-Green-Gordon-ibaka lineup to see how other teams deal with 5 6'7-6'10 guys who can all play on the perimeter and switch every screen on defense. I want to see how a payton-meeks-fournier-hezonja-gordon lineup looks on the court.

 

Over the past 3 seasons, vucevic has played less than 20 minutes only 7 times, and he's supposed to be ok with playing 20mpg or less, regularly?

 

Over the past 4 seasons, Green has played less than 20 minutes only 16 times, on veteran laden playoff teams, and he's supposed to be ok with not playing regularly?

 

Over his entire career, Ibaka has played about 2,300 minutes at center and he's going to suddenly play zero minutes at center?

 

This is concerning. I don't want Hezonja or Gordon's development stunted because we have to squeeze everyone's playing time in. What would Gordon look like now if he was given 30+ minutes 60 times last year instead of only 19? What would Gordon look like now if we treated him like Fournier and just handed a few games over to him, gave him 13 40+ minute games instead of zero. What would our team look like now if we didn't open up minutes for Fournier and instead treated him like Gordon?

 

Enjoy your half-empty glass. But please stop pedaling false ideas like not enough minutes for Gordon's development. If you just don't believe he can be a 3 in the NBA, then I get your concern. I wouldn't agree with the belief, but I'd understand why you'd be concerned if you thought it. But there are plenty of minutes for AG. And no one for the organization has said anything about Vuc getting sub-20/night. And Ibaka on average played less than 7games worth of minutes at center per season. Can you just be happy with a potential all-star and all-defensive power forward playing power forward?

 

Mario is a backup 2/3 this season. Which is precisely what he should be based on his performance thus far. He will get minutes as a versatile wing who can spread the floor (not a redundant skill). Evan is the only other wing besides Mario who can play the 3 and shoot the 3, but since he's the starting 2...plenty of time for Mario to fill that role.

 

Meeks and Green are one year deals. They are injury insurance and talented veterans. They will get the minutes they get and you need not freak out over how many minutes they got previously. Unless your glass is half empty. Then you should wish for useless scrubs who contribute nothing. Ignore the fact that at the end of the season our books look the same if you get 1 year scrubs vs. 1 year skilled vets.

 

So you won't see weird lineups. Instead you'll see winning lineups. If the lineups aren't winning, I imagine we'll see changes. Why? Because despite your complaint at our lack of positional flexibility, we have tons of positional flexibility!!! (Is it half full yet?) Thank goodness we have the depth to adapt if we aren't winning with the rotation we start the season with.

[Magicman28 295]

It would take time to work. For the players to gel. U never know.

 

 

Yes. Yes I do know.

[Catalina Maria 64]

Enjoy your half-empty glass. But please stop pedaling false ideas like not enough minutes for Gordon's development. If you just don't believe he can be a 3 in the NBA, then I get your concern. I wouldn't agree with the belief, but I'd understand why you'd be concerned if you thought it. But there are plenty of minutes for AG. And no one for the organization has said anything about Vuc getting sub-20/night. And Ibaka on average played less than 7games worth of minutes at center per season. Can you just be happy with a potential all-star and all-defensive power forward playing power forward?

 

Mario is a backup 2/3 this season. Which is precisely what he should be based on his performance thus far. He will get minutes as a versatile wing who can spread the floor (not a redundant skill). Evan is the only other wing besides Mario who can play the 3 and shoot the 3, but since he's the starting 2...plenty of time for Mario to fill that role.

 

Meeks and Green are one year deals. They are injury insurance and talented veterans. They will get the minutes they get and you need not freak out over how many minutes they got previously. Unless your glass is half empty. Then you should wish for useless scrubs who contribute nothing. Ignore the fact that at the end of the season our books look the same if you get 1 year scrubs vs. 1 year skilled vets.

 

So you won't see weird lineups. Instead you'll see winning lineups. If the lineups aren't winning, I imagine we'll see changes. Why? Because despite your complaint at our lack of positional flexibility, we have tons of positional flexibility!!! (Is it half full yet?) Thank goodness we have the depth to adapt if we aren't winning with the rotation we start the season with.

 

I'm with you! I think we are a 3-4 seed team this season.