It's time for a grown man talk about Siakim....

[Diesel]

3 hours ago, Atlantaholic said:

I would take anything Siakam and his camp say atm with a grain of salt. They have only one goal in mind and that is to make sure he isn't traded so he can get more money. Once he's traded that "more money" ceases to exist, and then the "most money" becomes staying a Hawk or whatever other team he ends up getting traded too. Odds are you get the fastest 180 in attitude you'll ever see the instant (if) he gets traded.

Even still.   without the supermax... he's still looking at a max of somewhere between 38 - 44 Million with 8% increase depending on the cap.  Even at a conservative 40 Million max... we're talking a 5 year 232 Million dollar deal.  That puts him at 49.6 Million in the 4th year and 52.8 Million in the 5th yr.  That's ages 34 and 35.  Is he worth that.  Because to keep him, that's basically what it will cost us in the future. 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

We won't ever win anything.

We act like these young players are pieces of gold, despite having no evidence whatsoever that one of these guys are going to turn out to be an All-Star level talent. 

Then we poke holes in actual All-Star talents and act like they won't help us.

AJ, offensively, has the best shot to be a star.  His spot up shooting looked to be legit.  And I personally liked what he did when he drove into the paint.

JJ is probably going to be at best, Josh Smith 2.0.  A utility guy who is a jack of all trades.  But he may never be a good enough shooter to be a main offensive option.

Okongwu, while we all love him, isn't even a top 20 center at this moment, if we want to keep it real.  Very good defensively with his man defense.  Still very raw offensively.  I guess everyone expects him to become Bam.

Meanwhile, Siakam has developed enough to make 2 All-NBA teams, while functioning as the team's #1 option scorer.  Yes, his teams didn't win anything after Kawhi left. You know why?  Because Toronto is Atlanta South.  A team with a bunch of young talent that isn't good enough to get to that next level. 

We're really talking ourselves out of a 2 time All-NBA player, and acting like he can't help any other squad if paired with another high level player?  Is that what we're doing now?

 

Miami is trying to add a nuclear weapon, and we're content with trying to beat people by throwing rocks at them.

 

[sillent]

On 7/3/2023 at 6:00 PM, Diesel said:

Let's start Here...

https://www.nba.com/game/chi-vs-tor-0052200111/box-score

 

While we were destroying Miami in the playin game.   Toronto was losing to Chicago.. mightily.   First the game... Toronto wasn't missing anybody.  Everybody came to play.  Hell VanVleet gave them 26 and 12 and shot 53% from three on 7 made threes.   Damn.   Barnes even contributed.   And yes, Siakim gave them 32 points.   BUT...  Chicago shot 48%.  That means that damn near half the shots that Chicago put up, they hit. 

Now, if Siakim is supposed to be a defensive stopper, what happened in Chicago?  Interesting thing is that they played DeRozan at the PF.  DeRozan is 6'6" 220 pounds.   Surely he didn't outmuscle Siakim?  So I wanted to be thorough.   Here's what Dorozen did...

 

It's not a lot. Just mostly in the paint.   You know why?  Toronto was running a 2-3 zone, and Derozan called for the clear out and ran down the middle and dunked it on whoever was there.    Maybe this is why Nurse was fired.   Then I looked again and said, well Lavine scored 39 points.  Maybe he was doing something to open the floor for DeRozan...  So I looked.

 

You can watch the highlights.   Lavine was getting his points the same way.  Attacking the inside.  In certain times, there was a question about Siakim's point of attack defense.   Isn't that why we want him??

Maybe that's just one bad game.   Everybody can have those.    Well, Van Vleet was an allstar.. wasn't he all NBA too?  the real question is.. 

Why were The Raptors in the lower seed of the playin to start with??

Hawks fans are jumping up and down about getting Siakim and OG.. but the question is.. why were they not good in Toronto?

 

Thanks! The grass is not always greener. Even still I don't mind us seeing a target and going for it but my biggest question is are there no other alternatives?

We look pretty desperate at this point in my opinion and honestly although they may not be on Siakam's level I do see alternatives still available that could help this team and have some pieces of what Siakam may offer.

I will continually stress that we are missing a 7ftr on our squad that makes us completely versatile meaning I would be looking for a Center but there are a few good/decent ones out there other than getting too desperate for Siakim a guy that might not honestly want to be here.

 

Christian Woods is still a free agent and can be an option B. I also truly believe a guy like Bol Bol is a unicorn and will shine in the right system. Why can't we be the right system? To a lesser note talent wise in my opinion Mo Bamba is also still a free agent.

All of them would be a better option than Bruno to me and wouldn't be as big of a financial risk as what it would cost to bring in Siakim. 

Again I get setting a target and going for them and also that he would be a great example for our rookie Mo Gueye to learn from even if we could only keep him for a yr... I'm just wondering are we atleast looking at alternatives and have that game plan in place before the free agent market completely dries.

[Diesel]

4 hours ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

We act like these young players are pieces of gold, despite having no evidence whatsoever that one of these guys are going to turn out to be an All-Star level talent. 

Then we poke holes in actual All-Star talents and act like they won't help us.

I don't want to see us offer up 50 Million per for a guy who has high usage and low TS%.

Siakam is the worst Usage to TS% guy in the league.  He's worst than Rozier in Charlotte. 

That means that the way that he gets his points is by taking multiple shots in the paint or by scoring downhill.   I have watched, most of it is scoring downhill.   He's not a natural PNR player. 

SO.. we get him.  

Have you ever watched how Quin plays his 4s?

Was any of them downhill scorers?

Do you expect us to be a fast break team?   There's a lot of changes that will have to be made to make Siakam effective with us.  Trae is going to have to change the way he plays.   He can get there because early Collins was a good downhill scorer.   I just think that it's a lot to pay for a guy who doesn't guarantee us Chip. 

 

 

[Diesel]

23 minutes ago, sillent said:

Christian Woods is still a free agent and can be an option B. I also truly believe a guy like Bol Bol is a unicorn and will shine in the right system. Why can't we be the right system? To a lesser note talent wise in my opinion Mo Bamba is also still a free agent.

Most of the board don't like Wood because they say his defense is bad.   I think his defense is not as bad as they do.  He has the timing of a shot blocker.  He has a high motor.  In Dallas, who did they pair him with?  First they played him at Center.   And then they put him out there with Reggie Bullock at PF.  And they are supposed to cover for Luka...

I think with OO, he'd have a good yang to his ying defensively. But who knows.   The great thing is that even if he doesn't work out, there are other options.  He can come off the bench. 

 

 

 

[sillent]

4 hours ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

We won't ever win anything.

We act like these young players are pieces of gold, despite having no evidence whatsoever that one of these guys are going to turn out to be an All-Star level talent. 

Then we poke holes in actual All-Star talents and act like they won't help us.

AJ, offensively, has the best shot to be a star.  His spot up shooting looked to be legit.  And I personally liked what he did when he drove into the paint.

JJ is probably going to be at best, Josh Smith 2.0.  A utility guy who is a jack of all trades.  But he may never be a good enough shooter to be a main offensive option.

Okongwu, while we all love him, isn't even a top 20 center at this moment, if we want to keep it real.  Very good defensively with his man defense.  Still very raw offensively.  I guess everyone expects him to become Bam.

Meanwhile, Siakam has developed enough to make 2 All-NBA teams, while functioning as the team's #1 option scorer.  Yes, his teams didn't win anything after Kawhi left. You know why?  Because Toronto is Atlanta South.  A team with a bunch of young talent that isn't good enough to get to that next level. 

We're really talking ourselves out of a 2 time All-NBA player, and acting like he can't help any other squad if paired with another high level player?  Is that what we're doing now?

 

Miami is trying to add a nuclear weapon, and we're content with trying to beat people by throwing rocks at them.

 

If we were talking about Durant then I'd agree with you. We aren't talking about Durant. We're talking about a guy that is around 30yrs old (in or possibly about to dwindle from his prime).

Let's see what a guy like JJ, AJ, OO looks like in 2yrs under a developmental coach like Quinn let alone their primes. People are willing to even add Kobe Bufkin possibly until they see him play.

What truly makes all four of them alot more special than the typical rookies/young players and it's the intangibles that are unseen. It's their heart, love for the game, will to win and will to be great at what they do that will lead each and everyone of them to a successful career.

As much as I love Josh Smith his love/mentals for the game were in question at times and showed as result once his skills/talent slowed down. There's no denying Josh's talents could've took him further but he needed to want it and on many occasions he showed contentment and coasted off of ability instead of that true want.

I've seen it in Trae during his rookie yr even thru all the misses and mistakes he just had a different factor about him. 

I see something similar in AJ,JJ, OO and Bufkin (honestly all of our rookies)... There's a reason teams aren't so quick to give up on young players even for a known talent and honestly I think the timing is off for us to look too far into Siakim to the point of where we are now.

I understand that we promoted getting something done but sometimes the best moves can be the moves not made.

I'm sure Indiana felt that way after they traded Kawhi and could've had him and PG together in their youthful stages. There are numerous examples but it's the 1st that comes to mind. 

If Siakim wanted to be here like DJ claimed at the time or had some yrs already locked up this might be a different conversation but right now we just look like the dude going after a model (that's not even a pageant winner or the runner up) that we've dreamed about but may bring us more problems than good in the long run and possibly the short run. 

We have to know our worth and prove it by showing we can happily move on or happily stick with what we have because we know we aren't missing much.

[sillent]

4 minutes ago, Diesel said:

Most of the board don't like Wood because they say his defense is bad.   I think his defense is not as bad as they do.  He has the timing of a shot blocker.  He has a high motor.  In Dallas, who did they pair him with?  First they played him at Center.   And then they put him out there with Reggie Bullock at PF.  And they are supposed to cover for Luka...

I think with OO, he'd have a good yang to his ying defensively. But who knows.   The great thing is that even if he doesn't work out, there are other options.  He can come off the bench. 

 

 

 

I agree because isn't that truly what team building is about? Not having as many stars as possible but putting pieces together that can fit well with each other?

Did we not learn anything by watching Denver compared to the Nets not too long ago? 

On paper teams hardly ever are the victor when it comes to the championship. Before Steph, Klay and Draymond started winning chips on paper besides Steph they were barely even considered allstars.

I think Christian Woods, Bol Bol and Mo Bamba could pair with both OO and even Clint because they add extra size (meaning help in the inside) but also thrive in the perimeter. 

Most importantly low cost high reward if they pan out. Not saying either one is better than Siakim (atleast not yet) but they all can have a positive impact on our team whether starting or off the bench and would add a different dynamic to our team by giving us size and versatility that we did not have in the past. 

Siakim's cost may just be a little too high when you look at other alternatives.

[Diesel]

@sillent  The problem is Big three.   A lot of Squawkers believe that because they have seen Trae and Murray in Nate's system.. even being coached by Quin that we can't win.

I disagree with that.   IF we just stood pat and added a few pieces and developed the rest, I think we would be championship quality.  Otherwise, why did we fire Prunty?  Nate/Prunty didn't offer us the best that we could be.   Their system of offense was very old.. back to isoball.   Quin used it because there was no time to implement what he knows can work.  I'm willing to see what he can implement.  I accept his recommendations on personnel.   If he feels that we don't need Hunter, then I'm trading Hunter.   IF he feels that OO should start... so be it.   IF he feels that JJ should play more... OK.   

We have all that at hand... but let's see what our coach can provide before we start making decisions based on what Nate left us with.  Now if Quin says he needs Siakam to win the chip and that having AJ, JJ etc is not enough... so be it... I will ride with that too.   However, I need this to be a moment where the coach and the GM is in perfect Sync. 

 

 

 

 

[sillent]

1 hour ago, Diesel said:

@sillent  The problem is Big three.   A lot of Squawkers believe that because they have seen Trae and Murray in Nate's system.. even being coached by Quin that we can't win.

I disagree with that.   IF we just stood pat and added a few pieces and developed the rest, I think we would be championship quality.  Otherwise, why did we fire Prunty?  Nate/Prunty didn't offer us the best that we could be.   Their system of offense was very old.. back to isoball.   Quin used it because there was no time to implement what he knows can work.  I'm willing to see what he can implement.  I accept his recommendations on personnel.   If he feels that we don't need Hunter, then I'm trading Hunter.   IF he feels that OO should start... so be it.   IF he feels that JJ should play more... OK.   

We have all that at hand... but let's see what our coach can provide before we start making decisions based on what Nate left us with.  Now if Quin says he needs Siakam to win the chip and that having AJ, JJ etc is not enough... so be it... I will ride with that too.   However, I need this to be a moment where the coach and the GM is in perfect Sync. 

 

 

 

 

I actually was going to state something similar so I agree. I think we have more than enough to still win and compete and it's all about chemistry, development and want to...

We have or at least had more talent then Miami and look where a great coach and hungry/willing players took them.

If Quinn is who we believe him to be and need him to be then with a roster that consist of hungry young players that haven't fully developed or reached their prime should be a dangerous team in his hands.

Last yr Quinn had a completely different coaching staff and did more fitting in then implementing. This yr this team is his to implement in his vision and we have more than enough weapons to compete ( Trae, DJ, AJ, Bogi, Hunter, Bey, JJ, OO, CC) and that's not including the rookies who I think very highly of and the other talent on our roster that could be sleepers with the right tutelage.

I know Trae wants to see some change but Trae also "believes" in Quinn. If it were up to me I'd atleast wait until mid season or so to see where we stand under a new system before making any drastic changes.

I get the JC move because it was a marriage that needed a divorce on both sides as well as cleared up a log jam for us. I believe he'll do great in Utah and the debate may resurface on who's better him or Siakim... 

If we trade away our some of our youth now for a rental that might not put us over the top we may begin to start being looked at like OKC in yrs pass and possibly now. Good enough to draft great talent but not "smart/responsible" enough to keep them. 

We truly don't know what we will look like under full control of Quinn and his different philosophies. Can we atleast see that 1st before we make a possible franchise hindering move "going for it" or should I say possibly getting a little better. We still don't know how having a more ball dominant big would work with 2 ball dominant guards and in most big 3's it's pretty clear who the 3rd guy is. Would Murray really be the 3rd guy to Trae and Siakim? If Trae has shown us anything it's the guys with the ball in their hands that dictate others games and effectiveness.

How willing would Siakim be to possibly play 3rd fiddle if he doesn't get the ball that much? Or Trae or DJ have to take a backseat? Chemistry matters and honestly for the cost the fit doesn't seem that worth it when we got guys that we know already can fit and still have so much more to bring to the table.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

9 minutes ago, Diesel said:

I don't want to see us offer up 50 Million per for a guy who has high usage and low TS%.

Siakam is the worst Usage to TS% guy in the league.  He's worst than Rozier in Charlotte. 

That means that the way that he gets his points is by taking multiple shots in the paint or by scoring downhill.   I have watched, most of it is scoring downhill.   He's not a natural PNR player. 

SO.. we get him.  

Have you ever watched how Quin plays his 4s?

Was any of them downhill scorers?

Do you expect us to be a fast break team?   There's a lot of changes that will have to be made to make Siakam effective with us.  Trae is going to have to change the way he plays.   He can get there because early Collins was a good downhill scorer.   I just think that it's a lot to pay for a guy who doesn't guarantee us Chip. 

 

 

 

You know what else doesn't guarantee us a chip?  Playing a bunch of young guys who aren't even top 20 at their respective position.

We don't have an infinite amount of time here Diesel.  We might have only 2 years.

 

 

Trae is going to exercise that ETO in the summer of 2026 so that he can get that next huge deal. 

That also means the 2025 season will be the time where the Hawks are either going to start talking about an extension, or he may start talking about leaving Atlanta if we're not progressing as a team.

We can't wait until 2025 to try to put some sort of solid team around Trae. That foundation needs to be in full force by 2024.

Even back in the 1980s when players weren't hopping from team to team, GMs were moving their lesser players in order to improve their team. Sometimes, they would even trade a key piece ( Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre ), in order to improve the team.

The Hawks are going to LOSE, trying to bet that ALL of their young talent is going to hit.  We have 40+ years of evidence that this will not be the case, especially considering that none of our young talent was projected to have star talent or picked in the top end of the lottery.

I say the Hawks get behind the 1 guy they believe in the most, and dangle the others to upgrade the team.

 

[Peoriabird]

8 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

You know what else doesn't guarantee us a chip?  Playing a bunch of young guys who aren't even top 20 at their respective position.

We don't have an infinite amount of time here Diesel.  We might have only 2 years.

 

 

Trae is going to exercise that ETO in the summer of 2026 so that he can get that next huge deal. 

That also means the 2025 season will be the time where the Hawks are either going to start talking about an extension, or he may start talking about leaving Atlanta if we're not progressing as a team.

We can't wait until 2025 to try to put some sort of solid team around Trae. That foundation needs to be in full force by 2024.

Even back in the 1980s when players weren't hopping from team to team, GMs were moving their lesser players in order to improve their team. Sometimes, they would even trade a key piece ( Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre ), in order to improve the team.

The Hawks are going to LOSE, trying to bet that ALL of their young talent is going to hit.  We have 40+ years of evidence that this will not be the case, especially considering that none of our young talent was projected to have star talent or picked in the top end of the lottery.

I say the Hawks get behind the 1 guy they believe in the most, and dangle the others to upgrade the team.

 

Toronto must have been really good last year and that's why so many are excited to trade the farm for Siakam. I mean he played with all of those player Hawks fans salivate over like Vanfleet, OG, Scott Barnes so surely they are coming of a championship run or have I not paid enough attention.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

1 minute ago, Peoriabird said:

Toronto must have been really good last year and that's why so many are excited to trade the farm for Siakam. I mean he played with all of those player Hawks fans salivate over like Vanfleet, OG, Scott Barnes so surely they are coming of a championship run or have I not paid enough attention.

 

Siakam is a 2 time All-NBA level player at the PF position. 

He's a top 5 player at his position at least.  And he's a top 25 player in the NBA.

That is not hyperbole.  That is a FACT.

 

 

[Peoriabird]

36 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

Siakam is a 2 time All-NBA level player at the PF position. 

He's a top 5 player at his position at least.  And he's a top 25 player in the NBA.

That is not hyperbole.  That is a FACT.

 

 

Also a fact is that it does not lead to playoff wins which much more important than any individual accomplishment. The goal is not have shinny new object to make a play in tournament run. The goal is to become a contender and there is no evidence that the combo of Young/Murray/Sakam even come close that goal. I've stated this in the past that team building and chemistry takes time.  most all championship teams went through team building and the development of chemistry...Hawk fan for some reason think that this team is close and Siakam is the final piece. To those fans that believe this you are flat out delusional! But if you want to go the New York Knicks route, have at it. History says that you will be a perpetual lover and at most a treadmill team.

[Diesel]

57 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

You know what else doesn't guarantee us a chip?  Playing a bunch of young guys who aren't even top 20 at their respective position.

We don't have an infinite amount of time here Diesel.  We might have only 2 years.

 

 

Trae is going to exercise that ETO in the summer of 2026 so that he can get that next huge deal. 

That also means the 2025 season will be the time where the Hawks are either going to start talking about an extension, or he may start talking about leaving Atlanta if we're not progressing as a team.

We can't wait until 2025 to try to put some sort of solid team around Trae. That foundation needs to be in full force by 2024.

Even back in the 1980s when players weren't hopping from team to team, GMs were moving their lesser players in order to improve their team. Sometimes, they would even trade a key piece ( Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre ), in order to improve the team.

The Hawks are going to LOSE, trying to bet that ALL of their young talent is going to hit.  We have 40+ years of evidence that this will not be the case, especially considering that none of our young talent was projected to have star talent or picked in the top end of the lottery.

I say the Hawks get behind the 1 guy they believe in the most, and dangle the others to upgrade the team.

 

 

I hear the sound of Knees Jerking...

Very Babcockish. 

I don't think Siakam is as good as what his salary and what we will give away suggest.   He may not be as good as JC when it's all said and done.   High USAGE... LOW TS%...   So.. all those stats that look good and got him allstar.. it's because he took more than 35% of his team's shots.   He's NOT KD...   Right now, KAT seems to be a better offensive prospect.   We will definitely have FIT issues with Siakam and the real reason you want to make this move to over pay for his rental is because you're afraid that Trae may leave in 2026??

That scares me too, but I have faith in the team that we have now.   AJ is going to be a Star.   JJ is going to be a 2nd tier star.   OO is going to be a 2nd tier star.   Everybody can see this but Hawks fans.   This is what Toronto wants.. they want to deplete us of our future ...  They want to steal it..  And while we're sitting around looking like BKLN with Harden, KD and Kyrie... i.e.  Big salaries... no chemistry.   They will have Grady d*ck, AJ, OO, JJ and they will be toasting the league with the players that we didn't have enough faith in...

 

You say we have 40 years of evidence.   Tell me.. when have we had the type of young talent that we have now (in those 40 years)??

You say Travis was trying to build a new Golden State?  Ok.. What if he was successful in some respects?   What was the one thing that GS did better than anybody else?  They didn't give up on their core.  They believed in Steph, Klay and Draymond.   On paper, only Steph was a superstar.... but Steph needed those others to win the chip.    What if Travis gave us the right players to win a chip.. it just requires us not giving up on them?

Here's the truth...

If we jump into Siakam and he doesn't get us to the Chip.. we have relived Danny Manning all over again.   Or maybe we have relived Moses Malone all over again.   And we will be forced to overpay him to be a little better than Average. 

 

 

 

[Diesel]

43 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

Siakam is a 2 time All-NBA level player at the PF position. 

He's a top 5 player at his position at least.  And he's a top 25 player in the NBA.

That is not hyperbole.  That is a FACT.

 

 

Yeah.. I was trying to find that game by Siakam...

I found this one..

This was a late season loss.    14 points off of 15 shots shooting 33.3%.   4 rebs...   Nah... this aint it.

I found this one...

 

26 and 10...  on 60% shooting that's really good.. But they lost this game. 

Then I found this one.. it was the front end of that back to back...

20 and 13 with 50% shooting in a win.   That's good. 

But everybody can have a good game...

 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

And let's stop this Christian Wood talk please.  Christian Wood is a true locker room cancer.

He didn't stick in Minnesota.  He was a bad influence on a young Houston squad.  And now even Dallas hasn't secured him to some sort of deal yet.

Do you know that Christian Wood is on his 7th NBA team in 8 years?  I bet none of you knew this.  That dude has been passed around more than a blunt at a house party.

Yes, he is a very talented NBA player.  No, none of his teammates go to bat for him, because he's an extremely selfish player.  Because of that, he ends up going to the bench instead of sticking as the starter.

As productive as he was in Dallas, even they sent him to the bench later in the year because his style of play wasn't helping them win games.

 

But don't take my word for it.

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2023/3/2/23621252/the-christian-wood-situation-keeps-getting-messier

[Peoriabird]

15 minutes ago, Diesel said:

 

I hear the sound of Knees Jerking...

Very Babcockish. 

I don't think Siakam is as good as what his salary and what we will give away suggest.   He may not be as good as JC when it's all said and done.   High USAGE... LOW TS%...   So.. all those stats that look good and got him allstar.. it's because he took more than 35% of his team's shots.   He's NOT KD...   Right now, KAT seems to be a better offensive prospect.   We will definitely have FIT issues with Siakam and the real reason you want to make this move to over pay for his rental is because you're afraid that Trae may leave in 2026??

That scares me too, but I have faith in the team that we have now.   AJ is going to be a Star.   JJ is going to be a 2nd tier star.   OO is going to be a 2nd tier star.   Everybody can see this but Hawks fans.   This is what Toronto wants.. they want to deplete us of our future ...  They want to steal it..  And while we're sitting around looking like BKLN with Harden, KD and Kyrie... i.e.  Big salaries... no chemistry.   They will have Grady d*ck, AJ, OO, JJ and they will be toasting the league with the players that we didn't have enough faith in...

 

You say we have 40 years of evidence.   Tell me.. when have we had the type of young talent that we have now (in those 40 years)??

You say Travis was trying to build a new Golden State?  Ok.. What if he was successful in some respects?   What was the one thing that GS did better than anybody else?  They didn't give up on their core.  They believed in Steph, Klay and Draymond.   On paper, only Steph was a superstar.... but Steph needed those others to win the chip.    What if Travis gave us the right players to win a chip.. it just requires us not giving up on them?

Here's the truth...

If we jump into Siakam and he doesn't get us to the Chip.. we have relived Danny Manning all over again.   Or maybe we have relived Moses Malone all over again.   And we will be forced to overpay him to be a little better than Average. 

 

 

 

Now it makes perfect sense Diesel. Trae fans are worried that Trae will leave after his extension is up. I didn't think about that...Thanks

[JayBirdHawk]

10 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Do you know that Christian Wood is on his 7th NBA team in 8 years?  I bet none of you knew this. 

If no one else does @kg01 does....every year he repeats the number of teams he's been on.

[macdaddy]

12 hours ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

We won't ever win anything.

We act like these young players are pieces of gold, despite having no evidence whatsoever that one of these guys are going to turn out to be an All-Star level talent. 

Then we poke holes in actual All-Star talents and act like they won't help us.

AJ, offensively, has the best shot to be a star.  His spot up shooting looked to be legit.  And I personally liked what he did when he drove into the paint.

JJ is probably going to be at best, Josh Smith 2.0.  A utility guy who is a jack of all trades.  But he may never be a good enough shooter to be a main offensive option.

Okongwu, while we all love him, isn't even a top 20 center at this moment, if we want to keep it real.  Very good defensively with his man defense.  Still very raw offensively.  I guess everyone expects him to become Bam.

Meanwhile, Siakam has developed enough to make 2 All-NBA teams, while functioning as the team's #1 option scorer.  Yes, his teams didn't win anything after Kawhi left. You know why?  Because Toronto is Atlanta South.  A team with a bunch of young talent that isn't good enough to get to that next level. 

We're really talking ourselves out of a 2 time All-NBA player, and acting like he can't help any other squad if paired with another high level player?  Is that what we're doing now?

 

Miami is trying to add a nuclear weapon, and we're content with trying to beat people by throwing rocks at them.

 

Oh my gosh.  This should be pinned at the top of every post.  We just love our young guys because maybe one day they will be impact players.   We thought the future was right around the corner with Trae,Kev,Cam,Hunter,JC.  How'd that work out? 

Like you said no other player is good enough for us.  Folks called Derrick White trash and a low impact player when Boston acquired him.  He friggin rained 3s on us in the playoffs while playing good D. 

Here's what winning moves look like:

Quote

Traded R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris and a 2025 1st round draft pick to the Orlando Magic for Gary Clark and Aaron Gordon. Denver also received a trade exception Orlando also received a trade exception 2025 1st-rd pick (DEN own) is top-5 protected and conveys to 2026 and 2027 with the same protection

Traded Will Barton and Monte Morris to the Washington Wizards for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith. Denver also received a trade exceptions

 

[kg01]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

If no one else does @kg01 does....every year he repeats the number of teams he's been on.

I dont know why more people don't see it as weird.  Ive been following Woods since he was in DET.  I was hoping we'd take a chance on him, but that was only about 2 teams in.  By the time it was 4 or 5, I'm thinking 'nah, somethings wrong with dude, this dont smell right'.

And here we are, team 8 coming.