I've been off the "Trade CJ" bandwagon for a while - and this just put more distance between me and the wagon. I really wanna see what these two can do if we can get long, athletic two-way players at SF and PF. I still have some hope that Harkless and Vonleh could be those guys, but they both really need to take a big step forward. I thought Harkless made a good half-step this season, despite his disappointing PO performance. Vonleh made a good half-step on the defensive end - clearly our best defender - but his post-offense is almost as bad as Aminu's jump shot. I don't really have any ideal SF/PF trade targets - a Ron Artest/Dennis Rodman duo would be amazing (even though Rodman wasn't two-way)! I'm wondering if there are some high-energy, two-way players we can draft that could give our bench a shot in the arm, push Harkless/Vonleh to get better, and ultimately replace Harkless/Vonleh. As much as I want immediate improvement, I think this will probably be our best approach.
I think both Harkless and Vonleh need a Nurkic to shine. It makes sense; they can both dunk but can't create a shot; Jusuf is an assist machine in the post if he gets doubled, and has the post tools to warrant a double if the opponent's center is iffy. So as long as we have Nurkic, he's the key to unlocking what Harkless and Vonleh do best.
Im ok with both guys playing together long term, although I personally think CJ coming off bench as 6th man would be a great situation for the team. Get a defensive stud at SG and then CJ comes off bench getting all the touches on 2nd unit. Still give him starter minutes. Like everyone else I want an energy player who gets you extra possessions and can play d.
Been saying this from the start, 100% agree. We need to be a top defensive team. A true 3D SG next to Dame a la Wes Matthews would do wonders.
If anyone would accept that role, it's CJ. But you'd need to get someone as good as Jimmy Butler to make it work, without giving up CJ.
And if Nurkic can make Vonleh (at this point in his career) and Harkless look good, imagine how good some actual above average forwards would look playing next to Nurk. BNM