That's an understatement. Compare the performance of these two SFs in the playoffs: Scoring Statistics Player Pos G M/Gm FGm FGa PCT 3m 3a PCT FTm FTA PCT +/-/G AVG 1 SF 11 24.7 47 110 .427 15 44 .341 12 25 .480 -2.7 11.0 2 SF 24 31.0 82 213 .385 26 76 .342 26 34 .765 1.8 9.0 Rebounding Statistics Player AS AS/g ST ST/G TO TO/g BK BK/g TND OR OR/g TR TR/g 1 7 0.6 10 0.9 11 1.0 3 0.3 9.7 22 2.0 56 5.1 2 30 1.2 17 0.7 18 0.8 4 0.2 9.3 27 1.1 112 4.7 Guess who's who? (One of them's Barnes, of course.)
I wish I could say I'm surprised.... but I'm not. He's a highly athletic forward who can play 3/4 and he can shoot. He's a decent defender and he's young. He and Crabbe are exactly the kind of guys that get overpaid, and he's exactly the kind of guy that Paul Allen HATES to lose.
What does Barnes do that Aminu doesn't (besides get overpaid)? Especially in the playoffs, where Barnes vanishes and Aminu steps up. Last two post seasons: Barnes: 2014-15 - 10.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.5 bpg, .440 FG%, .355 3FG%, .519 TS%, PER = 12.2 2015-16 - 9.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.2 bpg, .385 FG%, .342 3FG%, .474 TS%, PER = 8.6 Career - 10.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg, .419 FG%, .355 3FG%, .509 TS%, PER = 11.1 Aminu: 2014-15 - 11.2ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2.0 spg, 1.6 bpg, .548 FG%, .636 3FG%, .711 TS%, PER = 20.4 2015-16 - 14.6ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.9 bpg, .438 FG%, .400 3FG%, .572 TS%, PER = 15.5 Career - 13.6ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.1 bpg, .459 FG%, .432 3FG%, .602 TS%, PER = 16.9 Last regular season: Barnes: 2015-16 - 11.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.2 bpg, .446 FG%, .376 3FG%, .559 TS%, PER = 12.3 Aminu: 2015-16 - 10.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.6 bpg, .416 FG%, .361 3FG%, .533 TS%,. PER = 12.7 Aminu and Barnes were pretty close during the regular season. Aminu is a better rebounder, gets more steals and more blocks. Barnes shot a little better during the regular season. However, the playoffs are a different story. Aminu owns Barnes in every way, and it's not close. Some will say Aminu benefits from all the defensive attention on Lillard and McCollum, but you could say the same thing for Barnes playing with the Splash Bros. Barnes has a better pedigree, but I'm not sure why he's considered to have so much upside and Aminu not. Aminu is about a year and a half older. He entered the NBA at 20, same age as Barnes. He was selected 8th in his draft and Barnes 7th in his. Yet, there is all this talk of Barnes getting max, or near max, with a new contract starting at $20+ million per season. Aminu is locked up for the next 3 years at $7.5 million per year. I know the cap is going up, but the fact that Barnes could average more per season than what Aminu will make for the next three seasons combined seems ridiculous to me. Good shopping by Neil. He basically got Harrison Barnes production (better in the playoffs) for 1/3 the price. BNM
If we grabbed whiteside for 22 million, we would have about 10 left if we renounced harkless and let him go. Who could replace him for that on the open market? Yikes. No one really. Wesley johnson could probably be had for less than 10. Bazemore prob gets more than 10. Evan turner? Makes me want to keep harkless and crabbe more.
Gotta keep both Harkless and Crabbe. It's overpaying now until it becomes the norm. Look at Aminu last year. People laughed that he got 30m. Now it's a bargain.
Sign a free agent and keep everyone. No reason to lose assets when we don't have to, its fine to overpay someone if you believe they are't a negative contract. Who cares if Crabbe/Harkless/Leonard are overpaid when we will have 0 capspace for quiet a while after signing CJ.
I say sign a free agent and then make a trade, preferably for a power forward. Someone like ZBO or Millsap. A veteran scorer with some range.
I'd love a trade but i'm not sure who we could get to bite. ZBO or Marc Gasol wouldn't' be off the table if Memphis loses Conley but Millsap is probably above the price range of what we have to offer.
but realistically what can we offer that is going to be great for Millsap, a sign and trade Harkless or Leonard with a clevelands first and our 2018 first? No way i'm even thinking of trading CJ for him.
I was scared, before the play-off that Barnes could be a target. After what he shown during post-season I am not as worried about it. I prefere paying Harkless 12M then maxing Barnes. Not even close.
It's not so much what Barnes does that Aminu doesn't do, it's what Barnes doesn't do that Aminu does - and that's make stupid decisions every time he tries to dribble the ball. With that said, as much as I don't like Aminu, I'd definitely rather have him and his contract than Barnes and his upcoming contract.
Not sure that it's either/or when it comes to Barnes & Aminu. I kind of think Stotts liked Aminu at the 4 spot and that Barnes is better/more experienced than Harkless. I don't know if the Blazers will end up pursuing Barnes, but IMO he's better than a lot of you are giving him credit for.
Not considering what he's going to be making. I guess we'll see how his contract compares to Harkless' contract, but I'm pretty sure I'd rather have Harkless than Barnes on a max contract.