@SK_Stoop202@DicePrez@EnjoyBBall@sixringsofsteeI Sure, makes sense. I just don’t understand people shoehorning Cam to the Jazz despite their glut of PFs and completely ignoring his perfect fit with WAS.
@AJ3Jazz Lauri is our starting SF, but the more we force him there then he’s not optimized. It also takes mins away from Ace in his best position.
I’m not worried about finding Flip minutes, but he’s capable and would be wasted.
We already saw how much trade value Collins has…
@AJ3Jazz JJJ and Lauri each make $40M+. The MLE is $15M. We’d be allocating $100M of our cap to players optimized at PF, with Collins maybe getting 15-20 mins a night and eliminating minutes for the capable, cheap backup (Flip). Seems like poor resource allocation.
@ArtTakesNote@AJ3Jazz Not necessarily. JJJ works best as a roaming 4 on defense who has a rim protecting 5 behind him. I agree that their rebounding would work well together, but they would not be optimized defensively (JJJ would have to be a rim protecting 5, which reduces his effectiveness).
@jpottingaround I’m at the game now in SA and the Knicks fans are fairly plentiful and quite loud. Travelled real well. Have also been shockingly respectful.
@draymottishaw@ArtTakesNote I think that's overly dismissive of Key's growth. He took much higher quality shots that weren't forced nearly as often as in his first two seasons. Also significantly improved at drawing fouls by playing through defenders (rather than trying to draw flailing fouls).
@DraftDeeper Which prospect is more likely to shore up their weaknesses within the next 5 years: DP's playmaking/rim finishing or AJ's shooting/defense?
@kirkmckee13@KeithShave48698@jazzbeargryllz Key was a chucker his first two seasons. It wasn't great. Last year he showed real growth running the offense, setting up teammates and taking better shots. His reputation may not have caught up yet, but he was a different player last season. It was obvious from watching.
@jazzbeargryllz Absolutely. This is the most glaring shortcoming that Silver needs to address. We're punishing extreme competency when teams draft/develop well. If we've eliminated the draft and free agency as viable team-building techniques, we've gotta create a way to reward organic growth.
@kirkmckee13@KeithShave48698@jazzbeargryllz I disagree. We wedged him into PG duties. He grew up as a SG and is comfortable playing off ball. His improved assist totals in '26 and willingness to toggle on-off ball by each game show malleability. He'll be the PG/engine of the team but will adapt to the skillsets around him.
@kirkmckee13@KeithShave48698@jazzbeargryllz That's fair. I still think he'll improve when he's carrying less offensive burden and is surrounded by competent defenders, but your skepticism isn't unfounded. I'm interested to see where he's at this time next year.
@kirkmckee13@KeithShave48698@jazzbeargryllz Yeah, but he's 22 and has never been surrounded by competent defenders. I'd like to see him with JJJ, Kessler, DP/AJ and Ace before writing off his defensive abilities. He'll never be above average, but he may be good enough to allow his offensive skill to shine.
@kirkmckee13@KeithShave48698@jazzbeargryllz Lauri's skillset is more unique and he's better than Key. I'm focused on salary/timeline. I also think Lauri will go from average SF defensively to a liability as he ages, but can't move to PF due to JJJ (who I'd rather keep). Lauri will also bring a better trade return.
@kirkmckee13@KeithShave48698@jazzbeargryllz I guess in either situation (DP or AJ) I'm keeping Key and moving Lauri in a couple years. As he ages, Lauri will need to slide into PF minutes and JJJ blocks that. I trust DP and AJ to both play SG more proficiently than Ace. Ace ends up long-term SF in either scenario.
@KeithShave48698@jazzbeargryllz I agree. People are too quick to shoehorn Ace into SG minutes. He's a good connective passer, but he's not a playmaker and he can't dribble. It puts way too much pressure on Key/DP at the PG spot to share the backcourt with those deficiencies. Ace is an SF w/spot SG mins.
@shanesek1@CryptoJesus8888@veloprotocol I just sort by “post activity” and set the minimum likes for visible posts to 2. Effectively weeds out all the BS posts when searching for Velo.
@LombardiHimself It’s not that you’re not objective. You are. It’s just that the Niners have never done anything wrong in the history of ever. How can people not see this?