Wiggins is not going to be a 3 point shooter right away. He needs a ton of work.

I'm encouraged to by the way Bennett played. But: a) it's exhibition games and he's playing against a lot of college players while he's 1 year in; b) a lot of his points came from wide open dunks where nobody guarded the dunk; c) he shot well under 50%. Let's be careful about what we say here. He does look a lot more fit, energetic, and most importantly confident.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Joe harris turns out to be a nobody even though I like the pick.

Let's not get too hung up on players who have a shitload to prove.

Yeah, it's an interesting point. Kyrie, Waiters, Lebron, Wiggins can all shoot 3's. But none of them would you say it's the main piece of their game. Most of them are kind of streak shooters from deep. They will probably add 2 of the 3 -- Allen, James Jones, and Mike Miller, which will help, but they're kind of just role playing rotation guys.

The big problem is at 4 and 5 where the bigs (Thompson, Varejao, Haywood) are not great outside shooters. My issue was and always has been... that same question you ask about 3-point shooting can also be asked about defense. If the Cavs trade Wiggins for Love, they're probably featuring a starting lineup where you have a good enough defender at Center, an elite defender in Lebron, and 3 guys who are terrible at defense.

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After LeBron left Cleveland, the remaining Cavs players' true shooting percentages dropped by 6.5% the next year. The players who were on the Heat the previous year saw a cumulative TS % increase of 3.1%.

The players will shoot better next year merely due to the fact that they are getting better shots, but there certainly aren't any deadeye bombers like Kyle Korver.

What will be interesting is if they can shoot well in a motion offense. Namely catch and shoot situations. Waiters and Kyrie are shot creators. Kyrie was actually lousy in catch and shoot situations. So their game will need some adjustment since they'll be playing with Lebron and Blatt's offense is probably going to have a lot of pick and pop. But Kyrie did shoot almost 40% his rookie season despite a terrible team so the talent is there.

Good deal. Birdman is solid depth off the bench.

Zach Lowe mentioned this, but even if Kyrie is a bad catch and shoot player now, and he is, if you can shoot off the dribble you can learn to shoot in a set position as well.

Maybe his mechanics are screwed up

Im confused why they didn't match Dallas' offer for Parsons. They had the space right?

Poor Houston. Always going to be in Dallas shadow.

Agreed. Their top 3 guys (minus Wiggins, who I think is a big work in progress in terms of outside shooting) should be pretty effective especially after you add Allen and/or Jones and/or Miller. Though I think sometimes streaky. SNR's right that their 4 and 5 are going to be pretty lousy. A stretch big would be nice but while a 3-point bomber would be nice, perimeter shooting would be fine. The Cavs have an interesting dilemma if they are seriously considering Wiggins or Love. Love will add a shitload more balance to the shooting and provide a consistent 3 point threat. But the reason I think Wiggins is untradeable is he provides badly needed fresh legs for Lebron. If Wiggins is traded, I could see Lebron playing 40 minutes a game, often being asked to guard the 4, and being completely unreplaceable on defense.

Well f me. He went to Cleveland.

yeah. **** you. Wrong again
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Last time I checked the Rockets have more championships than the Mavericks.

Houston may be worse now, but Parsons is a not a good contract for Dallas. I guess Morey prefers 2015 cap flexibility. We'll see how it works out.

@SportsCenter: Dunk Of The Day: Andrew Wiggins shows why he was taken 1st overall with this sick behind-the-back 360 slam. » http://t.co/goO6BSf9TI

I'm failing to see how a 3 year, 46 million dollar deal is bad for an emerging player that averaged almost 17 points as a 3rd wheel last year?

He also plays defense.

It's a good contract because it's short in duration. It's a 2 year deal with a 3rd year option.

Before you start touting Ariza's horn, the guy has put together 2 really great years in his career and both were contract years. I'd be shocked if his play didn't fall off a cliff in Houston.

Who's playing PG for Houston?

ROFL You and I are a lot alike.

Love is a great passer as well.

So Miami looking like Chalmers-Wade-Deng-McRoberts-Bosh with Cole-Napier-Ennis-Granger-Haslem-Birdman off the bench.

Probably a 4-7 seed team in the East with a few moves remaining (James Jones? Jameer Nelson? Oden? Trade Cole?)

4 to 6 is where I would put them. Maybe higher if Washington doesn't progress, which I suspect them to take a nice jump with Wall and Beal getting older.

Heat need another combo guard for the bench somebody like a Rodney Stuckey would be a nice pickup for the right price.

Looking at them right now, it looks as if a lot's going to depend on Wade's knees.

Chandler Parson is going to fit nicely on the Mavs

Miami will probably win about 40-44 games next year.

Im in no way a fan of Houston's offseason. How can I be? It was a swing and miss and I definitely would have preferred to keep Parsons. Ariza is meh and can be traded with that contract, if needed. Though he's a downgrade, he's not a 7 million/year downgrade.

But let's get one thing straight... Parsons does not play defense. He has pretty much regressed every year. Some of that may be to playing 38 minutes a night, but his defense was almost as bad as Harden's. Ariza is definitely an upgrade there.

And Yes. It should be well known by now that I can't stand Pat Beverley. He might be better than what Dallas has though.

I really hope Cleveland can get Miller.

Morey is probably going to go after Rondo or something. Can't say I agree with it, but it's whatever. Best to luck to Parsons, I really do like him, but he's well overpaid.

Me too. And Ray Allen.

I really hope Cleveland can break apart in mid-air.

I want to see Rustshack's posts after that.

If anything breaks apart mid-air, it'll be Kyrie's dick and LeBron will have to carry the entire load again.

Morey just flatly ****ed up when he agreed to let Parsons test the waters this year. You have to know that if you do that, especially w/ Morey's reputation, that he's going to get poison pilled.

On top of that, in an attempt to clear out cap space that wasn't used, he ended up giving away a valuable asset to dump Lin.

He overplayed his hand and flushed his chips in the process.

Yeah, he should be held accountable. He has some work in front of him.

****, I hate Alonzo Gee. Worst offseason ever. **** sports.

I hope he re-evaluates his method of stockpiling assets. I'm just not a fan of it. I still don't understand anyone who thinks Melo would have fit in when your team has Harden and Howard. I don't think he was criticized enough for paying a shitload of money to Lin and Asik, and then bringing in players who completely wipe out their games.

Going after Bosh? Good move. Going after Ariza? Good move. These are guys who actually complement the players on the court. Trading Lin and Asik? Good move. Hopefully this is a sign he's rethinking his approach and doesn't just chase after the next asset next year with no regard to fit.

He chased assets when he had none. Go back and look at that roster before Lin/Asik/Harden. Morey swung for the fences this off-season and it didn't work out. If he gets Bosh and they keep Parsons, he's a genuis. I'd love having him as my GM. The number of good moves greatly exceed the bad ones in his case.

Non-guaranteed contract, he'll probably get cut.

Great moves? He signs Omer Asik to a massive contract and then decides to run a pick and roll offense even though he's one of the clumsiest catchers in the game. He overpays for Jeremy Lin and then trades for James Harden, a guy who completely takes Lin's game away. They then sign Dwight Howard, a guy who bitches when he's not in the post who now has to play in a pick and roll offense.

Then, despite James Harden being a complete disaster on defense, they think the next big move is to add Melo who also sucks on defense. Despite the fact that Harden is notorious for holding onto the ball, they think Melo (another guy who holds onto the ball) is a good idea. Despite the fact that Howard was already getting whiny because of touches, they think it's a good idea to have two guys in Melo and Harden who hold onto the ball for an eternity.

The moves haven't made any sense. Bosh would have been an outstanding move. Ariza is a terrific move too. But let's not forget that the only reason they made those moves is by admitting a huge mistake in Lin and Asik who were both purged to make room for a big free agent they couldn't get, and that the only reason they would have gotten Bosh is because they didn't land Lebron or Melo.

First, I said "good moves" not "great moves". Signing Lin to a poison pill contract was creative but turned out to be mediocre at best, but Lin was a risk/reward play at a time they had very few playmakers (Harden wasn't there yet). Asik is a very good player, it was a good move at the time it was made. The Harden trade was one of the all time trades; do you not make that trade because you'll have some duplication with Lin? Of course not. He drafted Parsons in the 2nd round. He signed Beverly off the scrap heap. He took the risk on Howard, knowing he could move on from Asik if that duo didn't work. Do you not sign Howard because you have some duplication with Asik?

As for putting Melo with Harden and Howard....I think it could have worked with the right coach. Harden is a willing passer. Melo, when he's played with other great players (Olympics), has been outstanding. When it became apparent Bosh may be available, they put on a full court press. They rolled the dice for either Melo or Bosh and it didn't work. I'd rather my team be aggressive than not.

A few years ago, people wondered why Amare and Melo couldn't co-exist. It's because they use the same exact space. While I agree that to some extent, you have to make the system fit the players, you have to be conscious of the system. I just don't see that here. They're just going after the top free agents and trying to jam them into the system, and then you have a whole bunch of guys who don't want to play next to each other.

Again, I do really like moves like Bosh and Ariza. At least that feels like they have a plan in place. I don't like them going after Melo. Harden and Melo want the ball a lot, and they prefer to hold the ball and make a move. Howard bitches when he doesn't get the ball. I just don't like the dynamic.

Houston won two forgettable championships by default when Jordan retired and the talent level was down. Mavs beat a very good Heat team.

And both the rockets and mavs will always be the Spurs bitches. :thumb:

Shaq beat Jordan. Hakeem demolished Shaq.

The 94-95 team would have raped the Dirks

And if any team was winning when the talent level was down, it was the Spurs.

jealous rockets fan is jealous.

Maybe, but it's true. Even the national team was dogshit during the spurs 02-07 run

I suppose they thought he was the defense presence they needed to beat the Lakers at the time. Problem is the Lakers faded and the top teams didn't really have a big man. Except Memphis. I don't think we get past them either year without Perkins or someone like him. As much as I hate Perkins it's really more about his inflated contract and Brooks over use of him.

It was Jordan's first year back. Beating the Magic wasn't that impressive. Houston sucks.

Only "forgettable" to idiots such as yourself. WHENEVER a team wins BACK to BACK TITLES, its a very memorable event. How many times has it been done and how many times has a 6th seed done it? Besides, you do realize Jordan was back for one of those titles, dont you???

The Mavs had a great year when they finally won their first and only title, but there was nothing special about it or that Heat team they beat. Then I believe they got bounced from the playoffs EARLY the following year as they didnt put up any defense of their title. Talk about "forgettable."...:hmmm:

I like how Gasol went to the Bulls. If your point guard is going to be injured, may as well have the best passing big men in the NBA.

In the East? With Deng? 4-5 seed minimum. The East blows.

Could quite possibly be

1. Chicago
2. Cleveland
3. Indiana
4. Miami
5. Toronto
6. Washington

Would be my guess

Jordan went for 38,39, and 40 against Orlando and still lost. Shot over 48% for the playoffs that year too. So rusty. But following that narrative, we could point out that it was the Heat's first year playing together.

Bingo. Pretty damn lame to make excuses for Jordan when he goes off for 38, 39 and 40 points in a series... Or we could point out that Dallas did NOTHING in defense of their title except get bounced early the following season. They have spent over $150 Million in luxury tax over the years and have ONLY 1 title to show for it.

Looks like the Rockets are now trying to trade for Rondo.

He didn't even play the whole year... Who cares what he scored against Orlando, let's not act like he was fully in the swing of things with the team
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I've been reading this thread, but I have no idea what you people are arguing about. Is this just a pissing contest between a couple Texans about which franchise is better? And whether the Spurs' or Rockets' or Mavs' titles are more legit?

Because that's a completely stupid argument.

The Wizards will be better than at least half those teams ahead of them

Ok, fine. Here's some real news. Rockets in the process of bringing back Troy "Black Steve Kerr" Daniels!

Watching Wiggins tonight in summer league. Same Wiggins I saw at KU. Physically talented, floats around not taking advantage of it. If they can trade him for a 25 year old Kevin Love who is a top 15 player, regardless the difference in salaries, I'd run to the phone if I'm the Cavs. It's a no brainer IMO.

If Wall and Beal take a step up then the Wizards should be a top 3 team easily.

No way.

A combined 4/23 from three...

We need defense a lot more than we need another stretch 4. And I was more talking about Bennett looking great in games, but Wiggins looks great from a physical standpoint and some of the crazy things he's been doing. But yes Wiggins has had some nice shots, not all of them from 3.

I don't like that for the Rockets. Harden isn't going to thrive off the ball. Plus, who are you giving up to get Rondo. Kevin Love would be a better fit, but the Rockets don't have the assets to aquire him without breaking up the core.

I don't get why the Rockets didn't at least trade Chandler Parsons. Obviously, he was coveted and made less than a million this year. I kept hearing to clear cap room, but don't you opt in and trade him for picks after you make the deal? Presti has been slammed for the Harden trade, rightfully so to a degree. Morey has got his dick sucked. The return on the Harden trade wasn't great yet, but they have Steven Adams and Jeremy Lamb from it. The Rockets got jack shit for Parsons. OKC has gone to the WCF 3 out of 4 years. Houston hasn't won a playoff game.

Morey says their goal isn't to pay Chandler Parsons, but find the next Chandler Parsons. Hmmm, I was told last week he wasn't cheap. Maybe there is more involved than some fantasy GMs around here would like to admit?

I'm not totally defending Presti either. He has made some glaring mistakes. All in all he's doing better than most.

This. I honestly don't see the hype over Wiggins. He's a talent for sure. But there's no way I'd let him keep me from getting an in prime Kevin Love. I didn't see enough out of him in college for me to think he'll be a KD or LBJ or any generational player.

You need to be better, regardless of the side of the floor. At the end of the day, the goal is to score more points than the other team. Kevin Love is a top 15 player, and yes much of his value is on the offensive end. He's also a very good defensive rebounder and outlet guy. You're projecting with Wiggins, much as you do with the rest of your teams/players. What are the chances Wiggins is a top 15 guy at some point? I'd guess you'll say 75%. In reality it's probably 10-20%. I'd take the bird in the hand all day, and that's Love.

Oh, and Love isn't just "another stretch 4".

"Both shooting the three very well"

Just admit that you saw one highlight of a made 3.

Morey definitely rolled the dice with Parsons and got burned. But he did so with the intent of getting a Melo or Bosh, then matching any Parsons offer. Once they didn't get the big guns they were after, they decided Parsons wasn't a max player and they'd get 80% of Parsons at 50% of the cost with Ariza. It didn't work out for him, but he's swinging for the fences. He's made moves that can be criticized, no doubt. But I like that he's willing to take the big risk to hit it big.

On the flip side, Presti is more measured. Different strokes....

I read another thing about a hold up in the Love to Warriors trade. The Warriors are over valuing David Lee while the Wolves consider him just an expensive throw in.

Right but they had the option to pick up Parsons last year at 900k then trade him if they needed too. At least thats my understanding. I think it was a mistake to not get assets in return. I understand a GM like Morey is exciting for fans, but he has changed the roster so drastically they are like a new team every year.

Another thing about going after Rondo. I see he and Dwight clashing bigtime after a few months. I just think Morey is flashy and doesn't put a lot of thought into how the roster is constructed.

I will. The tweets I was reading at the start if the game were deceiving I guess, must have been his first few shots he hit. But I had heard nothing but rave reviews in every aspect especially dunking and defense through practice before the games started.

But yes the videos I've seen have him have been sick so far. Yes his offense will be a project for a few years, but he will be able to defend already. That will be huge to have both James and Wiggins who can defend the Wings.

Bennett is also in beast mode this off season. He's out to prove everyone wrong and will. Sure he more than likely won't be as good as Love, but he's going to be pretty good.

I'd love to get Love obviously, but they are going to have to lower their asking price. Orlando had to for Howard, and the thunder did for Harden. They can play hard ball a little longer, but if they keep putting it off they will settle for less than they are being offered now.

I've also seen Kevin Martins contract that the T'Wolves are trying to unload is holding it up as well.

Wiggins could be an elite defender and he's already NBA ready in that regard.

At worst, Wiggins is an elite defender, great system guy, and an effective 15 PPG scorer which is a great guy to have. At best, and his ceiling is enormous, he matches elite defense with offensive playmaking ability. Could easily develop into a max contract guy for a team that values defense.

I want to keep Wiggins because I think he's critical to keeping Lebron's legs fresh.

Having a pair of lousy shooters (Howard, Rondo) among your "big 3" isn't really a good idea, especially in crunch time. I don't see this deal, at least in the forms I've seen put out there, working out for either team.

What the **** are they going to do with David Lee? Make him the first big off the bench?

Wiggins has a lot of potentail, but if you can get Love you do it. No brainer. Irving, Love and LBJ with the role players they do and will have make them Championship contenders day one. Although, I tend to think they maybe anyway. I would definitely still favor them in the East with the expected roster. If you get that far you have some kind of chance. Lebron is that valuable.

Ironic.

100% agree. I posted about this a few pages back. I get that the NBA allows you to build a little outside of a system, but the chemistry of the guys they've put together or tried to put together just doesn't make any sense. Bosh and Ariza were sensible. I really don't get Melo or Rondo. I just don't.

I would give up a potentially elite defender for an elite scorer and elite rebounder any day of the week.

Ariza was a good pickup for them. They needed a perimeter defender desperately.

I think Melo could have worked, Rondo I don't get. But, as far as I've seen or read, that's just speculation at this point.