The NBA basketball thread 2013-2014

[MtlJeff]

So another season is upon us.....Maybe it's just me but i think this could be the best NBA season in a loooooong time. There are a ton of possibilities and questions. Such as:

 

1) Is this the final year of the Miami big 3? And will this be the year they are most vulnerable? (Wade, Bosh had a rough playoffs)

 

2) The resurgent east: It looks like (Assuming D-Rose's health) they have 4 teams capable of winning the title. I think Brooklyn is underrated because people want them to fail given the total disregard for salary cap etc...But they have 5 starters who have all recently been all stars, and there doesn't seem to be as much potential for ego drama, they also have a deep bench.

 

3) Indiana and Chicago both could be historically good defensive teams. Think about it, having Rose back means the Bulls might not need to play Boozer as much, which means a lineup of Rose-Butler-Deng-Gibson-Noah. That is insane defensively. The Pacers were very very good last year and kept everyone, only they can rest their starters more

 

4) Russell Westbrook's looming injury: He'll miss a quarter of the season....no one saw that coming. Does OKC make a move? How much can Lamb and Jackson contribute? Will Russell be as explosive when he gets back? This might end up being a lost season for OKC

 

5) The how good will they be uncertainty in LAC and Hou. Both teams got better....but how much better? Which Dwight shows up in Houston? Will he be jealous if it's still Harden's team? In LAC their interior defense is still weak, but they might be the #1 offense in the NBA

 

there are more obviously......let's discuss

 

And of course some of my predictions:

 

#1: I think Dallas makes the playoffs. The top 7 in the west seem set depending on your views on Denver. But everyone seems high on Minnesota or Portland. Dallas almost made it last year with Dirk out a lot, no PG and OJ Mayo instead of Monta Ellis. I liked their offseason, Jose Calderon is basically the equivalant of a 37 year old Steve Nash (great shot, great passer, no turnovers, no defense or penetration) but that is still valuable. Ellis became so overrated he in now underrated, and Dirk is Dirk

 

#2 Durant wins MVP (Westbrook will be out and their early season schedule is soft enough that they'll still have a good record)

 

#3 Tanking will be discussed at length and viewed as a developing problem in the league

 

#4 Either Carmelo or Kevin Love gets traded mid season (or both), though both will be involved in many rumors

 

#5 Kawhi Leonard makes second team all NBA and is the breakout star of the year (along with Anthony Davis)

 

#6 My pick for finals is Indiana-GSW. No that is not a gimmick pick. I really believe it. The Pacers had the best 5 man unit in basketball last year, they added a good bench (Granger/Scola/Watson) and their style of play is perfect for the playoffs...they also have a big man who gives miami fits. They took them to 7 last year and are undisputedly better and Paul George seems on the verge of true superstardom. I think the West is a bit of a toss up, hard for the Spurs not to regress a bit after their emotional loss, OKC won't be OKC this year though their record should be good. Houston is banking a lot on Dwight, which is always a concern. The Clippers don't have a ton of playoff success....Golden State has a ton of shooting, a decent bench, a top 5-6 player, and now a versatile defensive star. I don't know....we will see

[scratchswinger]

Awesome first post!!! Thank you for taking the time!

[color=#282828] Indiana-GSW is actually a very solid pick, I kinda need some time to soak that one in. I would LOVE to watch Steph Curry play for that long in the playoffs. [/color]

[HoosierHacker89]

i Think your prediction about the pacers could be spot on. I feel like the only thing standing between them and an NBA championship is the Heat which don't get me wrong is a huge hurdle, but i think this time they will have the heats number. Hibbert is gaining confidence by the game it seems, and he had an awesome playoffs last season. I predict that Granger will start and Lance will come off the bench. I think Lance's speed and explosiveness would make him an awesome 6th man. I could see it going the other way and Granger getting traded, but i just don't think it will happen because I don't think there would be anything good enough in return to justify trading him. Scola will be a bigger addition than people realize. I think this is finally the year the Pacers win the big one.

[MtlJeff]

The Granger situation is important for the Pacers. I think best case scenario is he is actually their 6th man and not Stephenson. At the end of the day the Pacers starters last year were the best 5 man unit in the entire NBA statistically (better then any heat combo crazily enough).

I wouldn't mess with it. Plus Granger gives them scoring off the bench which they need. He is in a contract year so is motivated to not be a distraction, plus 2 years ago he showed a lot of signs of being a gritty team guy in the playoffs.

I think they need to speak to him and ask him to take one for the team and be their 6th man, like Manu did in SA. He'd give them veteran scoring ability and toughness (remember him jawing with the Heat 2 years ago) off the bench

I agree he won't get traded unless things really aren't going well. But he's expiring so they don't need to force anything. Truthfully he's exactly what they need anyway.

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='scratchswinger' timestamp='1381163741' post='7965195']
Awesome first post!!! Thank you for taking the time!

[color=#282828]Indiana-GSW is actually a very solid pick, I kinda need some time to soak that one in. I would LOVE to watch Steph Curry play for that long in the playoffs. [/color]
[/quote]

I'm a huge fan of Curry and could see him getting legitimate "fake" MVP cred. Meaning he probably won't win because you have the behemoths that are Durant and James who will poor it on statistically. But no stretch to think he could finish say 3rd in the voting.

Plus, similar to Indiana in the east, the Dubs are a better playoff team then regular season team albeit for a different reason. The Pacers it's their smothering defense whereas in GS it's their ridiculous shooting. Zach Lowe wrote a great piece last year about how Curry's ability to shoot 3's off the dribble changes entire defenses, not to mention they have Klay Thompson and Barnes who are both good shooters too. If they are hot they can beat anyone

[Yanki01]

SPURS! oh so close last season, I couldn't believe Ray made that 3. hate LeSuck but the team is great with him.

[TheGameChanger]

The Heat won't make the finals. Chicago Indy Brooklyn and even the Knicks will make it hard for them. If Chicago are healthy come playoff time they'll win the Championship. However I highly doubt they can get healthy ever. So i'm Leaning towards Indy winning the East. On the West side going for the Spurs again. Have trouble seeing anyone challenging them. However if Warriors stay healthy they've got a shot. Clippers could do but I don't trust a team with 2 starting bigs who are terrible Free Throw shooters. OKC are Durant and Westbrook. They rest of the team are passengers.

[scratchswinger]

Arguably the most dominate athlete in sport today and everybody is betting against him. Brutal!

And no love for the Clippers?

[MtlJeff]

Gamechanger i think the Knicks might even break up their team midseason, i don't see them competing, but that's just my opinion. The Carmelo to LA rumors will get very loud if the Knicks struggle (and let's face it they are probably outclassed by 4 teams in the conference)

So you've got the double whammy of potentially losing Carmelo and knowing for a fact that Amare is going to opt in for 2014-2015 (no way he turns down 23M or whatever when he can't play anymore). I could see them trading Carmelo for parts, tanking the crap out of next season and starting over.

Carmelo and his wife i think are divorced, rumor was she was a big reason for them to push for NY in the first place. Plus Carmelo is a flat out mercenary anyway, if things look better in LA (maybe teaming up with Love) he'll leave faster then you can say honey nut cheerios and EVERYONE knows that by now

[MtlJeff]

Scratch, i guess it's hard for me to call it "betting against Lebron". I fully agree that Lebron is insanely good and if you take away Durant the gap between him and #2 right now would be monstrous. There's a couple of things i am considering:

1) Wade and Bosh had a horrible playoffs, Battier also looked really worn down. Mike Miller always did something for them in the playoffs. I mean they hung on with Ray Allen as their second best player for many games. Unless Greg Oden got some kind of Robocop treatment and can play this is likely Lebron`s worst supporting cast since Cleveland. I do expect some redemption from Wade this season but still

2) Knowing that Wade and Bosh can both take their options next season too could be problematic. Lebron might have better situations staring him in the face then making another run with them. His last year in Cleveland it was almost as if he didn`t mind losing as much because he knew it would be easier for him to leave. That's the impression i got in the Boston series in retrospect. If things go bad in the playoffs maybe he just somewhat mails it in and then says "hello LA" or something like that

Plus Indiana is just flat out good. I mean they took them to 7 with me and you coming off the bench

[MtlJeff]

Oh and the Clips. OK well i really like them actually. As you know i'm the worlds biggest JJ Redick fan. I thought Chris Paul's comments were hilarious, even though they were true....when right after signing for like 115M or whatever, he comes right out and says "this is Blake's team and we'll go as far as he takes us". It's like, ah i see, wait, then why did we just give you 23M a year and make you like the 3rd highest paid player in the game? LOL

But he's right, this offense will be great in the regular season. Redick and Dudley are role player extraordinaires, and they have a couple of very good finishers at the rim. The Clippers to me are a better version of the Nuggets last year. Questions are

1) Big teams kill them. Memphis and the Spurs for example are trouble. Blake isn't a great defender and they are brutal at center. Even if Jordan is serviceable you can't play him because his free throw shooting is so bad.
2) Who actually creates shots? Obviously Paul does but not as much for himself. Jamal Crawford is still their second best creator and he's the worst perimeter defender in the league

If Blake can be a true post scorer i think they have a chance. They just need someone other then Paul (who they can keep on the floor) to give them easy buckets.

[gambit]

Love the Indy - GSW pick for the finals. I've been waiting, well, my whole life for the Warriors to win a championship. I don't see the Durant getting MVP though because it was clear last year that Westbrook really helps him to flourish, and that didn't happen in the playoffs. Also, if the Warriors make it to the Finals, then I would logically assume that Steph has a HUGE part in that which may make him a very likely MVP candidate. Same can be said about Paul George. As far as the Heat go though, I've learned not to 'bet' against Lebron. He's simply the biggest freak of nature I've ever seen. As far as the Big 3 in Miami go, Wade and Bosh will both exercise their options because they won't get that money anywhere else, and Lebron goes back to Cleveland to make things right and to play with Kyrie Irving. What's got me a little curious is Brad Steven in Boston and Rajon Rondo now officially being the 'man' on the team, even though he's been for years IMO.

[baseballfrk8998]

I live in North Houston (The Woodlands area) so I'm generally interested in how the Rockets will do this season. I grew up in Central Texas so I'm a Mavericks fan, but it's hard not to be interested in the Rockets will all the buzz that the Howard trade created around here. It's going to be a fun year in the NBA, that's for sure.

[MtlJeff]

I think the Rockets are a couple of players away from being a juggernaut, provided Dwight is Dwight.

Lin is a terrible player for this team. Harden is basically the point guard, they need another guard who can shoot 3's. They had a ton of cap space, i think Jose Calderon would have been a perfect fit there. CJ Watson shot 41% from 3 last year and Indiana nabbed him. Lin does really nothing that Harden doesn't do already 10x better. Plus their offense is perfect for a stretch 4 who can hit 3's. I bet you they regret the Patrick Patterson trade BIG TIME right about now. He was perfect for that role. Not sure Moteijunas is ready for that

If they say, had signed Watson, jettisoned Lin and kept Patterson i think they'd have a much better team. Ideally having a PG and PF with good range, along with Parsons and their 2 superstars....i mean. holy cow that would be devastating

[baseballfrk8998]

I'm not as familiar with the Rockets as some of the fans around here and, admittedly, I'm probably not even as familiar with them as you are, Jeff. The few guys that I talk to that are die hard fans are pretty high on Patrick Beverly and I think he had a pretty good start to the preseason the other night. They also think that Lin's game will improve dramatically with Howard drawing double teams down low but I'm with you and I don't see it as he shot only 34% from 3 last year. That's not gonna get it done, obviously.

With Lin, Harden and Brooks I kinda feel the same way as you do. They have a lot of guys who play the same style of ball, but none of them shoot the ball extremely well from downtown. If they have some guys step up and Parsons (that stretch 4 you talked about) isn't the only person knocking down 3's, I think they could be really good. They have a decent amount of depth so it'll be interesting to see how the year plays out. I'll still be rooting for my Mavs and anyone that plays SA.

[MtlJeff]

^^^If i'm Daryl Morey i'd offer Omer Asik for Ryan Anderson straight up. It would basically be an amazing trade for both teams. So much so that i'm calling Morey right now to tell him to do that (waiting....it's ringing....)

I mean why shouldn't this happen? Their salary is exactly the same, NO needs a center and the Anderson/Davis pairing has been a disaster defensively. Davis/Asik would be a force and they have plenty of scoring so don't need a polished center.

Meanwhile Houston would reunite the killer Anderson/Howard pairing.

OMG this has to happen. BOTH teams would get better!!!!

[baseballfrk8998]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1381283981' post='7973487']
^^^If i'm Daryl Morey i'd offer Omer Asik for Ryan Anderson straight up. It would basically be an amazing trade for both teams. So much so that i'm calling Morey right now to tell him to do that (waiting....it's ringing....)

I mean why shouldn't this happen? Their salary is exactly the same, NO needs a center and the Anderson/Davis pairing has been a disaster defensively. Davis/Asik would be a force and they have plenty of scoring so don't need a polished center.

Meanwhile Houston would reunite the killer Anderson/Howard pairing.

OMG this has to happen. BOTH teams would get better!!!!
[/quote]

Not to mention that Asik doesn't really want to be in Houston anyways. Houston seems to be really high on Asik though and I don't know if they'd be interested in sending him anywhere.

[gambit]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1381280920' post='7973155']
I think the Rockets are a couple of players away from being a juggernaut, provided Dwight is Dwight.

Lin is a terrible player for this team. Harden is basically the point guard, they need another guard who can shoot 3's. They had a ton of cap space, i think Jose Calderon would have been a perfect fit there. CJ Watson shot 41% from 3 last year and Indiana nabbed him. Lin does really nothing that Harden doesn't do already 10x better. Plus their offense is perfect for a stretch 4 who can hit 3's. I bet you they regret the Patrick Patterson trade BIG TIME right about now. He was perfect for that role. Not sure Moteijunas is ready for that

If they say, had signed Watson, jettisoned Lin and kept Patterson i think they'd have a much better team. Ideally having a PG and PF with good range, along with Parsons and their 2 superstars....i mean. holy cow that would be devastating
[/quote]

Are you forgetting they have Chandler Parson who came to life in the playoffs last year?

[TheGameChanger]

Houston should Trade Asik and Fillers to Chicago for Boozer. Both Teams would be better off.

[TripleSingle]

1). Can't bet against Lebron James and company. I think we are seeing the peak of his talents, but his confidence is growing. As long as the Heat finish the season with the best record, LBJ will probably win MVP.
I wouldn't say this is their most vulnerable year, but it would be interesting to see how Oden and Beasley does. Especially Beasley. The Heat got nothing to lose when they signed him. If he cant contribute to a championship contender, Beasley's career in the NBA is over.

2) I still see a Pacers-Heat EC finals. Supposedly Rose's vertical has increased 5 inches, so I think physically he's ready, but is he mentally ready. Pacers are stacked, Luis Scola should be a good back-up for David west.

3) I can see GSW making it to the finals. Certainly got the talent, but their players are prone to injuries. Don't see OKC making it to the WC finals, unless Westbrook is back and Durant hits the weights.

4) Clippers need Blake to develop some post moves and rebound more. If he doesn't, he's just gonna be dunker, nothing more. Same goes for Deandre. He really needs to do more than just 2 fg attempts a game. Regarding Houston, I see them being about 4-5 in the West. You got Hakeem and McHale downt here, no excuses to why he can't post-up.

5) I would add Rondo to your Melo and Love possible trade list. Would be interesting to see how Rondo, who is a pass-first PG, would do when he really doesn't have many to pass to.

6) Some question marks: Will demarcus cousins finally grow up and play to his potential, Will D-Wade show KD a bit of Flash, how will Kobe play, and will Michael Jordan come back to play for the Cats... ok just kidding on that one.

7) Anthony Davis will have a monster year. I can see him going 20-10-3 blocks. He lost ROY, but he will show why he's the #1 pick

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='gambit' timestamp='1381285260' post='7973599']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1381280920' post='7973155']
I think the Rockets are a couple of players away from being a juggernaut, provided Dwight is Dwight.

Lin is a terrible player for this team. Harden is basically the point guard, they need another guard who can shoot 3's. They had a ton of cap space, i think Jose Calderon would have been a perfect fit there. CJ Watson shot 41% from 3 last year and Indiana nabbed him. Lin does really nothing that Harden doesn't do already 10x better. Plus their offense is perfect for a stretch 4 who can hit 3's. I bet you they regret the Patrick Patterson trade BIG TIME right about now. He was perfect for that role. Not sure Moteijunas is ready for that

If they say, had signed Watson, jettisoned Lin and kept Patterson i think they'd have a much better team. Ideally having a PG and PF with good range, along with Parsons and their 2 superstars....i mean. holy cow that would be devastating
[/quote]

Are you forgetting they have Chandler Parson who came to life in the playoffs last year?
[/quote]

I mentioned Parsons in the above paragraph. He's a very good player but he's probably a "super stretch" 4. I don't think they are in the best position playing him serious minutes there, especially in the west where there are some big teams.

He's a very good role player. But i'd still think they could use a PF who doesn't hurt them on the glass as much and can shoot a little to play with Parsons

[MtlJeff]

jihunyu, i forgot to mention Rondo you're right. He'll be gone by the allstar game. Probably a lock to be traded

Question is where does he go? On the right team he is a great player, as he proved a few times in the playoffs. But i don't like building around him.

Toronto is always super willing to make trades for stars since no one would sign there, they wouldn't give up Valenciunas but maybe Ross. Houston has the pieces and needs a PG, Atlanta maybe

What if OKC gave up Lamb and Steven Adams for him? And played Russell as a hybrid Iverson like player? Sounds awesome but they'd never do that. But i can't imagine a better risk/reward trade....though Houston would seem a great fit too i'm just not sure Morey would take a guy who needs the ball that much with James Harden

[tocino]

It's an exciting time to be a warriors fan! I'm not saying it's a lock they are going to win it all (or make the finals for that matter), but they have just enough talent and if they get hot shooting they can make a long run in the playoffs! Everyone seems to like each other, the two players they lost was more than made up for with the signing of iguodala, and because of that they're defense got a whole lot better! The one major issue that can derail this team is injuries. Losing curry and/or bogut for any extended period of time and they are 1st round and done (I think they have enough good players where they make the playoffs even without one or both of them). By all reports though, bogut is finally healthy and i'm hoping that under armor makes a better shoe that can protect curry's ankles than nike did!

[gambit]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1381324160' post='7974941']
jihunyu, i forgot to mention Rondo you're right. He'll be gone by the allstar game. Probably a lock to be traded

Question is where does he go? On the right team he is a great player, as he proved a few times in the playoffs. But i don't like building around him.

Toronto is always super willing to make trades for stars since no one would sign there, they wouldn't give up Valenciunas but maybe Ross. Houston has the pieces and needs a PG, Atlanta maybe

What if OKC gave up Lamb and Steven Adams for him? And played Russell as a hybrid Iverson like player? Sounds awesome but they'd never do that. But i can't imagine a better risk/reward trade....though Houston would seem a great fit too i'm just not sure Morey would take a guy who needs the ball that much with James Harden
[/quote]

I don't think Rondo is going anywhere. He's an incredible talent and a triple double waiting to happen. However, if you he were to get traded the best place for him I think would be Houston. He can do so many things with the ball and he finds people where they are comfortable with the ball. That would help Dwight immensely and Harden too. He also defends bigger players well and could relieve some of the defensive pressure off of not only Harden, but if he's able to keep dribble penetration to a minimum then Dwight can have free reign in the paint. Other places he would thrive would be Denver, Detroit, and Sacramento especially with Cousins there for the long haul.

[gambit]

[quote name='tocino' timestamp='1381332468' post='7975701']
It's an exciting time to be a warriors fan! I'm not saying it's a lock they are going to win it all (or make the finals for that matter), but they have just enough talent and if they get hot shooting they can make a long run in the playoffs! Everyone seems to like each other, the two players they lost was more than made up for with the signing of iguodala, and because of that they're defense got a whole lot better! The one major issue that can derail this team is injuries. Losing curry and/or bogut for any extended period of time and they are 1st round and done (I think they have enough good players where they make the playoffs even without one or both of them). By all reports though, bogut is finally healthy and i'm hoping that under armor makes a better shoe that can protect curry's ankles than nike did!
[/quote]

Agree with everything you said.

[scratchswinger]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1381243576' post='7970089']
Scratch, i guess it's hard for me to call it "betting against Lebron". I fully agree that Lebron is insanely good and if you take away Durant the gap between him and #2 right now would be monstrous. There's a couple of things i am considering:

1) Wade and Bosh had a horrible playoffs, Battier also looked really worn down. Mike Miller always did something for them in the playoffs. I mean they hung on with Ray Allen as their second best player for many games. Unless Greg Oden got some kind of Robocop treatment and can play this is likely Lebron`s worst supporting cast since Cleveland. I do expect some redemption from Wade this season but still

2) Knowing that Wade and Bosh can both take their options next season too could be problematic. Lebron might have better situations staring him in the face then making another run with them. His last year in Cleveland it was almost as if he didn`t mind losing as much because he knew it would be easier for him to leave. That's the impression i got in the Boston series in retrospect. If things go bad in the playoffs maybe he just somewhat mails it in and then says "hello LA" or something like that

Plus Indiana is just flat out good. I mean they took them to 7 with me and you coming off the bench
[/quote]

I agree with almost everything that you said. I personally think that both Wade and Bosh will have better seasons than they did last year. Like you I am expecting Wade to return to some type of his old form and be better than 95% of all two guards in the league. It's going to be interesting to see if that will be enough for LeBron to get out of the East. I know that Miami has a lot of old tiered legs, but I don't think that their hearts are tiered yet.

The Nets really interest me this year, if Kid can limit the minutes of Pierce and Garnett (how Pop does) than they can be dangerous in a 7 game series.

Clippers are the other team that I can't wait to see. It's going to be interesting to see how much toughness Doc can inject into that front line. Last year Gasol and Z-Bo embarrassed them. CP3 was 100% accurate in saying what he did, Blake needs to take the next step now and become the man. When I first watched him play I remember thinking "how can he not end up being one of the best fours ever". I still get the feeling that he can, he just needs to learn more of how to play like a big man and how to be physical without "trying" to be physical. He needs to play to his potential and it will be interesting to see if Doc can coach him up like people think he can.

[MtlJeff]

on my jog today (i always think about hoops when i run LOL) i just couldn't get over how much i'd love to see Rondo in OKC with Russell and Durant, and how much the Asik/Anderson trade makes sense. Asik for Anderson unquestionably makes both teams better and their salary is the same. I think if they sat Westbrook down and asked him to be an Iverson like guard, they could convince him to play with Rondo. And OKC needs to do [i]something[/i]....Boston is blowing stuff up....i'm sure they'd take a pick and say Jeremy Lamb. I don't see there being a [i]super [/i]hot market for Rondo given how many point guards there are

man. why can't the trades i want to happen ever happen....LOL

[tocino]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1381355460' post='7977605']
on my jog today (i always think about hoops when i run LOL) i just couldn't get over how much i'd love to see Rondo in OKC with Russell and Durant, and how much the Asik/Anderson trade makes sense. Asik for Anderson unquestionably makes both teams better and their salary is the same. I think if they sat Westbrook down and asked him to be an Iverson like guard, they could convince him to play with Rondo. And OKC needs to do [i]something[/i]....Boston is blowing stuff up....i'm sure they'd take a pick and say Jeremy Lamb. I don't see there being a [i]super [/i]hot market for Rondo given how many point guards there are

man. why can't the trades i want to happen ever happen....LOL
[/quote]

money? I know that OKC being a small market team means they really have to watch what they spend their money on. Just look at what happened when they made that ill-advised trad of harden because they thought they wouldn't be able to sign him, along with westbrook and durant's contracts. As much as rondo might make sense, lamb is on his rookie contract (cheaper) and might turn into the type of player they need

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='tocino' timestamp='1381356215' post='7977657']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1381355460' post='7977605']
on my jog today (i always think about hoops when i run LOL) i just couldn't get over how much i'd love to see Rondo in OKC with Russell and Durant, and how much the Asik/Anderson trade makes sense. Asik for Anderson unquestionably makes both teams better and their salary is the same. I think if they sat Westbrook down and asked him to be an Iverson like guard, they could convince him to play with Rondo. And OKC needs to do [i]something[/i]....Boston is blowing stuff up....i'm sure they'd take a pick and say Jeremy Lamb. I don't see there being a [i]super [/i]hot market for Rondo given how many point guards there are

man. why can't the trades i want to happen ever happen....LOL
[/quote]

money? I know that OKC being a small market team means they really have to watch what they spend their money on. Just look at what happened when they made that ill-advised trad of harden because they thought they wouldn't be able to sign him, along with westbrook and durant's contracts. As much as rondo might make sense, lamb is on his rookie contract (cheaper) and might turn into the type of player they need
[/quote]

I assume they would take Perkins back as part of the deal, i doubt the Celtics would have an issue with that. Perkins is terrible and his contract is running out, he wouldn't keep them out of the lottery which is what they want. They could also waive 1-2 guys. Rondo's contract only runs through next season (after this one), financially they could definitely pull it off

[gambit]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1381355460' post='7977605']
on my jog today (i always think about hoops when i run LOL) i just couldn't get over how much i'd love to see Rondo in OKC with Russell and Durant, and how much the Asik/Anderson trade makes sense. Asik for Anderson unquestionably makes both teams better and their salary is the same. I think if they sat Westbrook down and asked him to be an Iverson like guard, they could convince him to play with Rondo. And OKC needs to do [i]something[/i]....Boston is blowing stuff up....i'm sure they'd take a pick and say Jeremy Lamb. I don't see there being a [i]super [/i]hot market for Rondo given how many point guards there are

man. why can't the trades i want to happen ever happen....LOL
[/quote]

OK. I need some clarification. You're saying that Rondo going to OKC would let Westbrook be an Iverson type combo guard. How? Iverson spent his years as the primary ball handler and shooter for his team. Please don't say he had Eric Snow to run the point just because he brought the ball up half the time. Iverson gets the ball once it gets past half court. If Westbrook becomes that kind of player then how does Durant thrive and stay happy, and how do you justify having an all star PG in Rondo just bringing the ball up?

Asik isn't going anywhere until they know Dwight's back is 100%. Otherwise you lose your contingency plan. They can also play both of them together at times when playing bigger teams like Memphis. Anderson is a shooter with limited defense. If Harden plays like he can, Dwight is healthy, and Parsons gets better then why sacrifice defense for more offense?