We're negative because we were expecting a leap from this team. We already had a big three that is good enough to win 45 games when healthy and they are going to get better as Ricky has a full offseason and Love is getting closer to his prime basketball years. We had a ridiculous amount of assets available in a two first round picks, a former number 2 pick and a stable full of quality backup PG's in a league where that position is becoming more important by the year. I don't see how you can look at adding Martin, Brewer, Bazz, Turiaf, and Dieng as making any kind of leap. We traded an oft injured defensive specialist for an oft injured offensive specialist. We traded a 2 million dollar backup C for 2 one million dollar backup C's. We traded one of the few players who actually played most of the season last year for the right to overpay Corey Brewer who is a bench player. We saw alternative option after alternative option go to other teams for much cheaper deals.
If you want to be taken seriously, then you trade Denver D Will, JJ and draft picks for Iggy and give him 12 million dollars to be the wing stopper we needed. You can afford to play a Shabazz or start a Bud if you have Iggy as the other wing. Now we can't because Martin is the other wing. We didn't knock any moves out of the park and that is the only way to become a contender in this league. Why do you think the Rockets got Dwight, GS got Iggy and NO took a chance on Holiday and Evans? They are trying to make the kind of moves that can be the difference between a playoff team and a contender. We didn't make any moves of the sort this offseason and we were expecting playoffs anyways because our big 3 is good enough to get us there with a garbage supporting cast if they can just stay healthy. We have little perimeter defense next to Ricky as Brewer is being wildly overrated (Denver actually gave up less points when he was off the floor and he was guarding second unit guys). He is an average defender at best because he gives you steals, but lacks the strength to guard most 3's in the league and that is who we are going to need him to guard quite often. The only prayer that this offseason works out long-term in my mind is if D Will plays the 3 and defends the 3 well because that slots Brewer where he should be as the energizer bunny who plays defense at the 2 in between JJ and Bud and Bud plays the role he should as the backup 3. If that doesn't happen, I imagine we just plugged 1 hole at the 2 only to open another at the 3 and that is moving sideways, not forward.
I'd love Iggy but there is way we can afford to pay Love, Iggy Pek AND Rubio in a couple years. That's just not realistic.
When I look at what was availiable to make this team that contender there are only a few guys that we could have added a few of them are Centers and we prenty much only had the option of keeping Pek which is a good option. The other options were trying to get aging stars like KG and Pierce or add a guy like Iggy and Josh Smith or keeping AK . After that there really wasn't guys that I think would have been guys that would be better than adding Martin who I think people generally are underrating. Personally I think Flip only had so many options and yet that doesn't mean he couldn't blow us out of the water with some awesome deal. He may still do that later in the season you never know.
AK has a great motor, but Brewer's motor is even better. His ability to run with Rubio and create havoc on the defensive end is a terrific addition to the team.
Beat me to it, I was going to say "great point". This board doesn't let you "like" a post, that would have saved this
You are aware that Denver got nothing for Iggy leaving aren't you? So you're saying they would rather have got nothing than getting JJ, D Will and picks? I think a Love, Ricky, Iggy big 3 is better in today's NBA than Love, Ricky, Pek. You can get productive C's for cheaper in this league than you can get players as versatile as Iggy. Having a Ricky and Iggy lineup lets you start whoever you want at the 2nd wing spot, be that Bud, D Will or Bazz because they can lock down the top two opposing wings and no team has 3 guys that would require a 3rd good defender. I think everyone overvalues a productive C versus an elite wing. Iggy is a 15, 6, 5, 2 guy which is more valuable than the 16 and 9 Pek gives you. This league is about wings now and the teams going with bigs over wings are winning, they just aren't winning titles.
khans2k5 wrote:You are aware that Denver got nothing for Iggy leaving aren't you? So you're saying they would rather have got nothing than getting JJ, D Will and picks? I think a Love, Ricky, Iggy big 3 is better in today's NBA than Love, Ricky, Pek. You can get productive C's for cheaper in this league than you can get players as versatile as Iggy. Having a Ricky and Iggy lineup lets you start whoever you want at the 2nd wing spot, be that Bud, D Will or Bazz because they can lock down the top two opposing wings and no team has 3 guys that would require a 3rd good defender. I think everyone overvalues a productive C versus an elite wing. Iggy is a 15, 6, 5, 2 guy which is more valuable than the 16 and 9 Pek gives you. This league is about wings now and the teams going with bigs over wings are winning, they just aren't winning titles.
khans2k5- if Denver wanted JJ bad enough, JJ would be a Nugget right now because the team would have very little hesitation in trying to trade him.
Iggy trade--The deal for Iguodala is a three-team sign-and-trade between the Nuggets, Jazz and Warriors. As part of the deal, the Warriors sent center Andris Biedrins, forward Richard Jefferson and guard/forward Brandon Rush, along with two future first-round (2014 and 2017), two future-second round (2016 and 2017) draft picks and cash considerations, to the Jazz, as well as a future second-round (2018) draft pick to the Nuggets.
WOW - two firsts and two seconds, and players. That is steep. Have to respect the Warriors aggressiveness. Would we want to give up two firsts and two seconds? If Pek resigns here, we get him and keep the picks. I don't know. Damn, the west is tough and getting tougher
Denver ended up getting Randy Foye out of the whole thing. Just clearing that up.
I'd rather have Pek. Iggy's production has quietly been slipping just a bit while his name is still highly recognized. His defense is still really good but everything else is on the decline. Iggy was a 13/5/5/2 guy that is set to make 13M next year while being two years older than Pek. No thanks. Give me the big guy out of Montenegro.