Draft day, what do you see happening?

[Blazer4life]

I couldn't agree more. I smack him around because he failed to trade what was supposedly the best trading chip in the history of the league last year in Raef's expiring deal.

And deservedly so IMO. This was the only blemish on the KP portfolio to me. An expiring deal that was over half paid by medical insurance limiting another teams burden on the contract would've been a gift to any team looking to trade for not only a cheaper expiring contract but immediate financial relief. He dropped the ball on this one and I think he knows it. That is why I think he also feels added pressure to make a deal since he doesn't want to be perceived as the GM who is afraid to take a risk (let alone his billionaire owner in his ear telling him to go for it). KP has a lot of pressure on him this year I think to deliver.

 

[andalusian]

Afraid taking a risk? He shipped a 20/10 guy to clear playing time to a guy recovering from a heart-condition... I doubt he is as risk averse as some claim...

There are risks and there are calculated risks. There is a difference between shooting randomly and hoping you hit something and shooting selectively when you have a good idea it will be effective...

Steve Kerr took a stupid risk trading for Shaq - a player that did not fit his very good team at all with the hope that it would stick. That was taking a risk instead of a calculated risk - and it became the dismantling of the fast, entertaining PHX teams that were a cash cow to their owner.

If memory serves - KP was in the stock-analysis and trading industry before he decided to go back to basketball - and that industry is all about analyzing risk/reward.

This team made unbelievable gains for 3 straight years - I have to say that so far - KP has shown the ability to know when to take a risk and when to avoid it better than most others in the NBA...

 

[Blazer4life]

However, with what I said above I do remember KP going to the team and asking him what they felt about staying pat or making a trade since he did have one on the table that he had to agree to. Everyone said stay pat and the result was no deal. Remember, it was at practice and written by Quick. Thats when he said lets go to war with what we have and see what we got. I guess thats why some view him as a non-risk taker and I can see that. Honestly, I do kind of find it weird that he would ask the team for their opinion as well. Of course they will say do nothing, people would lose playing time.

 

[Erroneous Subterfuge]

It wouldn't all happen today but I think we'll get a PG like Kirk H. or something, and then later land Ron Artest

 

[Cake]

I think we trade Sergio Rodriguez for a traded player exception.

We trade Outlaw and Blake and possibly our 1st for somebody like Kirk Hinrich and possibly their pick.

We take 10+ million in cap space to free agency.

 

[LittleAlex]

LOL. You don't seem to like what KP says to the media. I know its the generic stuff but its kinda what I expect most GM's to say. Do you not have faith in KP or do you think he is afraid to take a risk?

I have all the faith in the world that KP can draft well.

I have zero faith in his ability to get an established NBA player from another team using current assets.

 

[andalusian]

Honestly, I do kind of find it weird that he would ask the team for their opinion as well.

I very much doubt he cared what Shavlik Randolph said - he probably talked to Roy and LMA - which is not a bad thing as they are the leaders and stars of the team and the ones that are down in the trenches.

Frankly - if your stars are discontent because they do not believe in their team-mates - it is never a good sign. If they are - and you have the time to wait for better offers and you believe in your team - it makes sense to wait. The goal for the team was to reach the playoffs last year. Management belief in the team's ability to achieve this goal as constructed was more than justified. The team did not just make the playoffs - they got HCA and were only behind the eventual champions in win-total.

Again - the guy takes risks and have been taking them repeatedly - from drafting someone he did not want in order to get the guy he did want (Foye to Roy), trading the team's proven offensive machine to open playing time for a guy recovering from heart problems (Z-Bo to LMA), drafting a guy that could easily stay in Europe for more money than he could get in the US (Rudy), getting a guy that fell down the draft board because of reported heart issues and seeing him blossom (Batum) and the like.

Just because he did not like the risk/reward propositions he had when some thought he should have (without knowing all the facts of what was available) does not mean he is risk averse. It just means that a creative (and common) history revision is done...

The facts are that KP is not risk averse and there are no clear facts that show that he made a mistake. He chose to take the risk of continuing with an experience-free team to achieve a hard task (getting into the playoffs in a very tough western conference) - and it played out brilliantly. Ignoring these facts is history revision at it's finest...

 

[Mediocre Man]

Afraid taking a risk? He shipped a 20/10 guy to clear playing time to a guy recovering from a heart-condition... I doubt he is as risk averse as some claim...

There are risks and there are calculated risks. There is a difference between shooting randomly and hoping you hit something and shooting selectively when you have a good idea it will be effective...

Steve Kerr took a stupid risk trading for Shaq - a player that did not fit his very good team at all with the hope that it would stick. That was taking a risk instead of a calculated risk - and it became the dismantling of the fast, entertaining PHX teams that were a cash cow to their owner.

If memory serves - KP was in the stock-analysis and trading industry before he decided to go back to basketball - and that industry is all about analyzing risk/reward.

This team made unbelievable gains for 3 straight years - I have to say that so far - KP has shown the ability to know when to take a risk and when to avoid it better than most others in the NBA...

C'mon, trading Zach was about as low risk as you could have had. He was unpopular with fans, coaches and our star player.

 

[andalusian]

C'mon, trading Zach was about as low risk as you could have had. He was unpopular with fans, coaches and our star player.

Really? So if LMA did not pan out after GO went down - you do not think people would be whining how stupid it was to let him go when he was a 20/10 guy? Come-on. It was a risk, it worked OK - so everyone is looking back and saying "Oh well, it was obvious it would happen".

It was a risk, a calculated one - and it is clear that he knew what he has done. Given that the team has gotten a lot better with every season since he came on board and we do not have any substantiated information that he screwed up - he deserves to take the risks that you do not approve of as well.

Again, let's get back to the crux of things - going to war in the loaded Western conference with a bunch of kids, trying to get into the playoffs is a risk as well, and not a trivial one. He did take a risk - he just took the one you did not like - but so far, he was proven right.

We had posters on this very forum going apoplectic how we just lost the chance to get into the playoffs and how PHX is going to walk all over us...

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Something that did happen:

Andy Katz: The Lakers sold their No. 29 pick to the Knicks, according to multiple sources, for $3 million. The Knicks are looking to add another guard in the draft, according to a source, and may look at Miami's Jack McClinton in that spot. The Knicks have made inquiries with the University of Miami about McClinton as late as Wednesday.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I think this is genius by the Knicks. I'd buy up every late pick available, and have my roster stocked with young, hungry guys that you're paying less than 1M a year.

They're going to have a cap hold of ~500k for every empty spot on the roster anyway, so spending some cash now to get players in those spots for ~800k-1M seems like a good plan. If you're trying to bring in Bosh and LBJ, or Wade and LBJ, having guys like CAlathes/Budinger/Casspi/Claver/Beaubois/etc filling out the roster would seem to be a good thing, right?

 

[Nate4Prez]

KP is going to draft Omri Casspi and stash him. Then make all his moves in trades or FA/signings. I really feel like Portland isn't going to do much, if anything in this draft. But it will still be an exciting draft to see where other players end up.

So... when does the free agency period begin... July 1st?