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Official 2018 NBA Offseason Thread: the preseason cometh

RedSoxFaithful said:
Serious question: Why?

You get one year of Kawhi, assuming he tests the market next summer (and maybe he doesn't, but everything that's unfolded this season would lead me to question that). Or you can have 2 years of Brown at wayyyyy below market value, followed by matching whatever RFA contract he signs, which likely means 6-7 total years of control. I get that the team would have considerable advantages to retain Kawhi with Bird rights, but why introduce the uncertainty, especially when it's compounded by the personal uncertainty around Kawhi's specific situation? If you believe in Brown's potential (and I do!) (and Ainge does!), why would you pay to upgrade for one year at that sort of cost?
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You're not making that trade without an extension.
 
Kawhi Leonard's 2017-8 season (or lack of one) makes his value a true wildcard. If his injury is legit deterioration of his quad, until he show he can play a full season at the same level, he is now a player with considerable injury questions as he has a condition that has kept him out for essentially a full season, and that injury issue remains unresolved.

If his injury is not legit, how can any team be confident that he won't shut it down again in the future when faced with the inevitable nagging injuries that impact other players? Leonard missed a season (but for 9 games), and while players have come back from a year without basketball, sometimes they don't, at least not on the same level. Some here act like its a given that Kawhi's going to be 100% with no lingering issues starting next October. Not sure how anyone can be so sure.

Not clear to me that any NBA team will be willing to sacrifice what it takes to get an NBA franchise player, when it's not clear if he can play on that level.
 
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I'm curious about how Tatum and Hayward will coexist, especially assuming a healthy Kyrie.
 
They will probably start- Kyrie, Brown, Tatum, Heyward and Horford.
 
JuiceCrewAllStar said:
I'm curious about how Tatum and Hayward will coexist, especially assuming a healthy Kyrie.
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Tatum plays bigger than Hayward-- a Kyrie/Brown/Hayward/Tatum/Horford lineup should be fine together, at least defensively. Offensively, there could be some growing pains, but Tatum seems okay playing off-ball, and while I think he and Brown are a bit wasted in catch-and-shoot or catch-and-slash modes, they can both do it for sure.

It'll be interesting to see, though. I'm also curious about their plans for Smart-- I'm still convinced someone is going to pay a ton for him, and I don't think the C's will necessarily match with extensions for Brown, Tatum, and potentially Rozier looming.
 
I agree with Pilich, which is why I do the Boston trade if given the chance.

One thing I would like to know is how "normal" Kawhi was after Pop's wife passed away. Did he call and offer his condolences? Did he go to the funeral? If the answer is no, does Pop even want to fix that relationship? I ask because though I don't think Kawhi is a dick by any means, he is socially non-existent, does he even know that is the minimum courtesy required in a situation like this???
 
jaybone said:
I agree with Pilich, which is why I do the Boston trade if given the chance.

One thing I would like to know is how "normal" Kawhi was after Pop's wife passed away. Did he call and offer his condolences? Did he go to the funeral? If the answer is no, does Pop even want to fix that relationship? I ask because though I don't think Kawhi is a dick by any means, he is socially non-existent, does he even know that is the minimum courtesy required in a situation like this???
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I assumed you report the ESPN article that came out today. I thought you referenced it above.

ALL OF THESE issues seemed small after Popovich's wife died on April 18, on the eve of Game 3 against the Warriors in the first round.
Her death was a gut check for the whole league, trivializing these playoffs and all the petty annoyances players and coaches lose sleep over. Who cares who starts at center? Or how many minutes Hassan Whiteside played? Or whether Leonard sat on the bench with his teammates during games, or trained in New York?
Erin Popovich had been ill for decades. Her respiratory condition kept her from traveling, and often, the climate in Maine, where they own a home, was easier on her system than San Antonio's.
While Popovich rarely spoke of her situation publicly, those close to him knew how much he carried with him every day. You could hear it in his speeches about leading a balanced life, in his values and the way he tried to create a family among the organization. Some of that was his military background. The team was his squadron to command. They were a band of brothers. But a lot of that was his deep love for Erin and the family they had together.
Popovich did not coach in the final three games of the playoffs this season. Those close to him say he's still processing everything.
Leonard had intended to leave New York, join the team and support Popovich if he coached one of the games after his wife's death, according to sources close to both men. When Popovich did not return, Leonard decided to stay and train. But the sentiment was an indication of the strength of their bond.

The situation with Leonard feels quite small in comparison to Popovich's grief. But eventually Popovich will need to decide whether he's up for trying to solve the situation with his star forward and whether he wants to make another go with him and the two keepers of the flame, Ginobili and Parker, assuming they return.
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http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23366667/inside-tension-kawhi-leonard-spurs
 
RedSoxFaithful said:
Brown is better.

I've been saying this throughout the season, but Brown is where Kawhi was three years ago. The parallels are sorta eerie-- they share really similar physical profiles (Kawhi is listed 6-7, 230; Brown is 6-7, 225), both struggled in college and early in their NBA careers on the offensive end, but were defensive wizards pretty much instantly. Both eventually developed the ability to create their own shots, and were forced to more or less take over the reins unexpectedly in the postseason. The parallel isn't perfect: '14-15 Kawhi was a better rebounder than '17-18 Brown, for sure, but that also comes down to scheme in a lot of ways (and again highlights their similarity in terms of versatility, with Brown playing small as needed this year), and Kawhi has always been a much better FT shooter than Brown is right now.

Factoring in contracts, age, and the uncertainty around Kawhi (who, to rehash an argument y'all had a few pages ago, I think was a top-3 player in the league as recently as last year), I wouldn't deal Brown for Kawhi straight up right now. Much less Brown, Tatum, and Rozier.

I agree that Brown and Tatum each have the potential to become superstars in the next couple of years, though. That team, with Kyrie and Hayward back, is going to be absolutely silly.
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LOL. That's one of the hottest and worst takes i've ever seen.
 
jaybone said:
I agree with Pilich, which is why I do the Boston trade if given the chance.

One thing I would like to know is how "normal" Kawhi was after Pop's wife passed away. Did he call and offer his condolences? Did he go to the funeral? If the answer is no, does Pop even want to fix that relationship? I ask because though I don't think Kawhi is a dick by any means, he is socially non-existent, does he even know that is the minimum courtesy required in a situation like this???
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Allegedly, Kawhi offered to come sit on the bench for that game.
 
No problem. It actually made me feel better about the situation.
 
Brown is an "defensive wizard?" Above league average, sure - but what are you basing that on?
 
PhDeac said:
No problem. It actually made me feel better about the situation.
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Agreed.

The problem was that it was so damn long and didn’t really come to any kind of conclusion.

But I had thought the situation was an irreparable disaster before reading that... So while it made me feel more confused, that’s somehow an improvement.
 
I can't remember seeing an NBA team that moves less and passes less than Toronto.
 
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