Sixers are finalizing a trade to Ersan Ilyasova to Atlanta for Tiago Splitter and two second-round picks, league sources tell @TheVertical.

[Lurker]

10 minutes ago, swanlee said:

I will not support this team if they pull a Braves and tank when they are contenders.

LOL dude. This team is the definition of average. Far from being legitimate contenders and right on a collision course of being stomped on worse than that Orlando series in the playoffs.

The Braves 100% made the right decision. They were not going to contend EVER again with the core they had, EVER.

[Lurker]

I hate to break it to y'all but the 2014 Braves was not like the Rangers that season in it was just one down season, they were DONE period then. DONE. Once they lost two pitchers to second tommy johns, they had ZERO depth in SP thanks to a farm system that was trash! They would have had to throw down the money for five starting pitchers (3 starters, 2 for depth) and there is no way that any team does that.

The window slammed shut on the Heyward/Justin Upton core after one season and it was not reopening.

[swanlee]

Nope, I'm not going to wait through several years of horrible play for the long term potential to be a contender which we are right now.

Been an ATL sports fan since the late 70's and I'm putting my foot down on tanking. The Braves have been horrible for several years now and their is no guarantee the tank job will actually pay off. You have to retool the roster for the long term while still trying to stay competitive now. If you can't do both then you suck and you will not get my support. Tanking is an insult to your current fanbase and season ticket holders, it's telling them to go to hell right now and maybe in 4 years we might contend again, maybe.

If any ATL team think tanking and sucking on purpose is the proper way to rebuild then I will no longer support the team. I'll never support the Braves again and will drop the Hawks like a bad habit if they go down the tank route.

[Guest]

Information regarding the 2nd round swap pick:

Quote

2017 second round draft pick to Philadelphia (if Atlanta not protected: swap, least favorable of Utah, Detroit, Golden State and New York incoming)
Utah will receive the second and third most favorable of Detroit's 2017 2nd round pick, Golden State's 2017 2nd round pick, New York's 2017 2nd round pick (via Toronto) and Utah's 2017 2nd round pick; Philadelphia will receive the most favorable of these four picks and the more favorable of (i) the least favorable of these four picks and (ii) Atlanta's 2017 2nd round pick protected for selections 56-60 and Atlanta will receive the least favorable of these five picks if the Atlanta pick does not fall within its protected range (if the Atlanta pick falls within its protected range, then Philadelphia's swap right and Atlanta's obligation to Philadelphia will be extinguished and Philadelphia will receive the least favorable of the Utah pick, the Detroit pick, the Golden State pick and the New York pick) (via Utah; via Philadelphia's right to swap the least favorable of Utah, Detroit, Golden State and New York for Atlanta) [Denver-Golden State-Utah, 7/10/2013; New York-Toronto, 7/10/2013; Toronto-Utah, 7/10/2014; Detroit-Oklahoma City-Utah, 2/19/2015; Philadelphia-Utah, 8/26/2016; Atlanta-Philadelphia, 2/22/2017]

All that says is if we swap picks we get pick #60.  If it goes to SAS, Philly keeps their pick.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Information regarding the 2nd round swap pick:

 

I read it twice...still kinda confused lol

[High5]

33 minutes ago, swanlee said:

I will not support this team if they pull a Braves and tank when they are contenders.

What kind of contender finishes 79-83 and 17 game back in the division? 

[AHF]

1 hour ago, swanlee said:

Humphries was considered a rental and he has stuck around and added great depth. The fact we got ANYTHING for Splitter is pretty amazing and a guy that instantly becomes our best outside shooter is a bonus.

I will not support this team if they pull a Braves and tank when they are contenders.

No - it was 100% predictable that we got value for Splitter.  He was an asset.  He is an expiring contract that is being paid for by insurance.  That means he comes in and fills cap space but saves the team his pro-rated 8.5M salary for the rest of the season.  Basically, you can look at him as a check for roughly $3M.

Do you expect to get something for giving a team $3M?  Yes.  Yes you do.

[benhillboy]

I like the move.  Splitter's time was up and this franchise can barely hit doubles on 1st Round picks, they strike out bunting on 2nd rounders to keep with the baseball references.

Always respected Ersan's game.  We need him as close to his 2011-2013 self where he shot the mid .400s from 3 and pulled down 9 boards.  

I don't have any delusions of this franchise competing now or in the near future.  Everyone involved is satisfied with having a good little team that makes a few dollars.  The awful fan attendance for this team in by far the most progressive southeastern city is embarrsssing and ain't no Dominique walking through that door.

[Plainview1981]

Only a crazy person would pay to see this shitty team (Yes, they are a shitty team) and Sap is an idiot and a career loser if he re-signs here.

Edited February 23, 2017 by Hotlanta1981

[macdaddy]

1 minute ago, Hotlanta1981 said:

Only an idiot would pay to see this shitty team (Yes, they are a shitty team) and Sap is an idiot and a career loser if he re-signs here.

What teams are worth paying to see then?   

[Plainview1981]

7 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

What teams are worth paying to see then?   

Teams that don't routinely get drubbed (even at home) by 15+ points. Franchise that actually strive to win instead of settling for 5th seed. Teams with entertaining players... This team doesn't have one single player that fits there. An old barely athletic Howard doesn't count as an entertaining player. Teams with so swagger.

This team doesn't have anything going for it. People will claim that this is a "defensive team" but the league doesn't really pay defense anymore... And at the end of the day there are no players on this team that can do anything to even remotely contain the best players in this league. I mean, who is going to guard Thomas? Thomas will hand Dennis his ass just like he did in the first meeting. Who is going to guard Derozen? Old Thabo? Bazemore? Who is going to guard Lebron? This is easily the least talented of the top 5 seed teams.

Edited February 23, 2017 by Hotlanta1981

[macdaddy]

2 minutes ago, Hotlanta1981 said:

Teams that don't routinely get drubbed (even at home) by 15+ points. Franchise that actually strive to win instead of settling for 5th seed. Teams with entertaining players... This team doesn't have one single player that fits there. An old barely athletic Howard doesn't count as an entertaining player. Teams with so swagger.

This team doesn't have anything going for it. People will claim that this is a "defensive team" but the league doesn't really pay defense anymore... And at the end of the day there are no players on this team that can do anything to even remotely contain the best players in this league. I mean, who is going to guard Thomas? Thomas will hand Dennis his ass just like he did in the first meeting. Who is going to guard Derozen? Old Thabo? Bazemore? Who is going to guard Lebron? This is easily the last talented of the top 5 seed teams.

I don't disagree with some of that but again who are these entertaining teams with swagger and a bright future?   There seem to be about 5 of them in the whole league. 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

I don't disagree with some of that but again who are these entertaining teams with swagger and a bright future?   There seem to be about 5 of them in the whole league. 

He sees teams that have young players with 'potential' as having bright futures. Most are still not playoff bound - again.

[macdaddy]

1 minute ago, JayBirdHawk said:

He sees teams that have young players with 'potential' as having bright futures. Most are still not playoff bound - again.

I get that and really i agree that failure to provide hope is a big failing of Bud and Co.   He's used to the Spurs, slow, deliberate winning but this is Atlanta.   People need some flash to get excited about.   

But looking around the league at the Nets, pistons, suns, charlotte, bulls, magic, on and on and on.   I prefer where we are.  

[NBASupes]

Atlanta is either rebuilding, contending  or tanking. We will see

[Lurker]

I don't think I was clear enough on the Braves. The issues that caused a disappointing 2014 season, were not going to be fixed by simply adding just a few good players in FA. The depth in the farm system was so bad and the lineup was so flawed that it was not like the 2014 Rangers who stood pat and quickly rebounded (and also had a waaaayyyyy better farm system), if the Braves had stood pat they would have been just as mediocre or worse in 2015. They were done right then and there and were never going to return to their 2013 level. Really, the Juan Uribe HR in game 4 of the 2013 NLDS was the sound of the door slamming shut on the Braves window for a World Series for a while. The Medlen and Beachy second tommy john surgeries were putting four padlocks on that door.

For the Braves to have rebounded, they would have needed at least 2 very good starting pitchers in free agency, a good center fielder, a good third baseman, and the ability to keep Heyward AND Justin Upton past 2015. I'm not sure even rich franchises like the Detroit Tigers would be able to pull off something like this. They can do a lot, but they can't do all of these! Their ability would have stopped at Heyward/JUpton and the starting pitchers, and it'd result in a mediocre team.

[BigDog90]

16 hours ago, BrazilianHawk said:

This guy is the second coming of Hots. And we still got the original one.

/jk

 

I'm just being realistic. After seeing Horford, KD, LeBron, Wade leave their teams, nothing surprises me anymore. I figured Bud would go in-house with a replacement like he did with Teague, Korver and Carroll.

[Watchman]

On 2/23/2017 at 0:16 PM, Lurker said:

LOL dude. This team is the definition of average. Far from being legitimate contenders and right on a collision course of being stomped on worse than that Orlando series in the playoffs.

The Braves 100% made the right decision. They were not going to contend EVER again with the core they had, EVER.

The Braves are not going to contend for a long time either way.  We just get the joy of watching them lose in a pathetic manner for several seasons.  Then they'll meander back up to mediocre.