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Zach Lowe's Bold Predictions for This Season - incl Raps shopping DeMar

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  • Zach Lowe's Bold Predictions for This Season - incl Raps shopping DeMar

    http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...-14-nba-season

    Relevant portions:

    3. One of the Following Four Teams Will Trade a Future Asset for a Present One: Washington, New Orleans, Detroit, Cleveland

    In fact, let's make this one of the official predictions. Cleveland has the most assets on hand, in terms of young players and first-round picks, but it's saving cap space for LeBron James. (It also has, let's say, an "aggressive" owner prone to bouts of fist-on-table evangelism.) Joe Dumars needs a big year in Detroit, he's staring at some future cap flexibility, and there's almost zero chance (bonus prediction) Greg Monroe is getting an extension before the October 31 deadline — making him an interesting potential trade piece. But the Pistons owe a protected first-round pick to Charlotte, making it tricky (but not impossible) for them to deal a future pick. New Orleans has tried to jump some steps in the rebuild process, with a weird (but intriguing!) roster of interesting pieces. And Washington …

    4. Washington Will Trade for a Big Man in the Next Month — If Emeka Okafor's Prognosis Is Bad

    General manager Ernie Grunfeld is in the last year of his contract, and owner Ted Leonsis, not the shy sort, has made it clear he expects the Wiz to make the playoffs. Washington was over .500 last season when Bradley Beal and John Wall were both available, and lineups featuring combinations of its core six or seven guys generally did quite well. But Okafor was one of those core guys, and the gap between Okafor and his backups — Kevin Seraphin and Jan Vesely — is a freaking chasm. Al Harrington can soak up some minutes as a small-ball power forward, a role he played brilliantly for Denver two seasons ago, but he's aging and coming off major knee issues.

    The Wiz need a big man, unless they get good news soon on Okafor. Alternatively, if Okafor is healthy, Washington could continue its history of flipping mega-expiring contracts (and the cap space they promise) into players on longer-term deals; that's how it got Okafor. Stay tuned either way on the Wiz.
    and

    13.Toronto Will Shop, and Perhaps Trade, DeMar DeRozan

    Anything is possible with the Raptors. They have the talent to win one of the last two or three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, and they have the flexibility to blow the whole thing up if Masai Ujiri determines that is the best course. The "blow-it-up" talk will focus on Gay and Kyle Lowry; Gay's contract is enormous, with only a player option after this season, and Lowry's is an affordable expiring deal.

    But don't overlook DeRozan. He has four seasons left on his contract, at $9.5 million a pop, and he has never put up a league-average player efficiency rating (though he was within half a point last season). He's just 24 and he's getting better; teams are curious, and his contract isn't big enough to be a deal-killer. Keep an eye on DeRozan.

  • #2
    Hopefully #3 happens and it involves the Raps.
    Heir, Prince of Cambridge

    If you see KeonClark in the wasteland, please share your food and water with him.

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    • #3
      Not sure wtf Masai is waiting for. Deal DeRozan to Detroit for Stuckey's expiring and be done with it. Frees up cap and we get a better SG who can actually handle the ball, distribute and play D

      Comment


      • #4
        Xixak wrote: View Post
        Not sure wtf Masai is waiting for. Deal DeRozan to Detroit for Stuckey's expiring and be done with it. Frees up cap and we get a better SG who can actually handle the ball, distribute and play D
        You should probably exit this forum and never come back..... Your joking right? You must be because i'm laughing soooooo hard. I really hope your smarter than you seem!

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        • #5
          special1 wrote: View Post
          You should probably exit this forum and never come back..... Your joking right? You must be because i'm laughing soooooo hard. I really hope your smarter than you seem!
          Stuckey is a better player than DeRozan.

          Compare his 4th season to DeMar's

          - More points and assists per 36.
          - Way higher PER (18)
          - Superior shooting efficiency (54.4% TS)
          - Vastly superior defensively
          - Able to play and defend 3 positions (compared to 1, maybe 2 for DD)
          - A very effective playmaker and facilitator

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          • #6
            Xixak wrote: View Post
            Stuckey is a better player than DeRozan.

            Compare his 4th season to DeMar's

            - More points and assists per 36.
            - Way higher PER (18)
            - Superior shooting efficiency (54.4% TS)
            - Vastly superior defensively
            - Able to play and defend 3 positions (compared to 1, maybe 2 for DD)
            - A very effective playmaker and facilitator
            Is this sarcasm?
            @Chr1st1anL

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            • #7
              Chr1s1anL wrote: View Post
              Is this sarcasm?
              Can you actually argue any of those points?

              Comment


              • #8
                Xixak wrote: View Post
                Stuckey is a better player than DeRozan.

                Compare his 4th season to DeMar's

                - More points and assists per 36.
                - Way higher PER (18)
                - Superior shooting efficiency (54.4% TS)
                - Vastly superior defensively
                - Able to play and defend 3 positions (compared to 1, maybe 2 for DD)
                - A very effective playmaker and facilitator
                Stuckey's career is in a nosedive (worse each year since the year you chose for comparison), and DeRozan is actually improving. Last season Stuckey had a FG% of .406 and was worse in almost all ways than DeRozan.

                There are no guarantees that DeRozan will continue to improve, or at least not dive like Stuckey, but I think we have a pretty good idea that Stuckey is much worse than DeRozan now.

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                • #9
                  Xixak wrote: View Post
                  Stuckey is a better player than DeRozan.

                  Compare his 4th season to DeMar's

                  - More points and assists per 36.
                  - Way higher PER (18)
                  - Superior shooting efficiency (54.4% TS)
                  - Vastly superior defensively
                  - Able to play and defend 3 positions (compared to 1, maybe 2 for DD)
                  - A very effective playmaker and facilitator
                  Hate stats like this.

                  DeRozan is a MUCH better player than Stuckey. And its NOT EVEN CLOSE. I'm pretty sure all 30 GM's in the league would agree with me.
                  Mamba Mentality

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                  • #10
                    TRex wrote: View Post
                    Hate stats like this.

                    DeRozan is a MUCH better player than Stuckey. And its NOT EVEN CLOSE. I'm pretty sure all 30 GM's in the league would agree with me.
                    Right now, yes.

                    However, Stuckey at 21 in 2007-08 was the reason Dumar's went ahead and traded Billups.

                    Goes to show you what can happen to potential.

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                    • #11
                      Xixak wrote: View Post
                      Stuckey is a better player than DeRozan.

                      Compare his 4th season to DeMar's

                      - More points and assists per 36.
                      - Way higher PER (18)
                      - Superior shooting efficiency (54.4% TS)
                      - Vastly superior defensively
                      - Able to play and defend 3 positions (compared to 1, maybe 2 for DD)
                      - A very effective playmaker and facilitator
                      If Stuckey is a better player than DeRozan, why would the Pistons start a rookie (second-round pick btw) over him? And Stuckey's facilitating skills are about as good as a bag of basketballs, I'm sorry.
                      Twitter - @thekid_it

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                      • #12
                        Matt52 wrote: View Post
                        Right now, yes.

                        However, Stuckey at 21 in 2007-08 was the reason Dumar's went ahead and traded Billups.

                        Goes to show you what can happen to potential.
                        While I agree with this, let's try to avoid this kind of talk. Stuckey is TERRIBLE, and if DeRozan is headed in that direction, kill me now.
                        your pal,
                        ebrian

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                        • #13
                          Chr1s1anL wrote: View Post
                          Is this sarcasm?
                          Of course it is.

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