12-09-2022, 04:57 PM
(12-09-2022, 03:22 PM)chaparral Wrote: As usual, another great post...
Another Maxi (mobile defensive big who can also hit 3's). really opens things up if they are indeed starter level.
Would any of these players fit the mold of another Maxi type player (age).
Vucevic (32)
Nurkic (28)
Carter Jr. (23)
Stewart II (21)
Vanderbilt (23)
Markkanen (25)
Turner (26)
Thanks. I'd probably add 26 year old Poeltl to the list and the aforementioned Claxton. I wonder if there is a guy out there that scouts think will pop, but hasn't yet.
I think you have to ask why the other team would do a deal like this. The obvious for Turner, Vuc and Poeltl is they are free this summer. Portland kind of needs Nurkic and if I'm Orlando, I don't give up Carter for a pick. I don't know what to think of Utah, but Vanderbilt probably fits the mold defensively. Like P.J. Washington and Collins, he's probably a little undersized to be a full time starting center. The big bulky shot blocker/rebounder types can't move and don't hit 3's. The mobile 3-point shooters don't tend to protect the paint well. Its what makes Maxi special.
Part of me wonders if Dallas and SA are negotiating through the media on Poeltl. There are reports that they want 2-firsts. Now Dallas is suddenly showing up in rumors for other centers. He doesn't fit the "another Maxi" mold exactly, but he's really good and impacts winning wherever he is. I really like him if the deal is McGee and Frank and a first and we get him extended. My biggest concern is what McGee says they did with him...square peg in a round hole...by trying to get him to play a style he doesn't thrive at. I've not watched a ton of Poeltl, but I suspect he's more of a drop coverage guy. What I have seen is that SA is better at both ends of the court when he plays.
To your point, if we can get that right guy (Poeltl or otherwise) and can retain Wood as a super-sub scorer off the bench and get continued growth from Green and Hardy, I like the following for 2023:
Bigs: New Center/Maxi/Wood (I'd keep Powell at a reasonable rate as a deep backup)
Wings: DFS/Green/THJ (Bullock would have one more year as the fourth wing)
Creators: Luka/Dinwiddie/Hardy (we probably need a veteran deep bench PG for those nights one of the top two are out).
I'm actually pretty happy with that and think it has a chance to be a very good team for several years as no one is really old. I also like that I'm not giving up picks past the time I expect Luka to be here with certainty. One of the holes in the trade multiple picks this summer scenario is if it doesn't work and he leaves, you still owe picks and don't have Luka raising the floor.