Everything Off Season

[inthepaint]

^^^
Myles Turner would check a lot of boxes and might be available too.

That's the one. Harden & Tucker is probably unrealistic, but Turner & Oladipo could probably be attained with the right package, would allow us to retain Siakam, and would balance this roster with
--A good SG that can create his own shot and lubricate the offence (and defend well)
--A young Centre that can score, space the floor (and defend well)

I'd pitch Fred, Norm, TD & Boucher at the trade deadline for that.

Start: Lowry-Oladipo-OG-Siakam-Turner (That's a very strong 2-way lineup, and if Siakam and Oladipo played near their ceilings it would make it to the finals))
Bench: Flynn-Thomas-Watson-Bembry-Baynes

Only risk is Oladipo being banged up, but you can't take any meaningful step forward without risk. Just can't.

[Yuri Gagarin]

Its be nice but we arent keeping lowry for 10m/yr. im guessing 16 x 3 3rd yr team option

[dylan123]

I hope the Harden rumor is fake. Great stat sheet but that's about it, has tried with a number of different players and has drove them out before deciding he now wants out as well, seems weak. No effort defensively, doesn't move the ball much on offense.

[LJ2]

Harden/Tucker, Oladipo/Turner...trading for anyone right now is a flailing attempt at contending. We do not have the assets to pull of a trade and still contend because we'd have to send out some of our best players.

​​​​​​We might be looking at a period of a couple years where this team has to take a step back.

[S.R.]

We have no idea if the Raptors are even trying to get him, but the negative takes on Harden are a bit much. Did anyone watch him close out game 7 of the OKC series with...defence? The guy actually defends now, his infamous YT clips are a few years old. He's quite a good defender in the post and Houston put him, pretty successfully, on bigger guys in their small lineups. He's also got good hands and is good off the ball, he'll disrupt passing lanes and get steals.

And being a winner? He's been to the 2nd or 3rd round 7 times. That's more than Lowry. He wins in the playoffs.

And he's a 3x scoring champ (the Raptors clear weakness is...scoring), a league MVP, and just put up 34/7/6 last year.

Yes he jacks a lot of 3's now - is that Harden or D'Antoni? Because pre-D'Antoni, Harden took half as many 3's and the Rockets were still winning 50+ games and getting to the third round.

You can say a lot about James Harden's basketball aesthetic, not sure how anyone can say he isn't a winner. He's won a lot.

He isn't going to drag you to the Finals by himself. If the Raptors are really interested, the only real question is if they can get him and still have enough good players left in Raptors uniform to be a contender.

[LJ2]

We have no idea if the Raptors are even trying to get him, but the negative takes on Harden are a bit much. Did anyone watch him close out game 7 of the OKC series with...defence? The guy actually defends now, his infamous YT clips are a few years old. He's quite a good defender in the post and Houston put him, pretty successfully, on bigger guys in their small lineups. He's also got good hands and is good off the ball, he'll disrupt passing lanes and get steals.

And being a winner? He's been to the 2nd or 3rd round 7 times. That's more than Lowry. He wins in the playoffs.

And he's a 3x scoring champ (the Raptors clear weakness is...scoring), a league MVP, and just put up 34/7/6 last year.

Yes he jacks a lot of 3's now - is that Harden or D'Antoni? Because pre-D'Antoni, Harden took half as many 3's and the Rockets were still winning 50+ games and getting to the third round.

You can say a lot about James Harden's basketball aesthetic, not sure how anyone can say he isn't a winner. He's won a lot.

He isn't going to drag you to the Finals by himself. If the Raptors are really interested, the only real question is if they can get him and still have enough good players left in Raptors uniform to be a contender.

Yup, he's a great player despite the negativity associated with him. I'm sure Masai will gauge what sort of commitment he would get from Harden if he were to make a trade for him.

[Demographic Shift]

^^^
Myles Turner would check a lot of boxes and might be available too.

If you had a choice...
Turner
or,
Sabonis ?

[Gonzz]

Still the off season till tomorrow. Who is starting the game thread versus the big birds? They lost their last game or Goldblum could have gone for 75-0.

[GOLDBLUM]

If you had a choice...
Turner
or,
Sabonis ?

They’re not trading Sabonis.

But Sabonis.

[GOLDBLUM]

Still the off season till tomorrow. Who is starting the game thread versus the big birds? They lost their last game or Goldblum could have gone for 75-0.

If I went one more game none of us would be here posting right now. The site simply couldn’t take it.

Somebody else is up, who’s it gonna be? 😎

[Jclaw]

I started last season (ironically against the Pells)....let someone else have a go at it this year. I'll pick up game 60 when we finally lose because we're resting for the playoffs

[slaw]

We have no idea if the Raptors are even trying to get him, but the negative takes on Harden are a bit much. Did anyone watch him close out game 7 of the OKC series with...defence? The guy actually defends now, his infamous YT clips are a few years old. He's quite a good defender in the post and Houston put him, pretty successfully, on bigger guys in their small lineups. He's also got good hands and is good off the ball, he'll disrupt passing lanes and get steals.

Houston was always middle of the pack defensively during the Harden-era (and top ten a couple times).

With Harden it's two things. First, the "title or bust" mentality of NBA fans and media means you are playing rock, paper, scissors, nuclear bomb. He hasn't won a title ends every discussion. Second, a lot of basketball people didn't like how Houston played. Some of that is legitimate but some of it is people who I honestly think never actually watched the team or, if they did, failed to understand what was going on. Harden wears it all even though he had bad luck running into the Warriors and Paul getting hurt.

[JawsGT]

If you had a choice...
Turner
or,
Sabonis ?

Sabonis is 10 times the player.

[JawsGT]

That heat/pacers series might have been very different had sabonis been on the court.

[slaw]

That heat/pacers series might have been very different had sabonis been on the court.

Indy could be an interesting team that no one is really talking about. A lot depends on everyone coming back 100% but they've got some good players and a new coach should give them a boost.