NBA offseason 2016-2017...NBA offseason best in sports....This offseason is lit to the 3rd degree!!
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I know I posted it...But yet there's a report out there saying PG was already recruiting Klay to the Lakersi just don't believe any of this shit
I think he want a to win and play in LA awwww hell we don't know what to think....I must say CP3 made that shot happen quickly.
One this we know about Lebron he'd down commit until he's ready, he don't give a fuck who doing what.
That really ain't been working for he lakers like the ole days.
Maybe magic could bring it back but these young cats don't know what that was. That's mythic, folklore type shit to theses youngings
Exactly and i think LBJ is leaving; so ain't no commitment coming; but the only thing verified is PG wanna play in L.A.; all this other stuff is bullshit too me
We had Kobe who the offense and salary cap revolved around
You can't really compare the two
Yup that's the only given...
Also I'd like to put if buyouts happen cavs will benefit
So Ingram is playing SG now? Lol. PG is playing SG for the LAL.
You're in for a big surprise. Along with PG.
And plus those reserves are lumped together. It's not really position defining when it comes to the bench. Good luck.
What are you talking about?
Is Paul George on the team yet
When has George played the two for Indiana?
Ingram would come off the bench or George would play the four
Stop discussing basketball...you don't seem to know much about it
Y'all has money and it's LA along with one of the best ever...and still nothing happened.
We had 30 mil tied to Kobe and an offense that also revolved around him
And the drama involving Jim Buss and coaches.
Again, you can't compare that situation
A old Kobe and one other good player wasn't going to take us anywhere
What are you talking about?
Is Paul George on the team yet
When has George played the two for Indiana?
Ingram would come off the bench or George would play the four
Stop discussing basketball...you don't seem to know much about it
Don't talk about my squad b. PG played 2 next to Granger numb nuts. And he's very capable.
Ingram isn't coming off the bench. Are you high?
Stop discussing basketball?,
, dude I play it, you buy sneakers. Ingram and George will be on the floor at the same time, starting. And Ingram isn't playing SG, bottom line. All this time, y'all think Ingram is coming off the bench? Wow.
damn
Don't talk about my squad b. PG played 2 next to Granger numb nuts. And he's very capable.
Ingram isn't coming off the bench. Are you high?
Stop discussing basketball?,
All this time, y'all think Ingram is coming off the bench? Wow.
His first year in the league when he was 21
Ingram was coming off the bench half the year until they started going young to tank, moron. What did Ingram do so great that would mean he should start next year?
You play basketball .
If I play basketball at my gym, does that mean I play basketball?Man shut the fuck up, you don't know about your own team, much less basketball.
And please don't discuss the Lakers
Ingram, coming off the bench, for these LAL? Even with PG. Are you serious?
Yep, 40% FG% and 30% three point shooting....make him a starter .
Fuckin Reggie Miller on the board, can I get your autograph? It might be worth something some day.
What other wisdom would you like to bless us with? That the MVP should have been Jeff Teague?
Yep, 40% FG% and 30% three point shooting....make him a starter .
Fuckin Reggie Miller on the board, can I get your autograph? It might be worth something some day.
What other wisdom would you like to bless us with? That the MVP should have been Jeff Teague?
Dude I'm not going to even play chase the cat with you. When and if PG comes to LAL, PG and Ingram will be on the floor at the same damn time. Starting. Bottom line. Regardless. That's the vision. And Ingram isn't playing SG.
And you'd be the type of dude to move goal posts like, well, it isn't working.
So, we'll just see how it unfolds.
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Sources: Celtics working to land both Gordon Hayward and Paul George
The Boston Celtics are pursuing an aggressive summer plan of sequencing the signing of free agent Gordon Hayward and relinquishing the assets needed to complete a trade for Paul George, league sources told The Vertical.
For salary-cap purposes, Boston wants a Hayward commitment before it can finalize a trade for George and secure the most dynamic free-agent coup in franchise history, league sources said.
For Boston, here’s the hitch: While Indiana believes Boston can offer the best possible package, the Pacers may be unwilling to wait until the start of July free agency on Boston’s timetable and could turn toward making a deal elsewhere for George, league sources told The Vertical.
Boston has maneuvering to do with its roster, including the shedding of salaries to create space to position itself for this scenario. Boston has contingencies in place to make deals and start a possible Hayward-George scenario toward fruition, league sources told The Vertical.
If Boston can’t acquire Hayward, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin could be a substitute in this free-agency plan to sign a star and then trade for George, league sources told The Vertical.
Utah is fighting to hold onto Hayward in free agency, but is exploring multiple scenarios to reshape the roster should the All-Star forward leave the franchise. The Jazz are working to upgrade the roster, including point guard, before July 1 when Hayward will start taking meetings with Boston and Miami in free agency, league sources said.
Indiana has been focused on trying to complete a deal with Boston for George, league sources told The Vertical. The sides were growing close to a deal on draft night, but a third-team scenario fell through late in the evening that stalled talks. Indiana is desirous of the young players and future draft picks that Boston is uniquely able to offer the Pacers for George.
The Celtics have a growing confidence they could sign George to a contract extension, and keep him from leaving to his predetermined free-agent destination of theLos Angeles Lakers, league sources told The Vertical. Boston’s belief that it can make George more than a one-year rental is fueling the franchise’s willingness to part with a significant package of assets, league sources said.
Indiana could potentially allow George and his representation to speak to potential suitors about a contract extension should a trade happen, but that permission hasn’t been granted yet, league sources told The Vertical.
George, 27, informed the Pacers on June 17 that he planned to leave the Pacers in 2018 as a free agent, and his preference was to sign a deal with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
George is a four-time All-Star and one of the NBA’s elite two-way players.
The Boston Celtics are pursuing an aggressive summer plan of sequencing the signing of free agent Gordon Hayward and relinquishing the assets needed to complete a trade for Paul George, league sources told The Vertical.
For salary-cap purposes, Boston wants a Hayward commitment before it can finalize a trade for George and secure the most dynamic free-agent coup in franchise history, league sources said.
For Boston, here’s the hitch: While Indiana believes Boston can offer the best possible package, the Pacers may be unwilling to wait until the start of July free agency on Boston’s timetable and could turn toward making a deal elsewhere for George, league sources told The Vertical.
Boston has maneuvering to do with its roster, including the shedding of salaries to create space to position itself for this scenario. Boston has contingencies in place to make deals and start a possible Hayward-George scenario toward fruition, league sources told The Vertical.
If Boston can’t acquire Hayward, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin could be a substitute in this free-agency plan to sign a star and then trade for George, league sources told The Vertical.
Utah is fighting to hold onto Hayward in free agency, but is exploring multiple scenarios to reshape the roster should the All-Star forward leave the franchise. The Jazz are working to upgrade the roster, including point guard, before July 1 when Hayward will start taking meetings with Boston and Miami in free agency, league sources said.
Indiana has been focused on trying to complete a deal with Boston for George, league sources told The Vertical. The sides were growing close to a deal on draft night, but a third-team scenario fell through late in the evening that stalled talks. Indiana is desirous of the young players and future draft picks that Boston is uniquely able to offer the Pacers for George.
The Celtics have a growing confidence they could sign George to a contract extension, and keep him from leaving to his predetermined free-agent destination of theLos Angeles Lakers, league sources told The Vertical. Boston’s belief that it can make George more than a one-year rental is fueling the franchise’s willingness to part with a significant package of assets, league sources said.
Indiana could potentially allow George and his representation to speak to potential suitors about a contract extension should a trade happen, but that permission hasn’t been granted yet, league sources told The Vertical.
George, 27, informed the Pacers on June 17 that he planned to leave the Pacers in 2018 as a free agent, and his preference was to sign a deal with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
George is a four-time All-Star and one of the NBA’s elite two-way players.
The Pacers are doing the only thing they can do, that is derive interest from a possible third team, because as long as there are two teams that George basically have confrimed to agreeing to a trade and sign, the Pacers have no leverage.. Teams like Boston and even the Wizard are hoping they can make their package attractive enough for P.G. to consider playing for them, so its in Indiana best interest to wait this out for now..
CP3-Harden Rockets coming for Warriors juggernaut
play
Rachel Nichols analyzes NBA players who try to balance the need to win over how much they get paid. (2:37)
Jun 28, 2017
Let's start production right now on the 30 for 30 about the 2015 conference semifinals between the Houston Rockets and the LA Clippers -- the series in which the Clips blew a 3-1 lead before blowing 3-1 leads was cool, and barfed away a 19-point cushion in the last 15 minutes of Game 6 at home.
That was the Clippers' chance, and they were never the same again. The players are still grappling with it. Two years later, they cannot explain what happened to them -- how they collapsed in Game 6 under a hail of Josh Smith 3-pointers, and then melted down in Game 7. It damaged their psyche.
They would have been underdogs against the 67-win Warriors in the next round, but Golden State hadn't achieved complete humiliating ownership of the Clippers yet. The Clips at least should have broken through to the NBA's final four -- uncharted territory for both a pathetic sad-sack franchise, and its superstar point guard. Instead, they sputtered, injuries submarined the next two seasons, and now that point guard -- the Point God, Chris Paul, a top-10 overall player -- is headed to Houston in a blockbuster deal, busting up an elite core four that had run its course.
The Clippers were right to keep their group together, despite the déjà vu postseason flameouts. Building 55-win teams is hard. Any group that good is a break or two from the NBA Finals. Blow it up early, and there is no guarantee you sniff that lofty territory ever again.
But that crumbling against Houston crystallized some of the issues that always dogged them: A thin, top-heavy team relying on creaky veteran role players (Matt Barnes), the coach's son, and classic Doc Rivers Boston-era retreads (including an embarrassingly out-of-shape Glen Davis) ran out of gas.
Yeah, filling out a roster with three max-level players is hard. Welcome to the first-world problems of competing for championships. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was the closest thing GM Doc got to maximizing one of those fringe salary slots. They spent most of them on players who were good in the Eastern Conference in 2009. They traded one draft pick to Milwaukee because they didn't know the rules. They traded another for Jeff Green, because Rivers knew who he was.
They used the midlevel exception on Spencer Hawes and Wesley Johnson; the Warriors used theirs on Shaun Livingston. They waived Joe Ingles, which hilariously came back to haunt them in their first-round loss to Utah. They never found a James Johnson, or a draft pick who could contribute. Now Paul is gone, J.J. Redick is next, and the greatest era in Clippers history -- a "thinnest kid in fat camp" designation, to be sure -- is over even if Blake Griffin returns.
(The teams set to court Griffin -- especially Boston and Miami -- may end up losers here. Only one team can sign Gordon Hayward, and the Clippers will refocus now on locking up the Hayward consolation prize. Look for them to roll out a five-year offer, despite Griffin's injury history. Boston also owns a 2019 lottery-protected Clippers pick that converts into a second-rounder in 2020 --- a pick that is a little harder to appraise today. San Antonio had its eyes on Paul, but will flip to Plans B and C.)
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This was a fun team that played gorgeous, precise basketball. It is gone.
At some point, a team stops believing it can win. Players get tired of each other, and yearn to try new things. The culture had eroded. Insiders complained about a lack of accountability -- about practices and shootarounds starting late, and Austin Rivers carrying himself like an anointed superstar. (This appears to have gotten better over the past year-plus, and Rivers has clearly earned his keep as a plus reserve.)
The relationship between Paul and Doc Rivers frayed, sources say. The Clippers may push the idea that they were hesitant to offer Paul a fifth season on the back of his deal, and they surely were. No team is thrilled about earmarking $40 million-plus for a 37-year-old. But they probably would have gone there to keep Paul. Bereft of draft picks, they are not set up well to rebuild. The alternative may be despair.
They did well to snag one pick and four rotation players, including two interesting young frontcourt guys in Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell, for a free agent who was about to leave anyway. Houston would have shed some of the players to clear cap space for Paul in free agency, so they were losing a chunk of their rotation either way.
Unloading Ryan Anderson to sign Paul outright would have helped Houston keep one of their outgoing guards, but the market for the three years and $60 million left on Anderson's deal was frigid. Not even the Kings wanted him for free. At least two teams would have demanded two Houston first-round picks in exchange for absorbing Anderson, according to several league sources.
Trading for Paul now, using a bunch of non-guaranteed deals Daryl Morey gathered like a squirrel hoarding acorns, allows Houston to start free agency over the cap -- and maintain access to the full midlevel and biannual exceptions, worth more than $8 million and $3 million respectively, in luring veterans to fill the roster.
Good for the Rockets: They are trying to win. The "Why even try competing with the Warriors?" chilling effect is real, but it may be limited to Boston and a few bad teams keeping their powder dry. San Antonio wants a true shot against Golden State. Denver is chasing Kevin Love. Minnesota, stuck in a decade-plus playoff drought, just robbed Chicago of Jimmy Butler. Washington, with so much losing in the rearview, is pursuing Paul George, sources say. The league isn't giving up in the face of the Warriors juggernaut.
This is a worthy, fascinating gamble for Houston that will force Morey and Mike D'Antoni to reimagine a go-go, 3s-and-rim-only attack in which James Hardenserved as alpha and omega. Paul likes to play slow, pound the ball, bark out orders in over-choreographed half-court sets, and jack midrange shots. Every bit of that runs counter to how Houston played last season.
And that's OK. Harden and Paul can share, and be better for it. Almost every championship team in history meshed two ball-dominant stars who learned to play off of each other. A lot of those duos and trios didn't bring the combined outside shooting of Harden and Paul. Both are useful away from the ball. Paul has hit 40 percent from deep in two of his past three seasons. Harden has shot much better than his blah overall mark from deep on open catch-and-shoot 3-pointers -- the kind of looks he should see more alongside Paul.
Houston can stagger minutes so that one is always on the floor, and each gets ample time to run solo. Paul is one of the best crunch-time shot-makers of his generation, but he has too often been asked to take every late-game shot -- a heavy burden for a 6-foot-nothing guard peeking over and around elite wing defenders. He has never teamed with a perimeter playmaker like Harden.
Patrick Beverley.
The deal leaves Houston thin -- for now. The Rockets need bigs to back up both Ryan Anderson and Clint Capela. Houston cannot rely on Anderson for 30 minutes a night in the playoffs; he is too much of a liability on defense.
They still have the same structural problems against Golden State: too many unmotivated defenders, some guys who struggle switching positions, and a big guy (Capela) the Warriors will ignore to at least some degree when the Rockets have the ball. They lose a little of the microwave factor with Lou Williamsleaving, but Golden State would eat the poor guy alive.
Good news: The Rockets have all their exceptions. They coaxed Nene Hilario for less than $3 million last season; would the biannual exception, worth about $3.3 million, do the trick this time around? They can find someone useful with the $8.4 million midlevel. It might not be enough for Patrick Patterson or JaMychal Green -- a restricted free agent -- but it could net Mike Muscala, P.J. Tucker, Zaza Pachulia, Kyle Korver, or a combination of cheaper guys. The tax benefits of playing in Texas are real; just ask Paul.
Houston is not done star-chasing, either. The Rockets will beat down Indiana's door for Paul George, though they may not have enough -- either on their own, or in conjunction with a third team. Boston, Cleveland, and the Lakers should be able to beat an offer of Eric Gordon, salary filler, and a top-three protected Houston future first-round pick. (The salary filler probably can't be Trevor Ariza, by the way. Ariza and Paul are close after years together in New Orleans, and playing with Ariza factored at least a little into Paul's decision, per league sources. The Clippers had tried to trade for him in prior seasons, sources say. Ariza is also still good at a coveted position, and his Bird rights will be valuable to a capped-out Rockets team next summer.)
Carmelo Anthony is a different matter. If the Knicks buy him out -- and they shouldn't, but we are talking about the Kazoos -- he could soak up a lot of power forward minutes in working as Team USA Melo, spotting up around stud ball-handlers. He would also be an interesting, borderline switch-proof pick-and-roll partner for both Harden and Paul, but we are getting ahead of ourselves.
There is major downside risk for Houston. If the Rockets really re-sign Paul to his five-year max after this season -- a gift in exchange for Paul opting in and costing himself a bit of cash -- the back-end of that deal will be painful. It will take time for Harden and Paul to mesh, and there is always the possibility it doesn't work as well as the Rockets hope -- that they won't be more than the sum of their parts. Paul is a domineering personality who has always wanted to play his way. He must adapt.
But if you have a superstar in his prime, as Houston does with Harden, you might as well try like hell to win. There is no time to waste, not even with Golden State lording over the league. Injuries happen, and it's unclear if the Warriors will swallow unprecedented payroll bills approaching $400 million once Klay Thompson's new deal kicks in for the 2019-20 season.
Last season's Houston team approached its ceiling. This version has a higher one.
For the Clippers, this is about as well as they could do in crisis-response mode. They even got a pick to restock the cupboard Rivers raided in ill-fated deal after ill-fated deal. Beverley is a beast on a ridiculous contract that runs two more seasons. He helps on the court, and as a trade asset. Sam Dekker and Harrell are worth a look. The Clips won't have any cap room after July 1 unless Griffin leaves, and they won't have any next summer if both Griffin and DeAndre Jordan remain on the books. (Today's move would appear to detonate the pipe dream of LeBron James ever signing here, by the way.)
Teams called about Jordan last week, perhaps anticipating the Clippers pivoting into a rebuild, sources say. The Clippers listened. They may listen harder now. The floor was always cramped with Griffin and Jordan, even though Griffin finally flashed a real 3-point shot last season. They compensated with Redick's outside shooting, and the combined passing brilliance of Paul and Griffin. Without an all-time point guard, the Griffin-Jordan fit will be a little more awkward.
Jordan will be an unrestricted free agent after next season if he so chooses. The last time he hit free agency, the Clippers had to sequester him in a house and lock out Mark Cuban. With Paul gone, they should examine every option -- including swapping Jordan for future assets.
The Clippers' and D'Antoni's offenses represented two of the league's most known, certain commodities. Close your eyes, and you could see how each played out on the court. In one move, both transform into wild-card unknowns. The NBA's crazy summer has already started.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...paul-james-harden-running-houston-rockets-nba
play
Rachel Nichols analyzes NBA players who try to balance the need to win over how much they get paid. (2:37)
Jun 28, 2017
Let's start production right now on the 30 for 30 about the 2015 conference semifinals between the Houston Rockets and the LA Clippers -- the series in which the Clips blew a 3-1 lead before blowing 3-1 leads was cool, and barfed away a 19-point cushion in the last 15 minutes of Game 6 at home.
That was the Clippers' chance, and they were never the same again. The players are still grappling with it. Two years later, they cannot explain what happened to them -- how they collapsed in Game 6 under a hail of Josh Smith 3-pointers, and then melted down in Game 7. It damaged their psyche.
They would have been underdogs against the 67-win Warriors in the next round, but Golden State hadn't achieved complete humiliating ownership of the Clippers yet. The Clips at least should have broken through to the NBA's final four -- uncharted territory for both a pathetic sad-sack franchise, and its superstar point guard. Instead, they sputtered, injuries submarined the next two seasons, and now that point guard -- the Point God, Chris Paul, a top-10 overall player -- is headed to Houston in a blockbuster deal, busting up an elite core four that had run its course.
The Clippers were right to keep their group together, despite the déjà vu postseason flameouts. Building 55-win teams is hard. Any group that good is a break or two from the NBA Finals. Blow it up early, and there is no guarantee you sniff that lofty territory ever again.
But that crumbling against Houston crystallized some of the issues that always dogged them: A thin, top-heavy team relying on creaky veteran role players (Matt Barnes), the coach's son, and classic Doc Rivers Boston-era retreads (including an embarrassingly out-of-shape Glen Davis) ran out of gas.
Yeah, filling out a roster with three max-level players is hard. Welcome to the first-world problems of competing for championships. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was the closest thing GM Doc got to maximizing one of those fringe salary slots. They spent most of them on players who were good in the Eastern Conference in 2009. They traded one draft pick to Milwaukee because they didn't know the rules. They traded another for Jeff Green, because Rivers knew who he was.
They used the midlevel exception on Spencer Hawes and Wesley Johnson; the Warriors used theirs on Shaun Livingston. They waived Joe Ingles, which hilariously came back to haunt them in their first-round loss to Utah. They never found a James Johnson, or a draft pick who could contribute. Now Paul is gone, J.J. Redick is next, and the greatest era in Clippers history -- a "thinnest kid in fat camp" designation, to be sure -- is over even if Blake Griffin returns.
(The teams set to court Griffin -- especially Boston and Miami -- may end up losers here. Only one team can sign Gordon Hayward, and the Clippers will refocus now on locking up the Hayward consolation prize. Look for them to roll out a five-year offer, despite Griffin's injury history. Boston also owns a 2019 lottery-protected Clippers pick that converts into a second-rounder in 2020 --- a pick that is a little harder to appraise today. San Antonio had its eyes on Paul, but will flip to Plans B and C.)
ADVERTISEMENT
This was a fun team that played gorgeous, precise basketball. It is gone.
At some point, a team stops believing it can win. Players get tired of each other, and yearn to try new things. The culture had eroded. Insiders complained about a lack of accountability -- about practices and shootarounds starting late, and Austin Rivers carrying himself like an anointed superstar. (This appears to have gotten better over the past year-plus, and Rivers has clearly earned his keep as a plus reserve.)
The relationship between Paul and Doc Rivers frayed, sources say. The Clippers may push the idea that they were hesitant to offer Paul a fifth season on the back of his deal, and they surely were. No team is thrilled about earmarking $40 million-plus for a 37-year-old. But they probably would have gone there to keep Paul. Bereft of draft picks, they are not set up well to rebuild. The alternative may be despair.
They did well to snag one pick and four rotation players, including two interesting young frontcourt guys in Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell, for a free agent who was about to leave anyway. Houston would have shed some of the players to clear cap space for Paul in free agency, so they were losing a chunk of their rotation either way.
Unloading Ryan Anderson to sign Paul outright would have helped Houston keep one of their outgoing guards, but the market for the three years and $60 million left on Anderson's deal was frigid. Not even the Kings wanted him for free. At least two teams would have demanded two Houston first-round picks in exchange for absorbing Anderson, according to several league sources.
Trading for Paul now, using a bunch of non-guaranteed deals Daryl Morey gathered like a squirrel hoarding acorns, allows Houston to start free agency over the cap -- and maintain access to the full midlevel and biannual exceptions, worth more than $8 million and $3 million respectively, in luring veterans to fill the roster.
Good for the Rockets: They are trying to win. The "Why even try competing with the Warriors?" chilling effect is real, but it may be limited to Boston and a few bad teams keeping their powder dry. San Antonio wants a true shot against Golden State. Denver is chasing Kevin Love. Minnesota, stuck in a decade-plus playoff drought, just robbed Chicago of Jimmy Butler. Washington, with so much losing in the rearview, is pursuing Paul George, sources say. The league isn't giving up in the face of the Warriors juggernaut.
This is a worthy, fascinating gamble for Houston that will force Morey and Mike D'Antoni to reimagine a go-go, 3s-and-rim-only attack in which James Hardenserved as alpha and omega. Paul likes to play slow, pound the ball, bark out orders in over-choreographed half-court sets, and jack midrange shots. Every bit of that runs counter to how Houston played last season.
And that's OK. Harden and Paul can share, and be better for it. Almost every championship team in history meshed two ball-dominant stars who learned to play off of each other. A lot of those duos and trios didn't bring the combined outside shooting of Harden and Paul. Both are useful away from the ball. Paul has hit 40 percent from deep in two of his past three seasons. Harden has shot much better than his blah overall mark from deep on open catch-and-shoot 3-pointers -- the kind of looks he should see more alongside Paul.
Houston can stagger minutes so that one is always on the floor, and each gets ample time to run solo. Paul is one of the best crunch-time shot-makers of his generation, but he has too often been asked to take every late-game shot -- a heavy burden for a 6-foot-nothing guard peeking over and around elite wing defenders. He has never teamed with a perimeter playmaker like Harden.
Patrick Beverley.
The deal leaves Houston thin -- for now. The Rockets need bigs to back up both Ryan Anderson and Clint Capela. Houston cannot rely on Anderson for 30 minutes a night in the playoffs; he is too much of a liability on defense.
They still have the same structural problems against Golden State: too many unmotivated defenders, some guys who struggle switching positions, and a big guy (Capela) the Warriors will ignore to at least some degree when the Rockets have the ball. They lose a little of the microwave factor with Lou Williamsleaving, but Golden State would eat the poor guy alive.
Good news: The Rockets have all their exceptions. They coaxed Nene Hilario for less than $3 million last season; would the biannual exception, worth about $3.3 million, do the trick this time around? They can find someone useful with the $8.4 million midlevel. It might not be enough for Patrick Patterson or JaMychal Green -- a restricted free agent -- but it could net Mike Muscala, P.J. Tucker, Zaza Pachulia, Kyle Korver, or a combination of cheaper guys. The tax benefits of playing in Texas are real; just ask Paul.
Houston is not done star-chasing, either. The Rockets will beat down Indiana's door for Paul George, though they may not have enough -- either on their own, or in conjunction with a third team. Boston, Cleveland, and the Lakers should be able to beat an offer of Eric Gordon, salary filler, and a top-three protected Houston future first-round pick. (The salary filler probably can't be Trevor Ariza, by the way. Ariza and Paul are close after years together in New Orleans, and playing with Ariza factored at least a little into Paul's decision, per league sources. The Clippers had tried to trade for him in prior seasons, sources say. Ariza is also still good at a coveted position, and his Bird rights will be valuable to a capped-out Rockets team next summer.)
Carmelo Anthony is a different matter. If the Knicks buy him out -- and they shouldn't, but we are talking about the Kazoos -- he could soak up a lot of power forward minutes in working as Team USA Melo, spotting up around stud ball-handlers. He would also be an interesting, borderline switch-proof pick-and-roll partner for both Harden and Paul, but we are getting ahead of ourselves.
There is major downside risk for Houston. If the Rockets really re-sign Paul to his five-year max after this season -- a gift in exchange for Paul opting in and costing himself a bit of cash -- the back-end of that deal will be painful. It will take time for Harden and Paul to mesh, and there is always the possibility it doesn't work as well as the Rockets hope -- that they won't be more than the sum of their parts. Paul is a domineering personality who has always wanted to play his way. He must adapt.
But if you have a superstar in his prime, as Houston does with Harden, you might as well try like hell to win. There is no time to waste, not even with Golden State lording over the league. Injuries happen, and it's unclear if the Warriors will swallow unprecedented payroll bills approaching $400 million once Klay Thompson's new deal kicks in for the 2019-20 season.
Last season's Houston team approached its ceiling. This version has a higher one.
For the Clippers, this is about as well as they could do in crisis-response mode. They even got a pick to restock the cupboard Rivers raided in ill-fated deal after ill-fated deal. Beverley is a beast on a ridiculous contract that runs two more seasons. He helps on the court, and as a trade asset. Sam Dekker and Harrell are worth a look. The Clips won't have any cap room after July 1 unless Griffin leaves, and they won't have any next summer if both Griffin and DeAndre Jordan remain on the books. (Today's move would appear to detonate the pipe dream of LeBron James ever signing here, by the way.)
Teams called about Jordan last week, perhaps anticipating the Clippers pivoting into a rebuild, sources say. The Clippers listened. They may listen harder now. The floor was always cramped with Griffin and Jordan, even though Griffin finally flashed a real 3-point shot last season. They compensated with Redick's outside shooting, and the combined passing brilliance of Paul and Griffin. Without an all-time point guard, the Griffin-Jordan fit will be a little more awkward.
Jordan will be an unrestricted free agent after next season if he so chooses. The last time he hit free agency, the Clippers had to sequester him in a house and lock out Mark Cuban. With Paul gone, they should examine every option -- including swapping Jordan for future assets.
The Clippers' and D'Antoni's offenses represented two of the league's most known, certain commodities. Close your eyes, and you could see how each played out on the court. In one move, both transform into wild-card unknowns. The NBA's crazy summer has already started.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...paul-james-harden-running-houston-rockets-nba
Cacs Keep Cacing: Cavs owner Gilbert talks to Trump at White House w/ Chi Cubs
http://www.bgol.us/forum/index.php?...ks-to-trump-at-white-house-w-chi-cubs.957150/
http://www.bgol.us/forum/index.php?...ks-to-trump-at-white-house-w-chi-cubs.957150/
^good @ rockets article
Rick Bonnell: The @Charlotte Hornets won’t make it official until midnight, in case some trade comes up, but they will NOT pick up Ramon Sessions’ option.
Pacers maintaining high demands in potential trade for Paul George
Mark Murphy Thursday, June 29, 2017
Credit: The Associated Press
Paul George/File
COMMENTS
If the Celtics are indeed destined to trade for Paul George, they are probably just at the beginning of a long process in their dealings with Indiana general manager Kevin Pritchard.
A league source said today that the Celtics are waiting to hear back from Pritchard, who as of draft night was asking for next year’s Nets' and Lakers' first-round picks, which are both under Celtics control. Pritchard also wants starting-caliber players included in the deal.
The Celtics, though, do not have a good read on whether George would be open to staying in Boston after next season. The Pacers star previously made it clear that he would prefer to play with his hometown Lakers.
Danny Ainge is understandably unwilling to part with his best assets for a so-called rental player who could leave after one season.
The source added that Houston, which entered the George fray after trading yesterday for Chris Paul — but has far less than the Celtics to offer after clearing out its roster for the point guard — has received a similarly steep demand from Pritchard.
“Just way too much — both picks plus players. It’s like (Jimmy) Butler all over again,” the source said, referring to the Celtics’ attempt to trade for the former Bulls forward last year.
But Pritchard has made it known that he is not in a rush, a ploy that actually works in favor of the Celtics, who for salary cap purposes want to sign a major free agent first, be it Utah’s Gordon Hayward or the Clippers’ Blake Griffin.
Prtichard recently told an Indianapolis reporter that he could picture George in a Pacers uniform for the start of training camp.
Hayward visit upcoming
The Celtics are still trying to schedule Hayward’s free agency visit, with Sunday or Tuesday the likely possibilities.
The Jazz forward is reportedly traveling to Miami for a meeting with the Heat on Saturday, and the Jazz in Salt Lake City on Monday.
Mark Murphy Thursday, June 29, 2017
Credit: The Associated Press
Paul George/File
COMMENTS
If the Celtics are indeed destined to trade for Paul George, they are probably just at the beginning of a long process in their dealings with Indiana general manager Kevin Pritchard.
A league source said today that the Celtics are waiting to hear back from Pritchard, who as of draft night was asking for next year’s Nets' and Lakers' first-round picks, which are both under Celtics control. Pritchard also wants starting-caliber players included in the deal.
The Celtics, though, do not have a good read on whether George would be open to staying in Boston after next season. The Pacers star previously made it clear that he would prefer to play with his hometown Lakers.
Danny Ainge is understandably unwilling to part with his best assets for a so-called rental player who could leave after one season.
The source added that Houston, which entered the George fray after trading yesterday for Chris Paul — but has far less than the Celtics to offer after clearing out its roster for the point guard — has received a similarly steep demand from Pritchard.
“Just way too much — both picks plus players. It’s like (Jimmy) Butler all over again,” the source said, referring to the Celtics’ attempt to trade for the former Bulls forward last year.
But Pritchard has made it known that he is not in a rush, a ploy that actually works in favor of the Celtics, who for salary cap purposes want to sign a major free agent first, be it Utah’s Gordon Hayward or the Clippers’ Blake Griffin.
Prtichard recently told an Indianapolis reporter that he could picture George in a Pacers uniform for the start of training camp.
Hayward visit upcoming
The Celtics are still trying to schedule Hayward’s free agency visit, with Sunday or Tuesday the likely possibilities.
The Jazz forward is reportedly traveling to Miami for a meeting with the Heat on Saturday, and the Jazz in Salt Lake City on Monday.
That's what I was saying during the playoffs. Paul George could be a good fit in Houston.
The thing about PG is you haven't really seen the player he's going to be physically. His IQ is still modest (but better), he can't beat Lebron (alone), but dude can play. Both sides of the ball.
He was really chilling until this new money season, post leg injury. Trying not to get re-injured. Not driving as much. He wasn't going full throttle. He lost respect for the team/ franchise.
He did in that Toronto series though. He was ballin.'
So wherever he lands, if it's a winning situation, he's going to show out. If he can get a good coach/ direction in a good situation, nighty nighty.
The thing about PG is you haven't really seen the player he's going to be physically. His IQ is still modest (but better), he can't beat Lebron (alone), but dude can play. Both sides of the ball.
He was really chilling until this new money season, post leg injury. Trying not to get re-injured. Not driving as much. He wasn't going full throttle. He lost respect for the team/ franchise.
He did in that Toronto series though. He was ballin.'
So wherever he lands, if it's a winning situation, he's going to show out. If he can get a good coach/ direction in a good situation, nighty nighty.
Bum at this point anyway
He is a head case, but they would not have made the playoffs without him. He was more productive than Wade.
Agreed. I just wouldnt want to deal with him for 82 games tho
Far from a bum...
Shit I rathered him in Cleveland before Dwill only because he would challenge Unc, Lil Kev and Bron
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