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What does that make Simmons then? 2-9 and blocked by a guy 3 inches shorter than him.That's because he is ****.
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.What does that make Simmons then? 2-9 and blocked by a guy 3 inches shorter than him.That's because he is ****.
Not to shabby at all but it doesn't make much sense right now how he fits in with the big club.Yabasule ended with a 13 pt, 8 rb, 2 block night. Not too shabby.
Rozier is looking more and more like the real deal. 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, hit the game winning loooong 3 pointer tonight with 1.8 seconds left.
Pretty excited we might be able to pry Cousins loose. I would offer Rozier, Avery Bradley,Kelly Olynyk or Amir Johnson, 2018 Brooklyn pick plus Clippers 1st for him. Add Sullinger in if needed in a sign and trade. Would add another 1st except next years Brooklyn or replace rozier with Smart if that pushed the deal through.
I would offer Avery Bradley, Young plus a non Brooklyn 1st to the Sixers for Okafur, but that is a fallback.
You can see I think AB should be traded now. He has 2 years left on his contract and is at his height of desirability having been named 1st team defense and the improvement in his shot. I really think we have the defenders to replace him. His shot will be missed, but he is undersized and likely prone to more physical breakdown.
Thinking there is a good chance to pry one of these two free. What they both have is good passing for a big which is important in the Boston Offence. Plus size obviously. I know the league has gone small, but with the defensive players we have 1-4, we could have a center that really dominates offensively.
Well he is young and there are 3 +1 more years of control at rookie scale. He is a scorer, rebounder and above average passer for a big man. He has shown some shot blocking ability. A strong center is an area of need identified by Danny Ainge and he has the potential to be an above average one and is available. I think the Celtics would be a good fit for his development in terms of what Management, Stevens and the locker room could give him.
Just think AB is at his height and although he will be missed on the team we have Smart, Rozier, Brown, Hunter, and Young who can all play his role to some degree. Certainly Bradley's shooting would be missed (didn't think I would say that a couple years ago), but I think some combination of the 5 listed could step up. I think our future championship effort is still 3 years away if we don't get Cousins (not as much of a fan of Westbrook right now, maybe at the trade deadline). We need to see who we have among the 5 that can help us get to the top even if it means slipping at the position some. The replacement of Sullinger with Okafor is an upgrade in my eyes at the position and given our depth more than offsets Bradley's loss with a 3 to 5 window in view.
Think Okafor is a worthwhile gamble for the Celtics although I would much prefer Cousins so long as the staff thinks he is not an unworkable head case. Danny has enough chips to cover different bets and Okafor should be had for not too much. If Ainge gets the sense Cousins is not available without half our starting team and both Brooklyn picks (seems they could ask that) we should go after Okafor. I would even offer the 2nd Brooklyn pick in that scenario for Okafor because the potential upside is higher than Sullinger or Olynyk. Would prefer to pull Bradley back in that case and offer Rozier or Hunter plus Young to go with the pick. Seems there must be a deal in there someplace that improves the Celtics. Horford, Amir and Olynyk are nice complimentary players to fit with Okafor up front.
Yabasule ended with a 13 pt, 8 rb, 2 block night. Not too shabby.
I'm afraid that what you see is what you get with Okafor. I just don't see the upside, so the facts that he is young and under control for a long time are not selling points.
538's recent analysis identifies Michael Beasley as Okafor's most likely career comp. It would be insane to trade Brooklyn's potential top-5 pick in 2019 (as you are suggesting) for a player of that quality.
Well, I don't think he's maxed out in his career just yet and while he's not as dominant as Cousins , but Okafor IS still a decent presence underneath the basket, decent passer and as you point out, he's young and signed for a few more years.
Depending on what they have to give up for him (and I'm thinking these days I'd prefer to keep Rozier rather than Smart if I have to choose assuming that the Sixers want a guard) they get better for now, haven't lost too much but haven't locked themselves in with another Max player - thus can add more next season in free agency, yet are still more improved
Cousins' attitude scares me off but he'd be a stronger presence than Okafor to be sure - they'd just have to give up much more for him too - but I'm pretty much done with the "save draft picks for the future" idea - those are chits you cash in for proven players... I'm intrigued by Westbrook as well (which would result in some additional shake ups at guard too but his scoring and assists are significant) but I think we've seen in this league you do need a strong presence underneath the basket
If they can find someone who can play Stevens uptempo team-oriented game like Golden State does they will give the Cavs major trouble and I could see them being the Eastern Champs based on how well they've played together in the past without these potential new talents joining the team
I would give up a lot for Cousins. Thing is we have a lot to offer. If he is available, we are in a great position to grab him
Cousins could be available at the trade deadline and if we have Okafor to offer, you know Vlade likes his centers so things could play that way. I think we are in a better bargaining position with the Kings if we have Okafor. Another reason to get him if Cousins is not so easily prized away now.
Cousins is definitely prize number 1, but Okafor is not a bad consolidation prize for the Celtics in terms of constructing their roster to win the East in the next few years.
Yep, don't want. He's the anti-Stevens player. I also don't get why it's important to trade a guy because he "has 2 years left on his contract and is at his height of desirability having been named 1st team defense and the improvement in his shot."I don't understand the love for Okafor. He is a disaster from an analytics perspective, is as slow and unathletic as NBA frontcourt players get and has off court/maturity issues. I would not trade Bradley for him straight up.
I am sure Danny would do that trade in a heartbeat. Yeah I think a three way trade for the celtics is very likely. They just have a lot of assets to facilitate such a trade. If Cousins is available now I think you get him so long it is not both Brooklyn picks plus a couple of our remaining rotation players. Even then I think Cousins is a top 10 player and his skill set project for a long time. Where his head is at is above my pay grade.
Thing is if he is not available getting Okafor now makes sense as it balances the roster and spends some chips on a big who has some real skills. If he does not pan out above a backup center that is ok.
I do think if Cousins is not available now at a price we could stomach (guessing the Kings would take both Brooklyn picks, the Memphis pick, Crowder, Olynyk and Rozier-obviously Boston does not do that one) he could be more available at the trade deadline. Having Okafor gives us stronger trading chips especially one I think we can get relatively cheap. I do think Vlade will be skeptical of dealing with Danny and not wanting to lose. On the plus side he would be trading Cousins out of the conference.
What about Bradley plus Rozier for Okafor. Would balance both teams better and we loose no picks. Rozier is a classmate of Okafor and is on the same contract length. I think his play in the playoffs plus what he has shown in summer league bolsters his stock. Bradley is a very good character veteran on 2 more years of a now reasonable contract. Smart, Brown, Hunter and Jackson step up and we still have lots of flexibility with assets to do more roster shaping.