2014 Free Agency Period: News and Discussion

[daytripper]

Tried posting this earlier today but had tech issues. Anyway, apparently the Spurs could possibly sign and trade Ayon Baynes. He played pretty well as a backup in San Antonio and played with Delly on the Australian national team this summer:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/234901/Spurs-Open-To-Sign-And-Trade-Deal-For-Ayon-Baynes
The San Antonio Spurs are open to signing-and-trading Aron Baynes, according to source.


Baynes is coming off a strong World Cup for Australia.

 

[iamacavalier]

Tried posting this earlier today but had tech issues. Anyway, apparently the Spurs could possibly sign and trade Ayon Baynes. He played pretty well as a backup in San Antonio and played with Delly on the Australian national team this summer:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/234901/Spurs-Open-To-Sign-And-Trade-Deal-For-Ayon-Baynes
The San Antonio Spurs are open to signing-and-trading Aron Baynes, according to source.


Baynes is coming off a strong World Cup for Australia.

He only played 12 minutes a game for Australia. I admittedly haven't seen him play but can't imagine he will give us a whole lot more than most borderline NBA players. And to give something up for him in a s&t?

 

[AZCavs]

The HEAT have two guys who can create, Wade and Bosh, with the remaining roster spots full of role players. If/when Wade goes down with injury or takes games off, their offense will be atrocious.

The Heat have two guys on their roster that USED to be able to create for themselves. Wade can't anymore. If he could, his shot attempts wouldn't have dipped as much as they did last year considering his field goal percentage was a career high. He can create in spurts and that's about it, even when healthy. Bosh might be able to create a little here and there but he evolved into a 3 point shooter who fed off others.

For as many changes the Cavs have made, the Heat have made plenty themselves. The big difference is that the Cavs added two all star players on their team who are still in the prime of their careers, one of which is the best player in the game, whereas the Heat lost the best player in the game and replaced him with injury prone has-beens and a bunch of stiffs. Their two best players are on the wrong side of 30. One is crippled and the other forgot he is a post player.

They are going to royally blow and I am going to laugh hysterically about it.

 

[kovanovich]

Tried posting this earlier today but had tech issues. Anyway, apparently the Spurs could possibly sign and trade Ayon Baynes. He played pretty well as a backup in San Antonio and played with Delly on the Australian national team this summer:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/234901/Spurs-Open-To-Sign-And-Trade-Deal-For-Ayon-Baynes
The San Antonio Spurs are open to signing-and-trading Aron Baynes, according to source.


Baynes is coming off a strong World Cup for Australia.

I'm sure they are willing to do a sign and trade if another team is willing to give up something for him. After all, he's got a ring. That means he is good!

Seriously, he is a vet minimum type of player. If I were the Cavs, I'd consider doing a sign and trade of Lucas III for him if the Spurs didn't want anything else. This would allow the Cavs to pay him a bit more. Spurs have no motivation to do that though.

 

[AZCavs]

I don't think the Heat are stacked, and I'm not worried about them, but they don't exactly look like a laughing stock team, either.

pg-Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Shabazz Napier
sg-Dwayne Wade, Shannon Brown, Reggie Williams
sf-Luol Deng, Danny Granger, James Ennis
pf-Chris Bosh, Josh McRoberts, Shawne Williams
c-Chris Anderson, Udonis Haslem, Justin Hamilton

In the East, that'll still get you the 4-8 seed pretty easily.

Easily? Look, I get that pretty much everyone bases future success on past accomplishments, but I think certain folks are completely ignoring the teams who are improved in the East. Last season, I remember the narrative being driven for New york and Brooklyn. Everyone thought they were sure-fire playoff teams. But Brooklyn needed to scratch and claw back into the race after starting ridiculously poor and New York was a grease-fire all season. No one figured that teams like Charlotte, Toronto or Washington would develop into better or comparable teams.

Now people seem to be forgetting that, while the East was bad, it wasn't as historically bad as people make it out to be. There are teams out there that not only COULD be better than Miami. I completely expect them to be.

Charlotte with Jefferson, Lance, Kemba Walker and that group of young, improving talent.

Toronto with DeRozan, Lowry, Ross, Jonas and a solid cast of support.

Washington with Wall, Gortat, Pierce, Beal, Nene, etc...

I expect those teams to smoke Miami's group of geriatric basketball players.

If everything falls in line for the Heat, which it won't, I still see them no higher than 6.

 

[blazenmp]

Easily? Look, I get that pretty much everyone bases future success on past accomplishments, but I think certain folks are completely ignoring the teams who are improved in the East. Last season, I remember the narrative being driven for New york and Brooklyn. Everyone thought they were sure-fire playoff teams. But Brooklyn needed to scratch and claw back into the race after starting ridiculously poor and New York was a grease-fire all season. No one figured that teams like Charlotte, Toronto or Washington would develop into better or comparable teams.

Now people seem to be forgetting that, while the East was bad, it wasn't as historically bad as people make it out to be. There are teams out there that not only COULD be better than Miami. I completely expect them to.

Charlotte with Jefferson, Lance, Kemba Walker and that group of young, improving talent.

Toronto with DeRozan, Lowry, Ross, Jonas and a solid cast of support.

Washington with Wall, Gortat, Pierce, Beal, Nene, etc...

I expect those teams to smoke Miami's group of geriatric basketball players.

If everything falls in line for the Heat, which it won't, I still see them no higher than 6.

So... You give them a chance then, eh? [emoji1]

 

[Nathan S]

Miami's 1-deep at every position except point guard, where they're 0-deep. They're going to have guys like Cole, Brown, Granger, and Haslem, who would never crack the rotation on a normal playoff team, playing significant minutes every night, and potentially starting if they have injuries. It would take an incredible stroke of luck (i.e. Wade, Deng both playing 70+ games) for them to make the playoffs in my opinion.

Their scoring differential with LeBron on the bench last year was -3 points per 100 possessions, a figure that would have ranked right between the Kings and the Pelicans. I figure they'll be slightly better than that because Deng's no scrub, but considering Wade's another year older, they probably won't be much better.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

Please tell me how the Heat are stacked.

Unless you are being sarcastic.

The Heat aren't really stacked at all.

I am so relieved to hear you say that.

Still - they are in better shape than I wish they were.

I had hoped for Pat Riley to be in his own circle of hell, where everything just got 10 times "itchier". But that hasn't come to pass, yet...

 

[Nathan S]

I am so relieved to hear you say that.

Still - they are in better shape than I wish they were.

I had hoped for Pat Riley to be in his own circle of hell, where everything just got 10 times "itchier". But that hasn't come to pass, yet...

Nah, this is ideal. They look poised to wallow in the late lottery to 6th seed range for the next 5 years. Should be a nice long stretch of mediocre basketball while they watch their stars slowly fade away

 

[Snarly]

Nah, this is ideal. They look poised to wallow in the late lottery to 6th seed range for the next 5 years. Should be a nice long stretch of mediocre basketball while they watch their stars slowly fade away

Dude....

 

[Snarly]

I am so relieved to hear you say that.

Still - they are in better shape than I wish they were.

I had hoped for Pat Riley to be in his own circle of hell, where everything just got 10 times "itchier". But that hasn't come to pass, yet...

Dan Gilbert Is the new Mafia... Riley is SOOOOooo YesterDay. Like DUH!

 

[secund2nun]

The heat will be mediocre. They still have no center, no post defense. And no rebounding. And Deng is overrated. At best they will be a 4th seed... Possibly much worse. Spo is a garbage coach as well.

 

[Kizzle]

Fuck the Heat. Thnx for the players tho

 

[jason436]

Not to mention that Wade and Deng aren't exactly full season players anymore. Its entirely feasible with being older and their injury history that they would only get 82 games combined out of the two of them.

 

[Cavsfan161]

Reckon Heat still get a 5-6 seed