RedDawg#8

Just more proof that executing the pick and roll is more than just Trae throwing dimes to our bigs. The ability to create space to get open, have great hands and the skill to finish either in flight or down low in traffic, is an actual skillset. Not every big man can do their part of the pick and roll as well as JC and Clint. And I'm talking about against a multitude of defensive schemes designed specifically to eliminate the PNR from our gameplan. Anybody can do it and catch teams slipping. Teams are gameplanning against it and we still find good looks, all because Trae and the Bigs are sharing a brain on the court. They are able to read space and time in unison.

Can we give Lou Will some props too? He has also been playing much better these last few games.

Dammit Nate why are you subbing in Gallo instead of OO?!!! You cannot preach defense and makw those kinds of substitutions. If Charlotte goes on a run its your fault coach

Im not trading for Ben Simmons. He makes too much money to be so limited when the games actually matter the most. He is on a downward trajectory in his career after only 5 seasons because he won't improve his weaknesses. He is not the 2nd star we think he is. He is a name and he is well known. But the league has figured him out and he is not able to dominate in the playoffs like he OCCASIONALLY did in the regular season. Im telling you, this would be a toxic move considering what we would have to ship out for him. And best believe nobody would take that contract off our hands when it doesn't work out. If it was for Bogi and Gallo, plus filler, then you could roll the dice. But including Hunter or Collins, players that fit next to Trae like a glove, is where you lose me. If Clint Capela wasn't around, then Simmons would be a better fit. I do not see how this works out for us other than making fans happy for a couple of weeks.

If Im not mistaken, OKC still has more draft picks than they will have room on their roster the next few years. At some point they have to try and flip those picks in to contributing NBA players (how we did), and not continue to stockpile.

2 full offensive AND defensive possessions. He could barely stand up straight let alone hobble through running up and back twice. No teammate intentionally fouled, no timeout was burned until it was really too late to matter. That's just really poor class if you ask me.

Bud is turning in to a real POS Look at what he just did with his own player Matthews. Inexcusable

Really should be Delon at that point. Mays needs to be in the mix as well.

Or just a technicality lol

I forgot about that change in 2017, but even still, the pool of names for them to choose from is slack since most of the best West frontcourt guys are injured. Besides Bron and Jokic, who is the 3rd best frontcourt guy in the West regardless of injury status? Typically it would be AD, but he has been getting dragged all season and I doubt the media choose him. PG13 has the numbers but has played only half of the season (26 games) and will miss the ASG. I think that it's a good enough question, and that the votes end up getting split several ways as a result. That 50% fan vote for Wiggins will give him a huge leg up in the tallying process. The players (25%) and the media (25%) would have to agree on the same guy for it to overturn (tie) Wiggins. All the best obvious choices left are in the West backcourt. IDK As long as Trae gets to start I am good with it.

Interesting for Bogi, I thought he would get some traction this weekend. At least be listed as questionable. I hope they aren't holding him out on purpose due to a potential trade

Andrew Wiggins is literally about to steal a starting away spot from someone and it's disgusting. The West roster is looking real weak right now. AD- injured PG13- injured Draymond Green - injured Melo? - smh....why Lakers fans, why KAT is the only other name truly deserving of a starting spot and he is all the way down at number 8. Here is what is jacked up about the whole thing, when Bron and KD start picking their teams, I'm already anticipating that the last 2 starters names left on the board will be Trae and Wiggins. Disgusting if it happens.

Having both is a plus. It gives opposing teams different looks with each style being extremely effective on it's own. Like a 2 headed monster in football at RB. As soon as one wears you down, here comes the next guy with fresh legs to keep pounding. That's my ideal scenario with OO and Clint this season. A tag team duo that protects the rim and can matchup against any style of big. 48 minutes of great center play.

Ask yourself, why hasn't Philly ever been able to come out of the East, despite being loaded with talent and dominating the regular season the last few years. Why do they not only get bounced out, but typically self destruct and embarrassed along the way? Now ask yourself, are those issues that you would like for us to inherit as we attempt to find healthy chemistry and success going forward? Just say no to Ben

I like Cam, I believe in his potential. That being said this team took off last season after Cam went down. 10-16 record with Cam (1-3 in playoffs) 31-15 without (9-5 in playoffs) Talent doesn't always equal fit. This team looked much better last season with Tony Snell starting at SF (14-9) than it ever did with Cam starting (8-13). This may gaslight some posters, but it is what it is. We have not been a good team with Cam in the lineup. Doesn't take anything away from HIS abilities. But results matter at the end of the day.

Ok so I want to revisit this, as I can honestly say I did not even want to give the kid a chance after the trade. I finally decided to scout him and his game. That being said, I still don't think he has more talent or upside than Cam. But that's not the point. What I do like about Knox, is that he seems to play within himself, and that is a great quality for a role player to have. We have enough mouths to feed as is. What we have been lacking is guys that are on board with doing the "other" stuff. So far in the small sample size since he's been here, Knox is a competent young player with size, length, and versatility. What he lacks in flash, he makes up for in being solid. I can dig that. If he can be a poor man's Dre for us, I think we have something. Ironically, one of the highlight videos I watched of his career high game, he was making Ben Simmons look lost on defense. I thought it was very telling, not just about Knox, but about how we keep idolizing Ben Simmons defense thinking he will come here and fix ours, but when you watch him closely, he has lazy tendencies and lapses just like the guys we already have. I think we are overrating Ben because the media told us he was elite. Watch for yourself, Kevin freaking Knox just eating whenever he was guarded by Ben. With that in mind, I'm going to stop dragging the kid. He didn't trade himself. I really think he can give us some of that Tony Snell, glue guy energy that has been missing this season. No, he wont shoot like Snell. But he will help balance out the locker room. Not to mention, apparently his family and Trae's family are close from their AAU days. This is a move that sucks on paper, but may end up doing wonders for the team chemistry.

Ima tell you like I tell these chicks. You can't change a man, and you never pick a man based on potential. He is who he shows himself to be. And if you allow the relationship to start off when he is broken, you cannot blame him down the road for remaining that way. Whatever character or behavior that you accept in the beginning is the foundation for the entire relationship going forward. It would be naïve to think that WE are the magic potion that will get him on track, when nothing has ever come out to suggest that he has changed his ways.

I would be much happier trading Clint in the offseason than I would be trading JC right now. Clint is not a great fit as is, especially since his finishing at the rim has become suspect.

100% We have a semi-void as is when it comes to leadership as JC is the only real vocal guy. You replace him with a dude that is so weak minded that Philly had to let go of Jimmy Butler to make him happy. Because Jimmy pushed him too hard. Forgetting that Embiid loved Jimmy, but the team bent for Ben. Think about that dynamic for a second. Subtraction by addition

Let me get this straight, we are going to give Knox the opportunity to backup JC at PF, but not JJ? Knox, who has done nothing in his career, and who is a 6-7 SF, and who was traded for our backup SF is getting the opportunity ahead of the high upside PF that we drafted with our 1st round pick? Even if this is just an excuse to justify the trade, it still stinks because the protected 1st round pick that we got in the deal is likely going to be lower than the pick we used on JJ, who we already refuse to let get playing time. So, not only did we lose Cam in the trade, but we are bumping JJ down on the depth chart as a result. Got it.

Here is the thing, JC isn't a "shooter", he is a big man, who can shoot. And those numbers for anyone are good, but for a big man are incredible. Especially when you consider his ability to finish in the paint. John Collins is a highly efficient offensive player, point blank period. He doesn't create offense, but if you haven't noticed we have a historically productive offensive engine in Trae, and having guys that can finish his plays is much more important than having more guys that have to take the ball out of his hands to get going. JC is a perfect fit with Trae, and one thing that consistently gets lost when players try to build super teams, is fit. Names on paper don't play games. There are many more teams with 2 or more HoFer's that get bounced each year than there are who win it all. It helps to have big time players but it's not the cure all.

I have always thought that we had enough on this roster to do what was needed to be done this season. I feel as if the biggest issue has been internal/mental/strategic/chemistry as opposed to an actual talent deficit. With that in mind I WAS open to a trade for a big time player, but after the Cam/Knox deal, I am not as willing to move more core pieces as I already don't like midseason deals to begin with (there are never clear winners typically), and there isn't any proposed deal that has truly tickled my fancy. Ben Simmons sounds good on paper, but at what cost, and what will be left for us to build with? JC may not be as good as Ben, but JC is NOT afraid to shoot the ball in big time games, especially if left wide open. Their playoff averages last year are very telling. Where Simmons was able to be playmaker, his shooting was god awful. He was worse than Giannis or even Clint from the line. And he refused to shoot the ball from the outside. We would lose a PF that stretches the floor, is a vertical threat at the rim, has chemistry with Trae, and is one of the few locker room voices. Just to bring in a guy that is basically a fast break specialist, and in the half court would either take the ball out of Trae's hand OR if Trae does have the ball, Simmons defender would be able to cheat and further help trap on Trae. I don't know man. Simmons is clearly a beast and great in the regular season, but, come playoff time, his teams have imploded because of him and his lack of spacing and willingness to shoot.

They must not have been watching in the first half, when the refs literally were taking points off the board from us with those and-1 no calls. Then turn around and allow their guys a courtesy dribble and everything and still get and-1's. But the refs were helping us? Those refs were trash for most of the game.

I think it speaks more to OO than anything. As long as Clint is out, Nate wants to go to JC and Gallo sharing the floor more often. But OO was just too good last night defensively to take out the game. Also, and I almost forgot about this, but JC did foul out of the game around the 2 minute mark, so that was technically the real reason lol

The fact Knox can just come to town and after a single 3 on 3 workout get the call ahead of TLC, a player who we were committed to playing with the starters during our injury spell, is just annoying to me. It's like, the staff acknowledges that TLC is trash, but still gave him more opportunity and a longer leash than the guys we are still trying to find chemistry with. Mind blowing.