Aloha,
Rob pulled off something I never thought he could. He upgraded the roster checking many boxes of need along the way. And he did it all with one protected first and 4 2nds, including the 3 we sent out for Rui. Believe it or not we now have a deep and and balanced roster. Now he still has the summer to muck it up, but for now I feel like we are a pretty good team. And we got younger. Can we make the playoffs? It’s hard to say, including Rui we have 6 new players. Can they jell quickly enough? That’s the question. One positive is that DLO, Vanderbilt and Beasley played together with the T-Wolves for a few years before this year, so they are familiar with each other.
I have been against adding a third star because I felt we needed a supporting cast or else it wouldn’t matter. Now we have one.
DLO is a good PG, not worth the 31 mil he is making but he is definitely a 20 to 25 mil guy. He can shoot the 3 and he is a very good pick and roll guard. Now instead of Russ shooting those 3’s we will have DLO taking those shots. Teams wouldn’t even guard Russ, daring him to shoot. Now they will have to guard DLO and it will open space for LeBron and AD.
Beasley is another shooter that will help space the floor. He is 3rd in the NBA in made 3’s over the last few years. And while not a great defender, he’s competent and very sturdy. He can switch 2 through 4.
I was surprised that we landed Vanderbilt. There was a lot of interest in him. Actually a lot of people around the league have questioned his inclusion. He is 6’ 8”, with a high motor, that can guard 2 through 5. He is also a great rebounder with 8 a game in just 24 minutes. We could have used him against the Bucks.
Bamba will need to prove himself. While 1 block a game and nearly 40% from 3 in 17 minutes is a great result, one wonders why he only got 17 minutes and why it only took a 2nd round pick to land him. He was even behind Mo Wagner in the rotation. And Wanger only blocks .2 shots and shoots 32% from 3 in 21 minutes. Hopefully the coaches can help unlock the potential he is supposed to have.
Another aspect of this trade is not one of the players have guaranteed money for next year. We hold team options on Beasley. Vanderbilt and Bamba’s contracts are not guaranteed. while DLo is a free agent. If a player doesn’t cut it we can package them in a trade or even let them walk. And we have full bird rights on all of them.
I hope these guys can grow together. DLO, Beasley, Vanderbilt, Rui, Austin, Max and Bamba have the potential to be a young quality supporting cast for AD and LeBron. Now hopefully we can put it together quickly and salvage this season.
Michael, I agree. We have a better-supporting cast now and that’s what got me excited. Let’s give Rob his flowers for doing such a magnificent job.
Only good if we win.
Not sure about the players, they all came on the cheap for a reason methinks. Not that they can’t succeed here but teams usually don’t give away assets for no reason. I agree the best part is maintaining the summer flexibility, using but one FRP (w/protections) and replenishing some 2nd round picks. I think Rob made the deals he could make and did a passable job of it all.
Hopi g D-Lo can be our Dwight this season from the guard position, JV makes it impossible not to start him, and the rest contribute at a decent level consistently. Still, without health for AD and LBJ, it won’t really matter what they all do.