2013 NBA Offseason News

[Scrap Irony]

Dwight Howard wants to be dealt to the Nets, according to ESPN.

I'm guessing a deal will get done, with Brook Lopez going to Orlando for Hedo Turkoglu (and his $11 million salary) and Howard. Orlando then prays for Lopez's ankle/ leg to be okay and looks to free agency for a new, better PG and SF.

The Nets, meanwhile, would still be able to afford Deron Williams to pair with Howard. They've got MarShon Brooks, who's not horrible, at SG, but the only forward they have on their roster is Jordan Williams, who played sparingly.

Regardless, Howard's image has certainly taken a beating this year. LeBron-esque. (Though with actual, multiple examples of hubris.)

[Revering4Blue]

With Garnett returning, this may be big news.

The Celtics are reportedly willing to give Ray Allen a two-year, $12 million contract, double the annual salary the Heat can offer.

Miami is restricted to offering the mini-mid-level and it's hard to imagine Allen taking a huge pay cut for a perceived competitive advantage with the Heat. The Suns and a handful of other teams are reportedly interested in him also, but with KG back in Boston and a solid offer on the table, don't be surprised to see him in a green jersey next year.

Source: Chris Broussard on Twitter

[Orenda]

Trailblazers going after Roy Hibbert. Hibbert /Aldridge pairing could be dangerous, two nationally under-rated players.

[Scrap Irony]

Hibbert is underrated?

Wasn't he an All Star this season, with averages of 12.8 and 8.7?

[Orenda]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

Hibbert is underrated?

Wasn't he an All Star this season, with averages of 12.8 and 8.7?

maybe not under-rated, but really good players not in "major" media markets.

[UKFlounder]

Nets apparently agree to give Gerald Wallace $40 million over 4 seasons. I kind of question that decision though maybe they think that influences Williams

[improbus]

Offering Hibbert a max deal is ludicrous. I like him at around $10 million, but any center that shoots under 50% and isn't an elite rebounder is not worth that kind of money. It is offers like the one Portland offered that makes it impossible to build a proper team.

[Scrap Irony]

Originally Posted by UKFlounder

Nets apparently agree to give Gerald Wallace $40 million over 4 seasons. I kind of question that decision though maybe they think that influences Williams

They gotta play (and pay) somebody. Wallace was ninth in the league among small forwards in EWA (Estimated Wins Added) and 12th in PER. Plus, he's a guy you never have to call a play for, and he plays full-on, all the time. If you're going to overpay for someone, Gerald Wallace isn't a bad guy to overpay.

Wallace is a decent piece.

Banking on improvement from PF Jordan Williams (a good bet, as he showed flashes as a powerful screen setter, a decent defender, and solid rebounder last season as a rookie) might be the way to go on power forward. (I'd grab a cheap veteran off the scrap heap, as power forwards are pretty much everywhere in today's NBA. A Carl Landry or Luis Scola would come cheap-- either via talent given up or contract.

They could also sign Courtney Lee as a SF/ SG. He's an RFA in Houston and is criminally underrated. (I'm saying this not as a Western Kentucky alum and fan-- which I am-- but as an inbiased oberver of the game. )

That way, they could deal a Brook Lopez and a MarShon Brooks (another rookie who played well last season and a positional weakness for Orlando) for Dwight Howard. That would be enough to convince Deron Williams to stay, IMO, and leave Brooklyn with an outside shot at a top four seed in the playoffs and a starting lineup of:
Deron Williams PG
Courtney Lee SG
Gerald Wallace SF
Jordan Williams PF
Dwight Howard

[Scrap Irony]

Originally Posted by improbus

Offering Hibbert a max deal is ludicrous. I like him at around $10 million, but any center that shoots under 50% and isn't an elite rebounder is not worth that kind of money. It is offers like the one Portland offered that makes it impossible to build a proper team.

Roy Hibbert C
LeMarcus Aldridge PF
Nicolas Batum SF
Wes Matthews SG
Damian Lillard PG

Reserves:
Will Barton SG
Luke Babbit SF
Meyers Leonard C
Elliot Williams SG
Vet PG FA

That's a young, talented team. Tall, too. The only weaknesses are the fragility of Aldridge and questions about the shooting guards. (Though I like Elliot Williams a lot and think Barton will be a steal.)

[improbus]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

Roy Hibbert C
LeMarcus Aldridge PF
Nicolas Batum SF
Wes Matthews SG
Damian Lillard PG

Reserves:
Will Barton SG
Luke Babbit SF
Meyers Leonard C
Elliot Williams SG
Vet PG FA

That's a young, talented team. Tall, too. The only weaknesses are the fragility of Aldridge and questions about the shooting guards. (Though I like Elliot Williams a lot and think Barton will be a steal.)

There are no guarantees that the last 5 guys you listed can play. But, I do love everything about Will Barton. He has the skinniest legs I've ever seen.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

Roy Hibbert C
LeMarcus Aldridge PF
Nicolas Batum SF
Wes Matthews SG
Damian Lillard PG

Reserves:
Will Barton SG
Luke Babbit SF
Meyers Leonard C
Elliot Williams SG
Vet PG FA

That's a young, talented team. Tall, too. The only weaknesses are the fragility of Aldridge and questions about the shooting guards. (Though I like Elliot Williams a lot and think Barton will be a steal.)

That is maybe a .500 team.

[Scrap Irony]

Originally Posted by improbus

There are no guarantees that the last 5 guys you listed can play. But, I do love everything about Will Barton. He has the skinniest legs I've ever seen.

I like Luke Babbit as a shooter off the bench (41% 3-point shooting last year in seriously limited time). Leonard's going to get time regardless of if he's ready or not. The vet point guard free agent is their own fault. And Williams looks like a solid backup. (Look at his PER numbers in extremely limtied action from last season.)

You're right that they have no guarantees. But I like that starting five as tall, young, and capable. They'll need a power forward to back up Aldridge and a PG veteran.

Would you like the Blazers better, improbus, with, say, Aaron Brooks and DJ White as backups? Because those are, IMO, the type of guys the Blazers are going to look for.

I like that team's upside.

[Orenda]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeRed27

That is maybe a .500 team.

anchor a team with a healthy Hibbert and Aldridge...knock on northwest timber, and I'd take my chances it would be possible to put together a team nobody wants to play in a short time-frame.

[Scrap Irony]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeRed27

That is maybe a .500 team.

Aldridge is among the best power forwards in the game-- as his 22.73 PER and 11.71 EWA attest. Hibbert's at a 19.35 PER, with the ninth-best EWA for centers in the league. Nicolas Batum has a PER of 17.32 and a EWA of 6.1, both of which rank 8th in the league. That would make the Portland frontcourt starters the cream of the NBA crop, statistically.

Wes Matthews' 2012 PER of 14.12 is below league average, true, and ranks 29th. But his 2011 numbers suggest he can play much, much better. (The addition of Barton and Elliot Williams' excellent PER numbers in limited time should also mitigate possible poor play as well.)

It all hinges on Lillard. If he's a 17/7 guy in 30-35 minutes with good shooting percentages, the Blazers are a top four team in the West. If he struggles to catch up to the speed of the NBA game, they'll struggle as a team. I'm of the opinion, in looking at other top-rated PGs coming out of college over the past decade, he can be at least league average, quite possibly much, much more. (Kyrie Irving was worth 8 wins last season, for example. Stephen Curry was worth about seven three years ago.)

The bench is weak admittedly. But it has some pretty massive upside. Leonard is going to play quite a bit and, with his size and athleticism, should be able to provide better than league average backup minutes. Barton's a wildcard, but, even if he struggles, there are always tons of veterans willing to settle for bench minutes and a couple million dollars. Same thing with Babbit, who, two years ago, was considered among the draft sleepers and is still very, very young.

[Revering4Blue]

Bigger question:

When you consider the fact that the Pacers couldn't beat the heat with Hibbert. Is it a must that they match Portland's offer?

I'm not so sure that the Pacers couldn't get similar production at C at less prohibitive cost, even in a tag-team situation.

Were you Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard, what would you do?