I'm not convinced you can. Elite level jocks suffer bad injuries all the time. (many far worse the Fultz) It's said they all go through a period of "oh gawd, my body betrayed me!" The vast majority get down off their cross, use the wood to build a bridge, and get over it! Looks like Fultz is the exception. The other really bad possibility is that the story about the motorcycle accident is true and everything else is just a scam to cover up how badly his body is broken.
I doubt the motorcycle thing is true. He's seen many different specialists and found nothing to suggest that his shoulder is jacked up. It's mental. Coming back to the PNW with Dame as his mentor could eventually snap him out of this funk.
Or not. Either way, we can afford to wait until he gets waived in a couple of years and tries to make a comeback.
Heir apparents: Dame ---> Fultz McCollum ---> Simons Assuming the witch doctor hired to fix Fultz's yips works.
I'd rather think about Fultz/Simmons commanding our bench, rather than replacing our current starters. That's the only way this team is ever gonna be any good.
FWIW, ESPN is reporting that Fultz's shoulder examination will continue through Wed. 3 full days to examine one joint? Isn't that a tad bit unusual? Was it always intended to take this long, or is this a reflection of what they found/didn't find today? If I'm Portland, I'm telling them to bugger off.
What else would we get him for, Biggie? Lol. If Olshey wasn’t such a puss, I’d think about a CJ for Fultz/Chandler expiring/and a pick.
I'm with Nate, I think you take Fultz as a project and get Dame to put him arm around him and mentor him. Would our 1st Rounder be enough though?
Ain't no way a broken ass player like Fultz is going to get that sort of return. And yes, I realize that nobody in the NBA knows who Simons is.
How about this instead: Philly gets Korver, Zizic, and a 2022 2nd round pick via Cleveland Cleveland gets Fultz and Turner Portland gets JR Smith and a 2021 2nd round pick via Cleveland 76ers add a shooter and some big man depth. Cavs take a flier on Fultz. Blazers save $3.2 million this year, and after waiving Smith this summer shave over $14.7 million off of their cap number for next year. On the surface that might not seem like a big deal but it would put the Blazers in a position to use the Full-MLE and Bi-Annual Exception this summer which they haven't been able to the last couple summers. Plus it has the added bonus of getting Turner out of the lineup.
Here's my deal. Aminu + PHX 2nd round pick to PHL -- gets em their FA space for next summer and a decent second rounder. Fultz and Meyers to PHX -- gets em a guard who could potentially work perfectly next to Booker and rids them of a Warren contract. Warren and Bender to POR -- gets us our mainstay starting SF and forces Collins into starting PF position.
Warren scares me. He's in the 1st year of a 4 year contract so he still has 3 more years after this season we'd have to pay him. Unless CJ is traded I believe we need a 3 and D type of SF. Is Warren just off to a hot start shooting the 3 or is his true self his career 31%? On defense Warren starting would be a disaster. We couldn't hide any of our 3 perimeter defenders, that is a huge problem. Warren is also a bit of a ball stopper so it adds to our lack of passing.
He has a very good contract though, about $10million a year. I'm not sure about his fit next to Dame and CJ but he would be a very good third scoring option which we could use when one of them is off the floor. He's definitely a great scorer.
Why? If he's available for peanuts then it's a ultimate low risk move. If all they have to give up is JR Smith or Kyle Korver, you do that in their position and try to figure out later how to fit him next to Sexton. If he can become a decent shooter (he was a good one in college, it's all about confidence and mechanics which isn't little but maybe not impossible) then you could even play them together. Cavs will not be competitive for the next 3-4 years, if they can get a talented guard and rejuvenate his career then it's good for their future in the long view - either he's a part of the rotation at the 2 next to Sexton or you use one of them as a trade chip when you eventually want to compete and are looking for different kind of assets.