if it cost us
1 1st rounder and 2 2nd rounder for an amnesty candidate in Bargs, it would cost us 5 more 1st round picks and 5 more 2nd round picks for Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay has not played up to his potential but he has the talent to be in the 2nd tier of SF's with SG/PF skills/abilities like Durant/Lebron/Paul George
He is most comparable to 2014 1st round pick Andrew Wiggins than Lebron
His combination of athleticism, size, length, and strength/skills (post up abilities) allows him to not only be an ALL STAR on Offense but on DEF as well
He has NOT played to these abilities and filled his potential but I don't think he was utilized effectively in Memphis with Gasol/ZBO taking up room/opportunities to go inside and settle for shots while he did not have the shooters to spread him out
Fit is very important to a player/team/system and I simply don't think he was a great fit for Memphis
He was payed on potential as a "max player" coming off his rookie contract as many teams must do in order to keep the talent due to "potential"
I have said that I thought he was a complete steal for what he was traded for under these new CBA and I still believe he has the talent to be in the same tier as the top SF's in the league
The numbers do not justify his talent and contract but his contract expires in 2015 summer with all the other TOP FA's in the class, with an early opt out this summer like Melo
He is the #1 now in Toronto and he will have to improve much if he wants to shut these "analyst" up and prove he deserves to be in the same class as these All Star SF's
Like JR Smith/Josh Smith, he has the talent, but lacks the heart/IQ/work ethic like the up and coming Paul George who was not even considered a possible "ALL STAR" 2 seasons ago
Will he do it, I am no sure, but he does have the talent to do so, and he is a sleeper to add in the 2015 FA class that we might not have to pay "max" for
Many here did not believe in Harden prior to last season's production in Houston, but I thought he was an up and coming ALL STAR, time will tell
I do think Grunweld will try to gauge interest from the league about Chandler's value in the league
When Melo and Amare are making 20m each, Tyson is very limited and played like a vet min player in the past 2 play off series in NYK
If we can get good value back for him especially with major salary cap relief with a trade exemption, future picks, and/or solid role players/young talent for the cheap, I think we must consider it because by doing so, we would be able to regain the flexibilities of being UNDER THE TAX APRON
1- ability to do sign and trades
2- regain 5m MLE (possibly use it on 1 or 2 players) vs 3m MLE
3- gain 2m MLE Bi Annual Exemption
4- keep Copeland/Prigs and possibly any future gems/players we find in vet min deals rather than letting them walk for no compensation
I do think Copeland is an asset and do not like the idea of letting him walk away for NOTHING
At the same time, I do not think we can use the MINI MLE to keep him with all the needs/positions we have to fill, if we keep our team in tact
5- With a trade exemption and the growing interest in D12 to Houston, we would likely be able to gain Omer Asik or Jeremy Lin without giving up any picks/assets
With picks/asset we have the possibility to trade for talents like Josh Smith/Monta Ellis/Pekovic/Deng/Rudy Gay/Al Jefferson/Rhondo/Millsap/Jeff Green/AK47/Varejo
And all of these trades/moves can be done AFTER we use the 5m MLE/2m BAE as a loophole to the system
7/2/2013 1:37 AM