Maybe KP forced\asked Rudy to say that public statement about how he thought Ricky was not ready for the NBA. To scare other teams from drafting him, so he could swoop up and get him himself!
Nate, Lee and Duhon are the only players I could see us being remotely interested in. Lee and Nate can't be traded on draft night, and NY wouldn't trade their starting PG for Sergio. So it has to be 8, unless there's something I don't know about, like being able to trade, with all parties agreeing to a future sign and trade. KP would probably package the 8, and the rest of our picks, to move up even higher. Could we potentially move high enough to get Rubio?
yeah thats what it looks like now i wonder if any of the rumor sites or others are running with the story yet and if the league has been informed of the trade....
The Wizards are rumored to be picking for another team. If we can get this #8 without moving major pieces and then swing a deal with the Wizards I think the #5 and #8 is more than fair for the #2. Also factor in Rubio doesn't want to live in Tennessee. Memphis could end up with Hill and Evans. That's not a bad draft day at all!
Rudy may have been right about Rubio not being ready for the NBA. His stats in Euro league were Rodriguesque....nice assists per minute ratio, but poor offense. On the bright side, it would give Bayless a year as the 2nd man, without having to worry about looking over his shoulder....at least not for a year or two. Then we could get a better idea of what he's made of. Ha, I'm already talking like we got Rubio...but I really think that is who KP is after.
You really wouldn't want to trade Outlaw away and take on a bad contract to land Rubio? Really? In KP we trust. Drink water. Not Soda-Pop.
I think you can factor in that Rubio is only 18 and playing significant minutes on one of the best teams in Europe. Defensively, you can't compare the two. Rubio has great instincts while Sergio has literally none on the defensive end.
IMO, the team should always be trying to upgrade the talent of the team, whether that comes in the form of young players or veteran players. Winning a championship is hard and there's no guarantee where players like Oden, Bayless, Batum, Rudy and even Aldridge are going to top out. One cannot just assume that the team is as talented as needed and now it's time to just add the "experienced veterans." If there's an experienced veteran that makes sense, Pritchard should acquire him. I'm not against veteran additions. I simply don't agree that it's now time to ignore young talent.
So if for instance we moved Outlaw and Sergio to NY for Jeffries and #8, New York would effectively get out of Jared's two year contract and the #8's slotted salary. This will free up about $9M in cap space. It's not as nice as ridding yourselves of Curry, but it's very significant. We could then move #8 and Rudy Fernandez to Memphis for Rubio and Hamed Haddadi (or Aurthur). We'd still have our cap space, #24, our traded player exception, and our second rounders.
Maybe our #24 is also included. The Knicks are trying to secure a late first round pick to draft Jack McClinton, apparently.
one thing you arent thinking about with the clamoring for the experienced vet.. now we ARE a year older.. our guys have experienced the playoffs.. so I dont see another letdown like game 1 this year. Not saying that all our guys are experienced in deep playoff runs.. but now they know what its liek on the front lines. I know its hard to be patient with this pop.. it is for me too. But we could also have the chance to contend for many years with a guy to groom.. as opposed to just contend with an older vet for 2 years. And even then our window might just be getting wide open by then.
Or one of our 2nds? I could see McClinton slipping into the 2nd round. I'd really like to keep our 24 if at all possible. I gots plans for that!
This might be me, but does anyone else see Sergio & #24 for Duhon? It would clear some more cap to resign Nate Robinson, get them another cheap pick, and a serviceable PG. Duhon started off the year great but D'Antoni fell head over heels for Nate Robinson, and he could be looking for a pass first guy like Sergio rather than Duhon while cutting cap. I just don't see the Blazers getting the #8 pick w/o throwing in something that will intrigue D'Antoni like Outlaw or Batum. Because #24 & a bunch of 2nd rounders isn't worth a lotto pick any year.
