Did the Boston Celtics ‘master the Deal Zone’ at the 2022 NBA trade deadline?

https://sports.yahoo.com/did-boston-celtics-master-deal-221531717.html



Did the Boston Celtics ‘master the Deal Zone’ at the 2022 NBA trade deadline?



Justin Quinn

Sat, February 12, 2022, 2:15 PM·3 min read



Did the Boston Celtics “master the Deal Zone” at the 2022 NBA trade deadline? Such is the question posed by Defector’s Chris Thompson in a recent trade deadline roundup article trying to assess how each of the league’s 30 teams did dealing players at a deadline that saw 22 of the 30 clubs in the NBA move players and/or assets in a trade last Thursday.


You might be wondering what exactly the “Deal Zone” is if you were not as glued to your device(s) all the live-long day as many of us were, which was a weird little sobriquet for the negotiations that definitely were not happening until they were done between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets regarding a one James Harden.

But you aren’t here to read about that, so let’s check out what Thompson thinks about Boston’s “Deal Zone” performance.


“The Celtics, winners of six straight and eight of 10, were down in the Deal Zone, making big bold moves and strengthening their team for a push up the standings,” suggests Thomas.

“They traded a couple rotation guys and a couple picks for Derrick White, which will make their perimeter defense genuinely terrifying for opposing ball-handlers; they brought back Daniel Theis in exchange for Dennis Schröder and Enes Freedom; and they cast off some other flotsam and scored a future second-round pick. Boston’s defense has shot up to third in the league by points per possession, and now they’re adding a ball-hawking menace in White and a versatile, switchable big in Theis, and all it cost them is some guys who would fall out of the rotation in the playoffs or who everyone hates.”

“This is big-time Deal Zone maneuvering by newbie office fella Brad Stevens!” praises the Defector analyst.


Truth be told, here at the Celtics Wire, we are inclined to agree. Seeing Romeo Langford and recent arrivals Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder go stung a bit, but the return of Theis and the play of White on Friday have already convinced us this was a very shrewd deadline for Stevens indeed.

If this is what we can expect from the Celtics President of Basketball Operations when he needs to make some roster moves, he may well need a sobriquet of his own on par with his predecessor in his current role, “Trader” Danny Ainge.


Bob
MY NOTE:  Hmm.  It seems the analyst forgot that Josh wasn't going to "fall out of the rotation in the playoffs", neither would Schroder for that matter.  As far as "everybody hates", that's another hmm.  Subjective doesn't quite cover that.

Look, here we are a couple of days after the initial face smack of deadline day, and what's what?

We gave up Romeo (not a great loss, he was looking like a career second tier rotation player, 9-12), Schroder (who was driving me crazy with his inconsistency and who was gone because he was in all likelihood a one-year rental no matter what), Enes (rebounding monster, zero defense) and Josh (whom I like.  l got nothing really bad to say about Josh).  The Bol Bol and Dozier and Juancho trades don't matter any more than the Carsen Edwards trade did.  We also gave up a 1st and got a 2nd back.  That is bad if you are looking to rebuild or if you're looking to do some trading and need picks to sweeten deals, but isn't that what Brad just did with those picks?  Didn't he just use them to sweeten deals?  We don't need to get younger, we don't need another 19-21 year old on this roster.  So, I'm good with giving away that pick.  What did we get back?  Derrick White and Theis.

So, as far as meaningful changes:

Josh + Romeo + Enes + Schroder + 1st round pick = White + Theis.  Right?  

I consider Theis an upgrade over Enes.  Much better defense.  We lose on the boards, especially on the offensive boards (which initiates a sharp twinge in my heart) but Ime's all about defense and Theis is absolutely better than Enes there.  Brad said that Theis is insurance if RWill or Horford miss games.  They both are liable to do so, Williams because of injuries and Horford because he's 35, so having a defender who can step in and hold that baseline has value, and Enes was getting off the bench only in blowouts (he only played 411 minutes this year for us).  Theis is a legit NBA back up center/PF, even a starter.  Nobody understood how he could be such an effective starting center for us, given he's 6'8", and we had an elite Top 5 defense when he was in green, but he was.  On offense nobody will be happier to have Theis, and his screens, back more than Jayson Tatum.

Schroder was gone, everybody knew it, so we weren't going to get anything/body of value for him, not unless he agreed to a multi-year deal for future years.  Enes was on a 1 year minimum salary contract and I doubt we could get more than a 2nd round pick for him too.  So it's almost like it boils down to Josh and Romeo for White with Dennis and Enes being thrown in like 2nd round picks, providing some value but not a lot.  That's a big bill to fill, in part because I like Josh, but let's see.  White had a great first game in green, let's see him have another today.  Our ballhandling, tempo and floor generalship all took a nice step up with White, neither Josh nor Romeo were that adept in any of those areas, and our perimeter defense certainly got no worse with White.

Final:

Josh (solid, valuable rotation player, 6-+ Romeo (mid-bench rotation player, 9-12) + Two 2nd round picks (Schroder, Enes) + 1st round pick (probably in the low 20s?) = White (NBA starter/6th man) + Theis (legit NBA big).  

Doesn't sound quite so bad anymore, does it? Brad cleaned out a lot of dead wood and brought in some upgrades at two positions.





.

Having quality depth at our guard/wing positions seems far more important than upgrading our 3rd string center.

Theis > Freedom is good but a much lower level of need. White > Schroder and White > Richardson. White < Schroder and Richardson.

I personally was overjoyed with most of this (these) trades. I did not want to give up Josh, had grown found of He just seemed to fit with this team, and was having a good year. That is my only regret here. I make no bones about the fact that I hated it when Theis got traded, he was a piece that I liked on this team

Romeo??? Good luck to him, maybe a change os scenery will spark him, but he will get injured again, that is a guarantee

So Brad did a good job, no blockbuster trade, just plain good horse trading, let’s hope, if there are are trades out there to be made, he will not be afraid to pull the trigger.

PS. As long as it does not include Marcus Smart!!!

Too soon to judge, and the deals in question may be a precursor to off season moves. Some big Deal Zone victory? Please. I’m a lifelong fan, but I don’t need every little pedestrian street crossing sold to me as an assault on the summit of Everest.

Two things appear certain to me.

1. In terms of skill set, offense was slightly downgraded in favor of some defensive improvement. Tight defense has become the growing identity of this team. That’s a plus. Scoring is still needed.

2. The team is in worse shape with financial obligations after taking in contracts for White and Theis. Future signings will need to involve some bargain shopping.

It does look more likely that the starting rotation will remain largely intact, and develop further. The re-build is looking much more like it could be a re-bench, which may be a good way to move forward.

The debate about White being less than the combination of JRich and Dennis is an example of "on paper" comparison but not so much of an "on the court" comparison. On the court, in crunch time for the last two games, Derrick White played important minutes. Some would say that he helped win those games (at least the first one).

Replacing Horford (from the starting 5) with White in crunch time at the end of games cannot be duplicated by a two-player combo (JRich and Dennis) because they cannot both play the one position at the same time. We are better now, on the floor during crunch time, than we were last week (IMO).

The addition of White's and Theis' contract lengths means that there will be some stability for the core group for much of the Two Jays early prime years. In addition, we can go a full rotation of 8 players where not one single player in the 8 can be targeted by the other team as a weak link on defense.

This team is made for a seven game playoff series. Our defense is strong and steady, close to the top in the league. Perhaps our offense shows up often enough to win 4 out of 7 games against the bulk of the league (anything can happen).

This is beginning to be fun again.

gyso wrote:The debate about White being less than the combination of JRich and Dennis is an example of "on paper" comparison but not so much of an "on the court" comparison.  On the court, in crunch time for the last two games, Derrick White played important minutes.  Some would say that he helped win those games (at least the first one).

Replacing Horford (from the starting 5) with White in crunch time at the end of games cannot be duplicated by a two-player combo (JRich and Dennis) because they cannot both play the one position at the same time.  We are better now, on the floor during crunch time, than we were last week (IMO).

The addition of White's and Theis' contract lengths means that there will be some stability for the core group for much of the Two Jays early prime years.  In addition, we can go a full rotation of 8 players where not one single player in the 8 can be targeted by the other team as a weak link on defense.

This team is made for a seven game playoff series.  Our defense is strong and steady, close to the top in the league.  Perhaps our offense shows up often enough to win 4 out of 7 games against the bulk of the league (anything can happen).

This is beginning to be fun again.

gyso you have made some good points here but I have a counter argument.  The issue of depth at our guard and wing positions impacts a 48 minute game.  If the playoffs was starting tomorrow we have an 8 man rotation.  We still have 24 games remaining.  It is going to be a real slugfest the rest of the way.  The Celtics are going to need PP or Nesmith to play quality minutes to make up for the loss of depth at our guard/wing rotation.  Our depth before the trades produced 28.7 PPG (Josh, Dennis and Romeo)

Having White does not compensate for the loss of  production throughout an entire game.  

2 games in and still no Theis does not really provide sufficient evidence of anything.  Let's see how we do when we play against a team with a deep bench.  Theis may very well not be healthy.  Let's hope he is ready to play.  The reality of this situation cannot be fully realized unless you see the whole picture.  Theis has had more than his share of injuries.  

https://www.foxsports.com/nba/daniel-theis-player-injuries

We are really early into these changes so perhaps a larger sample size will tell us more.

I think the actual numbers will speak for themselves.

gyso wrote:The debate about White being less than the combination of JRich and Dennis is an example of "on paper" comparison but not so much of an "on the court" comparison.  On the court, in crunch time for the last two games, Derrick White played important minutes.  Some would say that he helped win those games (at least the first one).

Replacing Horford (from the starting 5) with White in crunch time at the end of games cannot be duplicated by a two-player combo (JRich and Dennis) because they cannot both play the one position at the same time.  We are better now, on the floor during crunch time, than we were last week (IMO).

The addition of White's and Theis' contract lengths means that there will be some stability for the core group for much of the Two Jays early prime years.  In addition, we can go a full rotation of 8 players where not one single player in the 8 can be targeted by the other team as a weak link on defense.

This team is made for a seven game playoff series.  Our defense is strong and steady, close to the top in the league.  Perhaps our offense shows up often enough to win 4 out of 7 games against the bulk of the league (anything can happen).

This is beginning to be fun again.

+1


Love that we are winning with defense and now with Theis, one of my favorite role players, who I was saying needed more playing time back in 19, we have a legit 4 who can also eat minutes at the 5. Our swarming pack of wolves defense is going to be even better. Since Schroder was leaving anyway, White was a great pick up to help share the point with Smart and can play with Smart, similar to Theis being able to play with Al or Timelord.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/derrick-white-trade-nba-execs-161831046.html



Derrick White trade: What NBA execs thought of Celtics' bold deal


Darren Hartwell
Mon, February 14, 2022, 8:18 AM



The Boston Celtics made a big investment in Derrick White, and the early returns are promising.


The Celtics gave up Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, their first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft (top-four protected) and a potential first-round pick swap in 2028 to acquire the veteran guard from the San Antonio Spurs ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

That's a hefty price to pay, but White looks like a great fit so far, tallying a combined 29 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals in two games for Boston, both wins.

Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com spoke to a few members of NBA front offices who believe the deal made a lot of sense for Brad Stevens and Co.

"Marcus Smart’s been playing really well, but everybody says the Jays need a point guard, and I think they just got a very unselfish, hard-playing guy that will move the ball and play great defense," one general manager told Bulpett. "Derrick White’s a guy who will help get those guys open."

The Celtics weren't linked to White much prior to last week's trade deadline, but one league executive "who was involved in recent talks" with Boston suggested White was Boston's primary target.

"They paid a little bit extra to get a guy they really like," the exec told Bulpett. "He’s the guy that they targeted. The Celtics went after him. They ended up getting the guy they wanted. You can tell by the price they paid for him."

The exec also noted White's connection with Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, who overlapped with White for two seasons as a Spurs assistant coach.

"I don’t think White’s a LOT better than Richardson, but he probably fits what they need better," the exec said. "Ime knows White from when he was an assistant down there (in San Antonio), so he has to have a really good read on him and how he can fit in Boston."

While the Celtics gave up a lot for White, he's under contract through 2025, so he has the chance to be a key member of Boston's core for years to come.

Stevens, Udoka and the C's clearly identified White as a good long-term fit for the team's "core four" of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams and Smart -- and the rest of the league seems to agree that White makes a lot of sense for Boston.


Bob


.

dboss wrote:

gyso wrote:The debate about White being less than the combination of JRich and Dennis is an example of "on paper" comparison but not so much of an "on the court" comparison.  On the court, in crunch time for the last two games, Derrick White played important minutes.  Some would say that he helped win those games (at least the first one).

Replacing Horford (from the starting 5) with White in crunch time at the end of games cannot be duplicated by a two-player combo (JRich and Dennis) because they cannot both play the one position at the same time.  We are better now, on the floor during crunch time, than we were last week (IMO).

The addition of White's and Theis' contract lengths means that there will be some stability for the core group for much of the Two Jays early prime years.  In addition, we can go a full rotation of 8 players where not one single player in the 8 can be targeted by the other team as a weak link on defense.

This team is made for a seven game playoff series.  Our defense is strong and steady, close to the top in the league.  Perhaps our offense shows up often enough to win 4 out of 7 games against the bulk of the league (anything can happen).

This is beginning to be fun again.

gyso you have made some good points here but I have a counter argument.  The issue of depth at our guard and wing positions impacts a 48 minute game.  If the playoffs was starting tomorrow we have an 8 man rotation.  We still have 24 games remaining.  It is going to be a real slugfest the rest of the way.  The Celtics are going to need PP or Nesmith to play quality minutes to make up for the loss of depth at our guard/wing rotation.  Our depth before the trades produced 28.7 PPG (Josh, Dennis and Romeo)

Having White does not compensate for the loss of  production throughout an entire game.  

2 games in and still no Theis does not really provide sufficient evidence of anything.  Let's see how we do when we play against a team with a deep bench.  Theis may very well not be healthy.  Let's hope he is ready to play.  The reality of this situation cannot be fully realized unless you see the whole picture.  Theis has had more than his share of injuries.  

https://www.foxsports.com/nba/daniel-theis-player-injuries

We are really early into these changes so perhaps a larger sample size will tell us more.

I think the actual numbers will speak for themselves.

I’m not worried, we have more overall depth now with Theis and White, plus PP will be getting minutes and GWill, don’t laugh can get minutes as a SF, if need be as well as his usual 4 role as Theis will be cutting into his minutes.

Dboss,

Theis isn't playing until all our traded away players pass their physicals, and at least one player is having his today, from what I read a couple days ago. I expect him to play as soon as it is allowed. His presence will allow for more rest for Horford, which is important for the rest of the season.

Josh, Dennis and Romeo produced 28.7 ppg. White and Theis produced 22.9 ppg. That is a difference of 5.8 ppg, more or less. Brad is working on it so that making up the difference doesn't all fall on the young guy's shoulders.

I agree it is a small sample. Our roster is not yet complete and they may still add a player or two that will get us through the regular season healthy and on track to make a good showing in the playoffs.

In the playoffs, defense rules and rotations shorten up. We may be the team that all the other teams do not want in their bracket.

Cowens

With all due respect there is no evidence that Theis can play with Al Hordord.  If you recall the last year that Al was with us before he left, Brad paired him and Banes in the starting lineup.  I remember that was the 2018-19 season.  We keep saying that Brad should try Theis at PF.  That never happened.  When Theis rotated in the game he did not come in and play with either Baynes or Horford.  He may have played a few minutes with them here and there.  In general Brad did not want to play Theis at PF.

The next year Theis became our starting center and Robert Williams was quite limited.  Theis played 65 games as a starter at 24.1 minutes per.  Robert only played 29 games that year and only 13.4 minutes in a very limited backup role.  I do not recall him playing alongside Theis at all.

In sum, the very idea that Theis is a player who fits with either AH or RB is unknown.  

Theis will get all of Freedom's minutes and maybe a few more but when this team needs shooting look for Grant to fill that void at PF.

Our defense should be even better because Ime could not really play Freedom in the switch everything defense.  Theis should solve that issue.  Our bench remains a big question mark even though White is solid at both ends of court overall.  

Time will tell but my gut tells me that the lack of quality bench depth may come back and bite us on the arse.

gyso wrote:Dboss,

Theis isn't playing until all our traded away players pass their physicals, and at least one player is having his today, from what I read a couple days ago.  I expect him to play as soon as it is allowed.  His presence will allow for more rest for Horford, which is important for the rest of the season.

Josh, Dennis and Romeo produced 28.7 ppg.  White and Theis produced 22.9 ppg.  That is a difference of 5.8 ppg, more or less.  Brad is working on it so that making up the difference doesn't all fall on the young guy's shoulders.

I agree it is a small sample.  Our roster is not yet complete and they may still add a player or two that will get us through the regular season healthy and on track to make a good showing in the playoffs.

In the playoffs, defense rules and rotations shorten up.  We may be the team that all the other teams do not want in their bracket.

Agree, Theis should allow AH more rest, keep him fresh!

Yes playoff rotations tend to get shortened but we are not in the playoffs yet.  We have to get across the bridge.  There is a point scoring deficit  and I am not sure if Theis production is transferable.  In other words we do not know if he logs his 22 MPG and therefore is able to score and rebound at his current production level.  Even so we still need to make up for points lost.  

Brad could add something off of the buyout market but that remains a long shot to address a need.  Brad's task is to stay below the tax line this year.  Jaylen could be in the allstar game if someone pulls up lame.  Brad will not be adding anything until after the allstar break.  Our current below the tax number is $1,464,752, Jaylen Allstar incentive is $1,446,428.

dboss wrote:Cowens

With all due respect there is no evidence that Theis can play with Al Hordord.  If you recall the last year that Al was with us before he left, Brad paired him and Banes in the starting lineup.  I remember that was the 2018-19 season.  We keep saying that Brad should try Theis at PF.  That never happened.  When Theis rotated in the game he did not come in and play with either Baynes or Horford.  He may have played a few minutes with them here and there.  In general Brad did not want to play Theis at PF.

The next year Theis became our starting center and Robert Williams was quite limited.  Theis played 65 games as a starter at 24.1 minutes per.  Robert only played 29 games that year and only 13.4 minutes in a very limited backup role.  I do not recall him playing alongside Theis at all.

In sum, the very idea that Theis is a player who fits with either AH or RB is unknown.  

Theis will get all of Freedom's minutes and maybe a few more but when this team needs shooting look for Grant to fill that void at PF.

Our defense should be even better because Ime could not really play Freedom in the switch everything defense.  Theis should solve that issue.  Our bench remains a big question mark even though White is solid at both ends of court overall.  

Time will tell but my gut tells me that the lack of quality bench depth may come back and bite us on the arse.

.

Good points on past history, Theis and RWill may not have been paired because of RWill’s inexperience at that time too. My gut tells me Ime will have good big rotations that he will play NOW, and not base them on past history. We know RWill is better now and Theis has legit big skills that can help him and Al.

At the risk of beating a dead horse,White guarded (per NBA matchups) 53 Nuggets possessions and gave up a grand total of 10 points. Against Atlanta, he guarded Trae Young 12 times and pitched a shutout ( obviously nobody is playing D by themselves in a vacuum). He matched up against Lou Williams 16 times. Williams scored three points on those possessions. Overall, in 53 possessions, his man scored a total of 12 points. Obviously, the sample size is miniscule, but I'm pretty sure this is the kind of D Stevens and Udoka were looking for. Opinions are opinions, but, so far, neither the eye test nor the stats are indicative that the Celtics " paid too much". An anonymous NBA exec stated that the Cs were after this guy from the get-go, as opposed to this being a late clock hail Mary. We'll see what happens.

Ime will play lineups that work.  That is all we can ask of him.

He does favor a 2 big lineup using 2 centers but if we really had a legit PF, he would pair with Rob.  Our overall defense should be better because Enes was a poor defender in Ime's switch everything defense.  Our lack of guard/wing depth can only be solved if Nesmith can step to the plate and start hitting.

I love PP but he is too small to defend in a switch everything defense and his offense has yet to offset what he lacks as a versatile defender.

jrleftfoot wrote:At the risk of beating a dead horse,White guarded (per NBA matchups) 53 Nuggets possessions and gave up a grand total of 10 points. Against Atlanta, he guarded Trae Young 12 times and pitched a shutout ( obviously nobody is playing D by themselves in a vacuum). He matched up against Lou Williams 16 times. Williams scored three points on those possessions. Overall, in 53 possessions, his man  scored a total of 12 points. Obviously, the sample size is miniscule, but I'm pretty sure this is the kind of D Stevens and Udoka were looking for. Opinions are opinions, but, so far, neither the eye test nor the stats are indicative that the Celtics " paid too much". An anonymous NBA exec stated that the Cs were after this guy from the get-go, as opposed to this being a late clock hail Mary. We'll see what happens.

Dude.. White is a quality baller but getting him killed what little depth we had.  It is not like he is  20+ points per game guy.

It seems to me that too many people are focused on justifying the trades.  Our depth took a hit and not for top of the line talent.

I sure the hell hope that I am wrong but that does not happen too often. So I will lean on what I have learned from watching the Celtics over 60 years and what I have witnessed about what is needed to win.  

The issue with the trades is all about depth and not with who arrived in Boston.

Think about it based on what we have experienced this year.  Lost man games led to more loses.  More inconsistency.  We are winning now because guys are available.  One minor injury to our core and we are back to scrubville.  The margins are razor thin.

The Celtics clearly overpaid for what they got.  Two first rounders should net you way more.  Maybe if the trades did not kill what little depth we had then I could just pass this off as finding a good fit in White but paying a premium price in the process.

Like I said, opinions are opinions. Two of the guys we "lost" never played for us. They were injured and were only Celtics on paper. Fernando never played a meaningful minute. Romeo was hurt more than he played. Theis replaces Kanter. I'm fine with that. Schroder was leaving anyway, and I'm more than happy with White replacing him. We were playing with a short bench before the trades. I'll miss Richardson, period. These are my opinions. Since you are "not wrong very often", you are probably right. Ima still disagree with you until I'm proved wrong. Stubborn old me. Cordially yours, jrleftfoot.

https://youtu.be/XTLBMybG7CI

Mac Davis sang it best. Willie tried, but Mac was better.

jrleftfoot wrote:Like I said, opinions are opinions. Two of the guys we "lost" never played for us. They were injured and were only Celtics on paper. Fernando never played a meaningful minute. Romeo was hurt more than he played. Theis replaces Kanter. I'm fine with that. Schroder was leaving anyway, and I'm more than happy with White replacing him. We were playing with a short bench before the trades. I'll miss Richardson, period. These are my opinions. Since you are "not wrong very often", you are probably right. Ima still disagree with you until I'm proved wrong. Stubborn old me. Cordially yours, jrleftfoot.

OK, Opionions are not the same as facts.  Think of it as the difference between subjectivity and objectivity.

If I am wrong with respect to our lack of guard/wing depth I will be the first to fess up.

But I know I am not wrong.  We got White solid off the bench....stop...that is it.  Who else do we have at guard/wing to compensate for trading Dennis and Josh?  Pp and Nesmith, 2 guys I really like, but  may not be ready for primetime.

You do not have to be particularly astute to figure this s**t out.  Just add and subtract and look at the result.

First of all,I know the difference between opinion and facts. The only facts in our recent exchanges were the statistics I put up.Secondly , your statement that people felt "the necessity to justify" the trades is weird on several levels.It's kind of an arrogant shot at, not just me, but several other posters. Secondly, why would anybody feel the necessity tto jusyify something that they didn't themselves do? I, personally, am not trying to justify anything. I was perfectly happy rooting for Josh Richardson, who I had followed closely since I lived in South Florida and he played for the Heat. What I am familiar with, having spent 41 years as a criminal defense lawyer , is the universal desire to have one's own opinion prevail. It seems that you are willing to cast aside manners to achieve that. Touting your own expertise, btw, adds nothing to your arguments. I suppose you look upon your superior knowledge as a "fact." It's too bad you don't leave praising you to others. I have acknowledged your knowledgeability in several posts. That doesn't mean that people have to agree with you , or that you are always right. Thanks for the " dude" greeting, though. It made me feel young for a minute until I realized that Jess Bridges is, like me, in his 70s.

dboss wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:Like I said, opinions are opinions. Two of the guys we "lost" never played for us. They were injured and were only Celtics on paper. Fernando never played a meaningful minute. Romeo was hurt more than he played. Theis replaces Kanter. I'm fine with that. Schroder was leaving anyway, and I'm more than happy with White replacing him. We were playing with a short bench before the trades. I'll miss Richardson, period. These are my opinions. Since you are "not wrong very often", you are probably right. Ima still disagree with you until I'm proved wrong. Stubborn old me. Cordially yours, jrleftfoot.

OK, Opionions are not the same as facts.  Think of it as the difference between subjectivity and objectivity.

If I am wrong with respect to our lack of guard/wing depth I will be the first to fess up.

But I know I am not wrong.  We got White solid off the bench....stop...that is it.  Who else do we have at guard/wing to compensate for trading Dennis and Josh?  Pp and Nesmith, 2 guys I really like, but  may not be ready for primetime.

You do not have to be particularly astute to figure this s**t out.  Just add and subtract and look at the result.

I think Theis can easily get more minutes than Kanter and back up either RWill or Al or play with either, he’s got legit PF size and good athleticism for the position. Will be nice having a PF with size defending, rebounding, getting put backs, etc. As much as GWill has improved, he is still not a particularly good rebounder and real bigs with size have no problem shooting over him. While I appreciate GWill’s improvements and contributions, how many times have we seen his size exploited in the paint and we thought if only we had a legit PF with size, well we got one and he knows the core players already. This is a good problem to have, more talent at the 4-5 and figure out how to maximize them….this is also the opportunity for PP and Nesmith to step up and get their sh!t together, hustle, make some plays, hit some 3’s!!

Here are all the ratings of the Spurs trade I could find in the sports media: Kevin Pelton, ESPN-A(-)Zack Harper, The Athletic-A(-);Jack Maloney-CBS Sports-B+;Rick Odonnell, SB Nation -A(-) Don Favale, Blecher Report-B; Michael Pina-Sports Illustrated-A(-). Bunch of idiots, I suppose.

Ktron wrote:https://youtu.be/XTLBMybG7CI

Yeah I am really gonna miss JRich, loved his tenacity both ends, a real fast energy player that meshed well with 2 J’s and Smart. I’m convinced Pop did the trade to finally develop some of his picks, he’s got Vassell, Walker, the vet Dougie Mcbuckets, some kid Primo; he needed more PT for Vassell and Walker, 2 former 1st round picks. The sweetener was the picks, this looks to be the type of trade that helps both teams as we needed point depth and help for Smart with the Schroder situation being a rental.

Romeo may be glued to the bench with all these young 2-3’s already ahead of him, plus JRich. Life isn’t fair, shame he couldn’t do more with his opportunity in Boston, now he’s on his own, hopefully he can still find his niche and not be another Josh Jackson….time to man up.

Lots of supposition about what will happen on the floor and little evidence either way yet.

One of the new players hasn’t put on his uniform yet, another shot well, in the G League, still another hasn’t played in the NBA this season.

Might be an idea to give it a few games against some better quality opponents.