There were rumors (a couple of weeks ago) he was going on the block. Probably because, as someone mentioned above, he was dissatisfied with his role.
Downside to Nurkic: he's an old-school, high-usage, on-the-block scorer. Not Stotts' style at all. Noel is intriguing but unless we can get him for Crabbe (which seems VERY unlikely) I'm not sure how we end up with him. Bogut actually looks getable, and he's still elite defensively. If Nowitzki were to shut it down (for good or even just the season) I can see Dallas offloading Bogut and Wes, and I'd love that package for Crabbe + filler.
Another thing to remember is other teams aren't stupid, they know we're desperate for a center, so they're all probably asking for a kings ransom right now, as they should be. As we get closer to the deadline however, those asking prices should get a little more realistic as the supply floods the market.
I'm watching the sixers game and Noel looked good the first half, but he's already injured himself again and won't return. Sprained ankle. He'll fit right in! Side note: I didn't really see any obvious injury, and there's a part of me that thinks it's just another way to keep him away until he's traded. His body language wasn't that of a guy that wanted to be there.
His potential is pretty high, on both ends of the court. Big, surprisingly quick, great hands. Right now he's inconsistent and a bit undisciplined (very aggressive, will try to block everything which hurts the defense) but he's only 22 years old. He hasn't had a consistent role or minutes yet in the league, and I think a change of scenery will allow him to take off. Hopefully it's in Portland.
Yeah, Sabonis and Walton were terrible for this organization. Being racist against white people is edgy and funny!
Here is one that someone probably mentioned, but I missed it, and he is intriguing. Lucas-Nogueira of the Raptors. Drafted 16 by the Hawks in 2013. Not sure why he didn't play more games last year for Toronto, but this year he is averaging 3.5 blocks, 2 steals and 8.6 rebounds per 36. He has about 3 more inches on wingspan and standing reach over Noel (who has about 3 over Davis and Plumlee). Now who the heck they would want from us, I don't know; they are a pretty complete team. They even have a backup SG who is shooting .472 from the three this year. The question is: where was Olshey when Toronto traded John Salmons for Lou Williams and Nogueira?
Bebe is 2 years older than Noel in age, and about 4 years younger in terms of development. He won't last on the court for 36 minutes. That stat is meaningless. And Lou Will is probably the early front runner for 6MoY (putting up 19/3/3). That has turned out to be a terrible move for TOR so far.
What we need is a low usg rim runner, who has good hands and tools to develop a decent footwork. I don't care if he can hit a jumpshot. But bigger than all that is the guy has to have a huge wingspan, be able to block shots, and move his feet when hedging/switching on picks. Noel (when healthy) is probably the BEST option of all the guys out there. Nurkic I like for all of the above and his attitude. He is more offensively oriented than we'd like, but having an option to throw the ball to for about 2 possessions a quarter could only help vary our attack. He seems like a guy who will become a winner. Noel, not so much.
I'm a little confused. Does he have bad stamina? Why couldn't he play 36 minutes or at least 24? And about Lou Williams; he signed as a free agent with LA, so Toronto never traded him away. It's still all academic because I see no reason for Toronto to trade lucas-nogueira.
He's really foul prone, and has like 0 offensive game. And his hands are bricks. Opposing teams would start to pick on him on both ends if he played more than his current 18 mpg.
That said, I'd rather roll the dice on Bebe than trading for a bloated contract dude like Biyombo or Mahimi. Or even an offense only C like Monroe or Vuc. Decent out of box suggestion.
I was really impressed with Townes and Dieng in their game against the Warriors last night...when on court together they are a force...Dieng is like Ibaka in a lot of ways...shot blocking..rim protecting rebounder...hadn't seen him play much before
good to hear that; I know that Dieng's coaches always seem to love him and he had good stats last year, but I don't see him much actually in action. I think his rebounds are down this year cuz Townes gobbles up so many.