DeMarre Carroll & Paul Millsap MEGA thread

[RandomFan]

We all know free agency madness is about to descend on us. So lets start a thread for our two free agents to dump all their discussion into. I'll kick it off with this article from today.

 

Budenholzer aiming to re-sign Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll after Hardaway trade

 

By George Henry Associated Press  

UPDATED: June 29, 2015 8:10 p.m.

 

ATLANTA — Now that he’s added Tim Hardaway Jr., Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has narrowed his focus on re-signing All-Star forward Paul Millsap and starting guard DeMarre Carroll.

 

NBA teams can begin negotiating with free agents at 12 a.m. Wednesday, and Budenholzer believes the acquisition of Hardaway will help convince Millsap and Carroll to stay in Atlanta.

 

“Our most important thing is keeping our team together, so the more time I have to spend time with Paul and DeMarre and our players, I welcome that,” Budenholzer said.

 

Millsap and Carroll helped the Hawks win a franchise-best 60 games last season. For the first time, Atlanta advanced to the Eastern Conference finals before being swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the team is building a foundation for what Budenholzer hopes is long-term success.

 

The Hawks traded for Hardaway during the NBA draft last week, sending the 19th overall pick to the New York Knicks to add a dependable backup for shooting guard Kyle Korver.

 

Hardaway was named to the league’s all-rookie team two seasons ago before struggling last season to define his role in the Knicks’ new triangle offense. He also occasionally was criticized for lackluster defense and poor shot selection.

 

“I took a step back, but I learned a lot in my second year,” Hardaway said. “I kind of know what to expect going into this year with the work ethic and what I have to put into my game to make myself a better ballplayer.”

 

Budenholzer considers Hardaway a good fit to an offense predicated on spacing, sharing the ball and setting screens.

 

The Hawks showed signs during playoff series wins over Brooklyn and Washington that their offense was bogging down, but they hit bottom against Cleveland.

 

Their defense had no answer for LeBron James and Atlanta’s offense missed an abundance of easy shots and couldn’t match the Cavs’ intensity.

 

“I think everyone knows how much we value shooting,” Budenholzer said. “Tim’s ability to make shots in different situations —whether it’s coming off screens, spotting up, the more shot-makers you have, the more difficult you are to guard.”

 

Hardaway averaged 10.8 points in his first two seasons. He knows the Hawks need him to improve his career numbers of 1.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds.

 

“I think I bring depth to the shooting guard position and I can come off screens, make plays for others and just try to be that energy source,” Hardaway said, “whether I’m coming off the bench or as the case may be.”

 

Hardaway wasn’t terribly surprised when he learned the Knicks had traded him.

 

But when he heard that Knicks president Phil Jackson called draft pick Jerian Grant a better fit for the triangle offense, Hardaway promised to have the last word.

 

“Once I heard him say that, all hands on deck now,” Hardaway said. “Obviously as a basketball player, you take that to heart. So, it’s time to move on, get better, and when the time comes, the time comes. Right now, it’s all about Atlanta basketball.”

 

Hardaway said he appreciated the support of Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony, who criticized the deal and called his former teammate to wish him well. Though he wouldn’t offer specifics of their conversation, Hardaway appreciated the chance to play with Anthony even though New York had the NBA’s second-worst record at 17-65 last season.

 

“How you score the ball, how you can limit your dribbling to get to the basket — how you’re hungry — he’s always hungry for more and hungry for the competition,” Hardaway said. “That’s what I think I can bring here as well.”

 

Budenholzer wasn’t interested in discussing whatever went wrong for Hardaway in New York.

His concern now is to keep Millsap and Carroll on board.

 

“These guys have earned this opportunity,” Budenholzer said. “I think they’re going to have people who are interested in pursuing them. What they want and need, you can never be sure. Hopefully we know them well.”

 

 

 

[RandomFan]

Also, I find it kind of interesting we aren't seeing any mention of Sap or DMC linked to be meeting with anyone as soon as free agency starts. I see mention of all kinds of other free agents scheduled to meet with so-and-so on Thursday, but nothing about our guys. Wonder if that means good news for us keeping them?

[RandomFan]

https://www.todaysfastbreak.com/from-the-courts/demarre-carroll-nba-free-agency-outlook/

 

DeMarre Carroll’s Free-Agent Outlook

June 27, 2015

 

 

DeMarre Carroll has made around $8 million in his six-year career, and will probably surpass that in the 2015-2016 season alone. The soon-to-be 29-year-old wing has transformed his reputation from just a lockdown defender to knocking down open shots to being able to create his own offense, and has now become a player that shows up prominently in opponents’ scouting reports.

 

Carroll has been known as a good defender for a few years, and was forced to exert most of his energy on that end of the court early in his career. Even as his offensive burden grew on the top seed in the Eastern Conference, Carroll maintained his stellar defense against opposing wings. On a team with no elite rim protectors, Carroll helped the Hawks to the sixth-best defense by allowing 103.1 points per 100 possessions, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

 

Carroll’s rise to public recognition has been because of the steps he’s made on offense. Among players who averaged more than four two-point attempts and more than four three-point attempts per game, Carroll finished fifth in true shooting percentage at 60.3 percent. Most of this is due to his incredibly high two-point percentage (56.7 percent, the highest on the list), but Carroll has also become an elite three-point shooter, finishing just under 40 percent for the season.

 

Carroll has also become one of the elite rebounders on the wing, averaging a stellar 6 rebounds per 36 minutes each of the past two seasons. When considering Carroll had almost 20 more steals than turnovers on the season (94 and 75, respectively), there isn’t much that he can’t do on either end of the court.

 

The solution for the Hawks seems simple. Do whatever it takes to re-sign Carroll and worry about the rest later. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy.

 

Due to the incredible contract the Hawks signed Carroll to two years ago, the Hawks can go over the cap to re-sign Carroll if he agrees to a contract worth less than $6 million for the first season, a number he’s sure to surpass on the open market. (The belief is he’ll make eight figures annually.) If they want to pay him any more than that, they need to use their cap room. (As always, visit Larry Coon’s FAQ for any questions on the salary cap.)

 

With the money they have committed for next season, plus the cap holds for Carroll, Paul Millsap and Pero Antić‘s, the Hawks will have around $8 million in cap space, per Basketball Insiders. Antić will probably be gone, but Millsap will almost certainly make several million more than his cap hold of $12.35 million, so the finances will be tight.

 

While the Hawks could clear some extra room by trading a few players, there’s a strong possibility that Carroll could be in a uniform other than Atlanta’s next year. I’ll break down a few of the realistic (and some unrealistic) candidates.

Toronto Raptors

2015-2016 committed salary: $42 million
Projected cap space: up to $22 million

The Raptors would have to cut ties with most of their free agents in order to have the room to sign Carroll, but it can be done. Much was made of Toronto’s inability to create any offense outside of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, but the Raptors’ defense is what fell off after a surprising 2013-2014 playoff appearance. The Raptors finished 25th with a defensive rating of 107.7 last season, and Carroll could be the missing piece in Toronto.

The Raptors could also benefit from Carroll’s shooting as they finished only slightly above league average in three-point shooting at 35.2 percent (league average was 35 percent).

The Raptors are an exciting possibility for Carroll, although it seems a bit unlikely at this point. While they could have $22 million in cap space, that number will almost certainly be drastically reduced as they’re unlikely to renounce Amir Johnson, who has a $10.5 million cap hold. A decision must also be made on Lou Williams, who has a cap hold of over $8 million.

 

Indiana Pacers
2015-2016 committed salary: $52 million
Projected cap space: up to $12 million 

David West is opting out, but Roy Hibbert ($15.5 million) is opting in, although the Pacers are trying to deal Hibbert. If no deal can be found for Hibbert and other free agents’ rights are renounced, Indiana could make a nice run at Carroll with nearly $12 million in cap space. If a trade can be found for Hibbert and no (or little) salary is brought back, a strong pursuit can be made.

Carroll to the Pacers doesn’t seem all that likely either at the moment. However, thinking about Carroll and Paul George as wing defenders on the same team would be enough to please Pacers fans after the year they endured.

 

Los Angeles Lakers
2015-2016 committed salary: $35 million
Projected cap space: $15-$23 million

Including cap holds and the pending team options (Jordan Hill), the Lakers will have enough money to offer Carroll his desired amount of money, but I don’t see him making the move from the 60-win Hawks to the 21-win Lakers. Los Angeles will probably be looking at bigger fish like LaMarcus Aldridge anyway, although perhaps Carroll and another quality free agent turn into a consolation prize.

 

Milwaukee Bucks
2015-2015 committed salary: $43 million
Projected cap space: $9-$23 million

My personal favorite destination for Carroll is Milwaukee. There probably isn’t room for him on the wing with Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton (restricted free agent) and Jared Dudley (ETO), but some combination of those players and John Henson is a scary lineup with almost any point guard.

Carroll could help an already elite Bucks defense (third last season with a 102.2 defensive rating) to the top in the league and help bolster an offense that finished in the middle of the pack with a 49.9 percent effective field goal percentage (Carroll finished last season with a 57.9 percentage).

 

New York Knicks
2015-2016 committed salary: $32 million
Projected cap space: $21-$28 million

The only team in a worse situation than the Lakers are the Knicks. Only two players are signed for significant money, Carmelo Anthony ($23 million) and Jose Calderon ($7.4 million).

The Knicks need help everywhere as they finished 28th in defensive rating (110 points per 100 possessions) and 29th in offensive rating (99.9 points per 100 possessions). Unfortunately, Carroll is unlikely to leave Atlanta for New York and all its misery.

 

Detroit Pistons
2015-2016 committed salary: $36 million
Projected cap space: $8-$26 million

With Reggie Jackson as the projected point guard, Andre Drummond controlling the middle and Stan Van Gundy manning the roster, Carroll could be the missing piece in Detroit.

Greg Monroe is almost certainly out of Detroit after signing his qualifying offer last summer in order to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Even with the acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova, the Pistons need a significant contributor on the wing with only Jodie Meeks and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope having played more than 1000 minutes among returning wings. Stanley Johnson was drafted at No. 8, but he can’t be expected to make a big impact right away.

The Pistons finished 19th last season in defensive rating, allowing opponents to score 106.4 points per 100 possessions (average was 105.6). Carroll would be a larger upgrade on defense than on almost any other team, but could help even more on offense.

The Pistons finished with the seventh-worst effective field goal percentage at 48.2 percent, and Carroll’s percentage would be a boost. Playing Carroll as the small-ball forward could also give Drummond more space in the lane without giving up anything on the defensive end.

 

Boston Celtics
2015-2016 committed salary: $40 million
Projected cap space: up to $24 million

Although the Celtics have been rumored to be a possible destination for Kevin Love, Carroll may be a more realistic target for Boston.

The Celtics have Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Isaiah Thomas, Evan Turner, James Young and now three rookie guards to find playing time for, however, none of these players play the same role as Carroll. Carroll would immediately help a defense that finished around the middle of the pack in defense (rating of 104.5), and would also help a team that finished the season shooting 33.6 percent from three-point range (27th in the league).

Carroll could give the Celtics what Jeff Green was supposed to give the Celtics with shooting, versatile defense and the occasional ability to create for others.

Edited June 30, 2015 by RandomFan

[Peoriabird]

 

 

The Hawks showed signs during playoff series wins over Brooklyn and Washington that their offense was bogging down, but they hit bottom against Cleveland.

 

Their defense had no answer for LeBron James and Atlanta’s offense missed an abundance of easy shots and couldn’t match the Cavs’ intensity.

 

Sooo  how does signing Millsap and DMC help with what the article described as the central problem during the Cav's series?

Edited June 30, 2015 by Peoriabird

[RandomFan]

Well lets see. Hrmm. Oh, i know, how about we get a Demarre that isn't playing on one freaking leg for starters?!?

 

And then how about we have our 2nd best wing defender able to play in the playoffs?

 

And "couldn't match the Cavs' intensity?" That's a subjective statement that I wholeheartedly disagree with. It's kind of hard to play at your best when the team is a walking M.A.S.H. unit.

 

Let's rehash the injuries shall we, since you always seem to forget/ignore them:

 

Thabo - out.

 

Millsap - severe injury on his shooting shoulder that they feared might need offseason surgery. Luckily it wont. 

 

Horford - dislocated finger on his shooting hand.

 

DeMarre - at the end of game 1, a severely sprained knee that would have benched most players. Also had a severe case of turf toe on the same leg making him almost useless hobbling around out there. And you want to bash him for not being able to guard the best player in the league? On one leg? Yeah right...

 

Korver - Thanks to Delladiver, out for the series in game 2. But as we found out today, he was also dealing with issues on his shooting elbow that are leading to surgery this week.

 

Teague - a badly sprained ankle, that he reaggravated in the middle of the series.

 

I don't know if you can count, but that is 6 of our top 7 players (depending on where we want to rank Dennis) that were varying degrees of injured during that series, and some well before then. But let's just keep pretending like none of that matters. Let's keep pretending that all of our defenders were healthy and we still coudln't stop Lebron. Let's just keep pretending that Cleveland is plain better than we are...because you want it to be true so badly.

 

Look, we all get it - you are against resigning DMC and Millsap. You've said it over and over and over again. Can we all agree that you are against it so we can stop having to see you rehash this same drivel on every damned thread?

Edited June 30, 2015 by RandomFan

[Peoriabird]

Look, we all get it - you are against resigning DMC and Millsap. You've said it over and over and over again. Can we all agree that you are against it so we can stop having to see you rehash this same drivel on every damned thread?

If you acknowledge that it isn't even possible to resign both based on the CBA unless Carroll agrees to a contract much less than his open market value, then I will move on

[RandomFan]

If you acknowledge that it isn't even possible to resign both based on the CBA unless Carroll agrees to a contract much less than his open market value, then I will move on

Since his open market value hasn't even been established by other teams yet, only speculation from media and fans, then you're request is basically you talking out of your ass here. And secondly, whether DMC is signed for $10m or $15m has not one thing to do with you constantly bitching about what the team will look like if we were to bring them both back.

 

Nice try at deflecting the issue off of you constantly ignoring our injuries though.

Edited June 30, 2015 by RandomFan

[Peoriabird]

Nice try at deflecting the issue off of you constantly ignoring our injuries though.

And Cleveland was totally healthy?  Plus we are assuming that these injuries were significant enough to affect their play.  The Cavs had an undrafted player starting at point guard and a bunch of ex-Knicks back up players starting in that series for god sake. 

Edited June 30, 2015 by Peoriabird

[Guest]

OMG will you guys let the ECFs just die already.

We may not be as good as 60 wins but we are also not as bad as losing 4-0.

[Peoriabird]

OMG will you guys let the ECFs just die already.

We may not be as good as 60 wins but we are also not as bad as losing 4-0.

He started it! LOL!

[RandomFan]

And Cleveland was totally healthy?  Plus we are assuming that these injuries were significant enough to affect their play.  The Cavs had an undrafted player starting at point guard and a bunch of ex-Knicks back up players starting in that series for god sake. 

You failed to mention the other player Cleveland had playing for them: the best player on the planet. But keep on living in your fantasy world bro.

 

And we still get it; you can stop reposting the same drivel over and over again. JayBird, I'm not the one that keeps bringing up the Cavs series around here. But I'm not going to let stupidity run rampant either.

[Guest]

He started it! LOL!

LOL - You two need a timeout.

[RandomFan]

He started it! LOL!

 

Umm? I know you're not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but really? Let's rehash shall we. I posted an article . This was your first reponse in this thread.

 

Sooo  how does signing Millsap and DMC help with what the article described as the central problem during the Cav's series?

 

But I started it? OK bud. You're on ignore from here on out. Too inept to even deal with.

 

[Guest]

Umm? I know you're not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but really? Let's rehash shall we. I posted an article . This was your first reponse in this thread.

But I started it? OK bud. You're on ignore from here on out. Too inept to even deal with.

That's enough Internet for you two today.lol

[Peoriabird]

LOL - You two need a timeout.

 

[RandomFan]

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[Alex]

The first couple lines of the OP show how stupid Bud actually is. You don't add a scrub who is a bad teammate and expect that player to help you retain Millsap and Carroll.

[RandomFan]

And with this tweet

 

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it confirms one of two things. That we are still in super secret lockdown mode where none of our moves are known until they actually happen, which could be true either way.

 

Or that we haven't scheduled a visit with LMA, which would lend credence to the fact that we've already agreed with Millsap on a new contract.

Edited June 30, 2015 by RandomFan

[Plainview1981]

Lebron will eat Carroll alive in the playoffs no matter if Carroll is healthy or not. Carroll is a solid defender, but he is not elite. He had enough trouble guarding a past his prime Joe Johnson in the first round. JJ was able to get anywhere he wanted on the court.

 

Korver is not a good playoff performer and he wasn't even playing well before he got hurt. I don't think Al's injury did that much to him. He played solid against Washington, but he mostly failed to play to his potential against Cleveland. But that's who Al is.... Sometimes he plays great, but sometimes he is just not interested in going out there and sticking it to the other team. It's the story of his career.

 

Sap's injury probably bothered him. He wasn't the same player on the offensive end after he got hurt at the end of the season.

 

But the truth is that Atlanta gets 1 game if they're healthy. Lebron is just too much of a force.

[pimp]

Ramona Shelburne ‏@ramonashelburne  1h1 hour ago

Sense I get from latest calls is Marc Gasol, Kevin Love & Millsap are staying put. Aldridge, Monroe & DJ are in play

 

 

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7:54 PM - 29 Jun 2015 · Details

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