I only clicked on this because I couldn't believe the title. Felt it had to be a troll thread.
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I only clicked on this because I couldn't believe the title. Felt it had to be a troll thread.
Sure, in the playoffs maybe. But they are getting there, which is all that really matters to us.
And haven't they been to at least the WCF 3 of the last 4 years? It has worked okay in the playoffs. I mean, better than anything CP3 has ever done. If not for the Spurs and/or injuries, OKC would have probably been in the last 3 or 4 finals.
I dont even know where to start. I literally started 4 different sentences.
Phoenix is about 10x worse after the trade
He mentioned Danny Granger by name as a quality piece
In the world where Timofey Mozgov goes for 2 first rounders, and Dragic goes for 2 first rounders in the SAME TRADE he mentions Jrue again
Phoenix gives up half their rotation and it isn't mentioned.
Thunder add Waiters, Kanter, Singler, Augustin, Novak, 2nd round pick
Thunder give up Reggie Jackson, Kendrick Perkins, Some Bum, and 2 FIRST ROUND PICKS.
I don't like jimmy most of the time but he beats around something that others have as well:
The Pelicans went almost all in on their hand with Evans, Gordon Rivers and Holliday. Those plays in the GM game of Poker ultimately cost 4 lottery picks, a ton of cap space, A legitimate back up PG that could start in a pinch, and a solid starting Center.
And that bet is likely to lead to our 4th straight playoff miss. A roster that is still incomplete.
One of those four is certainly not a fit for Davis(Rivers), another I am having a hard time seeing him as a fit(Evans), Gordon looks to have found his niche if he can stay healthy in that new role but is disgustingly overpaid, and that leaves one guy that seemingly looks like he can be a longterm piece if he can ever get healthy.
At this point none of those players could fetch would we gave up for them on the open market.
So in all we have spent all our big poker chips over the last few seasons to ultimately end up with one guy that is a longterm fit at a starting position and hoping we can ideally recapture some of the value we gave up when we shed the other guys and other assets.
I love Demps's ability to find diamond in the ruff role players but am still not impressed when it comes to making those bigger moves that truly move the needle of a franchise. Take away the gift that was Davis and what is this team really? What has Demps produced that we can hang our hat on?
There is a ton that is open for criticism, especially after the fact and with Jrue's current injury situation. I don't think anybody would debate that.
But good writers give balance to all sides and are just as generous with projecting the future one way as another way. I mean, it is still possible that we look back on this Holiday injury 4 years from now as a blip and he goes back to his previous injury history, no? And that he keeps improving like he was doing this year. And that Noel still is just a guy, not a key piece. I mean, that is all possible.
To me, that is the valid issue with Smith - his lack of balance, and the fact that he sometimes straight up gets the facts wrong.
Which is why I said I normally don't like him and why I really only commented about the general point he brought up. As I found little else of his article of value except as a conversation starter about the Pelicans roster and asset management.
I agree though. He is pretty terrible overall.
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/...8948-37837.gifQuote:
Good article from Jimmy Smith on trade deadline
These are very good points. This team has overpaid for talented but majorly flawed players.
Gordon: Max contract for an often injured player even before he was payed.
Evans: The Kings even wanted to get rid of a player with a low BBIQ whose style of hero ball can drain an offense. He has never been on a consistent winning team.
Asik:Good defender, but a black hole on offense who can not consistently make a layup.
Holiday: Solid player (maybe top 10-12 PG), but in no way worth two top 10 picks.
Combine these moves with a stubborn coach who fails at in-game adjustments and this team is what you get. A team with a rising superstar on the outside looking in with no depth, because we have had one good draft pick in 5 years.
You can't do that though... you can't just take away Davis.... you can say if he screwed up and took MKG or something, but that's an asset. It's like saying what if OKC put westbrook in a Barrell and threw him in the river, what would happen?
Anyways... I guess it really is time:
12 Hilton Armstrong PF 6-11 235 November 11, 1984 3 University of Connecticut
6 Bobby Brown PG 6-2 175 September 24, 1984 1 California State University, Fullerton
23 Devin Brown SG 6-5 220 December 30, 1978 7 University of Texas at San Antonio
2 Darren Collison PG 6-0 160 August 23, 1987 R University of California, Los Angeles
34 Aaron Gray C 7-0 270 December 7, 1984 2 University of Pittsburgh
11 Jason Hart PG 6-3 185 April 29, 1978 8 Syracuse University
4 Sean Marks C 6-10 250 August 23, 1975 9 University of California
50 Emeka Okafor C 6-10 252 September 28, 1982 5 University of Connecticut
3 Chris Paul PG 6-0 175 May 6, 1985 4 Wake Forest University
24 Morris Peterson SG 6-7 218 August 26, 1977 9 Michigan State University
41 James Posey SF 6-8 215 January 13, 1977 10 Xavier University
9 Darius Songaila C 6-9 248 February 14, 1978 6 Wake Forest University
16 Peja Stojakovic SF 6-9 220 June 9, 1977 11
5 Marcus Thornton SG 6-4 205 June 5, 1987 R Louisiana State University
30 David West PF 6-9 240 August 29, 1980 6 Xavier University
32 Julian Wright SF 6-8 225 May 20, 1987 2 University of Kansas
As the 8th seed, which is what we nearly are.
And then CP forced a trade, and then David west left..... leaving us with the worst collection of assets (minus the then-talented Eric GOrdon and the 2 picks) that anyone could have to work with. Go ahead, look at the contracts.
If you can't see the transformation of the roster as nothing short of incredible... then I'm wasting my words.
The article says that Suns get Thornton and Knight but not says that suns lost Dragic and Thomas. The Suns have worsened.
The Thunder gets Kanter, DJ, Singler & Novak. But lose Reggie Jackson and defensive men as Perkins.
Apparently good acquisitions but Novak will play very bit and Waiters is worse than Reggie Jackson. With Adams as starter, Kanter will play less than he wants, Kanter is an upgrade but i think that Kanter will not play much to see a great improvement. And other thing is that Kanter plays in the same zone as Ibaka, will see how they play.
DJ is an upgrade an Singler will battle vs Morrow for the spot. Will play singler or Morrow, not both.
the Pelicans gets Norris cole that is a good backup PG, and not lose NOTHING. Little changes, bit by bit.