Official NBA Discussion Thread

[NinoBrown]

Couple questions boys, first off: Congrats to the Miami Heat.

1) REALISTICALLY how many more rings do you see LeBron winning?

2) Ibaka and Harden are free agents in 2013, which one would you sign/trade?

3) Who should Miami & OKC draft/ what position should they be going for?

4) What will the offseason look like for the team you root for?

5) Mike Miller, Juwaun Howard, Eddy Curry should all retire, yes or no?

 

[Hometown Kid]

1. It's hard to project this kinda thing, but the East is extremely weak and I don't see that changing. But Wade is getting a little older, and Bosh too. I see about 5 more years where the Heat could be legit contenders. I'd say 1 more is likely, but they could get 4 in that time. LBJ might sign with another team in his 30s or get new pieces to Miami. 1-2 is my guess.

2. It's a lot harder to find big men than swing guys like Harden...plus Harden no-showed the Finals, which is gonna cost him. I think they could sign both, but if I had to choose i'd keep Ibaka. KD and Westbrook are enough offense.

3. Heat: Has to be a big. Look out for them to trade up for Sullinger since his stock is dropping like a lead weight, if they stay, look for Jeff Taylor or Festus Ezeli out of Vanderbuilt. Thunder: I'd go with someone to lighten the load on KD and get some solid spot minutes to keep KD fresher for the playoffs. Draymond Green from Michigan State.

5. Miller and Curry have a year or two I think. Howard? Retire. Now.

 

[Hometown Kid]

Addressing the Grizz, here's who we've got of importance coming up in FA: OJ Mayo, Mareese Speights, Darrell Arthur (All restricted). And there's rumors swirling of a Rudy Gay trade.

The owner of the team has took a hard public stance against trading Rudy, and that we'll match any offer for OJ. Which makes me happy if he's being honest.

If someone's got to take the fall for us and get let go, it would have to be OJ Mayo, as far as i'm concerned, unless he offers to take a hometown discount, which I don't see happening. He wants out, there's NO REASON to trade Rudy just to sign Mayo. Even Arthur's more valuable. Someone might overpay for Speights, which is the only way we'd lose him. I forsee, long story short, signing Arthur, and Speights, with OJ leaving, which sucks because he was really good as a 6th man. He literally was a 6th Starter, and replace Conley & Allen during games. Gay avoids the trade for another year.

In the draft I think Marquis Teague of Kentucky is a strong possibility for the Grizz.

 

[Luke Flywalker]

1) REALISTICALLY how many more rings do you see LeBron winning?
1 more.

2) Ibaka and Harden are free agents in 2013, which one would you sign/trade?
Trade Harden, keep Ibaka.

3) Who should Miami & OKC draft/ what position should they be going for?
Miami needs to draft another SG/SF like a Mike Miller, someone who can knock in shots, hustle for loose balls. OKC? I don't particularly know. Another center? I now one thing, they need a facilitator at point guard so they can move Westbrook to the 2.

4) What will the offseason look like for the team you root for?
Probably the same garbage as always since Washington is sticking with Ernie Grunfeld.

5) Mike Miller, Juwaun Howard, Eddy Curry should all retire, yes or no?
Absolutely.

 

[NinoBrown]

Free Agency begins. If you were Deron Williams what do you do?

 

[sharkboy 3:16]

Unless Brooklyn manage to get Dwight or get Joe Johnson which I just saw they may try to do, I'd go to Dallas.

 

[Luke Flywalker]

^Why go to Dallas when the Lakers are right there as contenders the second the get your services and upgrade the point?

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

^^^Because even if they trade Pau, the Lakers will be outrageously over the cap and the cap penalties grow every year in large increments. And the Lakers with Williams, Bynum and Kobe could be a toxic, toxic mess waiting to happen.

 

[Hometown Kid]

Nothing on the draft? The Wiz got Brad Beal, the Raptors made a reach pick, the Grizz didn't trade Rudy (Yay!) and the Spurs got a value pick with Denmon. I thought there were a lot of dumb picks tbh, especially Waiters. That was a stinker.

As for D-Will, he should just stay in Brooklyn tbh. The Lakers, like Enzo said, don't have enough cap space and the Mavs would actually be a nice fit if all of their pieces weren't over 30. Most other teams that have pieces and would be a good fit are too small-market for Williams I imagine. Maybe a sign & trade to Houston, New York or OKC, but I doubt any of those would happen. Honestly, the only place I could see working would be Orlando, and that would just be lol.

 

[NinoBrown]

UPDATE:

Via Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter: Deron Williams has reached agreement on a 5 year, $100 million extension with Brooklyn, a league source tells Y! Sports. D-Will later tweeted a picture of the Nets logo and now the Nets are talking to Orlando about a trade.

Houston offers Jeremy Lin a contract, Knicks got three days to match.

Raptors for some dumb ass reason are giving Blandry Fields, no I didn't spell that wrong, 20 mil for 3 years.

 

[NinoBrown]

the Raptors made a reach pick

A major reeeeeeeeeeeeaaach! Even if Rivers may not be the right pick it was better than a player who was projected for the late 1st/early 2nd round. And I'm pretty sure Boston won the draft.

 

[NinoBrown]

In an unforeseen twist that could thrust the Los Angeles Lakers straight back into title contention, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash has successfully negotiated a sign-and-trade deal from the Phoenix Suns to the Lakers that will team him up with Kobe Bryant.

Sources told ESPN.com that Nash, with the New York Knicks also pressing hard to complete a similar sign-and-trade deal, was swayed to join the Lakers after a determined push from Bryant and because the move keeps him in the title hunt and allows him to stay in close proximity to his three children in Phoenix.

Nash will receive a three-year deal in excess of $25 million, sources said, because the Suns ultimately agreed to sign-and-trade him to the Lakers, who can absorb Nash via the trade exception they created by dealing Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks in December.

In return, the Suns get four draft picks -- first rounders in 2013 and 2015 and second rounders in 2013 and 2014.

So Nash is a Laker eh? Nash, Kobe, MWP, Gasol, Bynum. Not bad, all depending on who else they sign.

 

[Luke Flywalker]

I don't have them keeping Gasoft, and if they can be the team to deal for Dwight by getting rid of Bynum, then they're even scarier imo.

 

[Hometown Kid]

They won't trade Bynum unless Dwight signs a long term deal, which won't happen.

 

[NinoBrown]

Imagine that Gasol/Nash pick and roll. Easy 2 everytime.

Question though, will Kobe be in the corner waiting on the ball from Nash?