And then there were two, the Cavs and Warriors

[Knicks411]

When the big 3 for OKC have been healthy they've always been one of the best teams in the league. The depth isn't great but it doesn't matter that much when your top end guys are that good. A 7 gamer next year between those 2 teams could be amazing.

Agreed on Monroe. I don't care who we draft, I want Danny Green and Demarre Carroll. Play Melo at the 4 but Carroll can eat some minutes there as well on defense so Melo doesn't wear down.

If we stand pat, assuming Towns and Russell are gone, sounds like we're targeting either Winslow or WCS. Who knows if that's legit or a smokescreen.

I assume everything that comes out now is BS, but WCS would fit into the Chandler role pretty well. I was definitely hoping to hit a guy with more superstar potential than WCS but I'm sure I can talk myself into him.

 

[Melancer46]

Chicago needs to keep Jimmy Butler. He wants to go to L.A.

He doesn't have a choice in the matter. He's restricted and Chicago will easily match anything LA offers.

Can San Antonio add Aldridge without losing Green?

Will everyone on OKC stay healthy and do they have enough outside of Durant/Westbrook/Ibaka? Golden State is deeper.

They would lose Danny Green I believe, but the Spurs can probably replace him in the draft or with some minimum contract like they always seem to do. With Parker, Leonard, Aldridge, Duncan, and whatever they might be able to get in a trade for Splitter, that team could be absolutely filthy.

 

[MikeSU02]

The West should probably be super tough again. Especially if the Spurs get Aldridge; I'm not convinced, but either way, like you said a healthy OKC is going to be one of the best teams in the league and the Clippers are really really good. And if the Pellies can ever add just a little bit more about Davis...

Spurs/GSW/OKC should be the favorites.

Cleveland should walk in the East even if Love leaves.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Golden State is deeper but Westbrook/Durant/Ibaka completely ***** on Curry/Thompson/Green. Curry is a Top 5 player in the NBA but OKC has 2 of them.

Keep in mind Golden State is going to re-tool for the future. They are going to eventually dump Bogut/Lee, maybe even this summer and make Ezeli the starting center.

The best part about Golden State is their top three players are just enterring or in Green's case haven't even entered their prime., and they still have Harrison Barnes who is only 23. This team is going to get better naturally without even adding anyone.

OKC still needs to add a couple of shooters to surround Westbrook/Durant.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Cleveland will be back next year in the finals

 

[NineOneSeven]

Keep in mind Golden State is going to re-tool for the future. They are going to eventually dump Bogut/Lee, maybe even this summer and make Ezeli the starting center.

The best part about Golden State is their top three players are just enterring or in Green's case haven't even entered their prime., and they still have Harrison Barnes who is only 23. This team is going to get better naturally without even adding anyone.

OKC still needs to add a couple of shooters to surround Westbrook/Durant.

GSW had very important veterans in Barbosa, Livingston, Bogut, Iggy, and Lee, but their future is with Curry, Klay, Ezeli, Green, and Barnes. That's an incredible core.

And wow, how deep were they this year? Unreal. That doesn't even include Speights who was 4th in scoring!

 

[longislandcuse]

When the big 3 for OKC have been healthy they've always been one of the best teams in the league. The depth isn't great but it doesn't matter that much when your top end guys are that good. A 7 gamer next year between those 2 teams could be amazing.



I assume everything that comes out now is BS, but WCS would fit into the Chandler role pretty well. I was definitely hoping to hit a guy with more superstar potential than WCS but I'm sure I can talk myself into him.

In a vacuum id rather have Winslow than WCS but if we sign Green and Carrol, we don't really need Winslow as much as we would need WCS.

Somebody
Green
Carroll
Melo
WCS

That's definitely a playoff team, could win a round depending on matchups. Probably not much more though. Man, Melo has been on some garbage teams.

 

[Fireball Jr.]

Happy for guys like Livingston, barbosa, iguodala, and lee. Guys who have been very productive in their careers when healthy and seem like great team players.

Biggest difference in my opinion, was the PG spot. Without Irving, only that idiot Dellavedova at PG.

GSW had curry, Livingston, and barbosa.

Livingston's an amazing story, coming back from a devastating knee injury. And always liked Iggy Stardust going back to his Philly days, he has an excellent game and a great name

 

[Fireball Jr.]

Yeah it does sound crazy

I second and third that emotion.

 

[Knicks411]

Spurs/GSW/OKC should be the favorites.

Cleveland should walk in the East even if Love leaves.

Wouldn't count out the Clippers. They were really good last year.

. Man, Melo has been on some garbage teams.

have to admit, I find this a little funny considering how much time you've spent defending the Cavs minus Lebron the last week or so.

Assuming the PG is someone at least ok, I think that team is probably a playoff team? And just as well since we have no pick anyway. At least 3 of the 5 starters are solid defenders. Calderon might even be an ok PG for that team. Lot of shooting around Melo with WCS in the middle.

 

[Melancer46]

Despite the way rotations were handled in the playoffs, Bogut has been one of Golden State's most important players these last few years. I don't think they want to get rid of him, and unless Ezeli improves a ton, he just isn't a good player.

If Iggy and Bogut aren't moved, Golden State will most likely lose Harrison Barnes due to cap restrictions. When Barnes contract is up, Ezeli's will be as well, so if he's worth keeping around by that point, that will make it even more difficult to keep both.

And this is all before we get to Curry's future extension (his deal expires the year after they have to commit to Barnes/Ezeli) and Curry is vastly underpaid at the moment, so he'll be getting a major raise in all likelihood.

They should be okay if they play things the right way, but that year when Barnes/Ezeli expire and Iggy/Bogut are still on the books for $22 million could get pretty tough.

Edit: So yeah, they can retain Curry, Klay, Draymond, Barnes, and Ezeli if they want, but they'll likely lose the depth that set them apart from everyone in the West, and if they don't improve a lot, I'm honestly not sure a team of Curry, Klay, Draymond, Barnes, Ezeli, and low-income veteran minimum/rookie scale types will be good enough to make them the cream of the crop in the West going forwards. This year's team was the perfect storm of having Curry on a discount, Klay on his rookie deal, Draymond being paid almost nothing, Barnes on a rookie deal, and then a bunch of good veteran players like Bogut, Iguodala, Lee, Livingston, etc.

 

[MikeSU02]

Wouldn't count out the Clippers. They were really good last year.

Not until they get a bench. Can't win with just a first unit. I like the Clips. Enjoying watching them play. That team isn't built to win four series in a row against good teams.

 

[longislandcuse]

Wouldn't count out the Clippers. They were really good last year.



have to admit, I find this a little funny considering how much time you've spent defending the Cavs minus Lebron the last week or so.

Assuming the PG is someone at least ok, I think that team is probably a playoff team? And just as well since we have no pick anyway. At least 3 of the 5 starters are solid defenders. Calderon might even be an ok PG for that team. Lot of shooting around Melo with WCS in the middle.

Ha.. I don't compare Melo to Jordan. I also don't see Lebron on garbage teams year in/year out.

Also...

Thompson and Mozgov are better than anyone on the Knicks recently outside Melo.

We can probably move on from this now though. I don't really care to make this into a Melo vs Lebron discussion because there is no discussion and different criteria is used to define each player. Melo gets killed for not going far in the playoffs, yet he has teams similar to what Lebron had to, so heroically, carry on his back in the Finals as his supporting cast year in/year out, not just for a series or two.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Despite the way rotations were handled in the playoffs, Bogut has been one of Golden State's most important players these last few years. I don't think they want to get rid of him, and unless Ezeli improves a ton, he just isn't a good player.

If Iggy and Bogut aren't moved, Golden State will most likely lose Harrison Barnes due to cap restrictions. When Barnes contract is up, Ezeli's will be as well, so if he's worth keeping around by that point, that will make it even more difficult to keep both.

And this is all before we get to Curry's future extension (his deal expires the year after they have to commit to Barnes/Ezeli) and Curry is vastly underpaid at the moment, so he'll be getting a major raise in all likelihood.

They should be okay if they play things the right way, but that year when Barnes/Ezeli expire and Iggy/Bogut are still on the books for $22 million could get pretty tough.

I disagree about Ezeli. That guy has tremendous upside to be better than Bogut. He shot 54% this year in limited time and averages more blocks per minute than Bogut. Golden State is going to luck out that the cap will expand in two years when Boguts contract comes off the books, and Lee is going to most likely be moved this off season to clear cap space.

 

[RF2044]

I know that Aldridge has been linked to SA this offseason, but I have a difficult time seeing them make that kind of splash move free agency signing, especially if it entails losing Green's shooting. I get that their window is closing [and sadly, may actually be closed], but they are a smart team that doesn't necessarily swing for the fences. They're content to hit double after double and stick to their personnel strategy of adding quality talent / depth / shooting / defense. I don't see them going all in on a splash signing if it costs them depth. Also, with Ginoboli up there in age and best relegated to a bench role at this stage of his career, who would be the replacement for Green?

 

[Melancer46]

I disagree about Ezeli. That guy has tremendous upside to be better than Bogut. He shot 54% this year in limited time and averages more blocks per minute than Bogut. Golden State is going to luck out that the cap will expand in two years when Boguts contract comes off the books, and Lee is going to most likely be moved this off season to clear cap space.

Moving Lee won't actually clear cap space though. It will just help them avoid paying the luxury tax when they sign Draymond to a max deal.

And I think you're severely underrating Bogut or overrating Ezeli. Ezeli can rebound and block shots a bit, but Bogut is an absolute stud of a defender; one of the top 3 or so defensive players in the NBA, and is also one of the best passing big men in the league. On top of that, he's a good finisher around the rim and has a couple post moves in his repertoire.

 

[RF2044]

On a finals-centric note, it will be interesting to see what Cleveland does to retool. Obviously, they had some injuries, but Thompson's agent has made it known that his client will be seeking a max contract. Can they afford to have FOUR of those type of players on the team, from a luxury tax perspective? Will they look to move a highly tradeable asset like Irving [who is so young, with his best basketball ahead of him] for assets that would enable them to upgrade the quality of their roster? Do they enter next season relying upon fragile pieces of the puzzle like Love / Irving, who are still generally playoff un-battle tested [relatively speaking]? Or do they stand pat, see what drops to them in the draft, and cross their fingers that everyone stays healthy next year?

Should be interesting.

 

[RF2044]

Moving Lee won't actually clear cap space though. It will just help them avoid paying the luxury tax when they sign Draymond to a max deal.

And I think you're severely underrating Bogut or overrating Ezeli. Ezeli can rebound and block shots a bit, but Bogut is an absolute stud of a defender; one of the top 3 or so defensive players in the NBA, and is also one of the best passing big men in the league. On top of that, he's a good finisher around the rim and has a couple post moves in his repertoire.

I'll add that the NBA is all about matchups. To win this matchup after Cleveland slowed the games down to a snail's pace, the Warriors went small to speed up the tempo and get better floor spacing. That meant that Bogut sat--which in turn has led to some believing that his value is less, or that he doesn't fit into their future plans. Anyone who watched the Houston series [where Bogut went toe to toe and held his own with Dwight Howard] recognizes that in other matchups, he brings a lot of value as a rim protector, physical big, rebounder, etc. It's all about matchups.

 

[Knicks411]

Ha.. I don't compare Melo to Jordan. I also don't see Lebron on garbage teams year in/year out.

Also...

Thompson and Mozgov are better than anyone on the Knicks recently outside Melo.

We can probably move on from this now though. I don't really care to make this into a Melo vs Lebron discussion because there is no discussion and different criteria is used to define each player. Melo gets killed for not going far in the playoffs, yet he has teams similar to what Lebron had to, so heroically, carry on his back in the Finals as his supporting cast year in/year out, not just for a series or two.

Don't really agree with this at all. The Denver teams were good. The last 2 years, sure, they weren't that good. But Melo's story had been written well before that.

I mean, the 3 guards who played shot 29% from the field for the series. I was curious, in the last playoff series the Knicks played, the Shumpert/JR/Felton trio were pretty terrible, 75/214, which is at least 35%. Man, JR Smith has been just a horrendous playoff player.

 

[Melancer46]

I know that Aldridge has been linked to SA this offseason, but I have a difficult time seeing them make that kind of splash move free agency signing, especially if it entails losing Green's shooting. I get that their window is closing [and sadly, may actually be closed], but they are a smart team that doesn't necessarily swing for the fences. They're content to hit double after double and stick to their personnel strategy of adding quality talent / depth / shooting / defense. I don't see them going all in on a splash signing if it costs them depth. Also, with Ginoboli up there in age and best relegated to a bench role at this stage of his career, who would be the replacement for Green?

I don't think Danny Green is going to come between the Spurs and setting their team up for the future. They have a chance to lock themselves into a future tandem of Kawhi and LaMarcus Aldridge. Finding 3 and D guys in the bargain basket is what the Spurs do. They'll find a way to replace Danny Green just fine, whether it be by trading Splitter, drafting someone like Justin Anderson, using their MLE or something; they'll find a guy that can do basically the same things as Danny Green.

This is of course assuming LaMarcus actually signs with them, which isn't a foregone conclusion by any means.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I'll add that the NBA is all about matchups. To win this matchup after Cleveland slowed the games down to a snail's pace, the Warriors went small to speed up the tempo and get better floor spacing. That meant that Bogut sat--which in turn has led to some believing that his value is less, or that he doesn't fit into their future plans. Anyone who watched the Houston series [where Bogut went toe to toe and held his own with Dwight Howard] recognizes that in other matchups, he brings a lot of value as a rim protector, physical big, rebounder, etc. It's all about matchups.

I'm not saying Bogut isn't part of their immediate plans, but there is a reason analysts compare Ezeli to Deandre Jordan, and Ezeli had a great fourth quarter last night. It doesn't discount what Bogut did against Houston, but he is on the wrong side of 30 and he's always hurt.

 

[Knicks411]

On a finals-centric note, it will be interesting to see what Cleveland does to retool. Obviously, they had some injuries, but Thompson's agent has made it known that his client will be seeking a max contract. Can they afford to have FOUR of those type of players on the team, from a luxury tax perspective? Will they look to move a highly tradeable asset like Irving [who is so young, with his best basketball ahead of him] for assets that would enable them to upgrade the quality of their roster? Do they enter next season relying upon fragile pieces of the puzzle like Love / Irving, who are still generally playoff un-battle tested [relatively speaking]? Or do they stand pat, see what drops to them in the draft, and cross their fingers that everyone stays healthy next year?

Should be interesting.

yeah Lowe had a piece about this. I think Thompson getting a max (or close to it) was part of Lebron signing there, so I think that's about a lock to happen.
I was all for the Love trade, but I think they might be better off if he leaves as a FA for the reasons you mention; that's a ton of money to have tied up, sespecially with 3 guys who all best profile at the 4 now. I don't think there's much of a chance Irving gets moved. Haywood has a huge non-guaranteed deal (like 10 million) that I'd imagine the Cavs would pick up and try and move him for something.

 

[longislandcuse]

Don't really agree with this at all. The Denver teams were good. The last 2 years, sure, they weren't that good. But Melo's story had been written well before that.

I mean, the 3 guards who played shot 29% from the field for the series. I was curious, in the last playoff series the Knicks played, the Shumpert/JR/Felton trio were pretty terrible, 75/214, which is at least 35%. Man, JR Smith has been just a horrendous playoff player.

They weren't "that" good. They made the WCF and were in the West, not the East.

My point was just that I hope NY somehow gets Melo a legit roster because he's only ever had a decent roster for a few years in Denver and in that time period they actually made the WCF. CP3 has some talent and can't advance. Melo's label of not being able to advance is kind of bs.

 

[longislandcuse]

If I were Golden State, I'd think long and hard before maxing out Klay Thompson.

 

[RF2044]

I don't think Danny Green is going to come between the Spurs and setting their team up for the future. They have a chance to lock themselves into a future tandem of Kawhi and LaMarcus Aldridge. Finding 3 and D guys in the bargain basket is what the Spurs do. They'll find a way to replace Danny Green just fine, whether it be by trading Splitter, drafting someone like Justin Anderson, using their MLE or something; they'll find a guy that can do basically the same things as Danny Green.

This is of course assuming LaMarcus actually signs with them, which isn't a foregone conclusion by any means.

Good point about the 3 and D guys--but I'm just not sure who that player [or players] would be. If they can sign Aldridge and draft Anderson, that would be a Spurs-esque set of moves. But neither of those things is a guarantee.

I'd say that it is more likely that Aldridge signs with Dallas for more money [total speculation on my part], the Spurs keep Green, they move Splitter and sign a MLE upgrade to play some center, they draft a quality guy who bolsters depth, etc.