Mega Deal Monday, the David Lee Edition
by Stop-n-Pop on Jan 5, 2009 5:00 AM CST
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This little tidbit on RealGM caught my eye yesterday:
Several sources with knowledge of the situation have told Tommy Dee that the Portland Trailblazers are getting serious about trading for David Lee.
The Blazers’ organization feels Lee’s style of play would fit perfectly in Portland as he can play in both the half court system and get out and run as well as any forward in the NBA.
The Knicks may be interested in Jerryd Bayless, who has fallen behind Sergio Rodriguez on their depth chart, and whom the team passed on in this year’s draft or Rodriguez, but the combination of either and a first round pick won’t be enough to entice Walsh. This is where a third team may get involved.
And here come the Fantasy GM Wolves!!!
I'm not really sure how a 3rd team could add much to this equation, as Bayless and Lee can simply be traded straight up and any addition would simply be another tacked-on trade that could survive on its own...but here's a very complicated idea that just may...well, it will never happen:
To the Blazers:
- Jason Collins
- David Lee
- Rodney Carney
To the Knicks:
- S. Randolph
- Jerryd Bayless
- Mike Miller
- Calvin Booth
- Travis Outlaw
To the Wolves:
- Starbury
- Nic Batum
- Conditional #1 from one team, #2 from other
Here's something a bit more realistic:
To the Blazers:
- David Lee
To the Knicks:
- Mike Miller
- Jerryd Bayless
To the Wolves:
- Nic Batum
- #2 picks from both Knicks and Blazers
That's about as good as I can come up with for a deal that could simply happen with 1 player for another. I don't think I'd pull the trigger on either deal. The only good thing about the 2nd one is that Miller's deal gets swapped out a year earlier. Would Bayless have to come to the Wolves in order to make this somewhat interesting? I don't know how many of our readers remember last year's draft build up, but there wasn't a single player I was more opposed to than Bayless. Do. Not. Want.
Any other ideas?
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I hope...
Kevin Pritchard doesn’t read the second one. It is a fantastic deal for Portland. With a couple trades like this, Portland might actually be able to field two whole teams that are better than the Wolves.
I’m not saying it is an unrealistic deal because of the potential of Batum and Bayless but in the short term they’d be way ahead.
As I recall it you were...
more opposed to Eric Gordon.
I thought so at first...
…but then I checked my final draft board:
http://www.canishoopus.com/2008/6/23/555445/final-draft-board
Outside of Rose, who went nuts during the tourney and the last few games of the regular season, guards like Bayless and Gordon are especially underwhelming. I’m going to predict that Bayless will be viewed as one of the biggest busts in recent top draft memory and will be a bench player within 2 years.
I had him listed as my #1 Buyer Beware pick.
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David Lee...
Is a prime example why Wolves fans should be excited about multiple first round picks, even in a draft as week as this one. Coming out of Florida, Lee didn’t come close to sniffing the lottery. Provided an influx of intelligence in the front office, the Wolves should be able to pick up some quality players to either fill out the bench or groom into future trade assets. Portland is loaded with trade assets. If they pick up Lee they can move the cool soft LaMarcus Aldridge for a veteran scorer, future picks, or quality role players.
I’ve got my eyes on Gerald Henderson; who, even at 6-2, possesses the lateral quickness, explosiveness, wing span, intelligence, and toughness to lock down guards on the perimeter. To be a contender in the Western Conference, the Wolves absolutely will have to have someone who’ll be able to stay in front of the many great penetrating guards; such as, Chris Paul, Deron WIlliams, OJ Mayo, and Baron Davis.
No Dukies!!!
Hoopus has a strict no Dukie policy. ;)
How about Danny Green of UNC?
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The frequently-mentioned Joakim Noah . . .
. . . is apparently wearing out his welcome in Chicago:
"The one Bull who can least afford to be making waves was at it again last week, splashing around, rocking the boat and doing everything but cannonballs in the murky waters of the red, white and black sea.
If I were GM John Paxson, I’d throw Joakim Noah overboard as soon as possible"
I'd take him in a second
He’s a perfect backup for Love and Jefferson.
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when you say
you wouldn’t pull the trigger, do you mean you wouldn’t pull the trigger as Wolves GM? I’d do either in a second – hell, I’d trade half our team for Batum. I haven’t seen him play much, but what a talent.
I agree that Noah fits well with the Wolves on paper…but I wonder if the problems he seems to be having are really Chicago-specific. I think the reason I couldn’t stand him in college was that he was basically a bully – endless trash-talking while playing for the team with the most talent in the country by far. Which makes me wonder whether his problems in the NBA don’t stem from the fact that he’s not number 1 anymore – on the contrary, pretty much everyone is better than him. Maybe he just needs a change of scenery, but he’s definitely a buyer-beware guy for me.
The Noah stuff...
…is a perfect example of Fantasy GM vs. Real GM. There appears to be something going on behind the scenes with Noah and he may be unfit for trade due to personality issues. On paper, he’s what the Wolves need in the backup 4/5 role. I should have a big general disclaimer on this site about behind-the-scenes info; I have no way of knowing what these guys are like in the locker room so I ignore that part of the equation completely.
Batum is interesting. He’s young and awesomely athletic. He plays in a system where he just sort of has to blend in, take some 3s and play defense. Would he + a 2nd round pick (or 2) + a year removed off of Miller’s deal be enough to make that trade? It’s close. I have no way of saying because I have no way of evaluating his Euro play and he hasn’t played enough at this level to make a determination one way or another. He appears to be a Brewer-esque player who actually looks like he has more tools than Brewer.
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It's frustrating...
that Portland gets Batum for almost nothing (can’t remember details of trade, but wasn’t it Joey Dorsey & Change or something?….) and LA does the same for Ariza—-I’d just assume have Brewer over those two, but it’s very debatable and we used a mid-lotto pick on Brewer. I was intrigued by Batum, heading into the draft, but had obviously never seen him or anything. He has a nicer-looking shot than Brew, and is very athletic—however, neither Ariza nor Batum have QUITE the motor that Corey does… as he started to develop pre-injury, I feel good about his future as a positive force on a good team.
I doubt Portland will trade Batum on the cheap… he’s a guy that they could actually afford to keep, long-term, when they eventually have to lock up Roy-Aldridge-Oden to very expensive salaries. Thankfully for the Wolves, I think Portland will eventually have to stop acquiring stars.
I'm looking into it..
…but it will be interesting to see how Darius Miles affects Portland’s cap situation and if they will want to do something like trade Lafrenz for relief. I’m not familiar with the ins and outs of how this particular part of the equation works, but if anyone has a link to someone who does, it would be appreciated.
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Salary Cap
I can’t provide a link, but I know that Portland is RIGHT on the luxury tax threshold. If Miles plays in ten games this year then they add additional 9 mil or so this year, and then lose 9 mil off their available cap space next year.
I remember reading earlier in the year that there is a certain point in this season where you could sign Miles to a minimum contract, play him 10 games, and actually MAKE a profit once you figure the Portland luxury tax ramifications.
http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/blazers.jsp
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by wyn on Jan 6, 2009 9:17 AM CST up reply actions
The WGN guys...
calling the game where clearly disgusted by Noah. After he had a pretty big dunk they ripped him because he takes so long to “gather up” every time he goes up down-low. These guys were clear homers.
They were also exasperated with Tyrus Thomas because he flashes the talent that made him such a high pick but is very inconsistent(my guess is he’d be a consistent shot blocker if he played the wolves every game).
I’d put Noah on a don’t touch list. He might be in the mold of the athletic big they need but I don’t think he is the guy.
Noah
I agree with Pliny, something is up with Noah. The other Bulls seem to genuinely dislike/hate him, and it’s not like we really have any veteran presences on our team that could help incorporate a guy like Noah.
As a player though, he looks like a solid back-up. High energy, played good defense (I’d say better than Thomas) vs. Al/Love, a good passer. We could do/are doing worse.
Ironically, his alleged bad attitude makes him a more attractive trade target
The Wolves may not have to put up as much to get him out of there. Low salary with little time left. Maybe a change of scenery would do him some good. I always like proposing trades with teams that are in a little different phase of the cycle than the Wolves, vastly underperforming expectations, and with coaches on shaky ground. Keep an eye on the Bulls, Clips, Sixers, Warriors, Pistons—am I forgetting anybody?
re: trading for noah
i wonder what would be the effect of him playing with corey brewer again? i guess it would be just as likely to empower him and make him even more headstrong as it would be to calm him down by increasing his comfort level. and then i guess you’d have do make the same calculation about whether he’d be a bad influence on brewer too.
by secretarykissinger on Jan 5, 2009 1:43 PM CST up reply actions
The stuff that worries me about Noah..
….is the “he is a guy who looks like he is hustling” quotes that have popped up in 2 or 3 different places (one in the paper, i think). I wonder how much of a distraction he is.
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I'm a...
…“do.not.want.” kind of guy with Gooden. However, his contract expires after this year and as long as they keep money off the books going forward, I’m ok with that.
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Oh, absolutely
if for no other reason than Gooden’s goofy hairstyle deals (at least until Miller is moved).
I'd do the 2nd deal
if I’m the Wolves—no question. Getting Batum for the remnants of Mike Miller’s contract? Sweet.
My assumption is that the Knicks actually would want to rid themselves of one of their remaining contracts (Jeffries or Curry) in order to trade Lee.
by Eric in Madison on Jan 5, 2009 12:34 PM CST reply actions
So we get Batum and 2 picks for Mike "i only take wide open shots because i'm trying to keep my FG% up" Miller?
Funniest thing i’ve read all week
By the way, S-n-P
We’re good for 2009 on pictures that show David Lee Roth’s pelvic bones. Seriously. All full up for the quota.
I wonder if he still has them...
..or have they been surgically removed and implanted in his cheeks….and I’m talking about his facial cheeks.
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Duke...
As a dyed-in-the-wool liberal I grew up rooting for Dean Smith, a vocal democrat, and am as resistant as any self respecting progressive towards the idea of embracing a player coached by an on-the-record Republican like Coach K. That being said, If Barack is able to include a pedigreed Dukie like Reggie Love in his inner circle, surely Wolves fans can get behind the idea of accepting a ballhawking, thunderous dunk fast break finishing, and plays defense like he’s freshman walk-on trying to earn a scholarship from the chair throwing Indiana era Bobby Knight- player like Gerald Henderson? Thoughts gotta get outta the boxes…
by Brokenteeth on Jan 5, 2009 5:12 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Solid case...
…I, however, will cling to my shallow partisan hatred of Coach K while continuing to say “no we can’t” to all thinks Dukie. ;)
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whoops..."all things Dukie"
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Hold on a second...
When Wolves fans speculate on trading with Portland, isn’t it mandatory Pryzbilla ends sporting the toilet-bowl-cleanser blue of the Wolves? What’s going on, here? :)
Luke Harangody?
We’ve got tons of draft picks coming this next year so what’s the chance that we don’t draft Harangody?
+ Hansborough with the bottom 2 picks...
…if they keep them.
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Did anyone else watch Harangody vs Monroe, last night?
I had never seen Monroe, before. He’s got a lot of ability, and upside. I haven’t seen much college ball, this year, but I’d be surprised if another freshman has the all-around game of this guy. The only mark against him, that I could tell, is that he’s not a particularly aggressive defensive player. He pokes balls away, by reaching his incredibly long-arms out there, but he often stands with his arms down on defense and doesn’t seem to help all-that-quickly to block shots from the weakside. Still, he has a square up/high post game, as well as a true low-block game, and the size/athleticism to make it all work at the next level. I’d guess he’ll be a Top-5 pick, and possibly #2 behind Griffin.
He's good..
…I’ve seen 2 Georgetown games so far and he’s been impressive.
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