(02-16-2022, 10:50 PM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: [ -> ]Blazers won their 4th straight in Memphis tonight 123-119 despite 44 pts and 11 assists from Ja, and 30 pts from Bane.
Well if you get 101 points from Simons, Nurkic, Hart and Winslow you can only win.
Discount Ben Simmons is averaging 11.2 / 7.4 / 3.4 / 1.8 / 1.0 48% from the field. Blazers 4-2.
Anthony Davis had a nasty ankle sprain vs Utah. He's a great player when he can stay healthy. He's hurt more than KP it seems. He's probably out for a month.
(02-16-2022, 11:24 PM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: [ -> ]Anthony Davis had a nasty ankle sprain vs Utah. He's a great player when he can stay healthy. He's hurt more than KP it seems. He's probably out for a month.
Might as well stay out until next season. That team is terrible this year.
AD's injury looked terrible. Can't believe the Lakers still beat the Jazz. That team has sputtered the last month and a half. Rudy Gobert was basically iced out the rest of the game as soon as the Lakers went small.
(02-17-2022, 12:59 AM)Kammrath Wrote: [ -> ]https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/stat...9354693642
This is why I said paying Gobert that money was a mistake. You just can't pay a center max money unless what they give you on BOTH offense and interior D is so good that it's worth the hit on perimeter D. That's Jokic, Embiid, and probably Towns.
(02-17-2022, 05:18 AM)Branduil Wrote: [ -> ]This is why I said paying Gobert that money was a mistake. You just can't pay a center max money unless what they give you on BOTH offense and interior D is so good that it's worth the hit on perimeter D. That's Jokic, Embiid, and probably Towns.
Gobert is one of the names I'm keeping an eye on for this summer. He's a salary match for THJ + Powell. That contract is daunting, but it might play a role in holding down the outgoing compensation needed in terms of picks. There is a chance things get ugly in Utah come playoff time. It would be opportunistic. It would also be VERY expensive.
It is kind of easy to project Gobert here as being better than Gobert there. He's just a much better version of Powell at both ends. One difference between Gobert being able to stay on the floor here versus in Utah is Dallas just has better defenders. We can go small if absolutely necessary and still hold our own better than Utah can. The question isn't whether Gobert can guard the perimeter when a team goes small. The question is whether his team can punish the opponent who tries it. Gobert has a massively positive impact on winning when he's on the floor. There are very few players like him.
I listened to Stein's latest green room yesterday. He made an interesting point about Dinwiddie (next season) and Bertans (the season after that). He pointed to Bledsoe as a "quasi-expiring" deal (Hollinger's term). Portland turned Bledsoe into Norman Powell because money could be saved in the trade spread in the current season and the next season based on the spread between the non-guaranteed amount and than the ongoing salary of the player being traded for. The best time to use this technique is at the TDL.
(02-17-2022, 07:26 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]Gobert is one of the names I'm keeping an eye on for this summer. He's a salary match for THJ + Powell. That contract is daunting, but it might play a role in holding down the outgoing compensation needed in terms of picks. There is a chance things get ugly in Utah come playoff time. It would be opportunistic. It would also be VERY expensive.
It is kind of easy to project Gobert here as being better than Gobert there. He's just a much better version of Powell at both ends. One difference between Gobert being able to stay on the floor here versus in Utah is Dallas just has better defenders. We can go small if absolutely necessary and still hold our own better than Utah can. The question isn't whether Gobert can guard the perimeter when a team goes small. The question is whether his team can punish the opponent who tries it. Gobert has a massively positive impact on winning when he's on the floor. There are very few players like him.
This is complicated...and risky.
Gobert is AWESOME. I'm one of his biggest fans here, I believe. @"Kammrath" helped me see the light. And, I do agree he'd be an upgrade over Powell in most ways, even on offense (where Powell is harder to improve upon than people think, imo).
But, while Gobert is more "switchable" than people think he is, he is less switchable than the Mavs might want him to be, given the plan we think we're seeing right now. Who knows, maybe it's less a plan and more just necessity with who they have left, but it feels more like they want to play quicker, 6'9"-6'11" guys, to me.
I was ready to trade KP for Gobert a week ago (lol, man was my valuation off!) but now that he's gone? I'm feeling very unburdened not to have a high-priced, "star" center that I feel
must be played down the stretch. If I feel that way, I wonder how Kidd feels?
Screw Gobert, give me Mitchell. I think he's more likely to bolt, anyway.
(02-17-2022, 07:26 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]Gobert is one of the names I'm keeping an eye on for this summer. He's a salary match for THJ + Powell. That contract is daunting, but it might play a role in holding down the outgoing compensation needed in terms of picks. There is a chance things get ugly in Utah come playoff time. It would be opportunistic. It would also be VERY expensive.
Giving Luka a center like Gobert and that radically changes things.
I'm not sure UTA would be interested in Powell or THJ though. I suppose it depends on if they're trying to rebuild on the fly or stay competitive. Maxi probably makes the most sense in any case and DFS will probably be wanted. Add in Powell too and a first.
Luka/Dinwidde
JB/THJ
Bullock/Green
---/Bertans
Gobert
Is this core better than where we were at? I think so.
(02-17-2022, 08:19 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: [ -> ]Luka/Dinwidde
JB/THJ
Bullock/Green
---/Bertans
Gobert
Is this core better than where we were at? I think so.
Idk, man. We've spent 48 hours discussing how amazing it is that the roster has all of these long, switchable defenders and you want to give up the two best of them to get another highly paid center?
I get it - Gobert is a defensive DIFFERENCE MAKER out there. But, it's probably true that you need to qualify that with "in some situations" these days. I don't think that's imaginary.
My take is that Dan's idea is a risk. I'd probably do it, but agree Utah wouldn't. Yours, I think I would not do.
(02-17-2022, 08:23 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]Idk, man. We've spent 48 hours discussing how amazing it is that the roster has all of these long, switchable defenders and you want to give up the two best of them to get another highly paid center?
I get it - Gobert is a defensive DIFFERENCE MAKER out there. But, it's probably true that you need to qualify that with "in some situations" these days. I don't think that's imaginary.
My take is that Dan's idea is a risk. I'd probably do it, but agree Utah wouldn't. Yours, I think I would not do.
That's fair. Honestly I don't think UTA will ever trade Gobert unless Donovan forces his way out first. He's too impactful for them. As evidence of their 8(?) game slide when he was out.
Speaking of long switchable defenders:
https://twitter.com/RealGM/status/1494058696409821186
Unfortunate for the guy. Guess POR really has to tank now.
(02-17-2022, 07:26 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]Gobert is one of the names I'm keeping an eye on for this summer. He's a salary match for THJ + Powell. That contract is daunting, but it might play a role in holding down the outgoing compensation needed in terms of picks. There is a chance things get ugly in Utah come playoff time. It would be opportunistic. It would also be VERY expensive.
It is kind of easy to project Gobert here as being better than Gobert there. He's just a much better version of Powell at both ends. One difference between Gobert being able to stay on the floor here versus in Utah is Dallas just has better defenders. We can go small if absolutely necessary and still hold our own better than Utah can. The question isn't whether Gobert can guard the perimeter when a team goes small. The question is whether his team can punish the opponent who tries it. Gobert has a massively positive impact on winning when he's on the floor. There are very few players like him.
I listened to Stein's latest green room yesterday. He made an interesting point about Dinwiddie (next season) and Bertans (the season after that). He pointed to Bledsoe as a "quasi-expiring" deal (Hollinger's term). Portland turned Bledsoe into Norman Powell because money could be saved in the trade spread in the current season and the next season based on the spread between the non-guaranteed amount and than the ongoing salary of the player being traded for. The best time to use this technique is at the TDL.
Love this idea. I have been thinking the same since @"KillerLeft" brought him up at the TDL with the recent unrest in UTA.
I get there would be a LOT of pushback to this idea. But that is the only reason it MIGHT be feasible. Gobert has to become a pretty distressed asset for this to be possible for DAL. But man I think a center like Gobert would be so incredible with Luka. The vertical spacing would be unreal.
(02-17-2022, 08:19 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: [ -> ]Giving Luka a center like Gobert and that radically changes things.
I'm not sure UTA would be interested in Powell or THJ though. I suppose it depends on if they're trying to rebuild on the fly or stay competitive. Maxi probably makes the most sense in any case and DFS will probably be wanted. Add in Powell too and a first.
Luka/Dinwidde
JB/THJ
Bullock/Green
---/Bertans
Gobert
Is this core better than where we were at? I think so.
That fill in the blank for me to feel like this is a Championship team would need to be someone like Collins. We just wouldn’t have the assets left to get him, unless we can get our 23 back. Gobert would be better than Capela for Collins. Also, we would want a switchable small ball backup C.
I think smallball is a great change of pace lineup that shouldn’t be used as your primary play. Using it as your main lineup only quickens the opposite team figuring out how to expose it in the playoffs. I think we’re gonna find that out in the upcoming playoffs.
Team defense can be accomplished with a slow footed C. Just have to have the coach figure it out snd the team buy in.