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mav_9me

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I was thinking Westbrook is better than Paul but then I feel like is that really true? I mean other than being more available to play...
 

ZDwyr

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I was thinking Westbrook is better than Paul but then I feel like is that really true? I mean other than being more available to play...
I think it depends on whether Westbrook's shooting issues are continuous or if he can: A) improve them or B) shoot less

If he can't do those things then I'd say it's a close decision at least. I'd still have Westbrook as an upgrade (he did make third team all-nba so he isn't as bad as some have you believe). If he does those things then yes it's an upgrade.
 

Sarni

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Is their squad getting dismantled already?
Kawhi has left.

I would be surprised if they even broke into East semis, especially now that it’s been rumored KD will be back around January. They have basically no chance against Sixers and Bucks without Kawhi.

I would expect them to trade some of Lowry, Ibaka and Gasol for assets before deadline too. They need to build around Siakam, OG and maybe FVV.
 

Casanova85

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Kawhi has left.

I would be surprised if they even broke into East semis, especially now that it’s been rumored KD will be back around January. They have basically no chance against Sixers and Bucks without Kawhi.

I would expect them to trade some of Lowry, Ibaka and Gasol for assets before deadline too. They need to build around Siakam, OG and maybe FVV.
Oh, sh*t, ok then:lol:
 

freeurmind

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Decent haul for OKC but Houston gets the younger player and ships out Paul who if rumours are to be believed was struggling to get along with Harden. 2 1st rounder and 2 pick swaps is alot for me and I'm one of the ones who thinks Westbrook has real value. On another note, Chris Paul, Gallanari and Adams isn't the worst trio in the world with Schroeder coming off the bench. Also, with 5 million picks Presti could still chase a player or 2, so OKC might not be in full rebuild mode quite yet.
Oh and as always James Dolan should sell the Knicks please.
 

Sarni

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Decent haul for OKC but Houston gets the younger player and ships out Paul who if rumours are to be believed was struggling to get along with Harden. 2 1st rounder and 2 pick swaps is alot for me and I'm one of the ones who thinks Westbrook has real value. On another note, Chris Paul, Gallanari and Adams isn't the worst trio in the world with Schroeder coming off the bench. Also, with 5 million picks Presti could still chase a player or 2, so OKC might not be in full rebuild mode quite yet.
Oh and as always James Dolan should sell the Knicks please.
They will probably try to ship them all away. They are already trying to reroute Paul somewhere else.

The haul they have is perfect if they want to sell the team in the next 3-4 years. It’s possible.

Pelicans are the most exciting rebuild ever.
 

Bubz27

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They will probably try to ship them all away. They are already trying to reroute Paul somewhere else.

The haul they have is perfect if they want to sell the team in the next 3-4 years. It’s possible.

Pelicans are the most exciting rebuild ever.
Only if fat boy loses some weight.
 

UweBein

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What does the Café think about Dallas‘ prospects. No one seems to expect anything from them. I am thinking that Kristaps is more than a decent improvement of the squad.
 

Sarni

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What does the Café think about Dallas‘ prospects. No one seems to expect anything from them. I am thinking that Kristaps is more than a decent improvement of the squad.
Everyone expects a lot from Doncic, he’s one of the hottest prospects in the league. Porzingis is a huge talent as well and has proven himself to be one of the best bigs in the game, but the question is how good he can be after a year and a half of not playing.

They won’t be a playoffs team this year and possibly not for the next 2-3 seasons but they should get into contention in the long term. It’s a shame they couldn’t really get any valuable free agents with the cap space they had.
 

elmo

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What does the Café think about Dallas‘ prospects. No one seems to expect anything from them. I am thinking that Kristaps is more than a decent improvement of the squad.
How good they'll be depends on how healthy Porzingis can stay.

Dude's good when healthy, but he's almost never healthy for long.
 

cesc's_mullet

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Only if fat boy loses some weight.
Players like him that rely on that explosive power cannot be that heavy and expect to have a long career.

Only fatboys like the Joker can succeed at that size. And this guy weighs more than the Joker, let that sink in.
 

cesc's_mullet

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What does the Café think about Dallas‘ prospects. No one seems to expect anything from them. I am thinking that Kristaps is more than a decent improvement of the squad.
Man regardless of how good Porzingas becomes they are still behind:

LAC
LAL
Utah
Houston
Nuggets
GSW
Portland
 

Stobzilla

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Players like him that rely on that explosive power cannot be that heavy and expect to have a long career.

Only fatboys like the Joker can succeed at that size. And this guy weighs more than the Joker, let that sink in.
If I am the Pels, I am trading him straight away, there are no excuses for showing up like that.
 

cesc's_mullet

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If I am the Pels, I am trading him straight away, there are no excuses for showing up like that.
Not sure if serious?

There is simply no way they'd trade him now, after everything that happened. There's more chance that Zion would actually turn away that third helping of Gumbo before the Pelicans trade him.
 

cesc's_mullet

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2020 - westbrook, 38.5, paul 38.5
2021 - westbrook 41.4, paul 41.4
2022 - westbrook 44.2, paul 44.2
2023 - westbrook 47.0, paul 0
Why do teams insists on back-ending their huge contracts? Seems like it always looks like a bad move.
 

UweBein

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Man regardless of how good Porzingas becomes they are still behind:

LAC
LAL
Utah
Houston
Nuggets
GSW
Portland
I agree with what you and the others say. It's still a strange one for me. Maybe because I was expexting them to be a dead cert for the playoffs before the trade circus began.
 

Sarni

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If I am the Pels, I am trading him straight away, there are no excuses for showing up like that.
What? :lol:

He'll be good. He hasn't played for a while and hasn't trained due to injury. He will drop weight within a few weeks and should be ready for start of season without any problem.

Meanwhile their other draft picks have given great accounts of themselves in the Summer League. Alexander-Walker was spectacular in most games, Hayes was proper solid and has shown some qualities which are likely to translate to NBA and Didi has shown potential as well. I would expect Nickeil to already get significant minutes next season, Hayes should probably be 18-20 mpg player this year behind Favors before making a jump next season and Didi could get minutes off the bench as well. Their future is incredibly exciting because they seem to have great depth and many ways to set up their team.

I'm also excited about our reserve backcourt. Simons and Trent have shown significant improvement in the Summer League and both should get minutes next season now that Curry is gone. Frontcourt is concern though, even after all trades and free agency signings it seems that our depth chart will only include Collins, Whiteside, Tolliver, Hezonja and Skal which isn't enough. Nurkic should return around February at which point he'll be sharing minutes with Whiteside (he's a better player but will take a moment to get back into form). We still badly need wings, Hood is our only viable option at small forward. Maybe Hezonja can have a breakthrough season but that's a lot to expect from a player who hasn't really been consistent at any point in his career. Bazemore could potentially play some 3 as well.
 
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Sarni

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Back when Rockets got Paul you might have supposed he wouldn't be good for them for the entire length of his deal post-extension due to his age but I don't think it would have been generally assumed that Clippers got a much, much better end of that deal. Two years forward Beverley, Williams and Harrell are integral pieces for them and helped them acquire Kawhi and PG13 while Rockets had to give up two first round picks and two swaps to trade Paul for Westbrook who isn't that great of a fit either.
 

UweBein

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...

I'm also excited about our reserve backcourt. Simons and Trent have shown significant improvement in the Summer League and both should get minutes next season now that Curry is gone. Frontcourt is concern though, even after all trades and free agency signings it seems that our depth chart will only include Collins, Whiteside, Tolliver, Hezonja and Skal which isn't enough. Nurkic should return around February at which point he'll be sharing minutes with Whiteside (he's a better player but will take a moment to get back into form). We still badly need wings, Hood is our only viable option at small forward. Maybe Hezonja can have a breakthrough season but that's a lot to expect from a player who hasn't really been consistent at any point in his career. Bazemore could potentially play some 3 as well.
IMO there is a really good player, but somehow he lacks the mental focus to reach his potential. I am really disappointed with his development, so far. Portland is his last chance, I guess.
 

Sarni

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IMO there is a really good player, but somehow he lacks the mental focus to reach his potential. I am really disappointed with his development, so far. Portland is his last chance, I guess.
We've been good at recycling players recently so I have a hope here. I agree that there's a good player there but he just hasn't found consistency and motivation. I think a year of playing on a minimum contract in that environment could really help him develop. Good thing is, if he shows promise we could potentially give him a really good deal next season and keep him.

I also reckon Skal could have a good season. He was one of the top prospects coming to college but was always going to take 2-3 years in the league before he could play significant minutes.

He might be a solid option as a stretch four/starting three.
 

RobinLFC

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Simmons, 76ers agree to a 5-year, $170m max contract extension.
 

ZDwyr

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Back when Rockets got Paul you might have supposed he wouldn't be good for them for the entire length of his deal post-extension due to his age but I don't think it would have been generally assumed that Clippers got a much, much better end of that deal. Two years forward Beverley, Williams and Harrell are integral pieces for them and helped them acquire Kawhi and PG13 while Rockets had to give up two first round picks and two swaps to trade Paul for Westbrook who isn't that great of a fit either.
CP3 was a huge part in Houston taking GSW to a game 7 (where they should have probably won). Clippers have done nothing yet and I wouldn't overstate the influence Bev, Williams etc had in getting Kawhi and PG. Sure it was a nice bonus but it was more the city and the chance to play together that caused it. Also, CP3 turned into Westbrook who (IMO) is still a great player. Houston didn't do too badly with the whole CP3 era.