Off-Season NEEDS Thread

[DanH]

Ahh forgot about roster slots. But doesn't the pick not count until we sign him? So couldn't we sign a free agent and then sign our first round pick even if we don't have the room?

Draft picks (first rounders, anyway) have a cap hold just like free agents and roster spots. It is only for 100% of the rookie scale, so when you sign them to the inevitable 120%, you can go slightly over, but it is largely irrelevant. So, no, we cannot leave a draft pick unsigned to free up cap room.

[Uncle_Si]

Some of these trade proposal/rebuild ideas are hilarious. Thanks guys

[magoon]

Because if you don't land KD, you're stuck with the coach that couldn't win a championship with one of the best rosters the NBA has seen in a long time.

In 2012-13, the Thunder lost Russell Westbrook in the first round and still made it to the semifinals. In 2013-14 - after Kevin Martin, the only real piece they got out of the Harden trade, left - they lost Serge Ibaka for half the playoffs and still went to six games in the Western finals. The only time the Thunder have not been waylaid by injuries in the last four years, they made the NBA Finals, where they lost to LeBron James, who is the best basketball player alive. There aren't many coaches over the last four years who have a better record than Brooks.

Scott Brooks is not a terrible coach by any means. He excels at player development, knows how to teach players to mentally prepare for games - not a skill many coaches have - and he's a good leader. Orlando and Minnesota should both be offering him a lot of money to come coach their extremely young rosters, because he'll turn those teams into the next Thunder.

This doesn't mean we should necessarily go after him, because Brooks' biggest weakness is much the same as Casey's - he's not strong at adapting his playcalling on the fly. But Brooks actually has a playbook - not a sublimely brilliant one, but an effective one - and that's more than Casey has.

[S.R.]

In 2012-13, the Thunder lost Russell Westbrook in the first round and still made it to the semifinals. In 2013-14 - after Kevin Martin, the only real piece they got out of the Harden trade, left - they lost Serge Ibaka for half the playoffs and still went to six games in the Western finals. The only time the Thunder have not been waylaid by injuries in the last four years, they made the NBA Finals, where they lost to LeBron James, who is the best basketball player alive. There aren't many coaches over the last four years who have a better record than Brooks.

Scott Brooks is not a terrible coach by any means. He excels at player development, knows how to teach players to mentally prepare for games - not a skill many coaches have - and he's a good leader. Orlando and Minnesota should both be offering him a lot of money to come coach their extremely young rosters, because he'll turn those teams into the next Thunder.

This doesn't mean we should necessarily go after him, because Brooks' biggest weakness is much the same as Casey's - he's not strong at adapting his playcalling on the fly. But Brooks actually has a playbook - not a sublimely brilliant one, but an effective one - and that's more than Casey has.

Brooks has always been criticized and it's kind of funny that they let him go now, after a season completely shot bc of injuries. Not the coach's fault.

More likely than that, they're probably just thinking they've got these contracts running out in a couple years and they have to try to get over the hump ASAP. Replacing the coach is one of the easiest things to do.

[raptors999]

Brooks has always been criticized and it's kind of funny that they let him go now, after a season completely shot bc of injuries. Not the coach's fault.

More likely than that, they're probably just thinking they've got these contracts running out in a couple years and they have to try to get over the hump ASAP. Replacing the coach is one of the easiest things to do.

Unless you're a top 4 coach in the NBS you might not exit the first round in the West. Its really tough and Western coaches attack weaknesses immediately, its extremely competitive. OKC has holes that really good coaches can exploit. Brooks isn't terrible just in a very tough conference where not being great means disappointments.

[Letter N]

People actually want Brooks??????

He's like the white Dwayne Casey. His offensive playbook is a pamphlet.

[BrydenB]

Fresh from Simmons mailbag regarding Raptors offseason:

Hey, everybody, it’s the reeling Raptors! Would Indy trade George Hill and the no. 11 pick for DeMar DeRozan?3 Would Sacramento pony up Darren Collison, Sauce Castillo and the no. 6 pick for Kyle Lowry? Would Denver take the 20th pick and Terrence Ross for Danilo Gallinari? Would the Lakers flip Julius Randle for DeRozan so they could clear the 4-spot for Kevin Love? What kind of Godfather offer for Andrew Wiggins would Flip Saunders have the pleasure of rejecting? What if the Raptors landed no. 6 and no. 11 in Lowry/DeRozan trades, then offered those picks to Flip — along with Toronto’s juicy pick in the 2016 Nuggets-Knicks-Raptors pick swap (Denver gets first choice, Toronto gets second choice, Knicks get nothing and like it) — for the rights to acquire Maple Jordan? What if Flip countered by saying, “You have to throw in Jonas too”?

[ceez]

Fresh from Simmons mailbag regarding Raptors offseason:

Hey, everybody, it’s the reeling Raptors! Would Indy trade George Hill and the no. 11 pick for DeMar DeRozan?3 Would Sacramento pony up Darren Collison, Sauce Castillo and the no. 6 pick for Kyle Lowry? Would Denver take the 20th pick and Terrence Ross for Danilo Gallinari? Would the Lakers flip Julius Randle for DeRozan so they could clear the 4-spot for Kevin Love? What kind of Godfather offer for Andrew Wiggins would Flip Saunders have the pleasure of rejecting? What if the Raptors landed no. 6 and no. 11 in Lowry/DeRozan trades, then offered those picks to Flip — along with Toronto’s juicy pick in the 2016 Nuggets-Knicks-Raptors pick swap (Denver gets first choice, Toronto gets second choice, Knicks get nothing and like it) — for the rights to acquire Maple Jordan? What if Flip countered by saying, “You have to throw in Jonas too”?

yes to all of those

edit: minus the jonas bit. too rich.

[BrydenB]

yes to all of those

edit: minus the jonas bit. too rich.

Haha i was actually going to add to my post "is it weird that I said yes to all of these?"

[charlesnba23]

We should go after a high draft pick. jonas keep only.

[JawsGT]

Fresh from Simmons mailbag regarding Raptors offseason:

Hey, everybody, it’s the reeling Raptors! Would Indy trade George Hill and the no. 11 pick for DeMar DeRozan?3 Would Sacramento pony up Darren Collison, Sauce Castillo and the no. 6 pick for Kyle Lowry? Would Denver take the 20th pick and Terrence Ross for Danilo Gallinari? Would the Lakers flip Julius Randle for DeRozan so they could clear the 4-spot for Kevin Love? What kind of Godfather offer for Andrew Wiggins would Flip Saunders have the pleasure of rejecting? What if the Raptors landed no. 6 and no. 11 in Lowry/DeRozan trades, then offered those picks to Flip — along with Toronto’s juicy pick in the 2016 Nuggets-Knicks-Raptors pick swap (Denver gets first choice, Toronto gets second choice, Knicks get nothing and like it) — for the rights to acquire Maple Jordan? What if Flip countered by saying, “You have to throw in Jonas too”?

That's the best part lol

[RepTdot]

Fresh from Simmons mailbag regarding Raptors offseason:

Hey, everybody, it’s the reeling Raptors! Would Indy trade George Hill and the no. 11 pick for DeMar DeRozan?3 Would Sacramento pony up Darren Collison, Sauce Castillo and the no. 6 pick for Kyle Lowry? Would Denver take the 20th pick and Terrence Ross for Danilo Gallinari? Would the Lakers flip Julius Randle for DeRozan so they could clear the 4-spot for Kevin Love? What kind of Godfather offer for Andrew Wiggins would Flip Saunders have the pleasure of rejecting? What if the Raptors landed no. 6 and no. 11 in Lowry/DeRozan trades, then offered those picks to Flip — along with Toronto’s juicy pick in the 2016 Nuggets-Knicks-Raptors pick swap (Denver gets first choice, Toronto gets second choice, Knicks get nothing and like it) — for the rights to acquire Maple Jordan? What if Flip countered by saying, “You have to throw in Jonas too”?

YES x100...

[MangoKid]

I'd do all of those deals in a heartbeat. However, I would insist on Faried instead of Gallinari. Then I'd throw gobs of money at DeAndre Jordan. A starting 5 of Jordan, Faried, Maple Jordan, Sauce and Hill would be a dream. That's easily one of best starting 5s in the game.

[MangoKid]

However, the big one that's a pipe dream is the maple Jordan scenario. No way that ever happens.

[Mindlessness]

However, the big one that's a pipe dream is the maple Jordan scenario. No way that ever happens.

...we can still acquire sauce.