Because taking dead salary is anathema for being competitive (for the play in)
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How dead is it? He hasnāt been healthy much lately but heās been fine when heās played right? Okoro is going to be worth more wins the next two years but Iām not sure itās going to be THAT many?
Iām not that confident that the guy who played a total of 54 games across his age 29 and 30 seasons will start playing more at 31
More than 27 games a year? I think you probably would make that bet.
I just think that itās easy to see the motivation for this trade, and not Smart and a pick, if you understand the Bullsā idiotic, self-defeating priorities
Okoroās per-minute value is probably similar at this point in time, and heās cheaper. Saving that money is the priority, not getting a future asset
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No one is probably going to agree with this, but I kinda want to bet on the Sixers plus 1100 to win the East.
Sounds like the Pistonsā off-season plans are:
- Bring back Beasley
- Find a wing player in the FA. Aldma and NAW are the targets since Naz Reid will be re-signing with the Wolves
Schroeder likely isnāt coming back and itās not surprising bc of the role reduction (despite some of the fans wanting him back because they need a backup PG).
Is it safe to say Chaz replaces THJ?
Maybe Iām nuts but Aldama would/should start for them right
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I donāt think so. THJr is a 12 year NBA vet whoās taken over 5100 three pointers in his career. A 23 year old rookie 2nd round pick is not a replacement for that unless the team is planning to tank. I think theyād want to upgrade that position and would look at a replacement being a guy like Nickeil Alexander-Walker who would provide an upgrade on defense with similar shooting (NAW shot a better percentage than Tim, but on lower volume).
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They should definitely kick the tires on Alexander-Walker (of the two good Minnesota FAās, NAW always made more sense to me for them than Naz) but even in a situation where they donāt bring anyone in, it seems more likely those minutes get eaten by increases in load to Beasley, Thompson, Holland, Sasser before Lanier.
But that said, I can envision a world where Lanier becomes maybe the third option on that list (donāt think it would take too much to take Sasserās time and Holland/Thompson are awfully sames-y if Holland does show progress shooting. Not saying itās likely, but it doesnāt seem nuts. Regardless, the plan canāt be ā20 minutes of Chaz Lanierā to head into the season.
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Completely agree. Ivey returning + more minute for Beasley and Holland can offset not bringing Hardaway back. I think theyāll look to bring another guard in for depth, but itās possible they could survive without one.
I doubt Lanier plays anything more than garbage minutes this season. Detroit was seriously lacking forward depth last season and Bobi Klintman, who was picked in the same spot Lanier was picked, wasnāt close to seeing the floor. Klintman was obviously hurt for a large part of the year and less experienced than Lanier, but my expectations for 2nd round picks is really low.
Obviously like 90% of the guys taken second round donāt have meaningful careers (this is a random % I have made up, but most donāt), and even those that do are rarely positive contributors as rookies, having a hard time formatting but this is from Seth Partnow (former analytics guy for the Sixers):
āIn the LeBron era, 10 players drafted in the 2nd rd played 20 playoff MPG. 3 of those players didnāt play in the NBA for a few years after getting drafted. Only 2 played on teams that advanced past the first round, if youāre wondering about the history of 2nds contributing to contenders year 1.ā
Basically: 10 second round picks have appeared in rotation roles on a playoff team as rookies in the past 20+ years. Three of those were guys who basically were non-rostered after getting picked and had their rookie years a few years after the draft.
8 of those 10 lost in the first round.
Generally speaking, rookies are bad, even rookies who become all-NBA players. Itās way worse for second rounders. So āis this team counting on minutes from a second rounderā is probably a good indicator of woeful organizational depth.
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In Marc Steinās latest report, he says the Pistons and Atlanta are the two strongest contenders to come to terms with Alexander-Walker.
Not as an immediate replacement on the floor, but a roster spot replacement because heās younger and cheaper than THJ.
Iād seriously consider just starting NAW if they got him
I just cannot fathom being this stupid
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He was in talks for the contract in the neighborhood of 3 years and 42 mil, so thatās being on hold pending the investigation, which complicates the Pistons off-season plan
Also got a chuckle out of the fact that heās represented by Steve Haney and his agent is a part of Christian Dawkinsā agency.
Gambling stories like this are only going to grow from here though it feels like.
NCAA rule change about letting people gamble on other sports seems like a terrible plan IMO. I assume there are just too many people already breaking the rule that they donāt have another option.
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