Around the NBA- December 2017

Agree with all of the above. Who can we offer for PG while keeping Dame/CJ/Nurk? We'd have to offer good players. Napier, Aminu, and Ed Davis plus TPE? Dame/CJ/PG13/Vonleh/Nurk contends THIS YEAR.

 

Their not a finished product. This only in year 1. They gutted their bench to strengthen their big 3. Now the next year or so they just need to add bench pieces.

 

Maybe okc trade George just to get under tax line, and no Team in this league gives much for George because everybody knows he want's to join the Lakers. We have a 12.9 Tpe. So maybe Aminu + 2nd rounder for 2-3 months of PG should be a fair deal. First rounder would be to much imo

 

LOL at the people who really wanted Melo to come here. I'm so glad we dodged that bullet...or I should I say brick.

 

I disagree... would you be opposed to a euro winning ROY? They play against grown men much of their teen years overseas... that's an advantage too. As long as no court time is logged, they are a rookie.

 

So any player can sit and watch for a year on the bench and not play.....and be eligible for ROY his sophomore season.....just because he logged NO court time?

 

Melo would've been a great fit for us. We need a consistent scorer at the forward position. Aminu has been a good shooter but is only averaging 9 ppg. Melo doesn't fit in OKC because Westbrook sucks. He would fit great here in Portland. I'm sure of it. Or are you glad we still have Harkless?

 

If you're active, you're a rookie even if you don't play. Simmons was never active last season.

 

Sure, why not? It's a redshirt then. RS Freshmen still get Freshmen of the year awards

 

I understand, per the rules, that he falls under the classification of a rookie this year. I just don't like the rule. He still was learning while being on the bench and traveling with the team. And he still got paid millions.

 

If they lose both Melo & PG13 to FA this offseason their unfinished product will be finished.
All I heard from people is how good OKC is going to be. How they'll eventually figure it out and get a higher playoff seed.
All I can do is laugh at those people now.

 

It's grey area, to be sure. But consider it from the player's viewpoint. It's not like they chose to sit out and gain an advantage on next year's rookie class by learning on the job. They had an entire year of their preciously short career taken away by injury.

Also, I imagine you could make a very strong case that any 2nd year "rookie" who wins ROY would have easily won it the year prior if healthy. Not only is it a reflection of how good they are and were, but they were probably better off before missing that much time.

 

He wasn't "on the bench" and HCP travels with the team, so what?

 

Exactly. Simmons would've run away with it last year.

 

It was a little shady last year with Simmons. I think he was ready in february and Colangelo shut him down. Not for the ROY award, but being cautious helped them tank again

 

I remember hearing something to that effect. I agree, there's some shadiness there, but that's on the team, not the player. I doubt Simmons asked to sit out the rest of the year so they could pick a massively overrated guy this year who isn't even playing.

 

Their? You realize that Melos like 34 and PG isn't going to wait in a small market for bench pieces? And you do realize that's not going to put them over the top either? And you do realize that they won't have the cap space or assets to add good bench pieces?

 

So it's possible to have a league without the recent NBA payroll controls. That would return the Paul Allen advantage. How do we get back to the good old days?

 

Melo is not going anywhere. He is set to make $28M if he does not opt out. Nobody is going to give him that as a FA next year.