My nuggets still don’t have a gm……
I might be in the minority, but from a strictly basketball perspective, I love this trade. Preface everything with: I am probably higher on Suggs than others, but think healthy Suggs can play like 2023-2024 and fill the Derrick White role. You don’t need a guy that drops 8+ assists when you have Wagner, Banchero, and Bane as all capable initiators and willing passers.
From a salary cap/trade capital perspective…definitely a lot. But, if you want to have a shot in the weakened east (Boston), 2025+ draft picks don’t help. At some point you have to go for it.
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I forgot that Paulo’s extension is on the table so when that happens, the Magic will effectively be over the 2nd apron within a couple of years so they have a 1-2 year window to make noise before trading away players with big contracts.
They have a window to win that trash division. I’m not sure that makes you a top 3 team in the conference though…
They need a PG but the Magic doesn’t seemingly subscribe to having a PG because they’re seemingly hellbent on Paulo (or Franz if Paulo is out) being the PG in a heliocentric offense.
Nah, projections show likely high single digit % salary cap increase for the next few years - so, I don’t think that will happen.
Yep - it’s a Boston model. It’s been shown you don’t need a true PG to win it all if you have wings that can handle and run an offense. With the Magic, it really comes down to individual improvement - Paolo has to increase efficiency, Franz needs to fix his shot (3p) and Suggs needs to stay healthy (and shoot like 2023-2024).
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That sounds good in theory, but the Celtics have a bunch of high level shooters on the team and the Magic do not have it. Bane should help, but need more players who can shoot and defend.
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The idea that someone with the size, speed, strength, and vertical of J Dub ended up at Santa Clara is wild to me
6’6”, 220, 7’2” wingspan, fastest dude in the floor, biggest leaper
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Is Hali really going to go 0-fer from the floor tonight?
Haliburton legacy disasterclass game
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What do we think Hali’s injury is? Haven’t seen any speculation.
Shams said at halftime a calf strain or something like that.
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Nembhard was atrocious down the stretch. Hard to watch
Growth spurts and shoe circuits. A tale as old as time.
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He definitely added weight (strength), but he only grew an inch from his recruiting profile (and that seems to have been wrong - articles say he was 6’5" as a senior and his school just mis-listed him for reasons). He did grow 5 inches from freshman year, but growing between the ages of 14 and 18 seems normal to me?
Would definitely buy the shoe circuit stuff
You pointed out his size and speed and all of that. It came after he was recruited for the most part:
When the growth spurt came, Nicole said, his parents told him it was what he had been waiting for. He grew almost eight inches from his sophomore year of high school to his senior year.
By the time Santa Clara assistant coach Jason Ludwig noticed him, Williams was 6-1, on his way to 6-5, and fit the staff’s criteria. Despite still being undersized, he was a guard who could pass, dribble and shoot.
“He was always a very smart and skilled player,” Ludwig said. “Very fundamentally sound, but a little slow-footed because he just hadn’t gotten into his body yet. We didn’t know how much he was gonna grow. He was so physically immature.”
He grew another two inches by the time he got on campus and quickly made an imprint with his defense. Williams hounded opposing guards, even on his own team in practice. Just 11 games into the season he displaced Tahj Eaddy, an All-West Coast Conference guard the previous season, from the starting lineup.
ok, I guess depending on what article you surface, this changes drastically so who knows.
The one I found says he grew 5 inches from his freshman year, not 8 from his sophomore (pretty different!). Also says he was 6’5" as a senior, which is what he is now, so no college growth. IDK.