A deal I would love to see happen is Mike Conley for Anthony Randolph. A fan brought it up on the fan board on grizzlies.com. Even deal for both teams IMO. Memphis gets a much needed power forward and then they can draft Rubio. Warriors get a true point guard who would flourish in Nelly's system. Thoughts Warrior fans?
Uhhh...NO! That's nuts. Conley is OK but Randolph is showing hints of elite level talent while still being the youngest player in the NBA and making excellent progress in his rookie year. I'd offer something like Wright + someone else, and our #7 for their #2 (Rubio). I don't know if Memphis would go for that but I'd do it. But not Randolph.
I guess I overrate Conley more than other NBA fans, but he was averaging 15 and 7 once Iavaroni was finally fired.
Conley is okay but Randolph is special; he has enough size that he can potentially dominate the paint with his shot blocking and rebounding plus he's got a pretty sweet handle for a guy 6'10". Randolph really showed some maturity in going through Nelson's doghouse and not complaining but simply earning his way out. He's an untouchable now and has a good chance of being the 2nd best player in the '08 draft (behind Rose).
In order for Randolph to be "special" like some W's fans thinks he can be, he needs to either add some muscle to the wirey frame he's got or get a better jump shot. If he's going to be a dominant PF in the NBA, he can't be 200 lbs, hence why he'd need to add some weight. I don't care how freaskishly athletic he is, he'll get dominated by bigger PFs in the NBA if he doesn't gain some weight and muscle. If he can't add weight, he needs to improve his jump shot so he can play the 3 more effectively. I really look at him as a Josh Smith type player, which is definitely nothing to be ashamed about. He's got gobs of potential, that's for sure, but right now, he's far too raw to really tell if he's going to be special. However, I still don't think he's going to be the 2nd best player out of this draft. I still think Beasley is going to be better. He's already a more polished offensive player and he's got the ability to be a very good rebounder, despite his lack of height. I also think OJ Mayo could turn in to a dominant scorer, and he's also got the physical attributes to be a top defensive player in the NBA as well. I also feel that Brook Lopez is going to turn in to a double double machine, as well as a dominant inside scorer. Also have to plug Kevin Love in here too, because he was incredibly impressive once Al Jefferson went down. He could easily be one of the top 3 rebounders in the NBA for many years to come, and I think his offense is going to continue to improve. I do like Randolph, don't get me wrong, but I think some of you W's fans overrate him a bit or underrate just how good some of the other players in this class are or could be.
Oh, and to answer your question, I don't see the W's trading for Conley. They don't need the backcourt help and are far too high on Randolph to contemplate trading him.
Like everyone else said, hell no to Randolph for Conley. But one I did hear from a W's fan a little while ago was Conley for Wright. I'm sure the Grizz fans don't know much about him but he was solid for us. I'm never a fan of trading big for small though...unless its Kwame Brown for Caron Butler. His jumper and his body were looking a lot better at the end of the season. He looks bulkier than he did when we drafted him. He was the youngest player in the league and actually has a nice frame which gives me a little more hope in him bulking up than I have in Wright. Despite what hes listed at the kid is really pretty strong too. Hes no Millsap but he doesn't get bullied in the post. His midrange J was looking good though, he was hitting them at a high rate when pulling up off the dribble especially which is what impressed me. His future is at the 4 though. Hes just a wee bit too slow laterally to keep up with SFs IMO and seems much more effective protecting the rim and gobbling up rebounds than guarding on the perimeter. Hes already producing for us too. In March he averaged 9 pts/7 reb. In April he averaged 15 pts/11 reb. As a starter he averaged 11/8.5 on the season. Hes gonna be good.
Not to pile on, but you don't ever trade young size for dime-a-dozen smaller players unless they're like young Allen Iverson or Chris Paul (guys with unique quickness, playmaking or scoring ability). If Randolph was a gamble like a Portland era Jermaine O'neal, the deal might make sense, but Randolph to us is like a Lamar Odom / Kevin Durant mixture and that's super valuable.
