Exclusive Around The NBA: Apathetic April edition

Norm and RoCo bringing quality minutes to the Clippers. They are a helluva lot better than Keon and Justise and what did we get for that disparity in contribution, the hope that Keon gets a lot better, 6M in cap savings, most likely about 4M in dead cap next season and a 2025 second rounder. Shit don't add up and we didn't even know they'd be missing Norm all of that time. I am just really hoping that someone is blowing the Vulcans away in the interview process and either ends up as Joe's boss or replacing his ass.

 

Yea it’s weird. I don’t get it either

 

Maybe Chauncey isn't that good of a coach and Tyronn Lue knows how to use players?

 

Powell & RoCo are role players. Complementary players combining for 40M/year. They are valuable when a team already has a core capable of contending. Portland did not have that core and they really needed to build that core before committing to complementary players. Blazers spent a decade in 'cart-before-the-horse' mediocrity because of the very flawed assumption they had a contending core

the decision to move on from CJ-Powell-RoCo-Nance was a solid decision because those guys will not alter a team's trajectory. Certainly you can criticize the return the Blazers got for those 4 players. But if you do you have to account for everything Portland accrued from those trades. For instance, the Blazers sent out 223M in guaranteed salary and took back about 53M. That's 170M in financial flexibility. And of course, dumping those guys has meant the Blazers have a draft pick in the top-7 rather than around 20

I do think Portland may have been able to accrue more from those trades. I also think there was pressure from Seattle to trade with LAC. But, a primary foundation of the frustration with those trades is the assumption that the players traded had a lot more value than Portland got back. I have yet to see any indication anywhere that's actually true

 

I don't mind those guys going... I am just purely criticizing what they brought back, that's it. And please when talking about the value of Norm and RoCo don't try to dilute it by overstating their combined salaries by 13M... dudes make 28M/year combined and I think RoCo is looking at a downturn in pay that will more than offset Norm's annual increases. The Clippers fucking crushed us in that deal. A sixth and seventh man on a contender next season are worth more than the under 28M they'll likely be making if the Clippers decide to take advantage of RoCo's bird rights. Norm and RoCo will bring far more to that team trying to win one next season than Keon and Justise would have.

Last night and pretty much every time he plays, Norm shows that his contract was one of the few times that Olshey didn't overpay on a free agent. Guy will never make over 21M even when the new TV deal comes in and the cap explodes. RoCo is a free agent who the Clippers will be able to outbid other teams on despite being over the luxury tax next year with only 10 roster spots filled and no bird rights on Nic if he opts out. So RoCo's bird rights are extremely valuable to that team.

I have no problem with the fact that we moved on from Norm, RoCo, CJ or Larry... we just shouldn't have accepted pennies on the dollar for the first two and anything less than equal value for the second two. People that say that we just accepted a little less value in return for CJ and Larry are right, it wasn't that terrible if the pick conveys but the precedence set by Cronin in his first two moves make it really hard for him to regain his legitimacy in negotiations going forward, when every GM will expect to send back less than they receive from him.

 

I think it's hilarious how much slander there is out there right now in the twittersphere towards LeBron in regards to him missing the playoffs. I know a bunch of you love it because you're such haters but the guy fucking dominated when he played this season... we'll see if Embiid finishes off the last few games with enough points to barely beat Bron out for scoring leader this season but LeBron ends the season averaging over 30 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block per game on over 52% shooting overall and just under 36% from three. His teammates failed him not the other way around and if you want to say that he put the team together so that's on him fine but that's bullshit too because just like when people say that shit about Dame the onus always falls on the GM and ultimately ownership if they're actually allowing these players to call the shots while they simultaneously employ offices full of people working their asses off to make the right decisions when building out these rosters.

 

That is why it is a head-scratcher. He did dominate this year, and early on there were games when both he and AD both dominated in the same game and they still lost. The issue I see is Lebron likes to run the team. That is when he plays best. So why the fuck did they trade assets for a point guard who also has to have the ball in his hands to be effective? Just so they could win games when LBJ was hurt or resting? That did not work out well.

 

I meant to say 30M...my bad

 

No it didn't and now they're almost certainly stuck with Russ next season too. If they're smart they'll shop the shit out of Russ with the one future first rounder that they'll have available to trade this summer and if they can't come up with a taker they'll buy Brody out... he's toxic for that team.

They won't do that though, they'll fire Vogel and try to bring in a coach that can make shit work with what they have and what they can get with the TPMLE and min contracts. The new coach should convince or make Russ only do the things that help the team when LeBron and him are sharing the court and then do Russ shit when LeBron sits... except that new coach better just make a hard and fast rule that Russ never takes a pull up jumper. Open set threes and layups are the only shots Russ should be allowed to take. He should be there to move the ball, finding open scorers, try to take advantage when opposing defenses completely sleep on him and set screens and that's it on offense. Put all of that energy he usually does into trying to be an offensive superstar into the defensive end or fucking sit.

 

Yeah I think that 30M is a little higher than they'll actually have to pay for them but it's about right for your 6th and 7th guys on a roster with a payroll that will likely exceed 170M when it's all said and done.

 

I think this is really the big problem. If we spend all season coming up with hypothetical trades in here, most of which there isn't a great reason for the other team to do, then we're likely to be disappointed always.
Sure we all wanted a 1st rounder for RoCo. But who's giving up a 1st for an 8/6 PF, on an expiring contract who shoots 34% from deep, and is an over rated man defender? Seems VERY unlikely. Once I got over that desire, my strong hope in a RoCo trade was to acquire a similar-ish player with an extra year of control. We got that in Justise.
I like Norm. I hate Norm as a SF. And I don't really love Norm as a 17/18/19/20 million a year 6th man. Norm wasn't a good defender, and his passing made CJ look like Steve Nash. He's a solid scorer and good shooter. I liked his contract when there was hope he could make CJ expendable. But he's overpaid for the role he'd otherwise play going forward.
So what are the expectations in a trade for someone like that? Expirings and a pick, generally? We got basically expirings and a a 19 year old rookie. Keon's younger than half the guys projected for the lottery this year.
But, what playoff or likely playoff team would move a 1st for him? Clippers couldn't move a 1st.

 

Atlanta, Chicago, GS, Memphis, Minnesota, and San Antonio are the only playoff teams(and thus likely the only teams) who could have traded us a 1st this year. That's ignoring then having to match salaries.

 

Doubtful lol. They’re not even a .500 team. Sure, in theory, they’re better with Zion but the Suns have the roster to handle any team.

 

You’re right. I would root for NO but you’re right.

 

Justise is best player in the trade.

 

LeBron didn’t dominate anybody lol. They didn’t make the play-in. Do you think all the teams that crushed the Lakers thought that LeBron “dominated” them lol? The guy’s D was awful all year and while he scored points, they had no impact on the outcome of the game.

 

Why would Russ agree to a buyout and who would offer Russ even the vet min? He’s awful.

 

Would you trade Simons for Jordan Poole?