Reef for #5 pick? and other ESPNInsider musings...

[johnnyde]

Rumors: Is Denver Melo on Anthony?

By Chad Ford

NBA Insider

Send an Email to Chad Ford Tuesday, May 27

Updated: May 27

9:44 AM ET

By now we know the Cavs will select LeBron James with the first pick in the NBA Draft and the Pistons will select Darko Milicic at No. 2. That means the Nuggets will select Carmelo Anthony with the third pick, right?

Umm ... let's not get ahead of ourselves. James is a godsend to Cleveland in every way imaginable. Darko eventually will give the Pistons the low-post scorer they've coveted for years. Both players are obvious fits, and both teams have been high on them for months. In other words, don't expect the Cavs or Pistons to trade these guys away, unless names like Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant are thrown around.

The Nuggets, on the other hand, have a mini-dilemma at No. 3. They like Carmelo. They think he's definitely the best player left on the board. It's just that he isn't James or Milicic (both are rated much higher on the draft board), and he's not an ideal fit in their system. The Nuggets already have two young small forwards for whom they have high hopes, Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Rodney White. Although Carmelo may have more upside, and certainly more star power, with so many other holes on the Nuggets, it isn't a slam dunk he'll land in Denver.

That poses an interesting dilemma for Kiki Vandeweghe & Co. Do they take Carmelo, like everyone expects, or do they listen to trade offers for him? Several teams later in the lottery are much higher on Carmelo and might be willing to offer a lottery pick and a young star in return.

Who's interested? Try just about everyone who missed out on one of the top three spots of the lottery. The Raptors, Heat, Bulls, Wizards, Grizzlies and the T-Wolves appear to be the most eager players if a Carmelo sweepstakes develops.

Could the Nuggets actually make out better by trading away the chance to land Anthony?

In most circumstances, the answer is no. The Raptors have little to offer, unless they're ready to dump Vince Carter (they aren't). The Heat are in the same position, unless they're willing to jettison Caron Butler (they aren't, either). And the T-Wolves probably would love to find a way to swap Wally Szczerbiak for Anthony, but with Szczerbiak's new extension kicking in this year, forget about it.

The Bulls, Wizards and Grizzlies, on the other hand, have some interesting assets to offer.

We start with the Bulls because frankly, they have the most ammunition. Would an offer of Jay Williams or Jamal Crawford and the No. 7 pick pique the Nuggets' interest? Denver is very high on French two guard Mickael Pietrus. In one swoop, the Nuggets could give their backcourt a major, major upgrade. If you're the Bulls, the trade makes a lot of sense. They need to thin out their backcourt, and they really need a versatile small forward.

Losing Williams or Crawford (sources say new GM John Paxson is higher on Crawford) won't be the end of the world, and there isn't another small forward available at No. 7 with nearly the upside of Carmelo. They've been drafting in the lottery for the past five years, but they've never been able to land an elite talent like Carmelo ... until now?

The Wizards don't have as much ammunition, but they do have a former No. 1 pick and the No. 10 pick in this year's lottery. If the team continues to clear house post-MJ, expect it to at least entertain the idea of trading Kwame Brown. If Brown is really as good as some people in the league think, it could be hard for Kiki to pass up the chance to grab another 7-footer and a lottery pick. Pietrus could still be on the board (though the Bulls are high on him) at No. 10. Add Gilbert Arenas to the mix, and the Nuggets are rolling again.

Jerry West has been very vocal about his feeling that Anthony, not Darko, should be the No. 2 pick. Is he willing to put his roster where his mouth is? Kiki wouldn't pass on the chance to swap the No. 3 pick for Pau Gasol. Just exactly how much does Mr. West actually like Anthony? It's food for thought.

More trade talk

The Nuggets aren't the only ones willing to trade out for the right price.

# Heat president Pat Riley already has begun working up scenarios to trade the Heat's No. 5 draft pick, according to one NBA source. Now that he knows he can't nab one of the top three players, he's willing to ship out No. 5 in return for a veteran who can help his team win now. The rumors he wants Hawks forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim have been floating around for weeks. However, the Hawks actually would have to take Eddie Jones or Brian Grant off the Heat's hands to do that deal. I'm not sure how that makes either team that much better.

# The Bulls aren't happy at No. 7. If they can't move up and land Anthony, they'd be willing to move out, if they could land a veteran small forward in return. Given the amount of talent the Bulls can deal, our guess is someone will work with them. Shane Battier isn't a veteran, but the Bulls were interested in him this summer. Is he, along with the Grizzlies' No. 27 pick, worth the Bulls' No. 7 pick? If the Bulls want to win now, the answer might be yes.

# If Texas point guard T. J. Ford isn't going to fall to No. 8 (it looks like Toronto likes him at No. 4 and the Clippers would snatch him up at No. 6) don't be shocked if the Bucks try to trade that pick (obtained from Atlanta in the Glenn Robinson trade). They aren't nearly as high on the other top point guards in the draft and want to shore up that position early in case Gary Payton decides to bolt.

# If Knicks GM Scott Layden is confident Chris Kaman won't be on the board at No. 9, he, too, will try to trade out of this year's draft. There isn't anyone else out there who can really help the Knicks. Reports they're high on Mike Sweetney or Sofaklis Schortsanitis are a bit silly. Given the abundance of power forwards (many of them undersized) already on their roster (Antonio McDyess, Kurt Thomas, Clarence Weatherspoon and Othella Harrington to name four), exactly how is Sweetney or the 17-year-old Schortsanitis supposed to help Layden reach his stated goal of making the playoffs next year?

# The Magic know they'll probably need to be drafting higher than No. 15 to get the guy they're after, Marquette's Dwyane Wade. But what do they have to offer? With most of their players hitting the free-agent market this summer; Doc Rivers can't afford to dump anyone, unless someone's willing to take Pat Garrity or Grant Hill off his hands.

More draft rumblings

# Several top European prospects are expected to arrive in the U.S. this week to begin workouts. Yugoslavia's Alexsandar Pavlovic and Slavko Vranes arrived in New York this weekend to begin working out with Darko Milicic. They'll start individual workouts next week. Spain's Maciej Lampe will also be here soon. His team, Universidad Complutense, was eliminated this weekend. Lampe played well in the series, averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds. He'll arrive in Chicago this week and begin training with Tim Grover at Hoops Gym.

# Several top draft prospects, including Dwyane Wade and Leandrinho Barbosa, are earning early draft buzz. Wade got rave reviews for a workout in Chicago on Friday. "He's got an unbelievable first step," one Bulls source told Insider. However, the Bulls are looking for a wing player who can shoot the ball, and Wade really meets neither description. The day before Barbosa came in and impressed Bulls brass with what the same Bulls source called "amazing athleticism." Barbosa also worked out in Milwaukee to strong reviews. "He's very long and active," a Bucks source told Insider. "He's got the chance to be really good; I'm just not sure how long it will take."

# BYU's Travis Hansen has been working out alongside Duke's Dahntay Jones. Hansen is considered the more complete player, but Jones may be the best athlete in the draft. So how did the two stack up in workouts? "Jones is an amazing athlete," one NBA team told Insider, "but what amazed us is how well Hansen hung with him. I'll be shocked if Hansen isn't drafted in the first round. Jones may be too. They're both playing really well."

# With that little prediction, we'll have to increase the number of first-rounders to 50 to get everyone in. The most interesting was the Charlotte Observer, which wrote a piece marveling over why Josh Howard isn't a mid-first-rounder. The story blamed the Internet (when in doubt ...) for Howard's slip.

As the coaching carousel turns

With Larry Brown's resignation on Monday, there are now seven (Hawks, Cavs, Rockets, Clippers, Hornets, Sixers and Raptors) coaching positions open. If the Wizards fire Doug Collins as expected, that will make eight.

I think a lot of us assumed that Brown would kick back and retire for a while. But now I keep hearing that he could be heading back to the Clippers. Meanwhile, Jeff Van Gundy is dating both the Rockets and Cavs. And Paul Silas is standing around waiting to see where Brown and Van Gundy end up.

In a perfect world, here is how the NBA coaching carousel should look when it finally stops spinning:

Larry Brown: Clippers. It makes sense folks. He's one of the few coaches who has a great relationship with Donald Sterling. With Brown taking the reigns, Sterling might feel more comfortable about actually signing a guy or two. Brown's greatest achievement could be turning around a Clippers squad with all of the talent in the world, but no clue how to put it all together.

Jeff Van Gundy: Rockets. He'd be crazy not to take this job. With Steve Francis, Yao Ming and young players like Eddie Griffin and Bostjan Nachbar already in place, the team has nowhere to go but up. A little Van Gundy discipline is all they need to be a playoff contender.

Paul Silas: Cavs. The Cavs need a good coach, and Silas is the best coach on the board. Players love him, because he's nurturing. But he's also strict enough to keep them in line. He'll have to be patient with this squad, but there could be some serious rewards.

Maurice Cheeks: Sixers. He'd bolt the Portland madhouse in a second to get a chance to coach back home.

Eddie Jordan: Raptors. Jordan knows a thing or two about coaching great point guards. If the Raptors take T. J. Ford as expected, they should be ready to roll right back into the playoffs.

Doug Collins: Blazers. I know it's a long shot, but I'd love to see it, wouldn't you? Doug crying his eyes out over the dead-head Blazers every night makes great copy. Don't go into the light Doug. Stay away from the light.

Tim Floyd: Hornets. I believe in second chances. The fact he didn't hang himself in Chicago is a plus. The Hornets are a good team. With the right coach, they'll stay that way.

Mike Dunleavy: Wizards. He has to resurface somewhere, doesn't he?

[Admin]

Man, if we could get Jones/#5 pick for Reef I would do it without thinking twice about it. A Jones/JT backcourt could be extremely successful. We could play Hendu/Nazr at PF and then draft Maciej Lampe and allow him to develope. They say that this guy is very similar to Dirk but plays better defense. Either that or we trade JT for a post player with some skills down there and then draft Ford or Barbosa (trading down slightly)........this could be very exciting. I really hope that we make a big trade because I dont want to see this same team come back next year. Reef/Dog cannot co-exist so one of them must be moved.

[Diesel]

If the Heat traded us:

Eddie Jones/#5 for Reef.

We could go after Chris Bosh.... Wait for development. Play him sparingly and play Hendu... at PF for a while. Or even think about moving Theo to PF and playing Nazr.

However, what it could be is:

Theo/Hendu/Grob/Jones/JT....

with Bosh as our future?

If Bosh is gone... do you take Lampe?

Maybe.

There's also Sweetney.

But the other player left is TJ Ford.

A play for Ford would mean two things.

either the trade is:

SAR for Grant/#5.

and possibly,

JT is gone too.

However, if we get Ford and keep JT...

Ford/JT/Grob/Grant/Theo.

That's a very high energy team. However, it will be small in the back court and front court. Can the high energy overcome the lack of size? Look at NJ. They have a small front court.

If we keep Ford and trade JT... for say... barry/12.

We could have:

Ford/Barry/Grob/Grant/Theo...

With a future of:

Ford/DJ/Outlaw/Grant/Theo.

[Admin]

Jeez Diesel its scary when we are thinking the same things isnt it?........okay so thats like 2 days in a row we are agreeing on things.......is the apocalypse coming?.....seriously though, things could get very interesting and if we can make that deal with the Heat I would jump all over it. Not sure that Grant/#5 pick is worthy of Reef, but I still would probably do it. I would love to get Bosh, but will he last till the #5 pick? I can really see Denver drafting him since Camby will likely never pan out. I would kill to get Bosh/Lampe and Grant/Jones for Reef.........wouldnt that be something? We could actually turn this franchise around with a move like this.

[Guest]

you realize that any team with GRob in it cannot really be "high octane" right?I mean, unless he spends the summer sitting on the porch as a means of sweating off the weight, he can't play very well in a running team.

This team has really got to decide what it's going to do with GRob and JT. I really don't think that they can co-exist. With GRob's age, he's in his golden years - not past his prime anymore, but you know exactly what he's going to bring to the table.

[Diesel]

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~90~1410185,00.html

Denver likes Anthony... It's unprecedented that an owner would make it know like this.

Secondly, I think that Toronto will take either Ford or Karmen.

Leaving Bosh to #5. I would take Bosh in a heartbeat.

[Diesel]

You didn't watch much of the Big three huh?

The only time they stopped running was so that Allen could line up a three.

I think that with:

Theo/Bosh/Dog/Jones/JT... We can run.

[jezmund]

and I've come to the conclusion that I would trade Reef for Jones/#5. This trade is a huge step in the right direction IF we can make the right pick. There are two scenarios that are available, Ford or Bosh? It's hard for me b/c I'm a huge GT fan but I would love to have a bonafide pass-oriented PG. I would try and pickup E.Robinson/Marshall for G.Robinson from Chicago. If we select TJ Ford then we need to move JT for an inside presence on the offensive end; if we pickup Bosh, we really need to resign JT. Either way, JT or Ford, we need to pick up a veteran PG. Dickau/Mohammed should be enough to get us something decent at BU PG. Marshall would start at PF until we thought Bosh was ready and when he is, Marshall would probably be either the 6th man or jump in for Erob. Either way this would be a very up and down team with size, ball handling, and defense. I'd really like for us to pick up Dahntay Jones and/or Josh Howard with our later picks. Both great atheletes who can play defense.

JT/???

Jones/???(D.Jones)

Erob/Ira?/(Howard?)

Marshall/Bosh

Theo/Hendu

First things first, we need to get a coach in here.

[Diesel]

I don't know if Big Dog can be moved. I mean, realistically... I believe that the Chicago deal goes down.

They will trade Williams, Rose, Fizer, Chandler, #7 for KG...

They will then have:

Curry/KG/Marshall/Hasell/Crawford as their starters. I believe that they would be interested in moving Erob... But not Marshall. Maybe if we can put Glover with Grob for Erob and Marshall, they'd do it, but then we are getting robbed and making our conference rival so strong that we could never beat them. Just because Grob doesn't fit the style of ball we've been playing, doesn't mean he's not good. Add him and KG and I think that there's a combo that is unstoppable.

Now... another trade... Grob to PTL for Davis/Daniels (SNT).

This helps that situation immediately.

We have:

Theo/Davis/Ira/Jones/JT.

Probably the best defensive team in all of basketball. But we don't score much. We are reliant on JT and Jones for all of our scoring.... Until Bosh has matured.

Then we can look at a future of:

JT/Daniels/DJ/Bosh/Theo.

Get your sneakers.

[jjjohns3]

I'd rather unload Dog for the no.5 We need an athletic SF who can play D,which isn't Dog's specialty. If we made that trade we can go for a Big Man @5 & a Dahntay Jones type player at 21. I still feel Dog would be best fit in Denver though.

~Peace

[Diesel]

The reality is that Miami is not going to give us #5 for Dog. Even if it was #5 and all the junk they have to give....

Dog doesn't fit in Denver either.

Dog would fit in with a really good defensive team that struggles on offense. Put Dog in either Philly or San Antonio and you have something. Even in Indiana, Dog could be a workhorse.

However, would you do what's neccessary?

Dog/Filler (maybe CC) for Croshere/Mercer.

I say that because I realize that Dog only has 2 years left on his contract. We've never seen Dog with Good PG and good Offensive schemes. Dog is normally a 46-47% shooter.

Croshere however, is signed for what 5 more years. He can't find his way off the bench and he seems like a flash in the pan.

Would you trade for him just to get rid of Dog?

I think it would be easier to hold dog to the deadline. By then, teams will have players they are looking to move and Dog's contract becomes very valuable. However, any trade we make this early will get us junk like Croshere who will sit on our bench and collect more money than Grant Hill and Terrell Brandon with about the same outcome.

[coachx]

WOW, is all I can say. Trade one home town guy for another.

worst case scenerio: Bosh will be as good as Reef but be

6'11'', heck he is onle 19, he could be 7'1''. {Or Bosh is picked #3 or 4)

best case scenerio: Bosh will be as good as Tim Duncan.

Throw in Eddie Jones and the Heat are ripped off. I'm sure they would rather give up Grant rather than Jones. For Jones we may have to include the 21st pick but there is no problem their.

Eddie is the perfect compliment for JT and Dog. He plays great D, handles the ball, shoots with range, and slashes to the bucket. At the same time he does all of this he is not selfish and can be very producttive without touching the ball. BEAUTIFUL

Sounds to good to be true. I remember Riley dissing Reef saying he only scores 17 for a losing team. Now he wants to trade an allstar + the 5th pick for him ? What gives ?

The truth is Reef is a very coachable player that any good coach wants on their team.

[Traceman]

to consider that deal though. No way would I take Grant. EJ suffered a VERY serious ankle sprain that ended his season last year so it depends on what his prognosis looks like. If he is going to be 100%, I'd SERIOUSY consider Reef for Jones/#5. For ME to pull the trigger however, it would HAVE to be Bosh at #5. I like Ford but he doesn't fit with JT and I DEFINITELY want to resign JT. I haven't seen Kaman and Lampe play so I can't honestly evaluate either of them. As for Bosh, I think he's a VERY good player in 3 years and a perennial All Star in 5.

Jones is not the player he was 2 or 3 years ago but he is still a good player. He is also a VERY solid ballhandler, defender and shooter and he would be an excellent backcourt mate for JT. Dog would be a less of a liability playing alongside EJ and Theo (I would probably start Nazr at Center and Theo at PF unless Bosh proved he was ready to start right away).

Next year we might look like:

Nazr/Hendu/Willis

Theo/Bosh

Dog/DJ

EJ/Glove

JT/vet PG (KA?)

plus the #21 pick

Crawford/DD - IR (no more 12 man rosters!)

If DJ recovers fully, we could be REALLY good in a couple of years.

On another note, I was on one of the Miami Heat chat boards and it is AMAZING how differently their fans view this proposal than we do. Most of them would NOT even do Grant/#5 for Reef let alone EJ/#5! One guy posted that he thought Reef/JT/Nazr for Grant/AC/#5 was fair, saying that we could take Ford at #5. That would leave us with:

Theo

Grant/Hendu

Dog/Crawford

Glove/DJ

Ford/Carter/DD

I don't think so! Give me a break!

[jjjohns3]

"Dog would fit on a good defensive team that struggles on Offense."

Then doesn't Denver sound like the perfect place for Dog to you?? He'd get ALL the shots to himself because there is no one else who'll score for them. They had to be the worst Offensive team in NBA History.

~Peace

[DJ_Money]

Yes, but Denver is contemplating passing on Carmelo Anthony because they already have Skita and Rodney White. They would go nowhere near Dog.

[Diesel]

at the 2/3/4 positions.

Especially if they get Howard Back...

I think they might trade down and take Lampe... Just because.

[thescout]

I would trade Reef for the No 5 pick .If Eddie Jones were offered in the deal which I doubt then it is an absolute steal.I could see if the Hawks got Grant and the 5th pick the Hawk's drafting TJ Ford. A speed player that could create some excitement which the hawk's have not had in a while.With the 21st pick if he is available I would take Michael West.For some reason(probably size) he is not among the top 10 players but the guy dominated at Xavier. You would have 2 impact rookies and Grant to fill in for loss of Reef.

If the Hawks got Eddie jones and no 5 I would draft Bosh, not sure who at no 21but it would be a nice problem to fill another need.Either the way the Hawks improve from a boring team with Reef to a more athletic team by adding mulitple players.The Hawks have to do something.Carrying the same team may not even qualify you for the playoffs.At least try something new worse case scenario you end up with a high draft pick to rebuild.I hate the word rebuild but lets face it the hawks have been rebuilding for how many years.Let's it the right way.Get the solid core players in the next few years then when 2005 hits sign a big free agent who can take you to the top...for now Hawk's fans have nothing to cheer about with this team. I hope whoever is GM has some imagination and knows talent so,ething the Hawk's have lacked for years thanks to Babcock!

[thescout]

After reading up on Chris Bosh there is no way I would pass on him for a small guard like TJ Ford. Bosh looks to have potetnial to be one of the best in the league. At this point the Hawks need a player like him not only to attract fans but finally find a potetnail dominate big man at power forward. In addtion the Hawks may get another player and keep there 21 st pick....I hope this deal goes down the hawk's franchise needs something major to happen to get excited about.

The Falcon's got Vick and are selling out the Hawk's,the jury is still out!

[Boondocks]

Depends on what Toronto does, if they take Ford, the 5th pick is Bosch and the other way around.

I was wondering though, aren't Grant and Jones signed for 4 more years at the max while Grob is signed for 2 more years at 9 mil? Now Grant and Jones are pretty good, but overpaid and with quite some time remaining on their contracts.

Some team might actually like Grob just for salary cap purposes if they can give a longer contract in return.

[ATLien_]

If we get the #5 pick I would try hard to trade up to #3 and get Carmello Anthony. Trade our #5 and our 2nd to move up 2 spots, but it would probably take our other 1st. If the nuggests don't want to take him anyway, why not go after anthony?

I doubt seriously the Raptors let Bosh slip to us at 5, and unlike many I dont want Brevin Knigt the sequal coming to Atlanta.

If we can't get who we want at 5 I'd look to trade down for multiple first.