Releiving the pressure ...

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Nikolokolus

There's always next year
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What can I say I'm super bored waiting for real basketball to get started.

So here's the deal we'll play a little game; the "game" is to come up with reasonable trade proposals designed to consolidate the roster and make PT and rotations more manageable while also preserving talent and competitiveness. Explain why you trade away certain players, why you target any player(s) and to possibly solve the future point guard dilemma (if you can).

So post 'em if you got 'em.

Here's mine:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ydpph2d

Bayless and Rudy for Mike Conley

Why we trade our guys: Jerryd's in all likelihood a ticking time bomb of unhappiness and probably will need a change of scenery sooner rather than later. Rudy's a starting quality two in the league. While sending him to Memphis seems cruel, at least he'll have a fellow countryman in Gasol to help him feel at home ... Iverson's a one year rental, Mayo will probably end up being their long term point guard (from the bits I've heard in the past year) and both Jerryd and Rudy would be looking at increased PT.

Why we target Conley: He's one of those young guys who appears to be on the cusp of either being really good and at worst pretty good, he can hit the long ball which is important, he's got a relationship with GO and he's the right age to add now so he can understudy behind Miller and probably overtake Blake for backup minutes, if he really blows up and absolutely commanded playing time Miller or Blake would be pretty easy to move ... blake especially since he's expiring at the end of this season.

drawbacks: We'd still be stacked at point guard and would probably have to follow this up with another trade to clear time.

OK, I feel dirty after using the trade machine, I need a shower.
 
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You realize how out of control this could get! He said realistic trades people!
 
I'd like to see how the Rudy at PG pans out.

The two young players I'd target are Conley and Robin Lopez.

Memphis view Mayo as their PG of the future. This is something I really don't understand but it makes Conley attainable. Post All-Star break Conley played at another level. He's on the cusp of a breakout. Unlike Bayless, Conley is not a SG we have to convert into a PG.

Robin Lopez is a defensive minded 7-footer in the mold of a PJ Brown. He's not there yet but in a few years he's going to be very good and a replacement for Przybilla.
 
Memphis view Mayo as their PG of the future. This is something I really don't understand but it makes Conley attainable.

Link? I've heard Mayo say he wants to play some PG, but nothing about the Grizzlies wanting him to.
 
Miller and Bayless, (2 surly me-first guys who will never fit with the rest of this team) for Sergio.
 
Miller and Bayless, (2 surly me-first guys who will never fit with the rest of this team) for Sergio.

I saw this one coming. He's gone forever Maris, NEVER COMING BACK.
 
you're joking right?

I was going off of the assumption that Rudy or Nic would need to be included and I would 100% want it to be Rudy. And if I had to keep Outlaw or Webster, I would keep Webster. This is all a hypothetical if they wanted Rudy or Nic and Outlaw or Webster. So no, I'm not kidding.
 
I was going off of the assumption that Rudy or Nic would need to be included and I would 100% want it to be Rudy. And if I had to keep Outlaw or Webster, I would keep Webster. This is all a hypothetical if they wanted Rudy or Nic and Outlaw or Webster. So no, I'm not kidding.

ah gotcha'. $ doesn't match though with Nic or Rudy involved anyway.
 
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yanr2hg Przy and Blake for Okafor. NO gets a legit C, not a C/PF. They also get a great backup for Paul.

We solidify Oden/LMA/Okafor as a 3-man big rotation getting 30-35 minutes apiece. If any one of them goes down for an injury we still have 2 really good starters. Not the case right now if, say, LMA got hurt.

The money is even this year, but NOH gets another 10M cut off their lux tax next year. Effectively they traded Chandler for Joel and Blake and got 1 year off the deal.

Another one would be this pipe dream, along the same lines: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y9uq4py Al Jefferson for Joel, Outlaw, Rudy and Claver's rights along with next year's #1. Minny can't play uptempo (like they want to) with both Love and Jefferson at the 4/5. They like Love enough to build around him in a pseudo-triangle, and Joel would go home to Minny (with a great chance of re-signing) to be the starting C. Sending Outlaw and Rudy would add instant firepower (Flynn, Rudy, Outlaw, Love, Przy) while in 2 years when Rubio comes over (with Claver) they have the 3 Amigos playing in the tundra.

For us, we get another fit into that 3-man big rotation, but it allows us to "save" LMA to be the 4/5 in an uptempo unit. Pay him his money, start Oden and Jefferson with Blake and Roy, and play slowball until you bring in Webster and Miller and LMA and unleash hell.
 
You started it! :ohno:

Have you ever done something with the full knowledge that it's probably going to be a total trainwreck, but you somehow just can't help yourself? This was one of those times for me.
 
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yanr2hg Przy and Blake for Okafor. NO gets a legit C, not a C/PF. They also get a great backup for Paul.

We solidify Oden/LMA/Okafor as a 3-man big rotation getting 30-35 minutes apiece. If any one of them goes down for an injury we still have 2 really good starters. Not the case right now if, say, LMA got hurt.

The money is even this year, but NOH gets another 10M cut off their lux tax next year. Effectively they traded Chandler for Joel and Blake and got 1 year off the deal.

Another one would be this pipe dream, along the same lines: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y9uq4py Al Jefferson for Joel, Outlaw, Rudy and Claver's rights along with next year's #1. Minny can't play uptempo (like they want to) with both Love and Jefferson at the 4/5. They like Love enough to build around him in a pseudo-triangle, and Joel would go home to Minny (with a great chance of re-signing) to be the starting C. Sending Outlaw and Rudy would add instant firepower (Flynn, Rudy, Outlaw, Love, Przy) while in 2 years when Rubio comes over (with Claver) they have the 3 Amigos playing in the tundra.

For us, we get another fit into that 3-man big rotation, but it allows us to "save" LMA to be the 4/5 in an uptempo unit. Pay him his money, start Oden and Jefferson with Blake and Roy, and play slowball until you bring in Webster and Miller and LMA and unleash hell.

Wow I really like that Okafor deal. That would be amazing.
 
Have you ever done something with the full knowledge that it's probably going to be a total trainwreck, but you somehow just can't help yourself? This was one of those times for me.

Instead of trainwreck, you should have said a total Maris.
 
My idea:

Portland receives
TJ Ford

Indiana receives
Jerryd Bayless
Steve Blake
Martell Webster

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yaml36y

Why Portland does it: TJ Ford is still just 26 years old, and he's put up solid PERs (last three years: 18.2, 20.3, 16.6) and solid Assist Rates (44.8, 44.4. 27.6). His last year was a bit of a down year, which may make him more attainable, but even in the down year, he had a healthy Assist Rate and PER (as opposed to star-level or near star-level the previous two seasons). Ford is a natural point guard and clearly successful at getting others involved. He's not a great shooter, but he's not miserable (32% career three-point percentage). He's not an efficient scorer, but on this team, his role would be to make plays for others. Left alone, he has the ability to score enough to make other teams pay.

Why Indiana does it: They have essentially nothing at shooting guard. They can abandon the attempt to make Bayless an NBA point guard and let him play as their lead guard, a game that Bayless plays very well. Blake gives them a perfectly serviceable point guard for the present to step in for Ford and Webster is a non-trivial throw-in: someone young enough to still develop into more but already a worthwhile NBA player signed to a reasonable contract. Ford is a free agent at the end of the year, while Bayless and Webster are locked up for several more. This is essentially a trade of a proven NBA player for some prospects. Indiana isn't close to contention and it's quite possible that Ford, despite not being long in the tooth, won't be around or in his prime when Indiana is next relevant. Webster could be and Bayless could be a part of making them relevant.

Concerns: Despite sending three perimeter players out for one (and two of the players on the depth chart at point guard for one), there are still playing time concerns, notably at point guard. Both Miller and Ford deserve starter minutes. Both are in their primes. I think this can be resolved by cutting away Outlaw's small forward minutes (he plays only as backup to Aldridge) and giving Roy substantial minutes at small forward. That frees up more guard minutes for Miller, Ford and Fernandez to share. Still, it's tricky. I'd have liked to send out Fernandez too, to allow for a three-guard rotation of Miller, Roy and Ford...but there's not much more for Indiana to add to deal (that they might be willing to, so no Granger). Murphy would make a nice backup power forward, but he makes far too much for salaries to be balanced in the deal in any reasonable way.

It's certainly not a perfect deal, but Ford is quite intriguing and would be the right age...he's a proven, young veteran but Portland would still get a good chunk of his prime.
 
Have you ever done something with the full knowledge that it's probably going to be a total trainwreck, but you somehow just can't help yourself? This was one of those times for me.

That's the speech I'll give my kids someday when I talk about their conception:devilwink:
 
My idea:

Portland receives
TJ Ford

Indiana receives
Jerryd Bayless
Steve Blake
Martell Webster

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yaml36y

Why Portland does it: TJ Ford is still just 26 years old, and he's put up solid PERs (last three years: 18.2, 20.3, 16.6) and solid Assist Rates (44.8, 44.4. 27.6). His last year was a bit of a down year, which may make him more attainable, but even in the down year, he had a healthy Assist Rate and PER (as opposed to star-level or near star-level the previous two seasons). Ford is a natural point guard and clearly successful at getting others involved. He's not a great shooter, but he's not miserable (32% career three-point percentage). He's not an efficient scorer, but on this team, his role would be to make plays for others. Left alone, he has the ability to score enough to make other teams pay.

Why Indiana does it: They have essentially nothing at shooting guard. They can abandon the attempt to make Bayless an NBA point guard and let him play as their lead guard, a game that Bayless plays very well. Blake gives them a perfectly serviceable point guard for the present to step in for Ford and Webster is a non-trivial throw-in: someone young enough to still develop into more but already a worthwhile NBA player signed to a reasonable contract. Ford is a free agent at the end of the year, while Bayless and Webster are locked up for several more. This is essentially a trade of a proven NBA player for some prospects. Indiana isn't close to contention and it's quite possible that Ford, despite not being long in the tooth, won't be around or in his prime when Indiana is next relevant. Webster could be and Bayless could be a part of making them relevant.

Concerns: Despite sending three perimeter players out for one (and two of the players on the depth chart at point guard for one), there are still playing time concerns, notably at point guard. Both Miller and Ford deserve starter minutes. Both are in their primes. I think this can be resolved by cutting away Outlaw's small forward minutes (he plays only as backup to Aldridge) and giving Roy substantial minutes at small forward. That frees up more guard minutes for Miller, Ford and Fernandez to share. Still, it's tricky. I'd have liked to send out Fernandez too, to allow for a three-guard rotation of Miller, Roy and Ford...but there's not much more for Indiana to add to deal (that they might be willing to, so no Granger). Murphy would make a nice backup power forward, but he makes far too much for salaries to be balanced in the deal in any reasonable way.

It's certainly not a perfect deal, but Ford is quite intriguing and would be the right age...he's a proven, young veteran but Portland would still get a good chunk of his prime.

One other concern is TJ Ford's neck. He has a genetic defect that makes his neck way more susceptable to injury then normal. A few years ago he almost got paralyzed by Al Horford on a hard but not viscious foul. I honestly believe the kid should have retired after that. Not too sure I want to be at the RG to watch the last time TJ Ford gets to walk.
 

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