06-01-2022, 02:49 AM
(05-31-2022, 11:57 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: Regarding Bamba,
I don't see how/why anyone would be interested in him. Ignoring the barriers of actually obtaining him this summer, the dude just isn't that good.
He's a legit statue on offense. He doesn't move at all and instead camps around the 3pt line where he spots up at a 50% frequency. He's a 7ft behemoth that can't actually use his size due to his skinny frame. And unlike the unicorn we just shipped out, Bamba doesn't have nearly the same fluidity Porzingis has. Bamba ranked this year in the 23rd percentile as the roll man in the PnR.
Second, he's one of the worst pick and roll defenders in the league. He ranked in the 218th in defensive win shares. And while this is a flawed stat and only tells part of the picture, his fellow teammate WCJr ranked 84th in the league. So it wasn't just because he was on a bad team.
Bamba is bad. He doesn't deserve a roster spot on a team with championship aspirations. He's 2 years away from being 2 years away. Don't let the counting stats fool you.
I picked Bamba not because I'm in love with him, but because of a perception on my part that Orlando might value a Maverick player like THJ or Powell more than most teams because of the relationship with Mosley (and the fact they have cap room). With that said, Bamba was in the 90th percentile for D-Rebounding and 97th percentile for block percent last season. He was in the 78th percentile in D-EPM. When Bamba was in the game, Orlando's D improved (slightly to 113.9 PP48 vs. 114.2 when he was out). Powell lost us 5.6 PP48 defensively when he was in the game. Bamba doesn't have to score in the PnR. Maxi doesn't. But like Maxi, Bamba can hit 3's. If you don't like Bamba, insert Claxton or Robinson instead. These are players who won't be available for the TP-MLE. So, to add this level of talent we have to be able to trade for it (or more specifically, Sign and Trade for it).
So, the idea of a Bertans or Powell S/W isn't just about saving Cuban money. It is about solving the elusive S&T dilemma. We have to get below the tax line and do it in a way that keeps us under the Apron after taking Brunson into account. I don't ascribe to the idea that getting OKC to take Powell will be easy or cost free if it is doable at all. So, how do we get a "seat at the table" with the better free agents if we can't do a S&T? Maybe the Bertans stretch is too severe. Let's walk through the Powell alternative I mentioned where THJ was traded for Bamba (which will also answer the question FG deleted).
$155mm Hard Cap
-$20mm Reserve for Brunson
$135mm
$153.3mm Current Committments (so we are $18.3mm over)
-$7.4mm Savings from Powell S/W
-$11.6mm Trade spread in a THJ/Brown for Bamba deal with Bamba at $11mm
$134.3mm
So, we've made it. We can do a S&T to add talent. But to FG's other point, we now have two open roster spots having moved three players out and brought back one. Can we pay cash for someone to take Burke as their 3rd guard (certainly easier than getting someone to eat Powell). IF so, we have $4mm to work with to add back two guys leaving us at 14 plus two 2-ways which is fine. Pinson is one and someone who counts as a minimum for purposes of the hard cap could be the other. Did we lose talent? Not anyone who contributed to the playoff run. Does this help rebounding and rim protection? Yes. Is there a financial side benefit to Cuban as Dallas is hard capped at $6mm of tax? Yes. Was his being cheap the real purpose of such a deal? Maybe, but this level of tax seems much more realistic than using the TPE to go $35mm over the line. Look at it this way. Better to have Bamba and be $6mm over the line or Holmes and be $35mm over? The cost is losing THJ who is now off of your 2023 and beyond cap. That won't get you to cap space, but it gets you below the tax and fully able to use all of the tools (like the full MLE) going foward.
Bamba/Maxi Boban
DFS/Bertans Chriss
Reggie/Green Frank
Brunson/SD Pinson
Luka/SD Minimum