MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
AD? signed for 2 more years. Next deal is when he's 36+. Not my problem right now. I would bet on getting him through 50+ games and being ready for the playoffs a few times though yeah.
OT: The Official Toronto Raptors Thread
- Thread starter hockeylover
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AD? signed for 2 more years. Next deal is when he's 36+. Not my problem right now. I would bet on getting him through 50+ games and being ready for the playoffs a few times though yeah.
MyNameIsJonas
Well-known member
And you would be getting him for some form of fodder i think regardless.
I think i prefer this swing than Sabonis.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
My only concern is that Washington just gave up multiple 1sts for him including a 2030 gsw 1st.
Will they accept something like jake+rj?
I don't prefer it to sabonis, but I understand why people would. The fake ceiling is so much higher on a theoretical team with a theoretically healthy AD
I thought AD was eligible for the max next year in an opt out
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Yeah, but he's not opting out of that and no sane person is maxing him again.
nice 2 years is manageable contract
MyNameIsJonas
Well-known member
If he’s refusing to play in Washington his suitor list I can’t imagine is super long. Feels very Heat though and they probably are the weakest Giannis player
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
I could see Miami, I could see a 3 way deal that gets Lebron to Cleveland and him back to LA, I could see a Knicks deal for KAT. Minnesota deciding to take a swing with Ant + AD as a potential championship duo that gets them over the hump. Detroit makes a lot of sense to me as well, AD doesn't really want to play centre and they don't need him in the regular season, just the playoffs. If they disappoint in the playoffs (which anything short of an ECF appearance would be imo), don't be surprised if they take that swing.
I still think a guy with better nerdies than reputation is where we land, and someone whose damaged enough reputationally that Poeltl is a functioning part of the deal is fine. So yeah, Sabonis. Jake + RJ for Sabonis probably works in the summer and makes us better.
zeke
Well-known member
DPM hasn't updated in months now, and DRIP's been weeks too. I assume they'll update before the playoffs start but maybe not. I'll keep them in anyways for now even though there may be a significant change by now.
Really tricky to do matchups like this but I tried to balance out role and quality when making these matchups as best I could.
The biggest difference obviously is the #1 options - DMitch is pretty close to elite-elite, while BI has been far from that. Ingram can be better though and has been recently - we need him to be his best to have a chance.
I'd actually rather match up Scottie with Harden here because they're both primary ballhandlers while Mobley definitely isn't, but whichever way you do it i actually don't think there's a massive gap in the rest of the starting lineups after the #1 options. Poeltl-Allen looks like a big gap right now but Poeltl has really dug himself out of a big hole since getting mostly healthy over the 2nd half, and I don't mind the Poeltl-Allen matchup tbh.
Strus is probably going to come back into the starting lineup for Tyson though i'm not sure that makes a huge difference.
Cavs also made two bench adds at the deadline - Ellis has been a good fit and his numbers with the cavs are much better than the pre-trade numbers. Schroeder though has been just as bad or worse with the cavs as he was pre-trade.
Bigger question marks on the raps bench given how young and inexperienced it is - but i feel pretty good about these guys right now tbh.
Yeah so much depends on BI here. The good news is that the Cavs don't have a super-clean matchup for him defensively - it's going to be a lot of Mobley I think, which might work but might not. and if it's mostly mobley than scottie rj quick really have to be able to score on their matchups.
Funny thing is i think the raps have the size advantage over the cavs now. Poeltl/Scottie/CMB/Mamu is a good bit more size than Mobley/Allen/Wade. And while the deadline (and return of Strus) made them better offensively, it probably made them worse defenisvely.
Cavs are gonna be raining 3s from everywhere though and I don't think we can match that.
Really tricky to do matchups like this but I tried to balance out role and quality when making these matchups as best I could.
The biggest difference obviously is the #1 options - DMitch is pretty close to elite-elite, while BI has been far from that. Ingram can be better though and has been recently - we need him to be his best to have a chance.
I'd actually rather match up Scottie with Harden here because they're both primary ballhandlers while Mobley definitely isn't, but whichever way you do it i actually don't think there's a massive gap in the rest of the starting lineups after the #1 options. Poeltl-Allen looks like a big gap right now but Poeltl has really dug himself out of a big hole since getting mostly healthy over the 2nd half, and I don't mind the Poeltl-Allen matchup tbh.
Strus is probably going to come back into the starting lineup for Tyson though i'm not sure that makes a huge difference.
Cavs also made two bench adds at the deadline - Ellis has been a good fit and his numbers with the cavs are much better than the pre-trade numbers. Schroeder though has been just as bad or worse with the cavs as he was pre-trade.
Bigger question marks on the raps bench given how young and inexperienced it is - but i feel pretty good about these guys right now tbh.
Yeah so much depends on BI here. The good news is that the Cavs don't have a super-clean matchup for him defensively - it's going to be a lot of Mobley I think, which might work but might not. and if it's mostly mobley than scottie rj quick really have to be able to score on their matchups.
Funny thing is i think the raps have the size advantage over the cavs now. Poeltl/Scottie/CMB/Mamu is a good bit more size than Mobley/Allen/Wade. And while the deadline (and return of Strus) made them better offensively, it probably made them worse defenisvely.
Cavs are gonna be raining 3s from everywhere though and I don't think we can match that.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
I'd actually like to keep Scottie away from Harden for most of the game fwiw. I don't want Harden baiting Scottie into foul trouble, which he's more than capable of doing. I'm not as worried about 36 yr old Harden winning the series single handedly with his offensive ability anymore as I am about him veteran whistle fucking Scottie out of the series. I'd rather have Scottie turning Mobley into a spectator (he gets passive when he's defended tight) and turn this series into Spider and Harden shooting 45 times a game instead of those two constantly breaking down our D for open 3's.
The Jake-Jarrett matchup is definitely a Cavs strength, but it's not really a 'matchup' per se as neither of them do much of anything offensively other than act as pressure release valves around the rim, with Jarrett adding being an elite lob threat into that. It's more of their defensive impacts that are being matched up against each other.
But yeah, I like this matchup way better than the Knicks matchup and there's some upset potential here if Ingram is good Ingram and Quickley's foot holds up.
The Jake-Jarrett matchup is definitely a Cavs strength, but it's not really a 'matchup' per se as neither of them do much of anything offensively other than act as pressure release valves around the rim, with Jarrett adding being an elite lob threat into that. It's more of their defensive impacts that are being matched up against each other.
But yeah, I like this matchup way better than the Knicks matchup and there's some upset potential here if Ingram is good Ingram and Quickley's foot holds up.
zeke
Well-known member
i don't know if we can get away with our best defender guarding on off-ball player like mobley tbh.
exactly.
PlayerToBeNamedLater
Well-known member
I like Scottie on Mobley because if you put him on Harden, CLE will just switch it via screens to get Harden on an inferior defender. Scottie's at his best as a help defender.
They will need a lot of CMB with Scottie. Need switchable guys who can also drop back into the paint. Harden/Mitchell is one of the best backcourts in the NBA and you ain't stopping those guys without sending help.
They will need a lot of CMB with Scottie. Need switchable guys who can also drop back into the paint. Harden/Mitchell is one of the best backcourts in the NBA and you ain't stopping those guys without sending help.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Scottie is more of a super elite free safety than an elite PoA anyway. You put Scottie on Harden, then Harden spaces to the opposite side, Spider becomes primary ballhandler & goes 4 v 4 against the rest of your D all series. When Scottie does cheat to help at the rim, Harden shoots open jumpers all series.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
CMB's strength is his versatility. Poetltl will help limit Allen's impact on the glass and his size will limit Allen's impact around the rim at the defensive end. Just rotate CMB in and out as needed at the 3-4-5.
zeke
Well-known member
imo scottie kinda built to guard Harden. but yeah the fouls could be a concern.
gonna have to be quick on mitch and he's just got to be able to stay in front of him - which he's actually pretty good at.
PlayerToBeNamedLater
Well-known member
I think the best lineup vs Cavs will be barnes, cmb, Ingram, IQ (if healthy) and Walter/RJ, whichever one has it going.
zeke
Well-known member
i'm pretty sure the cavs spend a lot of time with only one of Mobley or Allen on the court and four shooters. I don't think we should be using multiple bigs much.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
imo the play here is to funnel Spider and Harden into the 2nd level of the defence, where our actual high end defenders are their best instead of sending our best defensive players out to go get them on the perimeter where Spider and Harden have the advantage. RJ is strong and smart enough to force Harden into the middle of the D where Scottie, CMB, Jake, and even Mamu (who grades as a well above average defender this year) are there for help. Spider is a different issue, and will be a struggle.