some hoopshype rumors/ info

nothing earth shattering here:


Marc Stein: And I'm hearing teams have indeed begun to inquire about availability of Mason Plumlee based on belief Nets willing to move young big man Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

Brooklyn Nets, Trade, Mason Plumlee

MY TAKE: another big man who could be in play for the Celtics this off-season. He could replace Bass and join Zeller, Sully and kelly for a nice four man rotation up front.



On Tuesday, Ainge once again made it clear that the Celtics plan to re-sign Crowder to a multi-year deal this summer. And prior to the injury, Jae Crowder indicated that his preference is to come back and play for the Celtics. “I just think what I bring to the game and what they need … it’s a good fit,” Jae Crowder told CSNNE.com earlier. “Hopefully we can get something done that’ll keep me here for a long time.” CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Free Agency, Jae Crowder


MY TAKE: Get it done then. 4yr/ $20M sound fair to all involved.



Kostas Koufos is a free agent, despite playing limited minutes behind Marc Gasol he seems ready for a bigger – even a starting – role in a team and that’s why he is name is rumored to be gaining interest from many NBA teams. According to US sources not only Memphis may try to keep him – a scenario which is tied to the fate of an other free agent, Marc Gasol – but also Orlando, Sacramento and Boston have an interest on him. EuroHoops.net
- See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.BfXQ0Oux.dpuf


MY Take: Lets see Orlando, Sacrament and Boston....I think we have a real shot against those two!

kdp59 wrote:nothing earth shattering here:


Marc Stein: And I'm hearing teams have indeed begun to inquire about availability of Mason Plumlee based on belief Nets willing to move young big man Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

Brooklyn Nets, Trade, Mason Plumlee  

MY TAKE: another big man who could be in play for the Celtics this off-season. He could replace Bass  and join Zeller, Sully and kelly for a nice four man rotation up front.



On Tuesday, Ainge once again made it clear that the Celtics plan to re-sign Crowder to a multi-year deal this summer. And prior to the injury, Jae Crowder indicated that his preference is to come back and play for the Celtics. “I just think what I bring to the game and what they need … it’s a good fit,” Jae Crowder told CSNNE.com earlier. “Hopefully we can get something done that’ll keep me here for a long time.” CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Free Agency, Jae Crowder  


MY TAKE: Get it done then. 4yr/ $20M sound fair to all involved.



Kostas Koufos is a free agent, despite playing limited minutes behind Marc Gasol he seems ready for a bigger – even a starting – role in a team and that’s why he is name is rumored to be gaining interest from many NBA teams. According to US sources not only Memphis may try to keep him – a scenario which is tied to the fate of an other free agent, Marc Gasol – but also Orlando, Sacramento and Boston have an interest on him. EuroHoops.net
- See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.BfXQ0Oux.dpuf


MY Take: Lets see Orlando, Sacrament and Boston....I think we have a real shot against those two!

kdp,

What does Plumlee give us that Zeller doesn't?  We don't need another Zeller, we need a Dieng.  We need the guy who is capable of sitting at the bottom of the funnel and can handle the traffic sent his way.  Replace Steady Eddy?  Plumlee doesn't have the mid-range shot Bass does nor can he put it on the floor like him.  Plumlee shot 38% from 3-10' last year.  The dotted line ends about 10', right?  So, if Plumlee wasn't dunking he shot like crap from the paint.  I'd take a pass, unless Brooklyn wants to give us their 2017 first round pick too.  Then we could sell Red Claws and just use the Nets as our farm/developmental club.

I'd be happy with Crowder at $5M/year, but with all the money from the TV contracts and his play in the playoffs and DeMarre Carroll and Draymond Green looking at a big paydays I'm not sure we'll get that lucky.  That's ok.  If the cap is going up then we can afford to pay more.  He's quality.

I agree with you with Koufos.  He's only 25, 7'0" 265# with a 7'4"+ wingspan.  Not only might he be a nice consolation prize instead of Gasol (who probably won't leave Memphis), he'll be cheaper, he's younger and is underutilized in Memphis.  Another one of Danny's "pearls in the mud" like Crowder.  Also, Koufos could/would start here.  He won't start in Sacto as long as Cousins is there and he might not start in Orlando in front of Vucevic either.



bob



.

Dieng sucks. Well, he's like Brandon Wright. Gets pushed around like a rag doll, worse than Kelly Olynyk.

We need somebody who can block shots but also stand their ground.

rambone wrote:Dieng sucks. Well, he's like Brandon Wright. Gets pushed around like a rag doll, worse than Kelly Olynyk.

We need somebody who can block shots but also stand their ground.

rambone,

Hadn't heard that, but ok. I heard that Minny was higher on him than on Pekovic. My point was we need length (not that I've never said that before). Maybe I'm coming at this from the wrong direction. Maybe, instead of thinking of this as a center need I should think of it more as a PF need, like Amir Johnson or someone who is able to use his length on help/weak side defense and not so much man-to-man?


bob



.

Yes Bob,
Plumlee is another Zeller (except he couldn't hit FT's last year for some reason).

he has more length and hops then Bass and is younger, two years left on that CHEAP rookie deal.

is he worth the #28 pick this year/...thats kinda what i was thinking, throw in one of Dannys 100 second rounders he has amassed to if need be.


not to be a new starting center here but he would be a solid option as a fifth big man on the roster, no?

Koufas
Zeller
Sully
Olynyk
Plumlee

most fans would probably preferr star name in there somewhere like Aldridge, Love, Gasol, Jordan, etc. but we may end up bieng shut out of those players.

thats not a bad secondary plan to me.

still have the #16 pick then to use however Danny wants.

Hoping for really strong quality at the center position.  Any time I hear that two guys in combination might do the job, I wince.  Quantity doesn't trump quality.

Sam

I certainly like Koufos much more than I like Plumlee.  Not sure that I would want Plumlee in almost any circumstance if Zeller is still here.  Getting a guy who is 'almost' as good as Zeller is not my idea of improving the center position for the 2015-16 Cs.

Koufos sharing the center spot with Zeller is much more attractive to me as an "improvement" over what we had this year.  Bass was somewhat serviceable as a reserve center against some teams and certain lineups of other teams, but having to have Bass as a starting center or use Sullenger and/or Olynyk at the center spot was clearly not very productive.

There certainly are other center options either in the draft or by trade, but definitely a big NO to Plumlee from where I sit.

bobheckler wrote:

rambone wrote:Dieng sucks. Well, he's like Brandon Wright. Gets pushed around like a rag doll, worse than Kelly Olynyk.

We need somebody who can block shots but also stand their ground.

rambone,

Hadn't heard that, but ok.  I heard that Minny was higher on him than on Pekovic.  My point was we need length (not that I've never said that before).  Maybe I'm coming at this from the wrong direction.  Maybe, instead of thinking of this as a center need I should think of it more as a PF need, like Amir Johnson or someone who is able to use his length on help/weak side defense and not so much man-to-man?


bob



.

Bob, actually I think you're right. As a power forward Dieng would be great, and a great fit for us next to either Zeller or KO. He's a lot stronger than Brandon Wright.

sam wrote:Hoping for really strong quality at the center position.  Any time I hear that two guys in combination might do the job, I wince.  Quantity doesn't trump quality.

Sam

Yeah, that's why I'd rather draft best player available at 16 and 28, regardless of position. If we go one more year without our foundational center, so be it. With four first rounders next year something big will happen either on the draft or trade front.

In the meantime, we could really improve the roster at a couple/few other positions in this year's draft.

HOW ABOUT BROOK LOPEZ ANYONE? PLAYER OPTION...NOW WHO WOULD HE RATHER PLAY FOR?

112288

A team that can sit him on every defensive possession.

Sam

Sam,

For some reason I think that Lopez might actually play better defense if he were with the Celtics (coaching maybe?),
but I still don't like him for our team. In fact, I think that I like the Zeller, Olynyk and Sullenger rotation that we had this year better than having Lopez even if he were free in every way (no big salary and nothing traded to get him).

Lopez may be more physical than Zeller, but he is not a better overall player. Again, getting Lopez to try to solve our center issues would amount to a poor summer performance by Ainge.

I'm not as anti-Lopez as many on this board seem to be.  He's not a defensive funnel but the things he does well he does very well and I have confidence Brad could offset whatever defensive weaknesses he has.  Hell, he did a pretty good job limiting Sully and Kelly's weaknesses, why not Lopez too?  $17M though?  Oooh, that's a lot of money, almost max money, for him.  Yeah, he's in his last year of his contract but that makes it even more perilous.  If he expects that with his next contract then what?  Is he worth that?  And if he gets offered something in the $12M-$15M range, will he take it or walk?

I'd probably rather have the other Lopez, Robin.  He's an unrestricted free agent, is getting $5.4M this year and his defense is more on a par with Noah's than Brook's.  Will a small market team like Portland pay to keep him?  Hmmm.  Might have no choice if Aldridge leaves, as is generally thought to be happening.  I'd offer him $12M.  He's solid, blue-collar, works his butt off.  He says he likes the Blazers and wants to stay, but if we offer him $12m and they offer him $8M...Robin Lopez is underrated, as is Koufos.  As far as our chances of landing either of them, the difference might boil down to the Blazers need Lopez, especially if Aldridge leaves, but Memphis doesn't need Koufos so we'd be in a bidding war with Portland but Memphis might be more amenable to a sign-and-trade.


bob


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Lopez is in a players option year. So he will wait for a deal next year as cap will rise. give him 1 year and let both parties see what happens.

112288

I don't know why B. Lopez would opt out of $16M either. if his agents says it'st a smart move, with the cap rising big next year...he should fire his agent.

the same could be said of K. Love, but he may really , REALLY want out of cleveland. That said he could always opt in and then they can trade him (same thing with Lopez).

Bob,
so you mean after  all these weeks of talkiing up Robin Lopez and more so Koufos you're on board?

I'm off Lopez now as I think he stays on the west coast, most likey staying at Portland once Aldridge goes to SA.


I do think Danny will want to go BIG in this off-season and will go after Love or maybe Cousins right now.

112288 wrote:Lopez is in a players option year.  So he will wait for a deal next year as cap will rise.  give him 1 year and let both parties see what happens.

112288

112288,

I presume you are talking about Brook Lopez, not Robin, right? Robin is an unrestricted free agent.


bob


.

kdp59 wrote:I don't know why B. Lopez would opt out of $16M either. if his agents says it'st a smart move, with the cap rising big next year...he should fire his agent.

the same could be said of K. Love, but he may really , REALLY want out of cleveland. That said he could always opt in and then they can trade him (same thing with Lopez).

Bob,
so you mean after  all these weeks of talkiing up Robin Lopez and more so Koufos you're on board?

I'm off Lopez now as I think he stays on the west coast, most likey staying at Portland once Aldridge goes to SA.


I do think Danny will want to go BIG in this off-season and will go after Love or maybe Cousins right now.

kdp,

I was always on board with those two. I'd rather have Cousins, I think Brad's demeanor will work wonders on his, but if Danny can't pry Cousins out of Sacto's cold, dead hands then I'm just fine with either R. Lopez or Koufos.


bob


.

Bob,

Yes.

112288

Read my lips.  (Then ignore as advisable.)  A center who's not a strong defender/rebounder need not apply as a future building block.  We already have one of those.

Sam

From my amateur general manager's chair right here in my office, I have no need for either of the Lopez brothers on the Boston Celtics team for next year.

One is terrible on defense and the other is almost always injured and over paid, or maybe it is the other one who is bad on defense and the second one is almost always injured and way over paid.  Neither guy is much better than the Zeller/Sullenger/Olynyk/Bass rotation we had last season at center.   Even with all of Upshaw's potential issues, I would rather see him working with Zeller next year than either of the Lopez twins if only because Upshaw has more potential.

Koufos is a better option that either of the Lopez boys, too. Obviously, Cousins is the most proven of the entire lot and his salary next year is less than the Lopez who played for the Nets this year if you can believe that.

actually Wide,

the Lopez brother that has had injury problems is the same one that's not the best defensive center....Brook.

Robin is the twin that got the defensive genes, but he's offensive challenged. Has been pretty healthy throughout his career and would be an upgrade over Zeller (on defense anyway). But to pry him away form the west coast would cost a  lot and frankly the "bang for the buck" goes way down on him at over $10m/year (for me anyway).

Brook's defense last year was reportedly vastly improved, though I can't say I saw any of his games, so maybe its just his agent flapping his lips.

Koufos is not better than Robin to me (even though I have been praising him here), but he should cost less. everything has a cost/benefit analysis as far as I'm concerned

Not sure if anyone saw this email about Robin Lopez from one of Bill Simmons mailbags. It is posted below along with Simmons' response:

Q: For our senior trip, my high school graduating class went to Disneyland for the day. We entered the park at 7 a.m. and thirty minutes later saw Robin Lopez in line for a ride by himself wearing a Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers shirt. (I am still baffled their exists a market for seven foot men who want to wear shirts with Disney characters on them). Being from Arizona we wildly greeted him, as he had absolutely bombed for the Suns two years prior, to which we received the least enthusiastic wave in recorded history. Several hours later we saw a jovial Asian family riding the River Rapids ride with Robin Lopez as the sixth person on the ride. The sheer comedy of a diminutive Asian family and a seven foot NBA player with a red afro sharing the same ride cannot be explained, it seriously might have been the funniest thing I have ever seen. At 10 PM I again saw him completely alone, and again tried to start a conversation with him, which he completely ignored. In case your keeping track, that’s 13 hours at Disneyland, completely by himself, wearing a children’s T-shirt.
—Daniel Skelly, Scottsdale

BS: I never run I saw (fill in the celebrity) and something funny happened emails in the mailbag, but made an exception here only because (a) you couldn’t make this story up, and (b) from everything I’ve ever heard or read about the Lopez brothers, they’re the real-life version of the Hanson brothers. So I believe this story and it made me laugh. And yup, these are my readers.