The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Paul: Last week’s Give and Go focused on predicting the dominant narratives of this upcoming NBA season, but I’ll ask you this week instead: which preseason narrative and situation are you most interested in? You mentioned the Golden State Warriors winning a championship by playing position-less basketball last season, so are you more interested in seeing them attempt to repeat as champions or, for example, the San Antonio Spurs as they work to integrate their new pieces into Gregg Popovich’s system? Dare I say it’s been a relatively quiet preseason - outside of an awful injury to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - but which team has caught your eye early on?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Chris: We’re back Mitchell! After a long and tortuous NBA-less Offseason, we’ve arrived on the hopeful shores of NBA Media Day. NBATV is airing Real Training Camp on a daily basis and I’ve already been reminded just how terrible Preseason NBA basketball really is (but I’ll watch it anyway…).
If I may make a proclamation, in my opinion the dominant narrative of the 2014-15 NBA Season was the Golden State Warriors and their middle finger to the idea of traditional positions (particularly debunking the myths that stated jump shooting teams and teams without a traditional dominant center can’t win a Championship). There were other narratives to be sure, but I made a proclamation damnit!
What do you think will be the dominant narrative of the upcoming 2015-16 NBA Season?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Chris: For those who don’t know what Bill Simmons’ Entertaining as Hell Tournament is you can read a fairly detailed description here.
The quick version: every team that isn’t going to make the playoffs, plus the current 8-seeds in each conference, are thrown into a post-season tournament. Winner gets the 8-seed in either the East or West.
Mitchell, if this tournament existed this season, who wins it? Who is the MVP? What’s the biggest upset? And what are the top-5 hypothetical moments that will come to define this tournament’s inaugural season?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Paul: The MVP debate is down to a two-man race between Golden State’s Steph Curry and Houston’s James Harden with just a week left to play, but how much should voters factor in the quality of post-big shot celebratory gestures into their Most Valuable Player ballots? Is Harden’s “stir the pot” miming the league’s best finishing move this season? How does it stack up historically?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Chris: I’m going to get a little philosophical and a little science fiction on you here Mitchell and it’s totally inspired by this amazing piece on SB Nation by Jon Bois capping off their NBA Y2K series.
In the post, Bois ‘played God’ by slowly killing the game of basketball in basically the same way that the evil mastermind behind the Monstars would have done if Michael and Bugs hadn’t won Muggsy Bogues’s (obligatory Muggsy Bogues reference!) talent back. He sapped the NBA of all of its’ talent and as the years went by the league crumbled in on itself.
That got me thinking. I’ve never given the thought to the NBA or the sport of basketball as we know it coming to an ‘end’. The end is so final. It’s incomprehensible. But for a moment, let’s consider, how does the NBA or the sport of professional basketball come to an end, Mitchell?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Paul: John Calipari “desperately” wants to coach again in the NBA, per a front office executive to NorthJersey.com’s Steve Popper. Popper speculates as to a return to the Nets organization for Calipari, where his renowned recruitment abilities could be an attractive option for a Brooklyn team that will depend heavily on future free agencies to replenish their roster. It was barely a year ago that Calipari reportedly turned down a multi-year contract to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers to return to the University of Kentucky, but could this offseason be any different? If you were an organization looking to make moves in free agency, would you consider investing in John Calipari, and how much control over personnel would you be willing to cede?
If not Calipari, are there any other current college coaches that you think are realistic options to jump to the NBA?
The Hornets’ Defensive Rating drops by 8.4 points per 100 possessions when Kidd-Gilchrist is on the floor compared to when he’s off which Schumann has ranked as the third best defensive impact by that metric. He’s been great this season, so it’s not all that surprising, but he’s only 21, so how good can he be defensively in three years?
Who do you think is the best defender in the NBA? Who do you think are regarded as the best defenders of all time? And do you think Kidd-Gilchrist can achieve his lofty goal?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Paul: I’m fascinated by the concept of “Big 3’s”, in relation to the NBA. It’s not a new concept, as the phrase goes back at least to the Los Angeles Lakers teams from the ‘70’s - who added Wilt Chamberlain in trade to their core of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor - but as an NBA fan, post-Michael Jordan, it’s a phrase I hadn’t heard much of in contemporary circles until the Boston Celtics’ trades in 2007. Since then it’s been a trendy narrative device that’s been bastardized by mainstream media outlets, but there’s no denying that there are a greater concentration of star players in today’s NBA than ever before. So let’s focus on the 3rd option in the 2015 version of the “Big 3”. What’s the ideal role of a 3rd option (on a good team)? Is it as simple as a team’s 3rd-leading scorer, or are their responsibilities more diverse? With that said, which is the best 3rd option in the NBA today? Chris: Great question. The tidy narrative driven after the Spurs won their title last season was the victory of ‘The Team’ over the idea of ‘The Big 3’, but then less than two months later, LeBron goes to Cleveland, they trade for Kevin Love and the idea is reborn. That narrative will never go away, even if the Spurs won last season and a team like the Hawks succeed this year. As long as three talented players are on a roster together, someone will throw that term around, so I like your idea of embracing it and exploring our options here. You pose great questions about how to define the 3rd option. To me, there is no definition and hopefully some of my favorite third options in the league can demonstrate what I mean:
Let’s pour some out for one of the most universally adored NBA third options the league has seen in a long time, Wesley Matthews. I wrote in a recent Give and Go that Portland was the team I would be most interested in watching down the stretch. to examine the question “Can they win the title?” That went up in smoke when Matthews went down. Not to mention the amount of money it will cost him.
With Memphis, it’s hard to determine a hierarchy between Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Zach Randolph, and players like Courtney Lee, Tony Allen, and Jeff Green are important to what they do. But I’d be hard-pressed to find a more talented trio on any NBA roster out there. Given Marc Gasol’s MVP discussion-worthy start, and Mike Conley officially ‘shedding’ the underrated tag, I think of Randolph as the third banana in this scenario now. And that’s pretty fucking insane to be averaging 16 and 11 as the third banana.
Tony Parker is the engine that drives the Spurs’ offense. As we’ve seen for much of this season, when he’s not playing well, the Spurs don’t play well. Tim Duncan, at the advanced age of 63 is a defensive player of the year candidate and is the foundation upon which the Spurs’ defense is built. To my mind, that makes Kawhi Leonard the third option on a championship-level team. Kawhi can do anything on the basketball floor, but if you removed either Tony or Timmy right now, the burden of carrying one side of the ball might be too much for him.
To your point about the 3rd option being the third-leading scorer, that’s certainly not the case for the Clippers. Crawford and Reddick would be candidates based on scoring, but without a doubt the third most important player on that roster is DeAndre Jordan. He’s been a monster since Blake went down and his shot chart is a testament to the ultimate role player. He knows exactly what his teams asks of him, and that’s what he gives them.
Josh Smith is obviously the third-most important player to this Houston … just kidding. I wanted to make sure you were still paying attention, Mitchell.
If that tells me anything it’s that there is no way to define the 3rd option beyond the third-most important player to a good team. And even that implies you need to rank the top three hierarchically that diminishes the cohesion of a team like Memphis or Atlanta or even Golden State. I blame NBA Jam for this. To most in our age group, NBA Jam can do no wrong, I know. But they boiled down an NBA roster to three players and you can play as any two-man combination of those three players. It’s probably half the reason I fell in love with the Muggsy Bogues, Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson trio. Actually, I take that back, it’s not even close to 20% of the reason I fell in love with that team. So what are your thoughts, Mitchell? How do you define a third option and who is your favorite in this NBA season? Mitchell: As is true with any question in life, really, NBA Jam makes a perfect metaphor. I am also guilty of picking the Charlotte Hornets every single time, unless it was the console version that had replaced Muggsy with Kendall Gill and removed Reggie Lewis. Now whether I was influenced by the outsized personalities and marketing campaigns of Muggsy Bogues and Larry “Grandmama” Johnson or by the pretty, baby blue jerseys of the fresh, new franchise I’m not sure, but even back in the days of arcades and quarters, I always appreciated the Hornets’ mix of speed, shooting, strength, shot blocking, and huge dunks. Alonzo Mourning was a must-play. In a standard game, without fouls or hot spots, ‘Zo was a one-man wrecking crew, who would two-hand, novelty shove any offensive player who dared to enter the paint or elevate near his basket. From there I’d have to debate the merits and style of play of LJ or Muggsy to round out my starting duo, unless I felt adventurous and started two offensive players without a rim protector. It never worked out, and I would soon run out of quarters. Defense matters, whether it’s NBA Jam or with third options on good teams. There’s no template or control in the experiment of how to build a title team, as every championship squad has been unique from each other, but there are certain trends that emerge in roster construction. The highest-paid player is often the team’s leading scorer (and leader in usage rate), with the second-highest next. Whether it’s unfair or not, I feel that the defensive burden then falls to the team’s third option, who also needs to consistently score in double-digits against playoff defenses. Basically Chris Bosh, at least as far as recent examples from a really good team. Bosh took plenty of derision from fans and praise from coaches by the end of Miami’s four-consecutive Finals appearances, as a new-age big capable of stretching defenses as a catch-and-shoot player but who was also quick enough to cover the entire court. Sometimes it takes little moments, like grabbing the offensive rebound that led to one of the greatest shots in NBA history, to prove his value, or the long road trips where he’s leading the team in scoring when the team’s other options are out with injury. So I guess flexibility too, along with defensive and offensive competence, or like you said, a good team’s third-best player. But that then gets into the concept of value and how to equate offense vs. defense, and I’m not ready to open that can of worms. Here are my top 5 third options, instead.
Chris Bosh. This might officially be an insult now, after getting paid to be the post-LBJ The Man in Miami and carrying the team before injuries ruined his 2014-15 season, but Bosh has just about perfected his role as a floor-spacer and pick-and-roll blitzer, and I’m sure won’t mind conceding the ball to Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic.
Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi began the 2014 Finals as the third or fourth option in the Spurs’ offense, but by series’ end was dominating with the ball as the Finals MVP. Tim Duncan has been the most consistent Spur and Tony Parker the most crucial to the team’s success, while Leonard provides them with another level of upside. It’s no coincidence that as he’s returned to the lineup this season the San Antonio Spurs have gotten hot.
Serge Ibaka. Serge has always been underrated as a third option who clearly knows his limitations in playing with two of the league’s best players on a nightly basis. He’s extended his face-up game to the three-point line while doubling as the league’s second-leading shot blocker, and yet still leaves me wanting to see more from him as a player. If he never gets better he’s safe on this list due to his defensive impact, but if he ever adds a post game or desire to draw free throws, he’s a future Finals MVP.
Draymond Green. This might be a stretch until he can prove it in this year’s playoffs. Draymond checks all of the boxes I need from my third options, besides maybe the consistent ability to get his own shot, but he locks in on the defensive end, provides spacing options from the power forward spot, and offers intangibles for days on the league’s most dominant team. Dude’s gonna get paid.
Kevin Love. I’m going to cheat here and screw over Mike Conley or Wes Matthews or Paul Millsap/Jeff Teague in favor of criticizing Kevin Love. Love is a great example of the almost cruel irony in today’s NBA economics, where he became a star player on a rookie contract in a small market and never really had the coaching or veteran culture around him to flesh out the rest of his game (outside of his insane scoring and rebounding numbers). As a result his teams struggled and he asked out, and ended up in a situation that has the scoring and rebounding covered but needs Love to play defense and do the little things.
His tenure so far in Cleveland is really interesting, as he might even be a better player than the team’s second option in Kyrie Irving, but Love is the one eliciting the “James Jones and Mike Miller” comparisons this season. He’s an insanely skilled player that has yet to figure out how to pick his spots in a complementary role around LeBron James and Kyrie, but despite the tremendous talent gap, you have to wonder how the Cavs would look with Draymond Green as their third option over Love.
That got me thinking... This is inevitable, right? In roughly 8 years we’ll be watching LeBron James Jr. play his first college basketball game for Duke (Does being the Team USA coach give Coach K an edge in recruiting?). Months later, he’ll be the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. And there’s a chance his father, LeBron James Sr. (from now on we have to call him senior, right?), may even still be a player in this league. The first NBA matchup between LeBron James Jr and Lebron James Sr will be the biggest story in sports for a week in 2024, am I right?
So, Mitchell, I’m curious, what is the most crazy/uplifting/depressing/unbelievable/shocking/must-watch NBA story that you envision will take place in the next 7-12 years? The story that will make Deflate-gate and Donald Sterling look like that time when Jayson Williams tried to cover up shooting his chauffeur in the face with a shotgun. Seriously, that should have been a bigger story, no? So what do you have, Mitchell?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Paul: We are now effectively at the stretch run of the season, without any more All-Star breaks or trade deadlines to distract us. So as we hunker down for the last 30 games or so remaining in the 2014-15 season, which team(s) are you looking forward to monitoring? Conversely, which team(s) are you down on, either after any trade deadline (in)activity or because of their style of play?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Paul: The NBA’s trade deadline is just hours away. We’ve covered various aspects of the deadline already, with trades we want to see happen and the thought process behind rebuilding teams moving draft picks, but let’s switch our focus this week to the contending teams. The Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, and Memphis Grizzlies have already made big moves to stabilize their deficiencies for the playoff push, but which (other) playoff hopefuls need a talent infusion for the stretch run of the season?
What do you think of Minnesota’s strategy of selling veterans for draft picks, while simultaneously trading picks for young talent already in the NBA? Is this a strategy that other, rebuilding teams should adopt - most notably the Boston Celtics, with tons of future draft considerations and a couple of solid veterans on the roster? Is it kind of genius to trade draft picks down the line for discounted talent today, or counter-productive for teams that are years away from contention?
How about for a young team with years of lottery experience, like the Charlotte Hornets? Is the risk of trading draft picks mitigated by their proximity to the playoffs?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Paul: It was just a few weeks ago that we bemoaned the lack of trades in the 2014-15 NBA season. Since then we’ve had a few Celtics trades, a high-profile release that’s turned around the season of the Detroit Pistons, and a number of potential contenders who have upgraded their teams for the second half of the season (AKA the “Western Conference arms race”).
This week’s Give and Go question will be simple: Which team’s transaction(s) do you like the most and believe upgrades them for a playoff push? Alternately, which move still confounds you?
Credit: AP Photo/ Bill Kostroun & Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Chris: Alright Mitchell, after a holiday hiatus we’re back and on Monday night of the first ‘back to work’ week of the new year there was a Twitter explosion. Half of the fun was the crazy rumors (Reggie Jackson to the Knicks) flying around when the trade happened, as even Woj wasn’t quite sure what was happening. After the dust settled, here’s the deal:
The Cavs acquire Iman Shumpert and J. R. Smith and a 2015 protected first round pick (OKC).
The Oklahoma City Thunder acquire Dion Waiters.
The New York Knicks acquire Lance Thomas (OKC), Alex Kirk (CLE), Lou Amundson (CLE), and a 2019 second round pick (in a pure salary dump).
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Chris:
The Kings recently fired Mike Malone amid all kinds of controversy that Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports has been all over.
First, Adrian reported the firing, noting Malone was ‘hired before D'Alessandro on June 3, 2013’ and that Malone disagreed with D’Alessandro about playing style and the potential Josh Smith trade. He also linked George Karl and Vinny Del Negro to the opening, essentially declaring interim head coach Ty Corbin a lame duck candidate.
Second, Adrian profiled the Malone-Kings relationship in more depth leading off with a specific disagreement about Royce White. This also had more details about the Josh Smith disagreement and painted Malone as someone with a reputation for being volatile, but ‘had grown in the Kings job, worked to curb those shortcomings and built a strong bond and trust within his locker room.’ It also again linked George Karl to the job and added his motivation for doing so (Karl didn’t squash the rumors).
Lastly, Adrian reported Tuesday, that Chris Mullin (an ‘ownership adviser’ for the Kings) is basically the front runner for the job.
So, Mitchell, what in the world is going on in Sacramento? Was it a mistake to fire Mike Malone or just a mistake that it wasn’t done last off-season? And who should the Kings hire as their next coach? Ty Corbin? George Karl? Chris Mullin? Someone else?
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Story going online now co-scribed with @NotoriousOHM: ESPN sources say Nets have made D-Will, Brook Lopez & Joe Johnson available via trade
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) December 9, 2014
Paul: We talked about trades a bit on last week’s podcast, but it seems we’re not the only ones anxious for the NBA’s trade season to unofficially begin. Under a week from the December 15th mark on the NBA calendar, when free agents signed over the summer become eligible for trade, and it’s not a surprise that the trade speculation has escalated, with the Dion Waiters for Kosta Koufos rumor picking up a couple of days ago and now the report from Steiny Mo and Ohm Youngmisuk.
So, Chris, let’s focus this week’s Give and Go on trades, and I’ll put a couple of questions to you. First, is there any chance one of the Nets’ “Big 3” get moved this season? And which fake trade would you make to start the the NBA’s trade season?
Chris: I’ll start with the Nets ‘Big 3’. Almost minutes after that Steiny Mo tweet I saw multiple members of basketball twitter submit their trade machine screenshots sending Brook Lopez to the Celtics. You’ve watched him closer than I have this season as you cover the Nets for Brooklyn’s Finest, so you can probably speak to it better than I can, but my immediate reaction was, ‘Please no!’. In theory, Brook provides the foundational center the Celtics are sorely lacking, but between the injury history and my belief that all Brook would do is slow this Celtics team down, I’m completely out on that scenario.
Deron has been playing well this season and if there’s ever a time to attempt to unload him, it’s now. Going into the season, multiple members of the Starters called Deron the worst contract in the league. I’m not sure that’s true anymore, although it’s certainly not good. The point guard market is bare, but maybe there are teams that would bite on a deal. Could Dallas put together a package that keeps its core intact and brings Deron in to soak up the Ray Felton/Jameer Nelson minutes? Maybe the Nets could convince the Knicks to make another panic move? I’m not sure, but Deron, averaging 17.1 points and 6.5 assists and shooting over 40% from 3-point range, has the most value he’s had in possibly 18 months.
Joe Johnson has real value now. He’s a bona fide scorer that has great size at either wing position. The contract is big, but it’s only for this year and next and comes off the books just in time for the new television deal to kick in, which is just what many teams want. Maybe a Lance for Joe Johnson swap could be the base of a deal if Charlotte really doesn’t have the patience? The Cavs or Clippers would love to get their hands on Joey J, but I don’t think they have the pieces to make the deal happen. I wouldn’t mind a Johnson-Jeff Green swap for the C’s. They’d give up cap space this summer for next summer, but they’d also get the fourth quarter scorer they so desperately need. That would make the C’s better though, and I’m still not sure they know if they want that yet. Indiana would also be a great candidate for Joe Johnson. What about a deal like this:
The Pacers would have to part with George Hill, but in my opinion, Donald Sloan and Solomon Hill have played solid enough to make that feasible. Johnson brings some ball-handling from the wing as well. Moving Mahinmi might make the Pacers nervous so that’s why I included Plumlee, who doesn’t seem to be on Lionel Hollins’s best side. It seems like Jerome Jordan is getting more playing time than was expected. More options would open up after December 15th when someone like C.J. Miles and his $4 million plus contract could be used, maybe instead of Scola.
The weird thing is that these two teams are currently battling for the 8 seed in the East, but if the Nets are so intent on blowing it up, who am I (a Celtics fan with a dog in the fight) to get in their way, right? What do you think? Can the Nets move one of the big three? And what other deals do you think can/should/will get done in the coming months?
Paul:I’ve had to watch Brook Lopez play basketball every game for the last month-plus and my reaction to the Boston Celtics trading for Bropez is about the same. The Celtics need an athletic, shot-blocking presence at the rim, and, ironically, so do the Nets. Brook is currently out for the week with a back strain and has already missed the first week of the season with a random foot issue, and a player option next season at almost $17 million creates further uncertainty as to his future status in any trade. If he’s healthy enough to play well he opts out of his contract next summer and seeks a max deal, or he’s hurt and takes up a significant chunk of your cap as he again works his way back from injury. Good offensive centers are scarce, but Brook’s lack of foot speed and limited athleticism should scare enough teams away.
Deron Williams is in a similar situation, although he’s far enough removed from his own ankle injuries to have shown flashes of his former dominance. He’s been Brooklyn’s best, most consistent, player by far and already has a Player of the Week award to his credit this season, but I’m not sure if his trade value around the league is as high as the Nets are hoping, given his salary over the next two seasons and his injury history. The teams that are looking to upgrade at point guard, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers or Sacramento Kings, might not necessarily have the contracts to match back to Brooklyn or the draft picks to deal.
Which brings up the larger point to this exercise, and that’s what Brooklyn’s motivation is in all of this. The team already has almost-$80 million committed to next season’s payroll, and owes two first-round picks to Boston over the next three seasons and the rights to a pick swap in the 2015 draft to the Atlanta Hawks. Outside of Bojan Bogdanovic and Mason Plumlee, who’s struggled hardcore in adjusting to Lionel Hollins’s new concepts, the team lacks any rotation players under-30 years old and under contract next season. Rebuilding, without your own draft picks, isn’t really an option, especially for a team owned (and possibly being sold) by Mikhail Prokhorov. Trading any of these pieces would have to be for depth, and to get younger and more athletic next season.
Joe Johnson is probably the most tradeable piece that general manager Billy King has made available, which is insane for a player who will make just under $25 million in 2015-16. Johnson’s been pretty bad ever since dropping the “selfish” comments before the teams’ three-game, West Coast road trip, but is still among the league’s best at closing out basketball games thanks to his “Iso Joe” abilities. There aren’t many two-guards in the league who can create their own shot, catch-and-shoot, and rebound well, without being a total trainwreck on defense, and Joey J could help a couple of teams.
Finding teams that can match salaries and give the Nets something back besides salary relief is another obstacle. There’s a great trolling-offer to be made around Amare Stoudemire’s expiring contract and Andrea Bargnani for Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez that would piss off both fan bases and cause half of my co-writers at BK’s Finest to quit in protest of having to recap Nets games. Joey J for Amare and Tim Hardaway Jr. works and gives both teams some pieces of value next season, but the Knicks are a mess and should probably focus on playing for a draft pick this year.
This is in no way original, in fact Jonah had the framework of this deal in his trade piece Wednesday, but Joe Johnson could really help the Charlotte Hornets, and they could have a shooting guard to swap after December 15th. I would love to provide the screen cap of my Trade Machine deal of Joe Johnson for Lance Stephenson, Marvin Williams, and Gerald Henderson, but unfortunately both Lance and Marvin are unable to move until the 15th, as they were summer free agent signings that have not worked out in Charlotte. We talked about how disappointing the team has been last week on the Give and Go, but Joe Johnson would immediately become the best shooting guard in franchise history and be able to open up space for Professor Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker. Kemba is a good late-game closer in his own right, with a game-winner already under his belt this year, but would have to cede those responsibilities to Joe Johnson for the next two seasons.
Brooklyn would get a flawed-but-young, former New York high school hero in Lance Stephenson in return, who’s under contract for the next three seasons and has struggled in shooting the ball for the Hornets. He’d be able to run the offense more in Brooklyn and have actual shooters to kick to, like Deron, Bojan, and Mirza Teletovic, while helping out on the boards and giving the roster some much-needed athleticism. Marvin Williams would come off the bench at power forward or get flipped before the deadline (or Kevin Garnett?), while Gerald Henderson would rival incumbent-Alan Anderson as my personal least-favorite player to watch on the roster.
The Nets might be able to do better than Lance Stephenson and Marvin Williams, but I doubt Joe Johnson’s true value is anywhere close to Billy King’s expectations of that value. Due to the age, struggles, injury histories, and cost of Brooklyn’s “Big 3”, any trade would return another team’s headache, and the Nets are at a weird position going forward, without any draft picks but with an old and expensive roster. Given the nature of the Brooklyn Nets organization, the leaks and rumors and daily drama should be fun to monitor throughout the winter, but the NBA trade season has begun.
