sportsnut1232
Member
There were a couple of moves made at the trade deadline that could, and likely will, have a significant impact on our division in the coming years:
1. Portland is basically starting over. They fired their coach, and somehow got a great lottery pick for Gerald Wallace. It's obvious that they are tanking the rest of this season, so they could very well have 2 top 10 picks this coming draft. NJ taking Wallace's contract off their hands while ALSO giving them a top 10 pick is one of the worst and most desperate moves I've seen. This positions Portland greatly to reload with 2 solid players from a deep draft and they could be right back to being a good team if they play their cards right.
2. Denver realized they overpaid for Nene so they sent him to Washington in exchange for Javale McGee. I'm not sure how to feel about this. At first glance, it looks like a stupid move for Denver. But when you look at how Nene has underperformed since signing that huge contract, it makes some sense. McGee is younger, has more upside, and will likely demand less money once he hits free agency this summer. He is a complete dumba$$ but I'm sure Denver feels George Karl will be able to work with him and help him reach his potential.
OKC is not worth talking about since we all know they are and will be the class of our division for a long time.
Minnesota has a tremendous core with Love, Rubio, Derrick Williams, and Nikola Pekovic. They will be a playoff team in the future, although I don't see them reaching contender status with that team.
As for our Jazz, we have a tremendous opportunity this coming draft, especially because we didn't make any trades. There is a good chance we will have 2 lottery picks and have some interesting pieces that we could package to move up in the draft. I honestly think KOC saw all along that waiting until draft day will increase the value of guys like Harris, Jefferson (who will be a huge expiring contract), and Millsap. Although it would be nice to add 2 more solid players from the draft, we have the option of trying to package our picks with say Millsap to move up if there is a player who KOC believes has superstar potential. As of now, it may be too early to tell if there really is a big difference between pick 3 and 10. All I know is I would much rather draft a player with real star potential even if it costs us Millsap, than 2 more solid players. If we can draft Barnes and let Howard and CJ walk, our future is as bright as any team in the league, IMO.
1. Portland is basically starting over. They fired their coach, and somehow got a great lottery pick for Gerald Wallace. It's obvious that they are tanking the rest of this season, so they could very well have 2 top 10 picks this coming draft. NJ taking Wallace's contract off their hands while ALSO giving them a top 10 pick is one of the worst and most desperate moves I've seen. This positions Portland greatly to reload with 2 solid players from a deep draft and they could be right back to being a good team if they play their cards right.
2. Denver realized they overpaid for Nene so they sent him to Washington in exchange for Javale McGee. I'm not sure how to feel about this. At first glance, it looks like a stupid move for Denver. But when you look at how Nene has underperformed since signing that huge contract, it makes some sense. McGee is younger, has more upside, and will likely demand less money once he hits free agency this summer. He is a complete dumba$$ but I'm sure Denver feels George Karl will be able to work with him and help him reach his potential.
OKC is not worth talking about since we all know they are and will be the class of our division for a long time.
Minnesota has a tremendous core with Love, Rubio, Derrick Williams, and Nikola Pekovic. They will be a playoff team in the future, although I don't see them reaching contender status with that team.
As for our Jazz, we have a tremendous opportunity this coming draft, especially because we didn't make any trades. There is a good chance we will have 2 lottery picks and have some interesting pieces that we could package to move up in the draft. I honestly think KOC saw all along that waiting until draft day will increase the value of guys like Harris, Jefferson (who will be a huge expiring contract), and Millsap. Although it would be nice to add 2 more solid players from the draft, we have the option of trying to package our picks with say Millsap to move up if there is a player who KOC believes has superstar potential. As of now, it may be too early to tell if there really is a big difference between pick 3 and 10. All I know is I would much rather draft a player with real star potential even if it costs us Millsap, than 2 more solid players. If we can draft Barnes and let Howard and CJ walk, our future is as bright as any team in the league, IMO.
