2019 Offseason Thread

[raptorlife4]

i'd take a chance IF we could get him on the cheap like the Dubs did...

no way Cousins is taking a cheap deal this time. This is his last shot at good money

 

[Wamu]

i'm not so sure, honestly. he looked good at times during the finals, shaky at others...

if he DID come off the bench i'd be ok with that...

I don't think Boogie was 100% for the Finals. KD barely played. Klay wasn't 100% & then got injured. Iggy wasn't 100%. Not sure if Steph was 100%.

And in no way am I trying to diminish what the Raptors did. They won their title fair & square. To say anything else is just silly. But no team in any era can have that may issues w/ key players & reach the ultimate goal. They came damn close though.

 

[Black Adam]

no way Cousins is taking a cheap deal this time. This is his last shot at good money

I hear what you're saying, and pretty much agree. but how many teams do you think are gonna shell out top dollars and take that chance with him...?

 

[raptorlife4]

I hear what you're saying, and pretty much agree. but how many teams do you think are gonna shell out top dollars and take that chance with him...?

I dont know if its going to be top dollar or not but its not going to be a team discount. I think with his injury this season and seeing the other guys go down he needs to maximize this contract IMO. I may be wrong but he can ring chase later in his career

 

[raptorlife4]

I don't think Boogie was 100% for the Finals. KD barely played. Klay wasn't 100% & then got injured. Iggy wasn't 100%. Not sure if Steph was 100%.

And in no way am I trying to diminish what the Raptors did. They won their title fair & square. To say anything else is just silly. But no team in any era can have that may issues w/ key players & reach the ultimate goal. They came damn close though.

Yes everyone on the Raptors was 100%

 

[Heatles84]

Everyone else deferred to him and was afraid to take a shot in crunch time. That changed a bit deeper into the playoffs.

But that doesn't really argue the whole heavy lifting narrative.

 

[CitySushi]

Yes everyone on the Raptors was 100%

Sorry you can only complain about the health of your team when you lose and give no credit to your team for deserving to win. Or if your team is injured next year and loses in the finals, they'll do everything they can to discredit your win the year previous. Standard operating practices around here.

 

[The Q]

Harrison Barnes laughably opted out.

Let’s see if the kings take advantage of their gift or if they squander it.

They should take on a Charlotte barn contract for the 12th pick

 

[wildturkey]

Harrison Barnes laughably opted out.

Let’s see if the kings take advantage of their gift or if they squander it.

They should take on a Charlotte barn contract for the 12th pick

No way he's getting 25 mil per year anymore but he must just want to secure a long term deal. Still...wouldn't it be better to take the 25 this year and get your 4 year, 13 to 15 per deal next summer? Is Sacramento really that bad of a place to live for one more year?

 

[The Q]

No way he's getting 25 mil per year anymore but he must just want to secure a long term deal. Still...wouldn't it be better to take the 25 this year and get your 4 year, 13 to 15 per deal next summer? Is Sacramento really that bad of a place to live for one more year?

If they resign Barnes that gm needs to be fired. Don’t care how much better they got. It’s a fireable offense

 

[trojanfan12]

Backup plan, if they struck out as much as they did last offseason it's worth a shot. AD has said many times he doesn't want to play center, he might have to in certain lineups but I wouldn't lean on him playing a lot of center

Yeah, it's a solid point.

The Lakers could start Boogie and then, depending on what they do with rest of their roster, have AD at the 5 in their own version of the Warriors "death lineup".

But, as @shopson67 said, their first priority should be guards and depth.

 

[trojanfan12]

i'm not so sure, honestly. he looked good at times during the finals, shaky at others...

if he DID come off the bench i'd be ok with that...

To be fair, he really never got a chance to get in shape. That may explain his inconsistency.

 

[trojanfan12]

no way Cousins is taking a cheap deal this time. This is his last shot at good money

I don't know. That 2nd injury may scare some teams off. It prevented him from getting into shape, so there's still some question about what he may have left.

I could see him possibly taking 1 more smaller deal just to show what he can still do.

Obviously, if someone offers big money, he's taking it. I'm just not sure anyone will offer him big money.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Yeah, it's a solid point.

The Lakers could start Boogie and then, depending on what they do with rest of their roster, have AD at the 5 in their own version of the Warriors "death lineup".

But, as @shopson67 said, their first priority should be guards and depth.

Without a doubt. They need perimeter shooting and defense, guard play.

 

[dtgold88]

I thought he was the one who said he wasn't going anywhere for the last 4 years...obviously things change but wonder if they would shop him for some bad contracts and a nice draft pick

They might but nice would have to mean lottery pick (plus more). Otherwise might as well keep him around as a good role model for young guys, and can also help spread the floor for them.

 

[shopson67]

And everyone defers to Lebron and Harden etc. Thats called being a superstar

They seemed afraid of the moment, which is different.

 

[dtgold88]

Report: Kyrie Irving Treated Jayson Tatum Same Way LeBron James Treated Him | Cavaliers Nation


Report: Kyrie Irving Treated Jayson Tatum Same Way LeBron James Treated Him


During the time that Kyrie Irving was on the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James, he was often asked to defer to James and supplement the four-time MVP. As a result, James often treated Irving like a little brother and would often reprimand the young point guard.


With Irving’s brief career as a member of the Boston Celtics possibly at an end, one Celtics insider indicates that Irving treated Boston teammate Jayson Tatum in a similar fashion.

Jeff Goodman appeared on a NBC Sports Boston to look at the Celtics’ failed effort to acquire New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis and how he would have personally made Tatum untouchable in any proposed deal:

"Kyrie treated Tatum the way LeBron treated Kyrie." @GoodmanHoopsexplains why he would've given up anything other than Tatum in a trade for Anthony Davis pic.twitter.com/9vszpyQ9Gh

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 17, 2019

"I would have given up anything other than Tatum. I would have rolled the dice and given up Jaylen Brown in a deal like [Al] Horford and Marcus Smart, I might have done all that, but I was not going to give up Jayson Tatum.”

Asked why Tatum’s numbers during the 2018-19 season slipped from his rookie campaign, Goodman pointed directly to the presence of Irving:

“I just think he was held back by Kyrie, I really do. I feel like Kyrie treated Tatum like LeBron treated Kyrie, to some extent. ‘You’re my little brother, this is where you’re gonna be. We’re not going to let you spread your wings too much. We’ll let you spread ’em, but you’re still a piece here.’

“If Tatum were allowed, and he will be this year, we’re going to see, I mean, this kid is, is going to be a perennial All-Star in this league. Now the big question I have, ‘Who’s going to be the point guard?’ Because [Terry] Rozier, Smart, whatever, both. Are they good enough? You need somebody still at that point guard spot to make things easier for Jayson.”

In reality, Tatum ended this past season with averages of 15.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, which were actually improvements from his respective rookie numbers of 13.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest.

During Tatum’s rookie campaign in 2017-18, he was forced to shoulder more responsibility due to Irving sitting out the entire postseason due to injury. However, the Celtics reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, compared to this season’s exit in the second round with a healthy Irving running the team.

In addition to having on-court chemistry issues with teammates, Irving also reportedly aggravated other Celtics with his open criticism about their play and his apparent refusal to acknowledge his own mistakes.

The 21-year-old Tatum was the third overall pick in the NBA draft just two years ago and remains a central component of the Celtics’ future. With Irving likely to sign as a free agent elsewhere next month, the hope is that Tatum will have the freedom to flourish into one of the game’s young stars.

Probably true in manner Lebron treated Kyrie and Kyrie treated tatum. However, Kyrie's play improved with Lebron around. Tatum regressed.

 

[Heatles84]

Sorry you can only complain about the health of your team when you lose and give no credit to your team for deserving to win. Or if your team is injured next year and loses in the finals, they'll do everything they can to discredit your win the year previous. Standard operating practices around here.

We haven't had a legit NBA champion since Vietnam.

 

[shopson67]

no way Cousins is taking a cheap deal this time. This is his last shot at good money

Then he won't be a Laker. I'd rather re-sign McGee.

 

[The Q]

Probably true in manner Lebron treated Kyrie and Kyrie treated tatum. However, Kyrie's play improved with Lebron around. Tatum regressed.

Not true. Kyrie became a true star under Brad.

Much better analytics