Harkless resolves after Crabbe decision?

I can see them doing that as well. $12M/year wouldn't be that much of a contract in today's Salary Cap world but it would push Portland into the Luxury Tax if they were to match as Portland can only give Harkless $9.1 million before breaching the Lux Tax threshold. That would preclude there being a trade which I could also see them doing. That would allow them to keep assets and perform a consolidation trade later before the season was over thereby avoiding the Tax.

 

How do we know that Portland hasn't offered Harkless as much or more than they offered Leonard?

 

I don't think we should be too worried about satisfying and pandering to Harkless. He's what our 7th man? His agent Happy Walters' biggest clients are Jimmy Butler and Shumpert. No need to worry here.

 

From everything I have read, the reason OKC did that was to have cap space now for a hopeful RW extension this summer. We can say they are crazy because it isn't going to happen but that was their thinking. So I don't see them spending the 12 MIL this summer.

 

Per Woj, the Thunder want that cap space to entice Westbrook to sign an extension this summer and then plan to pursue Griffin next summer:

"The move protects salary cap space for the Thunder’s primary offseason objective, league sources said: persuading five-time All-Star guard Russell Westbrook to renegotiate his contract, which would eliminate his 2017 free agency."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ya...lifying-offer-to-dion-waiters-040352448.html#

Of course, if Westbrook tells them to pound sand, all bets are off.

 

That would be a bad assumption for them to take. 12 MIL could easily be passed on by Olshey.

 

I agree. I don't see any way that Olshey would match that price tag given the Blazers' cap situation going forward and the fact that we already have a bunch of guys who can play the 3 spot.

 

I hope I am wrong (in the event it happens) because I really like Harkess a lot but I agree with your thinking. Personally I would have signed him before Leonard but what is done is done.

 

Yes of course it count but Neil must seen something he likes too. But i believe about 3 years ago Paul said he not going deal with luxury tax any more. So really it about how much they got until they reach the luxury tax. If they had more they properly would offer more. But I guess will see would will bend first.

 

The Thunder are playing a dangerous game.

I would have traded RW.

 

You gotta offer Moe more than Meyers ... Moe know it, his agent knows it, and, if they want to keep him, the Blazers know it.

 

Here's their basic comparative per-36 minute numbers:

Mo: 12.3 pts/36, 6.9 reb/36 1.7 ast/36
Meyers: 13.8 pts/36, 8.5 reb/36, 2.5 ast/36

So, one stunk up the court and the other is starter quality?

Sure, there are some things Mo does better than Meyers and some things Meyers does better than Mo. They are obviously very different players with different roles, different strengths and different weaknesses, but I think there is one very unique, very important advantage Meyers provides. He's the only player on our roster taller than 6'6" with a reliable jump shot. And., I think that's very important in Stotts' system. He's the only big man on our roster that can create spacing by drawing an opposing big out from under the rim.

Meyers started last season in a horrible shooting slump, but after he came back from his first injury, he was an elite level 3-point shooter. His 3-point shooting improved every month of the season (until his injury ended his season in March). From Christmas - March 14 (the date of his season ending injury) he shot .457 from 3-point range - that's elite by any measure and the 37 game sample size is significant. Only one player in the entire league, J.J. Redick, shot better than that from 3-point range for the season.

That's a valuable skill in Stotts' system. In a big man, like Meyers, that creates spacing that allows others to penetrate and score in the paint. Dame and C.J. especially benefit from Meyers spreading the floor. Turner will to, as one of his strengths is penetrating and finishing in the paint. I don't think it's just a coincidence that the team played their best ball of the season (24-13) during that 37 game stretch. When Meyers was hitting the 3, we were an elite team (24-13 = .649). The rest of the year, not so much (20-25 = .444). He's not perfect, but the team plays better when Meyers poses a legitimate 3-point threat.

But, I really don't think there was ever any Meyers vs. Mo debate when it came to who they would re-sign. The Turner signing effectively made Mo redundant. Mo's two biggest strengths are as a slasher/finisher and a perimeter defender. Turner gives up both those skills, plus he gives us a third distributor/ballhander. Something Mo doesn't give us. Turner can create for others, but he can also create his own shot. Something Mo can't do. In terms of finishing in the paint, Turner shoots nearly the same percentage from 0-3 feet as Mo (.641 vs .660), which is pretty good considering a much larger percentage of Mo's finishes are dunks (62 vs. 8). But, here's the significant difference - almost twice as many of Mo's finishes in the paint are assisted. He doesn't have the handle to create for himself. Turner does.

In terms of position, this notion that Mo can play three positions is nonsense. On offense, he is strictly a SF. He doesn't have the handle, or outside shot to play SG. Terry tried briefly experimenting with him as a small ball 4, but he's a weak rebounder and interior defender. Aminu is 1000% better suited to that role. You can put Mo on the other team's SG on defense, especially if they have a big SG (like Klay Thompson), but then you're stuck putting your SG (C.J. or Crabbe) on the other team's even bigger SF. That worked against GSW last season in the playoffs because Harrison Barnes disappears in the playoffs. Kevin Durant won't.

Turner can, and does, effectively play both the SG and SF positions on both ends of the court. And finally, because neither one has a reliable 3-point shot, you can't really play Turner (at SG) and Mo (at SF) on the floor at the same time - at least not in Terry's system.

So, that leaves Mo as the odd man out. Turner gives you his same strengths (finishing in the paint and perimeter defense), plus he gives you infinitely better ball handling and distribution and can truly play two positions at both ends of the court. Mo's lack of an outside shot really hurts him in Terry's system. That's why guys like Meyers and Crabbe got precedence over Mo. Even Aminu is a much better 3-point shooter. It's unfortunate that Turner's biggest weakness, lack of 3-point shooting, is also Mo's. If you try to play Mo and Turner together, you only have two legitimate 3-point threats on the court and that simply doesn't work well in Terry's system.

Sure, sign him to the QO, or a reasonable contract, as insurance and depth, but the addition of Turner pushes him out of the rotation (or at least further down it). At this point, he would be our 10th man. With Plumlee, Ezeli, Davis, Leonard and Aminu, he won't see minutes in the front court (he shouldn't anyway), and with Dame, C.J., Turner, Crabbe and Aminu, his minutes on the wing will also be very limited - barring injury.

BNM

 

Aminu greatly improved his 3-point shooting last year. He acquired a new skill that is valuable in Stotts' system. Harkless didn't. He's also just flat out better than Mo and a true two-position player.

That's not to say Harkless can't improve, but there really isn't a spot for him in our current rotation. Again, sign him if he's cheap, but going over the LT threshold for your 10th man doesn't make a lot of sense.

BNM

 

Aminu has always been crappy and increased a ton. Almost 100 points .274-.361
Harkless, on the other hand, increased from .274-.383 from his first to second year. (better than Aminu) Then got a shitty coach and regressed. When Stotts got him he went back up from .179-.279. Next year he should improve a ton

Aminu did shoot way more this season than Harkless ever has though

Harkless can help guard smaller lineups. I think there is more of a spot for him than others

 

Meyers just didn't pass my eye test last year. I know he shoots a great percentage from the field and is great at defending traditional centers, but what I saw against the Grizzlies in the playoffs was not there at all last year. I hope he can regain his confidence but despite those PER 36 numbers, he was extremely underwhelming last year. A lot of that had to do with, in my opinion, "betting on himself" and placing necessary internal pressure on himself as well as both shoulder injuries. If he can just stop thinking so much and just hoop, we'll be a much better team this year than last. We've seen flashes of what he can be (Memphis series) but those flashes, to date, have been far outnumbered by countless shot fakes, uncertainties on the court, and inabilities to guard anyone other than low-post centers.