SI Top 100 for 2015- JV, Amir, DD & Lowry all make the list

[white men can't jump]

Thanks, Dan.


I would imagine Aldridge and Millsap would get a call.

Hopefully LBJ and Love have a major falling out and Love is looking to move across the border.

I'm really not into Aldridge. Don't see where he fits on the team. He's not a great passer, has range only to the mid-range, and doesn't excel (or like to try to excel) in the low-post. Also at this stage in his career he's a tweener big who's only going to get slower, which makes him a less than ideal defensive piece beside Jonas.

Millsap's a good option depending on price. He's still effective and would be a good fit, but the structure of his deal really has to make sense.

And I still really like Horford as an option if we're still looking for a PF in summer 2016.

[mcHAPPY]

I'm really not into Aldridge. Don't see where he fits on the team. He's not a great passer, has range only to the mid-range, and doesn't excel (or like to try to excel) in the low-post. Also at this stage in his career he's a tweener big who's only going to get slower, which makes him a less than ideal defensive piece beside Jonas.

Millsap's a good option depending on price. He's still effective and would be a good fit, but the structure of his deal really has to make sense.

And I still really like Horford as an option if we're still looking for a PF in summer 2016.

I like that idea, a lot.

One more year to do a deal like Salmons deal this season to take on salary and acquire assets and then *boom* 2016 FA here we come.

[Azor Ahai]

And I still really like Horford as an option if we're still looking for a PF in summer 2016.

I'm also high on Horford, especially since he is usually undervalued and would probably go for less that his true value. Getting a PF depends on what we do with Amir Johnson next year, as we also have 2Pat for the next 3 years. Not that we couldn't trade either if we could get a better FA.

[DanH]

2016 is scary though with the uncertainty of what they might do to the cap. If they find any way to suppress the cap jump at all, whether it is carrying it forward to 2015 or backloading the TV deal (neither of which have been done before, but there are undeniable grumblings), the Raptors' potential cap room gets too small to make a play on a real big name - and in a flooded (although potentially not as flooded as we expected) market where loads of teams have cap space, that might mean missing out on the tier 2 guys as well.

If any cap smoothing is put in place, next summer may be our only shot at a big free agency signing.

[mcHAPPY]

2016 is scary though with the uncertainty of what they might do to the cap. If they find any way to suppress the cap jump at all, whether it is carrying it forward to 2015 or backloading the TV deal (neither of which have been done before, but there are undeniable grumblings), the Raptors' potential cap room gets too small to make a play on a real big name - and in a flooded (although potentially not as flooded as we expected) market where loads of teams have cap space, that might mean missing out on the tier 2 guys as well.

If any cap smoothing is put in place, next summer may be our only shot at a big free agency signing.

It may very well be.

However, better to find a proper fit than spend cap space because it is there.

And don't forget Bobby Webster!!!




When it comes to Horford, if Atlanta doesn't have a true C by summer 2016, I think they lose Horford. Given the 1st/2nd round ceiling they have and the latest racial uproar, it might be even more feasible to see him move on. KD is a pipe dream but Horford is a realistic dream, I think.

[DanH]

The other issue with 2016 is that you lose a lot of supplementary players to make a move that summer. Next summer we lose Amir to use cap room, with the other expirings not being nearly as central to team success. In 2016, we'd have to let go of whoever we sign in 2015 (including Amir if we re-sign him), plus Vasquez and Johnson to have significant cap room, assuming we are keeping DD.

[Heatdreamer]

Otherwise , you could keep your core together and be the 2/3 in the eastern conference. With Washington and Charlotte, Miami being behind. -but I believe a trade for a PF worth 18/8 in 30 minutes of play is what this teams requires.

Cleveland is the best team in the ECF , it may take a year before Rose can be an allstar in the conference and lead Chicago into the two position . Washington has a good starting 5 with great backcourt, but the bench strength is one issue. Miami - wade together with Bosh and Deng will give a team look without the weakness in the point and backup for Wade and hoping Granger knees recover.

[mcHAPPY]

54: Klay Thompson (RFA)
52: Roy Hibbert (PO)
47: David West (PO)
41: Manu Ginobili
40: Rajon Rondo
39: Tyson Chandler
38: DeAndre Jordan
35: Goran Dragic (PO)
34: Paul Millsap
33: Eric Bledsoe (assuming he takes his QO)
28: Kawhi Leonard (RFA)
26: Al Jefferson (PO)
20: Dwyane Wade (PO)
16: Marc Gasol
15: Tony Parker
12: LaMarcus Aldridge

1 through 10 aren't out yet, but just looking at the list, I'd say they are LBJ, Durant, Curry, Love, Griffin, Paul, George, Davis, Howard, and Duncan. Of those:

LeBron James (PO)
Kevin Love (PO)
Duncan

Faried as well is a RFA next year.

Of course not top 60.

[rocwell]

SI is respoding to TOP 100 complaints:

Are you serious with Demar at 61? You realize he was an All-Star last year right? -- @JasimMalik7

Golliver: DeMar DeRozan’s fans should be very pleased with his development last season. For the first time in his five-year career, he posted a PER that was above league average, and he made strides as a scoring threat. That said, I think we’ve moved past the days when simply averaging 22 points per game or getting an All-Star nod at the league’s weakest spot (East backcourt) is enough to solidify a guy as one of the league’s very best players.

There are still too many major flaws here to justify a top-30 or top-40 ranking this year. DeRozan was one of the least-efficient high-volume shooters in the game, his on/off impact stats show little positive impact (comparing unfavorably to Kyle Lowry’s) and he still has significant work to do as a perimeter shooter and a wing defender. He’s in Josh Smith territory shooting 42.9 percent on 17.8 shots per game, really. He also struggled through an ugly playoffs where his shooting numbers went even more into the tank once the defensive intensity ramped up and the game-to-game scouting kicked in.

DeRozan made a big climb in our eyes last year, but he’s still just in “prove it” mode. He’s very competitive, he’s proven that he can develop his game, and he did well to take on a huge burden for the surprising Raptors last season. We would just like to see some level of postseason success and a tightening up of his offensive role.

Link: http://www.si.com/nba/2014/09/22/mai...-nba-top-100-0

[octothorp]

He also struggled through an ugly playoffs where his shooting numbers went even more into the tank once the defensive intensity ramped up and the game-to-game scouting kicked in.

Right. Had his best three-game stretch of the entire season* in terms of true shooting percentage over games 5, 6, and 7 of the series, (TS% of .649, .613, and .597, compared to a regular season average of .532). But sure, whatever you say, SI.


*arguably. I haven't run the numbers for three game averages, but it was the only time all year he had three straight games in the high .500s or higher.

[Just Is]

SI is respoding to TOP 100 complaints:



Link: http://www.si.com/nba/2014/09/22/mai...-nba-top-100-0

While its nice that they at least explained the reasoning there (and, if I'm being honest, I don't have a problem with their reasoning there as it points to many of the same problems I have with Demar), its STILL damn hard to justify many of the names that are above him being above him. And THAT is why there's a problem with him being at 61.

In short: everything he said was fair but the ranking itself wasn't.

[octothorp]

Okay, here's what really pisses me off when places like SI look at DeRozan's playoff stats and completely ignore the consistency with which he got to the line and converted: DeRozan wasn't just good at this last year, he was historically good. No, he was historically great. In 7 straight games, he made at least 7 foul shots with an average of at least .818. And he gets no respect for how difficult that is. Here is a list of other players who have, in the playoffs, shot at least 7 foul shots and above .800 in 7* straight playoff games:

Kobe Bryant - 7, 2009
Michael Jordan - 9, 1987-1988
Jerry West - 7, 1970-1972
Oscar Robertson - 7, 1964-1965

Seriously: he's one of only five players to do this at the line, and one of only two to do it in a single season (Jordan's best was 6-straight in a single playoff season). And the only person to keep up those numbers for an entire 7 game series! In the whole history of the effing game!
And yet, Sports Illustrated says, 'yeah, we're just going to ignore foul-shots when we talk about a player's performance. Mediocre FG%. That's all we need to know. He was shut down.'

*If you expand to include players who achieved this for 6 straight games, you add only a second Jerry West.
Even if you include players who have done this in 5 straight games, you add Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Dirk Nowitzki (twice), and Kevin Durant (twice).

[rightsideup]

I have not read all the posts but essentially dd was in the top 25 buy being named to the all star team so there certainly is some disparity to this ranking

[Mr.Z]

Okay, here's what really pisses me off when places like SI look at DeRozan's playoff stats and completely ignore the consistency with which he got to the line and converted: DeRozan wasn't just good at this last year, he was historically good. No, he was historically great. In 7 straight games, he made at least 7 foul shots with an average of at least .818. And he gets no respect for how difficult that is. Here is a list of other players who have, in the playoffs, shot at least 7 foul shots and above .800 in 7 straight playoff games:

Kobe Bryant - 7, 2009
Michael Jordan - 9, 1987-1988
Jerry West - 7, 1970-1972
Oscar Robertson - 7, 1964-1965

Seriously: he's one of only five players to do this at the line, and one of only two to do it in a single season (Jordan's best was 6-straight in a single playoff season). And the only person to keep up those numbers for an entire 7 game series! In the whole history of the effing game!
And yet, Sports Illustrated says, 'yeah, we're just going to ignore foul-shots when we talk about a player's performance. Mediocre FG%. That's all we need to know. He was shut down.'

I didn't know all of that, I knew he was the best at getting to the line in the playoffs but damn that's crazy. The only player in the history of the NBA to make at least 7 free throws a game at an 80% clip for an entire 7 game series. Wow.

[iblastoff]

sure the amount of successful free throws sounds great in a bubble, but didn't derozan also shoot a god awful .385 FG% in the playoffs?

according to nba stats, he was something like the 5th worst shooter in last years playoffs for players who were on the court longer than 25 minutes a game.