Offical 2009-10 NBA Season Thread

[iminchucks5]

gerald wallace

29pts 12rebs 3ast 2stls 4blks

 

[Los Angeles]

Wait, Joel Pryzbilla what happened to your knee

The injury bug continues on for the Blazers.

 

[big j 33]

Pryzbilla went down too?

Come on Portland, you know you want and need Eddy Curry... hell take Jared Jefferies too

 

[freshhh]

Originally Posted by SHUGES

Originally Posted by bhzmafia14


Randolph's last 3 games:

W- 26/16
W- 32/24
W- 33/18

 

[bhzmafia14]

Any word on Wafer in Houston?

Last thing I read was that he failed his physical due to a hip injury.

 

[proshares]

http:// [h3][/h3]

[h3]Should the Nuggets trade Smith?[/h3]
9:44AM ET

[h5]J.R. Smith | Nuggets[/h5]
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The Denver Nuggets need more depth in the frontcourt. Should they trade J.R. Smith for a big man? Dave Krieger of The Denver Post has some thoughts on the subject.

Krieger writes: "Granted, I might be guilty of premature evaluation, but with one- third of the season gone, I have come to the conclusion that the current Nuggets roster cannot win a championship. It has two major problems: It is not big enough, and it is not serious enough. Both of these problems can be fixed with a single move, which is what I'm proposing: Trade J.R. Smith for a big man. ... He makes the Nuggets more sensational when he's on, and more dysfunctional when he's off. In short, he makes them more inconsistent. And it's not just his shooting that goes up and down. It's his effort, focus and defense too."

http:// [h3]Beasley says he's no Tito[/h3]
9:43AM ET

[h5]Michael Beasley | Heat[/h5]
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=37Charles Barkley recently had some comments about the http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=miaMiami Heat that didn't sit well with http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3418Michael Beasley.

"I read a Charles Barkley quote when he said we were a team full of Tito Jacksons," Beasley told The Miami Herald. "I do not think that at all. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2184Udonis Haslem is one of the best shooters [and] hardest-working rebounders in the league. And I think I can score with anybody in the NBA. It's not about saying it anymore. It's about doing it."

"Nothing against Tito; he's pretty talented," Beasley said. "But when you put him next to Mike, it's not really a comparison. It's like saying http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=252Rick Fox is talented. But when you put him next to Michael Jordan, it's really no competition."

"I'm mad," Beasley said. "I feel like I'm not getting that respect. I'm not saying I've won a championship or I'm scoring 40 a night. It's just disrespect, to us as a team. I read daily how Dwyane Wade needs help and how he has no talent on his team. I strongly disagree. I'm trying to show not only my team but the league I can be relied on day in and day out."

http:// [h3]Stack doesn't like Mike[/h3]
9:39AM ET

[h5]Mike D'Antoni | Knicks[/h5]
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Jerry Stackhouse, during his show on Sirius radio, called Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni a "control freak" for his benching of Nate Robinson.

"If you don't want him on the team, trade him," Stackhouse said. "Don't just sit there and continue to embarrass this kid by not playing him when you've got guys on the court with their tongues hanging out of their mouth because you're such a control freak, and trying to prove to everybody that you're going to win without Nate Robinson."

D'Antonio fired back. "For him to even comment, I mean, come on," D'Antoni told the New York Daily News Tuesday night. "How does he know the inner workings of the Knicks? Jerry's a good guy and a good player and he's doing his job, which is nonsense radio. That's the way it is, it's entertainment. But he doesn't know."

http:// [h3]Extension offered to Karl[/h3]
9:26AM ET

[h5]George Karl | Nuggets[/h5]
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AOL FanHouse reports the Denver Nuggets have a made a three-year contract extension offer to head coach George Karl.

According to the website, "Karl and the Nuggets are a few million dollars apart on the total value of the deal. And there also are questions regarding how much of the third year might be guaranteed."
"Both parties are working hard and trying to use the end of the year as a point of a soft deadline," Bret Adams, Karl's attorney said.

http:// [h3]Boozer's future with Jazz or Heat?[/h3]
9:12AM ET

[h5]Carlos Boozer | Jazz[/h5]
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Last summer Carlos Boozer announced that the Jazz had agreed to trade him. Boozer also mentioned Miami and Chicago as possible destinations. The Jazz denied any agreement and Boozer remains in Utah. Will Boozer get traded, leave via free agency next summer, or re-sign with the Jazz?

"We'll see when the time comes," Boozer replied to The Salt Lake Tribune when asked if Miami would be on his list of top teams this summer. "I think that'll take care of itself at that point in the season. They're a good team trying to get better, we're a good team trying to get better. That's where I think both teams are right now."

For now, Boozer is assuming he will finish the season in Utah, "unless you all know something I don't," he told reporters Tuesday.

"We're getting healthier and we're getting better," Boozer said. "If we keep playing the way we're capable of playing, we'll be able to reach our potential, and hopefully for us that's a championship."

Boozer also said he has not ruled out a potential return to Utah. "They'll talk to me, we'll talk to them, and go from there. I think it'll be one of those situations that should hopefully take care of itself. ... It's hard to know what's going to happen You never know what's going to happen."

From Ross Siler on the possibility of Boozer re-signing with the Jazz.

"Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe not, but today also was the first time I'd heard talk of the Jazz (and Greg Miller) expressing an interest in holding on to Carlos Boozer for the rest of the season and possibly re-signing him as a free agent this summer. If they choose to do so, the Jazz would have advantages in being able to offer Boozer a longer and more lucrative contract than any competing team under the league's salary rules. But Boozer is going to draw interest from a lot of teams, including right here in Miami."

http:// [h3]Time to deal?[/h3]
9:10AM ET

[h5]Indiana Pacers[/h5]
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Should the Indiana Pacers look into trade possibilities? Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star touched on that idea this morning.

Wells wrote: "Some of you continue to say Larry Bird should trade as many players as possible since it looks like it could be a long season for the Pacers. ... I can't say I disagree with you guys. At the same time, though, it's not an easy task to pull off because the Pacers don't have a lot to work with as far as trade bait goes since they plan to hold onto their young players (Brandon Rush is still iffy on that list). My man Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote over the weekend that Troy Murphy is somebody that would fit in with the Cavs (he would be a good pick-and-pop person with LeBron James). The two teams haven't had any kind of talks related to Murphy."

http:// [h3]Foster out indefinitely[/h3]
8:42AM ET

[h5]Jeff Foster | Pacers[/h5]
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Jeff Foster flew to Boston on Monday to meet with a physical therapist about his ailing back. The Pacers won't activate him until he can play extended minutes.

"We have to just make sure that Jeff gets over this back problem for good instead of trying to piece him together and give him a good rubdown," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien told The Indianapolis Star. "We don't want to have him go seven minutes and have (the back) go out again. He'll be back when we think we can play him for an extended period of time without risking further problems."

Foster hurt his back when he was battling Orlando center Dwight Howard in the post last week.

http:// [h3]Rockets to sign Wafer?[/h3]
8:33AM ET

[h5]Von Wafer[/h5]
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The Memphis Grizzlies decided against signing Von Wafer because of some health issues. Could he sign with the Rockets, the team he played for last season?

"We'll wait and see," Rockets coach Rick Adelman told the Houston Chronicle. "He proved last year he could play for us. We'll just have to see how the whole thing works out. We know him, we know what he can do off the bench and we'll see how it plays out."

http:// [h3]Griz pass on Wafer[/h3]
8:33AM ET

[h5]Memphis Grizzlies[/h5]
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The Memphis Grizzlies were expected to sign Von Wafer Tuesday, however that's not going to happen.

The Commercial-Appeal reports they passed on signing Wafer because he's hurt with hip and back issues and he won't be able to play immediately.

Wafer paid $1.2 million to get out of his contract with Olympiakos.

The newspaper also reports the Grizzlies are looking to make a trade.

http:// [h3]Forced retirement?[/h3]
8:09AM ET

[h5]Shaun Livingston | Thunder[/h5]
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The Oklahoma City Thunder had to waive two players yesterday so they could make the trade with the Utah Jazz. Mike Wilks and Shaun Livingston were the ones who were let go.

Thunder head coach Scott Brooks was asked whether Livingston being waived is a sign his career is in jeopardy, since he still hasn't fully recovered from a major knee injury three years ago.

"He played well the past four games," Brooks told The Oklahoman. "Unfortunately it's just part of the business. He had a great practice (Monday). He's healthy. To make this deal work we had to do this.

"I didn't like as a player getting cut or traded or forced retirement. I feel for him. He's a tremendous kid. ... He came back from a devastating injury. I'm proud we gave him a chance. He'll be back. He's good. He's getting his confidence back."

http:// [h3]Del Negro feeling the heat?[/h3]
7:53AM ET

[h5]Vinny Del Negro | Bulls[/h5]
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During his pregame session with the media yesterday, Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro was asked if he's feeling the heat after his team blew a 35 point lead on Monday.

"No, not really," he told the Chicago Sun-Times. "It comes with the job. It warrants criticism, especially a game like [Monday] night. You just have to find a way to get better and get to work and prepare. With back-to-back games, you don't have a lot of time to dwell on things."

Is he confident he won't be fired?

"I'm fine," he said. "You can't control that. I go about my business every day, go to work and try to help this team win and develop the younger players. I feel we've done that on a consistent basis. We've had some bumps in the road, but the guys are playing hard, and I think we have good character on this team, so I feel confident that we'll just continue to play well and try to improve."

Del Negro may be safe for this season. The Chicago Tribune points out "the Bulls don't want to travel the long-term interim route they took two seasons ago when Jim Boylan replaced Scott Skiles. And they haven't identified a preferred unemployed candidate."

http:// [h3]Villanueva dealing with plantar fasciitis[/h3]
7:31AM ET

[h5]Charlie Villanueva | Pistons[/h5]
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Charlie Villanueva only played 22 minutes last night due to plantar fasciitis in his right heel. He's been fighting through it, but the condition is worsening.

"I'm trying to fight through it, but I'm starting to feel like I'm hurting the team a little bit not being able to move the way I want to move," Villanueva told The Detroit News. "It was bothering me throughout the game. I couldn't move and take off. It's frustrating. It's tough being on the sidelines watching your team and not being able to do anything."

http:// [h3]Ankle still bothering Gordon[/h3]
7:24AM ET

[h5]Ben Gordon | Pistons[/h5]
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Ben Gordon hoped to play last night, but his ankle is still hurting.

"It didn't feel right," Gordon told The Detroit News. "It's tough, you want to get healthy and get back to the guys and help them out. I want to get healthy and get back on the floor.

"At the same time you have to be smart. You look at Rip (Richard Hamilton) and myself and we came back early from injuries and had to sit out (afterward). Arnie Kander (strength and conditioning coach) is stressing to get 100 percent so there's no other setbacks."

http:// [h3]Griz wanted Ellis[/h3]
7:09AM ET

[h5]Monta Ellis | Warriors[/h5]
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The Commercial-Appeal reports the Grizzlies had trade talks with the Golden State Warriors about Monta Ellis last month, but they were never close to a deal.
The Warriors are willing to trade anyone on the roster, except Ellis.

http:// [h3]Jaric buyout in the works[/h3]
6:57AM ET

[h5]Marko Jaric | Grizzlies[/h5]
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Marko Jaric has agreed to sign with Real Madrid. The Commercial-Appeal reports Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace is close to finalizing a buyout agreement.

Jaric reportedly is willing to give back $1.3 million so he can sign with the Spanish club.

http:// [h3]Gomes' ankle still tender[/h3]
6:37AM ET

[h5]Ryan Gomes | Timberwolves[/h5]
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Ryan Gomes missed his fifth consecutive game last night. His sprained left ankle is still tender and he's not expected to play until Saturday, at the earliest.

"We ramped it up yesterday, and he turned up sore and there was some swelling today," Wolves head coach Kurt Rambis told the Star Tribune.

http:// [h3]A kinder Stan Van Gundy?[/h3]
6:22AM ET

[h5]Stan Van Gundy | Magic[/h5]
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Early in the season, Dwight Howard talked with Stan Van Gundy about the need for the coach to stop being so negative on the bench. The players say Van Gundy has changed and they like it.

"He's most definitely changed," Rashard Lewis told the Orlando Sentinel. "He's still the old Stan a little bit. He still kind of screams and yells when he doesn't need to, but you can tell he's been working on it. You can tell he's changing."

"It has (helped)," Howard said. "Early in the season, we'd miss shots or something and you'd look over at Stan and see him kicking water bottles and punching stuff. Now he's fine with it. He understands that nobody's perfect. He's been doing a good job at it. Me and Stan talk a lot, text a lot, whatever. One thing we just asked him is that, 'Coach, when you have a positive energy about yourself, it makes our team better.' We flow better. We play better."

"Bobby Knight used to say you're sort of trained as a coach to look for what's wrong and correct it. That's what you're trying to do," Van Gundy said. "I'm far from Mr. Positive, but I don't think I'm as bad as I was."

http:// [h3]Chalmers not happy with himself[/h3]
6:08AM ET

[h5]Mario Chalmers | Heat[/h5]
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Mario Chalmers recently lost the staring PG spot to Carlos Arroyo and he's not happy with himself.

"I don't like coming off the bench," Chalmers told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "It's something I did to myself. I let the team down but at the same time I have to keep working and try to be that energy person and bring what I brought as a starter to the second group."

http:// [h3]Will Williams remain a backup?[/h3]
5:36AM ET

[h5]Lou Williams | 76ers[/h5]
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2799Lou Williams was the starting point guard when his jaw was broken. He was expected to get his starting spot back last night, but that didn't happen.
"I talked with Lou," 76ers head coach Eddie Jordan told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I know starting is important to him. ... But I don't want it to be a shock to the system, to our starters, to have Lou in the starting lineup. Eventually, he will be in the starting lineup, but Willie Green has been playing well, Jrue Holiday has been playing well. ... There is a good chemistry about them."

http:// [h3]Pressure got to Birdman[/h3]
5:28AM ET

[h5]Chris Andersen | Nuggets[/h5]
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Chris Andersen signed a five-year $25 million contract last summer. He says the pressure of the contract and a knee injury affected him early in the season.

"Maybe the pressure is off a little bit of the summer," Andersen told The Denver Post. "The whole shenanigans of the contract and the 'Birdman' phenomenon ... Everything is kind of calming down."

A year ago, Andersen was second in the NBA in blocked shots. This year he's 14th overall.

"My knee is feeling a little bit better," Andersen said. "But there's always that one time that I either tweak it or it gets kicked in a game, and the next thing you know, it's flared up again. But I just keep doing what I'm supposed to be doing in the weight room and training room."

http:// [h3]Salary dump[/h3]
4:46AM ET

[h5]Utah Jazz[/h5]
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The Jazz on Tuesday traded Eric Maynor and Matt Harpring's expiring contract to Oklahoma City. The trade will save the Jazz more than $10 million in salaries and luxury tax.

"It's good for Oklahoma City, because they get a good young player (in Maynor)," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor told the Deseret News. "And it's good for us, because it allows us to address our financial situation.

"Basically the reason we did that was to relieve ourselves of some luxury-tax responsibilities ... and to do that we had to give up an asset," he added. "It was a difficult decision. We're disappointed that we had to do that, but in these economic times we saved a great deal of money and we're able to be aggressive, still, going forward."

The Jazz only have 12 players on the roster after the trade. They have two weeks to add a 13th player, which is mandated by the collective bargaining agreement.

 

[the wizard]

is Serge Ibaka the answer for the Thunder at the 5?

 

[CP1708]

I keep giving credit to Memphis for the way they been playing, well, today I should mention the Knicks.

After a horrible start, here they are inching closer to a playoff spot and fighting hard. Props to them on that. Maybe that will serve them well. Not surewhat the hell is goin on with all the Nate stuff, but they seem to be playing better, so sorry Nate. You gotta get out the way.

Really sorry about Joel Pryz.

I root for them to fail sure, but Idon't root for them to all be injured like this. Hope everyone recovers and they come back and try it again next year. As for this year, I wonder whatthey do next. Move Bayless and try and get a couple guys to help out in the frontcourt, try to salvage the season, or just stick with who they got, getmurdered in the paint all year and possibly drop out of the playoffs altogether. If I hear anything about where they might lean, I'll post it in here.

Thunder gonna be a major pain in the @#$ in a year or so. Damn they are tough. But why the hell didn't they play Etan Thomas? He hurt? He killed us onthe glass in OKC last time, why the hell he not even step onto the court last night? I didn't get that.

Marion 0-7, Kidd 1-6, Terry 2-13........yeah......

Good to see Landry back out there.

Is it me, or is Gil starting to play a bit better???

Nice night tonight, Rockets v Magic, Blazers v Spurs, Hawks v Nuggets, Thunder at the Suns, Tyreke vs LeBron, Jazz at the Heat, Gil and Jennings, could be alotta good action tonight.

 

[buc em]

JUST HAND THE THUNDER THE 2012 TITLE

 

[bhzmafia14]

After looking at the standings in the West, you have three sub-25 win teams from last season making a playoff push.

Utah[sup]8[/sup]	16	12	0.571	7.5	7-8	1-4	11-4	5-8	5-5	L 1
Sacramento	13	14	0.481	10.0	7-11	1-1	10-3	3-11	4-6	W 2
Oklahoma City	13	14	0.481	10.0	6-11	1-2	7-7	6-7	4-6	L 2
Memphis	13	15	0.464	10.5	8-11	1-1	9-5	4-10	7-3	W 3
New Orleans	12	14	0.462	10.5

I see Sacramento, OKC and Memphis being in a 3-way tie by the end of the night for 9th or 10th depending on if Nawlins beat GS tonight. Either way, if SAC andOKC lose, all 3 teams will be 3 games outside of a playoff spot. Utah might even lose and make it 2.5 games out.

I see that, then I look at the East standings and see Indiana who has the 5th worst record in the league 2 games outside of the playoffs.

 

[bigmike23]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

is Serge Ibaka the answer for the Thunder at the 5?

yes and no

if they get a scoring PF then play him at Center, if they get a scoring C then play him at PF

he can play the Noah role for that team and crash the boards and play very good post D.

 

[proshares]

How much trade value does Maynor have for them to swing him as part of a deal for a PF/C?

 

[bhzmafia14]

Originally Posted by Proshares

How much trade value does Maynor have for them to swing him as part of a deal for a PF/C?

I don't see them dealing him anytime soon. They probably won't be able to get the PF/C they really need unless somebody like Green is involved in thedeal. It would be interesting to see if they brought Maynor in to challenge Westbrook for that PG spot. I really think if Maynor gets time, he could do that.

One thing you don't do is bring in multiple young PG's on the same team. Memphis did the same thing and all of them wanted the starting spot. It mightbenefit OKC to put some pressure on Westbrook to make better decisions throughout games. He really didn't have nobody to challenge him.

The only untradeable piece on that team is Durant. No one else should be completely safe on young teams unless their good young big men or on their way tobeing star perimeter players. If OKC wants to make a move to really be great, bringing a big would do that. They need that more than they need a guy likeWestbrook, who Maynor could probably be that same guy for them.

Can you imagine having a guy inside that can cause a double team down low on OKC leaving Durant free to roam where ever he wants? Sometimes you have to give upsomething to get something. With the way their playing now, they won't have a high pick in the draft and they won't have a TON of money to throw at aguy like Bosh or Boozer because they may command close to the max. Trading would probably be their best bet.

 

[bigmike23]

LMAO!!!! Maynor ant beating out RW at all

did you see what russy did last night? tell me if maynor could do that?

 

[al3xis]

Jeff is playing the 4 until his contract is up there.

Falk will find a place with the $ and available 3 spot for him then.

 

[bhzmafia14]

Originally Posted by Bigmike23

LMAO!!!! Maynor ant beating out RW at all

did you see what russy did last night? tell me if maynor could do that?

Ok that's last night.

I could say the same for many other young players who have great nights. Rudy had 41 the other night and has been looking great the whole season. Does thatmean he isn't tradeable?

Westbrook is a good player, but if he can't catch on consistently the Thunder have to go in another direction.

I could say the same with guys like Conley, OJ and Rudy. At this point I wouldn't trade them because they are playing great together now. But, they have toshow consistency of what they can bring.

For as many good games Westbrook had, he's had just as many "!@@" games. And that's just being truthful. If he turns out to be good, thenthat's good for them. But, there's also the risk of him always being this type of player and OKC is in such a small market that they can't affordto overpay a player that won't bring it consistently.

Question for whoever keeps up with them enough:

So, if they are going to keep Green at PF til' his deal runs out...Does that mean they are just planning to let him go for nothing or try to re-sign him?They are going to run into the same problem as Memphis probably at around the same time trying to re-sign their core guys. This upcoming off-season will beimportant to see exactly what they are going to do because if they plan on saving that money to just re-sign their players, someone is going to have go if theyplan on bringing in post player. If they plan on running with Russy, Harden, KD, Green and Ibaka/Kristic for 3-5 years by re-signing them, then I don'tknow what to say.

 

[CP1708]

Regardless, it's pretty obvious the Thunder have to make at least one deal to move one of their piece's for a big. And Durant is the only one I see asbeing locked in tight. Even Westbrook could get dealt if the right deal is put in front of them, especially with Maynor there if that happened.
Green may be the more likely guy to get moved, but I wouldn't count out some team lookin for RW instead.

 

[al3xis]

So, if they are going to keep Green at PF til' his deal runs out...Does that mean they are just planning to let him go for nothing or try to re-sign him?
it'll be more of David Falk finding the best situation for his client, and OKC aint it. He could remain there cause it could or probably wouldbe his preference, but I'm sure he'll look around.

I can't see management dealing him unless it's a no brainier or they move him in a sign trade when the time comes.

 

[menacin methods]

 

[i nasmatic i]

-Ibaka is too small to play center full time.
-Maynor ain't challenging Westbrook for starting PG on the Thunder. Just a back up for 12-15 MPG.
-Thunder have the cap room this summer to add a big, similar to the Blazers this past summer

.
-I see Green possibly getting traded two or three years into his next contract.

 

[bangdak]

I see Green traded. theres a CHANCE westbrook may get moved. in two years maybe.



i cant believe how the bottom of the west has changed. the wolves are still rock bottom, yet sac. town is rising up, another team i saw at the rock bottom.

 

[bhzmafia14]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

-Ibaka is too small to play center full time.
-Maynor ain't challenging Westbrook for starting PG on the Thunder. Just a back up for 12-15 MPG.
-Thunder have the cap room this summer to add a big, similar to the Blazers this past summer

.
-I see Green possibly getting traded two or three years into his next contract.

I think Ibaka could play a little center depending on the size of guy they get to play beside him.

I don't know about Maynor. You just don't trade for a young rookie PG to backup a guy who isn't a clearcut PG himself. I really liked Maynor in thedraft and think he has the chance to be good in the league. Its not like we talking Deron Williams when we talk about Russy.

I do think this will only push him to be better as a player and IF OKC wanted to deal him, Maynor could be a possible replacement. He would also be alotcheaper since he will be on his rookie deal for 3-4 more years.

OKC has the cap space next summer, but not to get the guy they need. They would probably come out better making a trade for a guy that has around 2-3 yrs left.They don't want to make any long-term payments to no one that's not in their young core.

Can you imagine if Memphis would've put 5 years into David Lee like everybody wanted and have to re-sign their other core especially with the way Gasol hasplayed this season?

I disagree alot with Heisley and he isn't the best guy when making decisions, but I do give him some respect for bringing in a short-term guy that filled aneed rather than locking up a guy of Lee's caliber for 5 years.

 

[CP1708]

^
Good point on Lee, he wouldn't have fit in now with what Gasol has brought, and Zach, and Thabeet, nobody woulda got consistent minutes out there.

 

[yungmatt]

Theres no way Jeff Green resigns with OKC

 

[bangdak]

If it was just gasol and lee though, that would have worked nicely though.


Maynor isnt ready to run a team YET. in 2 years man.