Monday Musings: Starters, Contracts, and Too Much Kapono
by Michael Levin on Jul 26, 2010 8:10 AM PDT
in Read and React
30 comments
Some things to think about on this painfully uneventful start to the new week:
- The assumption is Evan Turner starts right off the bat. With a poor training camp and some head trauma for Doug Collins, does Willie Green slither in past Turner and Jodie Meeks for the billionth time?
- Would anyone take Jason Kapono off our hands for the trade exception and a second rounder? Should we just let him expire at the end of the season? He and Nocioni are making a combined $13.5 mil this year. Barf.
- Spencer Hawes, Thaddeus Young, Jason Smith, and Meeks have team options or qualifying offers after the season. What happens to them?
- Speaking of Hawes, he and Andres Nocioni are slated to wear numbers 31 and 5, respectively. That's according to HoopsHype's page. Getcher jerseys!
- Why does Katy Perry get more attractive every time I see her?
Discuss. If some stone cold debate happens in the comments, I'll write tomorrow's post about the issue. The choice is yours and yours alone.
Also, this is my last full week on the East Coast before trekking out West next Thursday. If anybody has done the cross-country thing or lives in the northern midwest, I'll be passing through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada, ending up in LA, and I'm looking for weird and awesome (but mostly weird) places to stop. Missouri, Kansas, and Wyoming are also possibilities.
Word to all of your mothers.
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My mom called and said to thank you for the word.
My hope is, after what is likely to be a train wreck of a season, leading to what I hope is another very high draft pick, almost all those players you mentioned are bid a fond adieu. Right now, the only one I would even consider re-signing is Meeks, and only to a very reasonable contract (which is all I suspect anyone would give him).
I suppose it’s possible that Thad gets back on his development curve from the two seasons previous and that last season was a blip. In which case, he too could be re-signed. But Green, Kapono, Smith, Hawes (and our newest fan fave, Tony Battie!)…they need to go quietly into that good night. And next year, Nocioni must inevitably follow (why exactly did they get rid of Sam again?), along with Speights, unless he shows some serious progress as well.
The problem is, none of these guys make very much money, and no real cap space will be cleared by their departure. But if it were me making these decisions, I think we know what we have in these players (other than perhaps Thad and Speights), and I would instead be looking to flesh out the roster with some young D-League guys who look promising. Rod Benson-type guys, who both fill a positional need and seem to have some talent.
We all know that this team isn’t doing anything this year. Or next year, most likely, or the year after that, unless Tony D manages to absolutely drill these high draft picks they’re going to be getting. If it were me, I would be running a season-long summer league, where young players, both those under contract and those brought in to fill out roster spots, get tons of playing time and development. Then take stock, see what you’ve got, and go forward, on to that most glorious of days in 2013 when the Albatross is suddenly lifted from their collective financial neck. At that point, you have a bunch of young players who you know are capable of making a real contribution since you’ve carefully spent the last three years weeding through them, a few talented high draft picks, and a still-pretty-young Jrue Holiday.
I’m realistic enough to know that most of the guys in the D-League belong there, and aren’t able to consistently contribute to an NBA team. On the other hand, I also know that there are some guys who can, and desperately want to, and need the opportunity to show what they can do.
In other words, do what any business does in a restructuring. Clear out underproductive assets, even at pennies on the dollar (or just letting them walk away when their contracts are up, in this case). Find underpriced assets that you believe might be productive, since there is little risk in obtaining them. Keep those that prove themselves to be useful and clear out those that prove not to be so, since you’ve invested very little in them to begin with.
If nothing else, The vet’s minimum contracts for a 22-year-old D-Leaguer have to be a hell of a lot cheaper than the vet’s minimum contract for Tony Freaking Battie. They don’t need any more veteran leadership. They have Iguodala and the Albatross. That’s what they’re there for (especially the Albatross, who is not actually a productive asset…he’d better at least be veteran leadership). And even the Evil Empire has to be able to appreciate the cost savings there…they seem to be highly cognizant of small cost savings.
This is long, but cogent. Good work dweeb.
Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / Twitter
The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Michael Bourn
by Michael Levin on Jul 26, 2010 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions
It’s too early to say whether I want Meeks/Hawes/Thad/Speights back if they’re still here by the time their contracts expire. However; I’d love to see the Sixers get anything for Young/Speights in the meantime. This year is an audition for all of them. I expect Collins to bring out the best in them, so we’ll find out how much potential they really have.
And what about Katy Perry?
Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / @TAFKAMikeBourn
The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Michael Bourn
by Michael Levin on Jul 26, 2010 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions
If she could sing she might have some use.
Kill your Auto Tune
by SportingFanaticism on Jul 26, 2010 6:59 PM PDT up reply actions
1. I think that he’ll be on the bench in the beginning of the season and start right around the all-star break. I think he’ll be a 16 points/ 7 rebounds/ 4 assists guy.
2. I would love to have someone take Nocioni off our hands. At least Kapono has an expiring contract. Maybe sometime during the season a playoff team (i.e Celtics, Heat, Magic, Bulls) will want Nocioni’s 3 point shooting and defense off the bench. Or a trade exception during the off season would be nice.
3. See what happens to them. Meeks should be a cheap re-signing. Young could be a good bench player to keep. Maybe a 4-6mill annual contract would do it. Hawes is our only center. If nothing else is available than we should sign him for 1-3million a year.
4. Her boyfriend is a good hair stylist/ makeup artist?
extreme underestimation of players’ values in this day and age. we won’t be able to re-sign thad for anything less than probably 7-8 mil, and somebody will overpay for spencer hawes so i could see him being a 6-7 mil guy as well. A lot depends on what happens this season but I don’t see them having 4 mil or 1 mil contracts.
by Court_visioN on Jul 26, 2010 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions
you're right
I say we start Young, boost his stats and get something decent for him in return. Maybe Jason Thompson since SAC already has Landri, Cousins, Whiteside and Dalembert.
Re: Kapono
I say do nothing. Let him expire. In fact, that’s my plan for the next couple years. Do nothing at all. Just draft.
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The best team at drafting in the NBA are the Warriors
Look at where that took them
Anyway, if we can get a trade exception and 2nd round pick I would do it in a heartbeat.
Uh what?
"We're not talking about me and Darko in the same sentence." - Chris Webber vs KAHN!
by caseycheesecake on Jul 27, 2010 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions
If a team that has a ton of cap space(Kings, Clippers) is willing to give us a 2nd round pick for him I’d trade him for that. He is just going to waste on the bench here for the year anyway so might as well get something for him.
Buckets, Boards and Blocks, son.
Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / Twitter
The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Michael Bourn
by Michael Levin on Jul 26, 2010 4:28 PM PDT up reply actions
1. I just can’t see this happening. The season ticket holders won’t allow this to happen (if they exist). If Evan Turner is supposed to represent the future of this franchise, he needs playing time with Andre and Jrue.
I can see Willie getting playing time over Meeks. In fact, I would be willing to bet good money on this happening.
2. I consider Kapono to be a waste of bench space. Maybe he can be a decoy in game-ending situations, but I don’t want to see him out there in regular rotations. We might as well wait for him to come off the books, however, he could be traded before the Feb deadline.
3. I would say Hawes has this season to play well. If we had a competent GM, that would be the only time he gets to prove himself.
I’m in favor of keeping Thad. I think he could be a vital piece on the bench. I’m not sure if he’ll become a solid starter. I suppose he needs to get better at either the 3 or 4 spot. He plays well near the rim on offense, but I don’t see him contributing enough with rebounds. I think the small forward position is most likely, but that’s currently being occupied by a much better player.
Meeks could be a solid rotation player and I’m in favor of keeping him.
Bye-bye, Jason Smith. Enjoy playing in Europe.
4.Testosterone?
"I admire his competitiveness. As much as I admire it, I thought that he was trying too hard."- Eddie Jordan
Collins loves to play veterans. You have to consider his track record. He’s the guy who comes into a bad franchise and “turns it around”. Which is exactly why Stefanski brought him in. He’s here to get a significant improvement in their record and save Stefanski’s job. You don’t do a one-year turnaround by developing young talent and letting them take their lumps. You do it by playing your vets as much as humanly possible and keeping the young guys glued to the bench.
I almost wouldn’t be surprised to see a starting backcourt of Lou and Willie, for their “experience”. I know it seems like it would be insane to put Jrue on the bench, but he’s inevitably going to have some growing pains still (he really only has half a season under his belt) and Collins isn’t here to deal with growing pains. He’s here to get them back to their mediocre ways and stop the Evil Empire from firing Stefanski. That means playing the most experienced players, the known quantities. Expect a lot of Nocioni off the bench. Expect a lot of Willie Green, even possibly as a starter (those naked donkey-sex pictures of Snider again). Expect more Tony Battie than you will be happy with. This is Collins’ MO (as opposed to Mo), and this is exactly why he’s here.
I concur with the above, however, I think Doug has a lot of spots to fill and will have a competition through training camp.
I think the best back-court not including Iguodala is Jrue and Lou. The only problem with this is that we don’t have a real point back-up. So there will be a competition between Green, Meeks and Turner. Willie is the veteran and is an adequate back-up and he will fight for his spot in the rotation. Meeks and Turner are going to have to beat Willie out, and they may not be able to do so.
As I see it, only two players are locks as starters, Jrue and Andre. The 2 guard spot will be a big battle, and the Power forward and Center spots will also be a competition. A lot of these players are fighting for their careers here, and will have to work hard to establish a pecking order.
Doug wants to win and will try to get the best team on the floor now. The ones who respond to his instructions and understand how he wants the game played will have an edge.
I assume Brand will be the PF, since I don’t think Nocioni or Young can beat him out. The one off the bench will have a job, the other one will become a trading piece. Then again if Doug wants Speights as his PF, 2 of the aformentioned will be on thin ice.
Who’s better at filling the Center role, Smith, Hawes, Battie?
Doug is going to do what he does, and a lot of these players are fighting for their careers. The ones that aren’t the starters or first bench players will have a problem finding jobs in the future. If they can’t start for a below average squad like we anticipate the Sixers to be, how much interest will other teams have in them!?
I wouldn’t be surprise if the Sixers try to do something else, they have a lot of redundant parts, like Carney, an FA who I assume is gone, and Kapono who seems likely to be traded. Will the Sixers consider bringing AI back to help at the point?
IF the idiots run the asylum all is lost
by SportingFanaticism on Jul 27, 2010 7:13 AM PDT up reply actions
If by idiots, you’re referring to season-ticket holders, then I have to disagree with your statement. The sth aren’t running the asylum, but when you’re marketing the upcoming season with pictures of Jrue and Evan, the expectations are that Evan will be starting along-side Jrue.
"I admire his competitiveness. As much as I admire it, I thought that he was trying too hard."- Eddie Jordan
Make a deal with the Bobcats
Ok, I know ive said this in almost every post but why is Jordan just sitting around and playing golf and commenting on the “decision”..Nocioni or Kapono would both be better than friggin..whats his name again..Matt Carroll?! Are u kiddin me…why is he even in the NBA..he should play D League
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