NBA '17

[wadesworld]

This Giannas kid is okay, huh?

He would've been a senior in college last year.

[GB Warrior]

This Giannas kid is okay, huh?

Still waiting for him to show the ability to pick and pop, but holy crap. He's gotten stronger and craftier, which is not something anyone in the league really wanted to see.

[4everwarriors]

Shoulda recruited Kostas harder, hey?

[jsglow]

This Giannas kid is okay, huh?

The interesting question is still how good can he get.  Many are talking MVP numbers.  It'll take team results to get there.

[GB Warrior]

This Giannas kid is okay, huh?

+1 million. Unreal.

[MUBurrow]

ESPN reporting the Knicks are in on Bledsoe. If he is anxious to get on a contender, that should really solve the issue.

[🏀]

ESPN reporting the Knicks are in on Bledsoe. If he is anxious to get on a contender, that should really solve the issue.

Teal?

[wadesworld]

Very, very early, but I'm liking that I was high on what Indi got back for one season of Paul George.  Oladipo is what I thought he'd be and Sabonis has a really high ceiling.  When Paul George is a Laker next year and Oladiop and Sabonis get to play next to Turner for the next 5+ years, the Pacers will be coming out way ahead of the Thunder in this thing.

[JWags85]

Very, very early, but I'm liking that I was high on what Indi got back for one season of Paul George.  Oladipo is what I thought he'd be and Sabonis has a really high ceiling.  When Paul George is a Laker next year and Oladiop and Sabonis get to play next to Turner for the next 5+ years, the Pacers will be coming out way ahead of the Thunder in this thing.

But it helped the Thunder get 2 years of mid 30s Melo at the height of the Warriors powers.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Westbrook signed an extension this off season.  So far OKC has succeeded to set some dominoes in motion. Trade for George opens the trade for Melo, then the Westbrook extension.  So far, so good.  Can they re-sign George and make another move to contend?

I'm going to wait and see if Oladipo can sustain this level of play.  Five games isn't a large enough sample size.  Long way to go.

[wadesworld]

That is an outstanding trade for the Bucks.

[Jockey]

That is an outstanding trade for the Bucks.

I've never been a big Bledsoe fan, but there is no doubt the Bucks needed more offense.

[MerrittsMustache]

Outstanding move by the Bucks. The East really is up for grabs this season. The Cavs are sputtering (though they obviously still have LeBron) and the Celtics without Hayward aren't scaring anyone. Wizards? Raptors? Pistons? You threatened by the greatness of any of those teams?

Sure, the Bucks are only 4-5 but, if healthy, they have as good a chance as anyone to make a run in the playoffs.

[copious1218]

An offense of bledsoe, middleton, giannis, parker (when healthy), and maker would be interesting. 

[MUBurrow]

Really good deal that MKE had to make. Bledsoe fits too many needs to pass up this cheap, even if he can be a headache. If Henson could give some decent minutes in Monroe's place, that would be great too. Teletovic's contract will become an asset this offseason/next season as an expiring, meaning that if Henson becomes a useful piece, Delly is the only real dead weight deal on the books.

[GGGG]

So they get Bledsoe, dump Monroe...all for the price of a protected first round pick?  That is quite the deal.  And I don't anticipate that he will be a problem in Milwaukee.  Phoenix is a dumpster fire that tests the hardiest of souls.

[Hards Alumni]

Need some rebounding, but this is a great deal.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I wasn't a fan of the Bledsoe trade rumors. Thought we would have to give up too much to get him. But if that's the price...I'm all aboard!

[cheebs09]

So they get Bledsoe, dump Monroe...all for the price of a protected first round pick?  That is quite the deal.  And I don't anticipate that he will be a problem in Milwaukee.  Phoenix is a dumpster fire that tests the hardiest of souls.

The protections are kind of crazy too. It looks like the pick won't be sent over until 2020. Unless the Bucks fall in a few spots before then.

[wadesworld]

I think the Bucks still end up 4th or 5th in the East and lose in either the first or second round of the Playoffs, but heading into next season with a lineup of Bledsoe, Middleton, Giannis, Jabari, and Thon with your rotation being completed by bringing Brogdon, Snell, Henson, and Telle off the bench that's a pretty solid group assuming health.

If you can unload either Delly or Telle that would be outstanding.  I would love to see a Danny Green or Trevor Ariza brought in in free agency, but have no idea if they will have the cap space to do so if they are able to dump one of those two salaries.  It will also be interesting to see what Jabari gets in restricted free agency.

[jesmu84]

Outstanding move by the Bucks. The East really is up for grabs this season. The Cavs are sputtering (though they obviously still have LeBron) and the Celtics without Hayward aren't scaring anyone. Wizards? Raptors? Pistons? You threatened by the greatness of any of those teams?

Sure, the Bucks are only 4-5 but, if healthy, they have as good a chance as anyone to make a run in the playoffs.

Is it worth it to make a bunch of moves if you're ultimately going to face GSW or Cleveland anyway?

[MerrittsMustache]

Is it worth it to make a bunch of moves if you're ultimately going to face GSW or Cleveland anyway?

Would you rather be the 2010-11 Bulls or the 2016-17 Bulls?

[jesmu84]

Would you rather be the 2010-11 Bulls or the 2016-17 Bulls?

2010 bulls had the best record in the NBA, so....

[GGGG]

Is it worth it to make a bunch of moves if you're ultimately going to face GSW or Cleveland anyway?

So no one should try to get better?

[MUBurrow]

The protections are kind of crazy too. It looks like the pick won't be sent over until 2020. Unless the Bucks fall in a few spots before then.

Per ESPN "Milwaukee will send its 2018 first-round pick to Phoenix if it lands between Nos. 11 and 16, league sources said. If the pick carries beyond 2018, the Suns get a loosening of protections in 2019 (Nos. 4 to 16), 2020 (Nos. 8 to 30) and 2021, when the pick would come unprotected, league sources said." 

Some good, some bad. I don't like that it opens up as high as No 4 next year, and I really don't like the possibility of it becoming totally unprotected in what could be the Bucks' first year without Giannis. If the Nets have taught us anything, its to never trade first rounders without top-3 protection. There's a possibility that is in the 4-6 range if Giannis got hurt next year. And if it somehow hasn't been moved before 2021 and Giannis walks, I shudder at the thought of it being unprotected.

I think I would have rather had it top 5 protected forever, and taken my chances it landed 5-11 this year or 5-8 2020, than the way its set up.