It makes sense. They are determined not to improve the team in any meaningful way. TJ fits in that vision perfectly.
I'm pretty sure that means that Indy's buying him out after the deadline, and we'll sign him for vet min if Miller goes somewhere (or even if he doesn't). TJ Ford has much more value to this team than Sean Marks. And this isn't baseball...you can't make a trade with the other team "taking the balance" of the contract. Canzano knows very little about the CBA. He's been called on in it in the past by people smarter than me, and still doesn't get it.
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nba/934/player?r=1 http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/211334/Pacers_Will_Offer_Ford_Buyout_If_No_Trade_Is_Made http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Pacers-offering-Ford-buyout-?urn=nba-325747
Playing him over Patty isn't much of an upgrade, and I'm not a not a Patty fan. TJ can't shoot or push the ball as well, but is a better defender. It's a push.
wait...TJ Ford can't push the ball as well as Patty Mills? Patty shoots 30% from 3. TJ shoots 29%. He IS a better defender. He also has some pretty significant playoff experience. I'm not saying he's our PGotF, but he's a decently solid player with too big a contract.
He's not as fast on the break from seeing both of them play this year. Either way, this pickup won't be meaningful at all. We are still a team built to beat the Jazz, Suns and Nuggets, not the teams we are looking up at in the standings.
I loved TJ Ford a few years ago. But if this is legal, I'd be really interested in this deal. TJ and LaMarcus seem to be good friends; they tweet each other quite a bit. But he would be nothing more than a backup here.
Canzano says Paul and his crew are gonna run the show today, and Cho is essentially going to be a mouthpiece.
And Patty can't pass and has trouble keeping his dribble alive when pressed and gets beaten like a rented mule on 'D.' I don't love TJ Ford, but if this team is committed to trying to make a playoff push and isn't going to make any splashy moves with guys like Miller and Camby being shipped out, then adding a guy like Ford for the veteran's minimum to play 10-15 minutes a night then I don't have any problem with that. It's not sexy and it doesn't do anything to raise this team's ceiling but it probably solidifies their floor.
LOL @ believing anything Canzano says when it comes to the Blazers. He has no connections and is willing to make up stories from whole cloth.
Lateral move in my opinion. For all the energy the management has expended up to the deadline with a pretty solid set of trade assets and all we get is TJ Ford? That shows me there's no real drive to improve this team in a meaningful way. Canzano was on the BFT a moment ago echoing the common "the team overvalues their players" sentiment that has always sunk this organization.
