longstrangetrip wrote:Okay, I'm a little embarrassed to be Flip flopping a half hour after voting no deal, but I found this podcast compelling evidence that a deal will happen with GS. It's Chad Ford talking with Simmons, and his prediction that a deal will happen is at about the 28 minute mark.
http://grantland.com/podcasts/bs-report/
If you don't have time to listen, Ford says a deal will happen because they have an agreement on the key pieces.
He says they are close on Love/Martin/Barea for Lee/Thompson/Barnes and a future first. The minor pieces (Barea, Barnes, draft pick) are the discussion points now, and Ford thinks those are minor enough that this deal will happen. I agree. I like it, don't love it. If I'm Flip, I think I have to do it.
Man, I wouldn't mind that if we could somehow get Green included.
If you're saying either add Green to the deal or replace the pick with Green, I agree. But if you're suggesting replacing Barnes with Green (which might be part of the current discussion), I'm not on board.
No, add him to the deal. And after you do that, trade Lee for whatever we can get for him.
GS is being absolutely stupid. It pretty much boils down to having Love/Curry for the next 5 years or Thompson/Curry for the next 5. You can't afford all 3. Not only is Love lightyears better then Thompson, but he's better then Curry too! It's crazy how much Kevin Love has become underrated this offsesason
Cam -- I like the Golden State package. Thompson is one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA and is also an excellent defender. And he's only 24 years old. Barnes played really well in the playoffs two years ago. He was also one of the best athletes in the pre-draft camp when he came out. I don't think we saw his best because I don't think Jackson was a particularly good coach. Flip would get the most out of him. Lee is a former all-star who is still only 30 years old. He's vastly underrated. Not a good defender, but neither is Kevin Love and at least Lee gives consistent effort on the defensive end.
I wouldn't count on the deal happening because I am convinced that Flip is perfectly content to keep Love into the season. I talked to some folks who know today. I can't repeat everything they told me, but they told me that there is absolutely no way Flip will be pressured into a deal and that Flip would be perfectly content to walk away from the table if he doesn't get what he wants. Golden State wants Love and they should want Love. Combined with Curry, Iggy and Bogut, they'd be an elite team in the West.
Except that's all he is. Klay's essentially Kevin Martin, but with above average defense and he doesn't get to the FT line. That's the best we can get as a centerpiece for a Love trade? I'm not buying it. Yes, Thompson is a great fit for Rubio. What's even better for Rubio is a star caliber player. Love is already one. Wiggins/Parker/Randle/Smart/Exum/Embiid (injury) all have the potential to be one.
And to be honest, I'd rather have Nik Stauskas or Gary Harris on their rookie deals instead of Thompson at a max contract.
I hope a deal gets done but at this point I don't think it will happen by draft night. I think the Lebron opt out actually hurts us because the Cavs will now go away from acquiring Love and go after Lebron and Melo. I do like how Flip is handling the situation though, he's always maintained he'll only trade Love if it makes the team better. He still has 8 months to make a deal if he feels Love will walk next year; I think Flip's thinking he can get a below market value offer at the deadline just like he's getting now so why trade him now when there's still potential for offers to increase.
While the Chad Ford prediction that the GS deal gets done before Thursday was interesting, it just occurred to me that GS is the only deal rumor that isn't heavily dependent upon picks...i.e., the one that might be the most attractive come February. Maybe both teams know they can still be trading partners at the deadline, and that is keeping one or the other from completing the deal. If nothing gets done this week, that will be the ray of hope that I will be clinging to.
So, if Love is traded, does Barea return to being a competent combo guard off the bench? He was pretty bad last year. I can't help wonder if there was enough friction between him and Love to be a factor in his down year...
longstrangetrip wrote:While the Chad Ford prediction that the GS deal gets done before Thursday was interesting, it just occurred to me that GS is the only deal rumor that isn't heavily dependent upon picks...i.e., the one that might be the most attractive come February. Maybe both teams know they can still be trading partners at the deadline, and that is keeping one or the other from completing the deal. If nothing gets done this week, that will be the ray of hope that I will be clinging to.
I am concerned that if a deal is not at least agreed to by the draft, then Flip starts to lose leverage with Golden State. Once Boston, Denver, Chicago, etc., make their picks they are almost assuredly out of the equation. If they are as close as Ford believes, it should not matter much but if they are far apart on the extra pieces in the deal, Golden State could gain an advantage when these teams make their picks.
