03-21-2021, 12:14 PM
(03-21-2021, 10:43 AM)dynamicalVoid Wrote: JRich all around seems to be the better player and provides emotional spark with his hustle plays. Am I wrong on this? Or...is he just sloppy with the small details?
I think a strong replacement for either DFS or JRich makes the other more workable. But, something has to give between those two and Maxi or we will always be hamstrung in late game situations.
The questions I'd like answered is whether the JRich is a victim of his circumstance and whether peak JRich is good enough. In 8 games in March, JRich is averaging almost exactly the same PPG, APG and RPG as he did in 12 games in February while shooting a slightly worse TS% and FG% (but his 3% is up to .342 from .328). HOWEVER, the D-Rating in March is 112 (down from 120) and his +/- is +0.8 vs. -5.9. Unfortunately that doesn't prove anything as almost everyone's D-Rating has improved dramatically in March.
I don't think 13/3/3 .342 with a 112 D-Rating JRich is good enough. Yes, clearly DFS is worse than that. But, DFS is under contract and cheaper. JRich plays a position that is easier to replace. I'm not saying JRich has to go. I'm saying I'm more attuned to trade proposals involving guards than I once was.
(03-21-2021, 11:29 AM)omahen Wrote: I listened to that Cato podcast and I agree with the discussion - there are a couple of guys we are just asking to do too much. Insert one guy in between and move them a spot lower and everything might start working well. Assuming we just upgrade JRich with a better player, lets say this is Ball. I don't think it would be enough as we would still be asking DFS and Kleber to do too much. I claim an upgrade in this case would be marginal. Unless you are bringing in a star, replacing one of the guys with a (slightly) better one is not a solution. That's why I firmly believe the solution is to add another guy to the rotation.
The other hole we have is at big wing so that represents the other possible way to upgrade for me. Same way - keep the seven rotation guys and add another big wing in the rotation, reducing both Kleber and DFS minutes (but still keep them in the rotation). Collins pipedream, Gordon, OPJ and Young were often mentioned candidates who could fill that spot.
To conclude - spending assets (this includes cap space) to replace one of the existing 7 rotation guys will bring a marginal improvement and further limit our possibility to really upgrade the team in the long term. We need to add another capable guy to the rotation.
O, in theory that makes good sense. The question is what level player can you get for Johnson/rookies/far off pick(s). Can you get a better player if you add JRich (or DFS) to the deal? What is the spread between the player you get from a Johnson-plus based deal and a JRich/Johnson-plus based deal. I think you'd have to know that answer. IF all we are getting is another replacement level guy, I'm not interested. If Toronto or NO are interested in JRich for either Lowry or Lonzo, I probably say yes. Neither of those guys is a possibility this summer without giving up some of our current top seven.