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Come the trade deadline, should Joe pursue a SF?

jakebernatyo

Active member
Joined
Jul 17, 2013
Messages
32
obviously, spacing is going to be an issue with this roster all season. whether or not cheeks can design sets that overcome those shortcomings is yet to be seen. that being said, monroe's name is sure to be involved in traded rumors come the deadline.

i loved everything about the twin towers frontcourt, but can it really work with josh smith in the fold too? also, monroe's due a pretty hefty pay day after this season, will a below average defender/athlete who further complicates our spacing issues be worth it? i have serious concerns over moose's next contract.

assuming nobody is "untouchable", i'd LOVE to swing a deal for nic batum involving monroe. i think he's the perfect fit for this roster the way it's constructed. if portland moves aldridge, they could look to further tear down the roster, and monroe would be a great fit for their youth movement.

however, like i said, i put a lot of faith into the drummond-monroe pairing, and it certainly wouldn't be easy to break that up before it really even gets started.
 
Right now Monroe is the best player on this roster. Drummond has the potential to be the best but he isn't yet. I don't know if trading Monroe will make this team better.
 
Right now Monroe is the best player on this roster. Drummond has the potential to be the best but he isn't yet. I don't know if trading Monroe will make this team better.

A big with his numbers and age would have to bring a big haul for us to benefit.
 
think about how much better we would be defensively with a long & athletic 3. we'd have a ++ defender at every position in the starting lineup except PG. honestly, i believe a guy like batum could step right in and fit seemlessly.
 
think about how much better we would be defensively with a long & athletic 3. we'd have a ++ defender at every position in the starting lineup except PG. honestly, i believe a guy like batum could step right in and fit seemlessly.

I agree, but unfortunately I don't see Portland giving up Batum. He's too good of a young talent, even if they want to rebuild, they can rebuild around him.
 
I'm from and live in Portland...I'm the biggest Batum basher in the NW. He's an average starting SF at best. He's a below average on ball defender, can't dribble, can't create his own shot, inconsistent and is vastly over paid. The Blazers took steps backwards when they matched Min offer sheet to Batum. Batum hasn't been able to drop 16ppg when he had opportunity to be the 2nd option on a bad team. Even Nick Young has done that.

If Det would be willing to give up Monroe for him, they'd be fools.
 
I'm from and live in Portland...I'm the biggest Batum basher in the NW. He's an average starting SF at best. He's a below average on ball defender, can't dribble, can't create his own shot, inconsistent and is vastly over paid. The Blazers took steps backwards when they matched Min offer sheet to Batum. Batum hasn't been able to drop 16ppg when he had opportunity to be the 2nd option on a bad team. Even Nick Young has done that.

If Det would be willing to give up Monroe for him, they'd be fools.

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=m8ygjmg

i would LOVE this deal...
 
Ewww Monroe is better than Batum currently, and can only get better

that's a pretty blank statement.
better at what? batum is a MUCH better perimeter defender, shooter from everywhere, and playmaker. that upgrades our biggest weaknesses. monroe is a very good scoring/passing big with limited range and pretty bad defensive instincts. he kind of magnifies our weaknesses...

can you imagine how good we could be defensively with KCP, batum, smith, and drummond?? we could be STIFLING...
bring in tony mitchell, robin lopez, peyton siva, and singler off the bench, good lord. we could really be the best defensive team in the league from top to bottom.
 
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that's a pretty blank statement.
better at what? batum is a MUCH better perimeter defender, shooter from everywhere, and playmaker. that upgrades our biggest weaknesses. monroe is a very good scoring/passing big with limited range and pretty bad defensive instincts. he kind of magnifies our weaknesses...

can you imagine how good we could be defensively with KCP, batum, smith, and drummond?? we could be STIFLING...
bring in tony mitchell, robin lopez, peyton siva, and singler off the bench, good lord. we could really be the best defensive team in the league from top to bottom.

You don't trade Monroe for a 4th option on offense. You trade him for a game changing two way presence like Al Jefferson/kg trade. I'd see if new York would want to trade melo within the next couple years before that. But Batum isn't worth a scoring big man that is younger than 25.
 
Smith can play the 3 in the first place, so I don't see SF as a big need to begin with. That said, if we can't score as a team with our big lineup, we'll have to make changes. Batum makes no sense to me, though. He has a great rep as a defender, but has never actually defended well overall. His offense is solid, but not elite. Trading big for small in that way, without getting a star wing player is pointless and would downgrade the team.

Now, I know this will sound odd, but I would target someone like Ryan Anderson. Anderson is on a very reasonable contract. He is an elite shooter for a big man, and still an acceptable rebounder (especially alongside Smith and Drummond). He's not a great individual defender, but at least knows where to be in a team scheme. Trading Monroe for Anderson would improve our overall offense (they are a wash individually, but Anderson is a much better fit), slightly improve our defense, but reduce our team rebounding. Rebounding is less of an issue since Drummond and Smith are better rebounders than our non-Monroe SF-PF-C options from last year.
 
There are still 160 days until the 2013-14 NBA trade deadline on Feb. 20, but if last season is any guide, the biggest action might come earlier. While the 2013 deadline was relatively quiet, we saw James Harden traded in October and Rudy Gay dealt in late January -- two moves that helped shape the Western Conference heading into the playoffs. Who might be involved in this season's big trades? Let's take a look at 10 key players with a reasonable chance of wearing different uniforms.

Rajon Rondo, PG, Boston Celtics
"We're not looking to trade Rondo," president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told Bill Simmons on the BS Report last week. "We think Rondo's a big part of our future." Of course, Ainge also admitted the Celtics were close to trading Rondo to the New Orleans Hornets for Chris Paul, so we know he's not afraid to make a move if he feels like it will bring back an elite piece. As a result, and with Boston now in rebuilding mode, expect to hear plenty of rumors once Rondo returns from surgery to repair the ACL he partially ruptured last January.

Luol Deng, SF, Chicago Bulls
Extension talks between the Bulls and Deng's agent, Herb Rudoy, broke off earlier this week without resolution. That means the two-time All-Star will be an unrestricted free agent next summer and one of the best on the market.

As much as head coach Tom Thibodeau loves Deng, Chicago will have to determine how much it's willing to pay long term for a player who turns 29 in April. If the Bulls suspect Deng will get more lucrative offers elsewhere, they'll have to consider dealing him before the deadline to get some value in return, potentially even if they're contending in the East.

Andre Miller, PG, Denver Nuggets
Despite having Miller as an established backup to Ty Lawson, the Nuggets signed Nate Robinson as a free agent this summer. Much as new GM Tim Connelly insists that signing doesn't affect Miller's status, first-year head coach Brian Shaw will have a hard time finding minutes for three point guards 6-foot-2 and under. If Miller chafes at reduced playing time, a trade might be Denver's only alternative.

Omer Asik, C, Houston Rockets
Dwight Howard's arrival in Houston doesn't necessarily mean Asik's exit. The Rockets will surely experiment with playing both big men together after successfully starting Asik alongside another paint-bound player, Greg Smith, late in the regular season.

But if that combination clogs up Houston's spacing on offense, Asik is much too valuable to relegate to backing up Howard. If the Rockets can parlay him into a stretch 4 to complement Howard, GM Daryl Morey surely won't hesitate to pull the trigger.

Danny Granger, SF, Indiana Pacers
If Granger is healthy after missing nearly all of last season due to patellar tendinosis that eventually required surgery, Pacers coach Frank Vogel will have to reintegrate him delicately. Last season's starting lineup, with Lance Stephenson in place of Granger, was one of the best in the league and got Indiana within a game of the NBA Finals. Yet the Pacers' starting five was nearly as good the season before with Granger, and Stephenson could strengthen Indiana's upgraded second unit.

If the chemistry goes wrong, Granger is both an expiring contract and a potentially useful player. However, a trade will be equally tricky because of his big salary and the Pacers' inability to take on lucrative long-term contracts with star Paul George due for a big raise in 2014-15.

Zach Randolph, PF, Memphis Grizzlies
Randolph is a key player for a team that reached the Western Conference finals a season ago and moreover a major part of the Grizzlies' grit-and-grind identity. Still, don't be stunned if Memphis ends up dealing for another starting forward because of the combination of Randolph's age (32), his ability to opt out of his contract next summer and the presence of Ed Davis (a restricted free agent next summer barring an extension) on the roster as a ready-made replacement.

Jameer Nelson, PG, Orlando Magic
Both of Orlando's starting guards are possible trade candidates, but without any top young point guards on the market after Eric Bledsoe was traded to Phoenix, a deal involving Arron Afflalo seems unlikely. That leaves Nelson, the oldest member of a youthful Magic starting lineup at age 31. Nelson's 2014-15 salary is guaranteed for just $2 million, per Mark Deeks, so he's functionally an expiring contract for a team looking for a short-term upgrade at point guard for the stretch run.

Evan Turner, G/F, Philadelphia 76ers
With the 76ers effectively sitting the season out, Turner and teammate Thaddeus Young are both popular in trade rumors. While Young could be a part of the next good Philadelphia team -- the only question is whether he's too good to keep -- Turner is a different story. Even last season, when he developed a 3-point shot, Turner still posted a woeful .478 true shooting percentage.

Barring massive, rapid improvement, he's unlikely to get a new contract when he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. If some other team wants to try to rehabilitate the former No. 2 overall pick, they'll likely have a chance.

Marcin Gortat, C, Phoenix Suns
Consider Gortat the single player most likely to be traded in the entire NBA. He'll turn 30 shortly before the deadline, making him a poor fit for a rebuilding team, and is also in the final season of his contract. As a quality 7-footer, Gortat will surely have plenty of value at the deadline and could fetch the Suns another first-round pick to add to their stockpile of five over the next two drafts.

Brandon Rush, G/F, Utah Jazz
Sensing a theme here? Rush is a veteran role player with an expiring contract on a young, rebuilding team. As a 3-and-D specialist, he could help a contender off the bench, assuming he demonstrates he's fully back from a ruptured ACL that cost him nearly the entirety of the 2012-13 season.

Dealing Rush will help the Jazz recoup additional value from this summer's trade with the Golden State Warriors.
 
If Granger is healthy and show he can regain his form, he could be a serious target, with Monroe as the chip. He's been a strong outside shooter and defender in the past, and swapping him for Monroe balances the lineup better. Still, Moose looks like the second coming of Al Jefferson, and we have to know Granger is completely healthy and in all-star form to consider it.
 
If Granger is healthy and show he can regain his form, he could be a serious target, with Monroe as the chip. He's been a strong outside shooter and defender in the past, and swapping him for Monroe balances the lineup better. Still, Moose looks like the second coming of Al Jefferson, and we have to know Granger is completely healthy and in all-star form to consider it.

There is no way you would want to trade Monroe for Granger who will be a FA after the season.
 
You don't trade Monroe for a 4th option on offense. You trade him for a game changing two way presence like Al Jefferson/kg trade. I'd see if new York would want to trade melo within the next couple years before that. But Batum isn't worth a scoring big man that is younger than 25.

where do you get the idea that batum would be the 4th option?? if anything, he'd probably be the 2nd option after smoove with jennings apparently deferring more to his teammates this season.

there's a reason batum has been so highly coveted around the league in recent years. batum IS the two-way presence that we need. he instantly balances our offense and vastly improves our defense (smoove>>>moose). stop overvaluing monroe. he's a very talented big with great offensive instincts, but his skillset is a little redundant with smith in the fold. plus, his defensive instincts, especially on PF's, leave very much to be desired. if we could get a 2-way presence like batum and a good 3rd big man like lopez, i'd be all over that deal.

you're delusional if you think melo's an option.
 
There is no way you would want to trade Monroe for Granger who will be a FA after the season.

agreed. i don't understand the infatuation for granger. if we still have space and haven't made any moves after this season's over, i'd be open to giving him a shot, but i'm not sure i'd trade for him...
 
Smith can play the 3 in the first place, so I don't see SF as a big need to begin with. That said, if we can't score as a team with our big lineup, we'll have to make changes. Batum makes no sense to me, though. He has a great rep as a defender, but has never actually defended well overall. His offense is solid, but not elite. Trading big for small in that way, without getting a star wing player is pointless and would downgrade the team.

Now, I know this will sound odd, but I would target someone like Ryan Anderson. Anderson is on a very reasonable contract. He is an elite shooter for a big man, and still an acceptable rebounder (especially alongside Smith and Drummond). He's not a great individual defender, but at least knows where to be in a team scheme. Trading Monroe for Anderson would improve our overall offense (they are a wash individually, but Anderson is a much better fit), slightly improve our defense, but reduce our team rebounding. Rebounding is less of an issue since Drummond and Smith are better rebounders than our non-Monroe SF-PF-C options from last year.

josh smith is a natural 4, not a 3. there's no way around it. once pistons fans accept that, moving moose will be much easier.

batum downgrades the team, but anderson upgrades it? did you forget defense matters too??
 
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