The 2016 Offseason thread

[Dr Hannibal Lecter]

Kevin Durant leaving hit him hard. (@LostNUnbound/ YT, full video on his YouTube page, h/t houseofhighlights/IG)https://t.co/N1wugng8gK

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 5, 2016

Buddy just relax,just a game...d@!n...let it go.
Yeah it sucks..at least u had the guy for 7,8 years..how about trying being a raptor fan for 20 years,not pretty,last year was our best playoff moment in our franchise history..and we have lost tons of talent 2 other team..Vince Carter,Tracy Mcgrady,Chris Bosh..and on and on..so shut up and take a chill pill. Ppl are f@#!@#d....literally.

[Rudy Bargnani]

PF Christian Wood is doing good in the D-League again this year. Liked him in the draft last season, but apparently he's a bit of headcase. Seems like a Masai type of player, though. Nice wingspan, athletic, mobile, rim-protector and can shoot the 3. That's a rare combination of potential skills, although still quite raw. Swap him for Bebe, perhaps?

Isn't he a free agent? I thought no qualifying offer for him?

I liked him too. Good thought golden.

[ogi]

Buddy just relax,just a game...d@!n...let it go.
Yeah it sucks..at least u had the guy for 7,8 years..how about trying being a raptor fan for 20 years,not pretty,last year was our best playoff moment in our franchise history..and we have lost tons of talent 2 other team..Vince Carter,Tracy Mcgrady,Chris Bosh..and on and on..so shut up and take a chill pill. Ppl are f@#!@#d....literally.

Seriously, they've had a winning team every year other than their inaugural season.

[Sinbad]

Isn't he a free agent? I thought no qualifying offer for him?

I liked him too. Good thought golden.

He's a free agent. And wow, he's hitting 3's now. Not sure the Raptors have room for him unless they cut someone though.

[Apollo]

A lot of elitist and classist undertones here. The game exists because people play and enjoy it, not because people like you spend money on it. There are over 450 million basketball players worldwide, and dozens of leagues that exist as platforms to showcase the best players. The NBA is the biggest stage, with the largest potential salaries. If people want to pay to watch them, that's their decision. But don't delude yourself into thinking that the league or players owe you anything simply because you spend money on a ticket or buy someone's jersey. Neither owe you anything. Let go of that crutch.

And what does someone's degree have to do with this? Does it make you feel better to criticize them for parlaying their athletic prowess into educational opportunities? You're not even subtle about your ignorance. This isn't about sports anymore. You've criticized them for allegedly not working hard earlier in the thread, and now you're criticizing them because they've got greater earning potential than many of us will ever have.

As an administrator, you should be above this petty crap. Apparently, you're not.

No, the NBA game exists because we the costumer vote with our dollars. There's nothing elitist about that, its the truth.

The league and players do owe me something. Whatever I pay for they must deliver. I'm not paying for the system but this is a free country and I'm allowed to complain about the current one. Also, you are free to misunderstand what I'm saying.

To be clear there are two different conversations ongoing in here that were started by Durant's decision. Some people are mixing them up and I think it's causing confusion and so to clarify:

Conversation #1: Is it morally wrong for a player like Durant to turn his back on the team he played for and go play for a rival or any other team for that matter?

My thoughts on conversation #1: My stance is no. There's no integrity issue with Durant leaving but there are valid arguments that one can make to question other aspects of the move that have nothing to do with Durant's moral compass. At the end of the day I don't care about this part of it...


Conversation #2: Is the current system in the NBA broken due to lack of controls in place to protect franchises in the event that a player wishes to leave?

My thoughts on conversation #2: Yes, the system is broken and it becomes very clear when one looks at the much more successful NFL. There are many barriers in place there which help the individual franchises retain talent or at least retain value in some order. There it is far easier for a small market team to be successful. There is parity in the NFL which gives all its fans hope and a superior product. The NFL also happens to be far more successful with only a fraction of the games (ie: the best two teams only play 20 games in a season plus post season).

[DanH]

He's a free agent. And wow, he's hitting 3's now. Not sure the Raptors have room for him unless they cut someone though.

Right now we have two spots to fill.

[Masai Uhearme]

Lets trade for Westbrook, Fuck it right, Lowry and Ross for Westbrook. Figure everything else out later.

[sanyo]

Bunch of fucking overpaid idiots, who cares anymore... i just watch and enjoy the game... yes the Raps give me a little heart attack but considering that Demar is gonna be paid almost $30 mil per year, you cant even associate and fathom with these people anymore... way too much fucking money... but hey if they can get it good for them... but dont cry about these people who gives a fuck.

[Sinbad]

Right now we have two spots to fill.

I stand corrected. I forgot that Scola and JJ are technically off the roster. Any word on whether either of them return? I wouldn't mind JJ. Scola seems just about finished.

[Apollo]

Kevin Durant leaving hit him hard. (@LostNUnbound/ YT, full video on his YouTube page, h/t houseofhighlights/IG)https://t.co/N1wugng8gK

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 5, 2016

That's a damn good Chris Farley impersonation. This kid is probably going to end up living in a van down by the river.

[DanH]

I stand corrected. I forgot that Scola and JJ are technically off the roster. Any word on whether either of them return? I wouldn't mind JJ. Scola seems just about finished.

Scola better not be back.

JJ, frankly, should be back. Purely in terms of asset creation. I'd bet he'd sign a MLE-level two year deal with the second unguaranteed. Can't imagine there is much market for him. Would be a nice trade chip come the deadline and draft, and failing that, a decent depth piece in the meantime.

[GLF]

Scola better not be back.

JJ, frankly, should be back. Purely in terms of asset creation. I'd bet he'd sign a MLE-level two year deal with the second unguaranteed. Can't imagine there is much market for him. Would be a nice trade chip come the deadline and draft, and failing that, a decent depth piece in the meantime.

Are you worried about our backup SF position at all? I'm more worried about it in case Carroll gets injured again. Neither Powell nor Ross can handle bigger SFs for a long period of time. And if we do resign JJ he can handle them but he can't shoot and hurts our spacing a lot. I really think we should try and get a true SF that can shoot the ball. I don't know if there are any out there though. DC Demar Powell and Ross are good enough if Carroll is healthy but if he gets injured I think we are kind of screwed no?

[MixxAOR]

Are you worried about our backup SF position at all? I'm more worried about it in case Carroll gets injured again. Neither Powell nor Ross can handle bigger SFs for a long period of time. And if we do resign JJ he can handle them but he can't shoot and hurts our spacing a lot. I really think we should try and get a true SF that can shoot the ball. I don't know if there are any out there though. DC Demar Powell and Ross are good enough if Carroll is healthy but if he gets injured I think we are kind of screwed no?

Well we survived before no?

[GLF]

Well we survived before no?

This is true. I guess as long as he isn't hurt going into the playoffs we should be fine.

[JawsGT]

No, the NBA game exists because we the costumer vote with our dollars. There's nothing elitist about that, its the truth.

The league and players do owe me something. Whatever I pay for they must deliver. I'm not paying for the system but this is a free country and I'm allowed to complain about the current one. Also, you are free to misunderstand what I'm saying.

To be clear there are two different conversations ongoing in here that were started by Durant's decision. Some people are mixing them up and I think it's causing confusion and so to clarify:

Conversation #1: Is it morally wrong for a player like Durant to turn his back on the team he played for and go play for a rival or any other team for that matter?

My thoughts on conversation #1: My stance is no. There's no integrity issue with Durant leaving but there are valid arguments that one can make to question other aspects of the move that have nothing to do with Durant's moral compass. At the end of the day I don't care about this part of it...


Conversation #2: Is the current system in the NBA broken due to lack of controls in place to protect franchises in the event that a player wishes to leave?

My thoughts on conversation #2: Yes, the system is broken and it becomes very clear when one looks at the much more successful NFL. There are many barriers in place there which help the individual franchises retain talent or at least retain value in some order. There it is far easier for a small market team to be successful. There is parity in the NFL which gives all its fans hope. The NFL also happens to be far more successful with only a fraction of the games (ie: the best two teams only play 20 games in a season plus post season).

Have you considered the fact that the NBA wanted a gradual increase in the salary cap due to the new TV deal, and that it was the NBAPA that basically shot that idea down? The players got what they wanted here, and frankly, it ain't the KD's and LBJ's that have benefited the most from it. It's the Tyler Johnson's, Mike Conley's, Demar Derozan's, Ryan Anderson's, Bizmack Biyombo's etc that ultimately got the most out of it. The all-star, borderline all-star and the NBA middle classes that basically got the biggest chunk of the pie.

Is there a better way of doing things? Perhaps. Do I want to see more parity in the league? Absolutely. Do I think that what just happened between Durant and OKC suggets the league needs to do more to protect small market teams? No. Durant gave them 9 years of his career, which is far longer than the average worker spends at a job. Durant was a free agent, and had the right to leave if he so chose. He did, and unfortunately for the rest of the league he choose to join one of the best teams ever, which under normal circumstances would be very unlikely. Consider the cap jump and the fact that Green, Curry and even Klay are underpaid. Plus it isn't like they didn't sacrifice either. They lost Bogut, Barnes and Ezeli and maybe more to come. And it isn't like OKC is screwed either. They still have a solid roster and a top 5 player in the league. The idea that Westbrook is gonna bolt is a huge assumption. They may surprise alot of people this season and Westbrook may decide to stay, assuming OKC management doesn't get scared and trade him.

And I disagree that you are owed something by this league. It's your choice to spend money on this product. And it isn't like the league or players don't do things off the court to support the fans and their communities. They do plenty, they just happen to be part of a very lucrative industry because it is attractive to an extremely large audience. And anyone who thinks that the life of a professional athlete isn't hard, are only considering the Bargnani's as examples.