Given what Tim Duncan did this year, I’m not sure it’s that cut and dry. Obviously Gasol isn’t quite the player Duncan is, but it proves he can still be very effective at age 35[/quote]
Actually it is cut and dry. You’re comparing one of the best PF of all time to Pau Gasol. How often do power forwards play at a high level at 35?
[quote]scj119 wrote:
and I’m just not sure Bargnani has proven he will consistently be above average at all. [/quote]
Correct.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Even in his “breakout year” he was shooting 30% from three and averaging like 5.5 boards/game. [/quote]
He didn’t have a breakout year, he was on the cusp of one before he was riddled with injury. He only played in 31 games and even then he was playing through pain.
The first 13 games of the season he was playing far and away the best basketball of his career. I do believe that’s what we’ll see in 2012-2013 barring injury.
Even if he doesn’t get that much better, I still think a 30 year old Bargnani will be a better overall player than 35 year old Gasol.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Gasol will still be the better defender/passer/rebounder when he’s 35 than Bargs will be when he’s 30. [/quote]
I think Bargnani will improve defensively, but yes. Bargnani will be the better scorer which is the main reason he’s on the floor.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
I also think the Raptors could manage his minutes better and keep him off the injury list. He could easily get back to being a 20ppg guy on a non-Kobe team as well.[/quote]
So to be clear, on a rebuilding team you’d rather have a 35 year old Gasol than a 30 year old Bargnani 3 years from now?
If it were up to me, I would not change the team much at all. I wouldn’t trade for Gasol and I wouldn’t sign Steve Nash.
I would keep this team in the lottery until they get a hold of a franchise player type talent. Otherwise they’ll end up amounting to a middle-of-the-pack team like the Sixers or the Pacers.
Hopefully Valanciunas can turn into something worthwhile. People were saying he would’ve been the #2 pick in this years draft.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
So to be clear, on a rebuilding team you’d rather have a 35 year old Gasol than a 30 year old Bargnani 3 years from now?
[/quote]
Both bring demonstrably different things to the table, but I don’t think the overall difference in wins/losses will be much, and Gasol will be better in the short term.
You’re basing the “Bargs has reached a new level” argument on a 13-game sample size. You know how I feel about that.
Hasn’t Toronto been waiting for that “top tier talent” ever since VC left? In theory it’s the best way to build a team but it relies on a hell of a lot of luck (lottery luck plus the luck of actually having a Durant-level player in the draft).
I really don’t like them using up cap room on Fields though. Backwards ass logic no matter how you look at it.
Signing Nash long term will not make them a championship contender but could inject some much needed relevancy into TOR and get some actual fans to come to games, which are also important in the NBA. They shouldn’t pull out all the stops though. Decide on a reasonable offer, and if he turns it down, let it go.
Both bring demonstrably different things to the table, but I don’t think the overall difference in wins/losses will be much, and Gasol will be better in the short term.[/quote]
Fair enough.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
You’re basing the “Bargs has reached a new level” argument on a 13-game sample size. [/quote]
To be clear I don’t think he’s reached a new level, rather it’s likely he’s on the cusp of a reaching new one.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
You know how I feel about that.[/quote]
Yes, I do and there’s a good chance you’re right.
Just from watching him during that stretch, for the first time in his career he was making most of his moves by reacting to the defense instead of pre-meditating his move. He would just have his mind made up before crossing the timeline.
Of course this could be just speak to my personal bias of me wanting him to succeed. meow
Btw pencil me in for “Gasol at 35” instead of “Bargs at 30.”
After all Gasol is a likely HOF’er when he retires, believe it or not…[/quote]
From a Lakers perspective, would you want them to trade Gasol or Bargnani?[/quote]
From a Lakers perspective, I want them to trade either Bryant or Bynum (I don’t see how Bynum can truly blossom with Bryant demanding 25+ FGA’s) while keeping Gasol. Not like that’ll happen but still.
And sure, let’s trade Bargnani as well. Not quite sure what that even means re: LAL, but why not??
As for the JET signing, obviously BOS has their 6th-man now which removes them from the Ray Allen sweepstakes, right??
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Hasn’t Toronto been waiting for that “top tier talent” ever since VC left? In theory it’s the best way to build a team but it relies on a hell of a lot of luck (lottery luck plus the luck of actually having a Durant-level player in the draft).[/quote]
No.
They tried to make a run when they traded Marion and a draft pick (Hibbert) for J. O’Neal. As well in the 2006-2007 season they won the Atlantic division.
There really is no other way to a championship for a mid-market team. Get lucky in the draft or be mediocre.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
I really don’t like them using up cap room on Fields though. Backwards ass logic no matter how you look at it.[/quote]
Yeah Fields isn’t worth the money they’re throwing at him.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Signing Nash long term will not make them a championship contender but could inject some much needed relevancy into TOR and get some actual fans to come to games, which are also important in the NBA.[/quote]
The Raptors for most of their history have been in the top 15 in attendance.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
They shouldn’t pull out all the stops though. Decide on a reasonable offer, and if he turns it down, let it go.[/quote]
I think they’re the only team offering him a guranteed 3rd year for $12 million
Man the Nets are out of their mind if they want Dwight Howard in addition to Williams and Johnson. I don’t even see how it’s possible for them to sign Howard considering how much money they gave Williams and have to give to Johnson. Do they actually think they can win a championship with those three guys? None of those three guys has won anything in their respective careers and none have proven that they’re actually worth the hype they get. The Nets are just bundling a bunch of losers with next to nothing in support and asking them to win a championship.
[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
The Nets are just bundling a bunch of losers with next to nothing in support and asking them to win a championship. [/quote]
It worked for the heat. Gratned lebald is the best player in the game, but Dwill and dwightmare are better than wade/bosh. Joe Johnson while overpaid, is a very solid player.
Fuck Dwight Howard. Howard and DWill are probably just a little bit better than Wade and Bosh but you have to consider Wade was a champion before the Big 3 hooked up. Any how, Lebron, Wade and Bosh is better than Howard, Dwill and Johnson.
Dwight Howard has turned into the biggest bitch of the last 10 years. LeBron doesn’t even come close.
