Kinda really like Caris in Indi tho
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Please elaborate - Iâm trying to feel less sad for Caris.
Levert will be perimeter option #1 on a good team with a great frontcourt complement in Sabonis and a pass-first PG that can provide space in Brogdon. Honestly this is about as good of a landing spot as possible, he could easily have a breakout stretch a la Jamal Murray in the playoffs with a young team that can actually compete in the East.
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He wonât be perimeter option #1, thatâs been Brogdon, and I think he will be still. But I think he gets to slide directly into Oladipoâs vacated role, which certainly carries lots of usage. I think his opportunity in Indiana will be moreâŚconsistent than it ever would have in Brooklyn.
This is a good thing for Caris. When the stars were healthy, they wanted Caris coming off the bench, and he struggled really badly in that circumstance. His better games have come as a starter without Irving or Durant. His best skill is playing with the ball, and he wasnât going to do that.
Peripherally - wow this Nets team can go supernova positively or negatively huh.
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Thanks - Iâm not a big NBA guy, so thatâs helpful context. I liked having Caris in NYC, although going to the games wasnât happening for a while, anyway. I wanted him to be part of Brooklynâs chase for the title, but Iâm glad if thatâs a good landing spot. Itâs been exciting to see him blossom into a top player and then remain at that level consistently.
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Iâm a Nets fan so losing Caris definitely sucks, and Allen is a good young player too. But hot damn the basketball high Iâm riding from these past 24 hours is insane.
Definitely right on the team being able to explode in either direction, but I tend to think this is going to be great for the Nets. A ton of Nets fans are upset because the former core of the team (Russell, LeVert, Allen, Dinwiddie, Harris) is pretty much all gone, with Harris and Dinwiddie being the only guys still around but Dinwiddieâs out for the year. But no team has a better Big 3 than the Nets right now, and despite them all being pretty hated players league wide, theyâve all had massive success working in Big 3/superteam settings before (even in the past 5 years), and the 3 of them seem to all get along as well.
This could clearly blow up, especially because Kyrie is an unknown as of now as to if heâs even going to play basketball moving forward, but assuming he comes back that team is just so talented. The Big 3, Harris, Jordan, Shamet, Green, Brown and TLC. If the Nets can use the free roster spots to add some depth at the 5, I donât see how theyâre not the favorites in the East.
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Talent-wise theyâre an absolute home-run. I wonât question that. I just think they have the three mostâŚlets call them âtemperamentalâ stars in the NBA. I also think the fact that the head coach was chosen by the players who then ransomed the franchiseâs future (seriously, draft-wise, this is the Pierce/KG trade again, but Harden is much more helpful than those guys were) makes thisâŚan interesting situation.
Thatâs all fair, I just tend to think more often than not talent wins out in these scenarios. Whenever a Big 3 is formed we hear why it wonât work (the egos, thereâs only one ball, etc.) but most of the recent Big 3âs/superteams weâve seen have worked out phenomenally.
I get that these 3 guys are âtemperamentalâ, but all 3 are still clearly elite players (even despite Durantâs injuries and Harden not caring so far in Houston). Kyrie wanted to play in Brooklyn, KD and Kyrie wanted to play together, and Durant and Harden wanted to play together. They may be impossible to deal with for a lot of other players, but the three of them tend to get along well with each other. And while the head coach/draft pick situation is interesting from a storyline perspective, it doesnât impact any on court stuff.
As a last note, I know the obvious comparison is the Pierce/KG trade but I donât think it holds. Pretty much every trade for a superstar in recent years has involved pick packages similar to this. The only reason the KG/Pierce one was so bad was because the Nets traded 3 unprotected first round picks for 3 players who were 35-38 years old, all clearly past their prime and expected them to take that team from a first round exit to a contender.
In this trade the Nets are still trading 3 unprotected first round picks (granted there are 4 pick-swaps involved instead of 1, but those are not nearly as harmful) and youâre adding a top 10 player in the league to pair with two other 1st Team All-NBA type guys. Thatâs a lot different than hoping that 38 year old KG and 35 year old Pierce will carry you to a title. Yes the long term future doesnât look great (especially if they donât win a title and they all opt out after next season), but this trade makes you the potential favorite for the next two seasons, which is how the roster is constructed.
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Kyrie is not well, in my uninformed opinion. I am a student of human emotions and personalities, though, and it sure seems like a huge risk to me.
Damian Lillard is a flat out LeVert Stan and I donât know why, but Iâm all for it lol.
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Yeah, Levert will be the unquestioned #1 guy in Indy.
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I think Brogdan and Sabonis will have a lot to say about that but Caris is never bashful lol
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The Nets and Trailblazers played final regular season game in the bubble, with the trailblazers needing to win to advance to the playoffs. Lillard put up like 45 and Caris wasnât far behind with like 40. Think he gained a lot of respect for LeVert in that game.
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I think Caris being moved is a good situation for him. He needs the ball in his hand and can be a superstar on another team. There will be a ton of drama in NY especially if they donât win. I wish he could have stayed with Allen, they make a great combo and appear to be good friends with great chemistry.
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Both KD and Harden likely have passed their prime. feels like the trade of Barkley joining Olajuwon and and Drexler in Houston.
Yeah, I just think he gets Dipos shots and then some. Heâs better at getting his own than all of them. Like the pacers team tho
I just wanted Levert to maybe get a title before becoming the man somewhere
Hardenâs becoming a sideshow, which is a shame for him but more for KD, who chose unwisely. I still want to see KD in finals games, but heâs hitched his wagon to whatever the heck the Nets are going to be.
I think thereâs a tendency to talk about the NBA like itâs the Enquirer magazine and forget just how disciplined nearly every really good player has had to be to reach the heights they did in the first place. Harden and Kyrie looked amazingly good in the early going, and Hardenâlike him or notâcan distribute the ball AND put up points. I donât think Steve Nash and the Bklyn owners bring Harden in without some careful conversations, and I know that Harden wants to win a natty. Theyâll probably take a minute to figure it out, but I wonât be surprised if they are fantastic, andâhonestlyâIâll be happy to see them challenge the West coast teams and Milwaukee. Having spent five great years living there after college, I was all ready to make Brooklyn my team. But this is better for Caris.
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