Who should Memphis draft?
If we're going to talk about it this early, I think Memphis should just draft the best player available.
I think Memphis needs a lot of changes. They have a bunch of pieces that just don't really fit together. They have too many offensive players who don't like to move the ball. Other than Carrol and Thabeet (who's not ready to play), they don't have any defenders.
Conley is their only pass first player, but they need to make a decision on him. I wouldn't trade Mayo though. I'd let Gay walk or sign and trade him before I traded Mayo. I don't really think those two can co-exist. Gay is one selfish ass offensive player.
They definitely can't co-exist. They don't make each other better, nor do they compliment each other. Gay wants to be "the man" offensively and is just very selfish. He doesn't defend, pass very well or make the extra pass. Gay made a mistake turning down the 5 year $50 million dollar deal they offered him.
They can try to sign and trade Gay this summer.
If Memphis lands the #1 pick in the lottery, and Wall is as good as advertised (I believe he is), then they should absolutely take him. He would be that potential franchise player that they sorely lack at this point.
If Memphis lands Wall, the franchise suddenly becomes more attractive for potential buyers. So if I'm Heisley, I completely blow up this mess of a team, acquire multiple lottery picks, and make it hard to resist for potential owners. I would build around the core of Wall, Mayo, and Marc Gasol.
So I start my rebuilding process by trading Rudy Gay, who will never be able to co-exist with OJ Mayo, along with Zach Randolph and/or Marko Jaric's expiring contracts to a team looking to shed salary and get a great young asset in return for a top 5-10 pick. This is where I get my PF of the future (Favors, Davis, Monroe, etc.)
Then I trade Mike Conley, as a young prospect like Conley is not needed with Wall coming in. A team like the Pacers, who are lacking a PG of the future, would likely give up a lottery pick (6-12) for him. With this pick I get a replacement for Gay, preferably a more defensive-oriented SF. So I would go with Al-Farouq Aminu.
Memphis also has two late 1st round picks, which will help with bench depth. I'd take a big man like DeMarcus Cousins with the 1st late pick, and I'd take a guard like Sherron Collins with the 2nd late pick.
So after all of these acquisitions/moves, this is the kind of team Memphis could be looking like-
PG- John Wall/Sherron Collins
SG- OJ Mayo/Sam Young
SF- Al-Farouq Aminu/DeMarre Carroll
PF- Derrick Favors/Darrell Arthur/DeMarcus Cousins
C- Marc Gasol/Hasheem Thabeet/Hamed Haddadi
Add a couple of veterans on bad contracts that Memphis would have to take back in the deals that they made for the lottery picks, and you've got a seriously attractive team for the future for investors like Fred Smith. It would be painful to watch for a year or so, but in the long run, it's got serious potential.
awesome- a few flaws with your ideas, One, why would a team looking to shed salary trade for Randolph? He still has another year left after this one for like 17 million. Also, you are saying give up Gay, Randolph, and Jaric to a team looking to shed space which would mean they would be sending the Grizz approximatley 27 million back in long term deals to equal those contracts out in a trade. This means the grizz now just ended any chances they have of playing the free agent field adding that much money in long term deals. 2, Conley is about as good as TJ Ford long term and right now, so I doubt the pacers would give up a lottery pick for him.
1) About Randolph/Jaric- they will both have one year left on their contracts after this year, meaning during the summer, they will be considered expiring. So a team could trade a longer contract for Rnadolph's or Jaric's one year contract. Also, I said Jaric and/or Randolph could be included in the Gay for lottery pick deal, meaning that not both of them would have to be included in the trade. And yes, these deals would end Memphis's chance of getting a good free agent, but it's not like they are going to be big players in free agency regardless and they wouldn't need to shedding out big money with the contracts extensions they would have to face eventually.
2) I disagree. Conley has a lot more long term potential than Ford in my opinion. I believe that this will become obvious now that Iverson is gone. But for now, I can respect that opinion. Also, it doesn't necessarily have to be the Pacers. There are other teams out there that could use Conley.
I haven't really studied Favors' game yet, but I can tell you the glaring difference is that Favors is a PF and Gay is a SF, and I don't think Favors needs the ball in his hands nearly as much as Gay does to make an impact on the game. Also, Favors doesn't have to be the PF that Memphis takes. It could be Davis or Monroe as well.
If Gay is Memphis' franchis player, then they have serious problems. He's selfish and he doesn't pass the ball nor play defense. He was the only player in the NBA last season to attempt 20 shots and not register ONE SINGLE assist. That's NOT a franchise player. If you think that is, then you need to go search up the definition of franchise player.
i doubt if gay walks and i dont expect them to work great together when its only been one year..thats wayyyyyy premature to say they dont work together this early..theres been vets who dont work together early then get it together..plus its kinda hard to look like you work together when youre team isnt that good and you have to take more shots then you need to in order to get a win or stay in the game.....and im not sure if hes a franchise player or not but i cant go off of one game where he had no assist as proof either..gay is averaging 1.3 ast a game which should be higher but at the same time dirk is averaging 2.7..not all stars get alot of ast
he could change that Tezo. Plus he is , honestly, 2x as good a scorer as Mayo, He's selfish for 1 reason, it's cause he's trying to establish himself as the guy on his team and he's going about it the wrong way, but if you take Mayo out the equation, Gay would know along with every1 else that he is the clearcut #1 option, and therefore would be sooo unselfish.
Not only is Gay selfish, he literally doesn't play defense... Zip... Zero. He doesn't move the ball because he's seflish, but even if he tried... He wouldn't be too successful because he's a terrible passer. Gay is a dog... A talented player who's good enough to get big contracts, but he'll probably never win anything major. He's not a franchise player. The word "franchise player" is thrown around too quickly nowadays. I guess Kevin Martin from Sacramento is a franchise player too.
whats funny is that gays reputation before thi season was that he is too unselfish..that was actually his rep since hs...at uconn coahcs and nba scouts used to say the same thing..with all that talent why doesnt he take over more was the most common theme with him..im curious to see why some of ya'll think hes so selfish when he only gets 1 or 2 less assists then other good players at his position int he nba( more assists then gereld wallace who averages 0.7 ast a game) and takes about the same or less fgs then other players who play his same position
You can take over a game without being selfish. You can be aggressive offensively without over dribbling the ball. Great offensive players sometimes need to be more "selfish" and take more shots, but GOOD shots. Gay is a black hole. He gets the ball, stops ball movement, isolates/dribbles for too much of the shot clock and then shoots. He'll shoot a shot that just isn't there. It's not just his low assist numbers and lack of passing skills, it's his shot selection and just the way he takes his shots.
Taking over a game just doesn't mean scoring either. How about at the defensive end? How about getting into the lane and creating for your teammates? How about rebounding? How about playing the passing lanes or getting weakside blocks?
plus gay is 23 years old..alot of young talented players on a bad team tend to shoot alot and play one on one..plus its been what 7 games..compared to the couple of seasons where he wouldnt really try to be selfish and go one on one...when youre team is pretty bad and the team puts pressure on you to take over the game u tend to try to do more offensively..im pretty sure the coach has told him to go more to his strengths which is to go one on one...hes no more selfish then other stars on other teams
Gay is a black hole. He gets the ball, stops ball movement, isolates/dribbles for too much of the shot clock and then shoots. He'll shoot a shot that just isn't there. It's not just his low assist numbers and lack of passing skills, it's his shot selection and just the way he takes his shots.
Tezo look at that FG % my man, check it out, he is soooo efficient, sooo, ssssoooooooo efficient, maybe he does force tough shots but he is an uncanny shot-maker, do yourself a favor, a plesant one, watch Rudy Gay play, just watch him.
Also check out NBAdraft.net's scouting report on Gay
If y'all say so. He's young, so it's not like he can't change. I mean, it's not like I don't like him or think he's a bum. His talent is undeniable. I just think he's a little too selfish right now when he gets the ball in his hands. He takes shots that are just not in the rhythm of the game. He forces shots that are just not there. You can take shots without overdribbling. When he does that, it stops ball movement and his teammates get caught standing there and watching him.
thats something his teammates need to work on..any coach will tell you to not just watch..plus im pretty sure alot of the plays are for movement and pass till it gets to mayo and gay then have them create...mostly creat offensive chances for them...im also wondering how often you watched him play wit the comment abount him running the shot clock down then taking bad shot..to be honest he takes pretty good shot..ive watched all but one game and i havent seen him take a bunch of bad shots or run a bunch of run down the clock iso bad shot thing you just said
I've been watching Gay since his freshman year at UCONN. I'm not saying he literally dribbles the entire shot clock down by himself. I'm saying that he keeps the ball in his hands for too much of the shot clock whether it's the beginning of it or the ending. My point is that he doesn't move the ball. He stops ball movement. His teammates stand around and watch him because they know that most likely they're not getting the ball back.
Couldn't he be efficient AND not be a black hole? Couldn't he be efficient and still move the ball? How about taking shots within the rhythm of the offense until your team needs you to isolate and get them a bucket? How about moving without the ball and slashing instead of always trying to go off the dribble? Gay is not as good as y'all think he is at this point. Mikenike said he was a FRANCHISE PLAYER. If that was the case, he'd have a max contract right now.
actually thats not tru these days..what memphis is doing is very very smart..they are letting the market determine what his value is..its a very good business decision..why give him a max contract now for lets say 8 million a year when its possible that most teams wont pay any more then 6million..wit teams tryna save for next summer free agents its a very very good plan...i just cant agree ont he black hole..watching him i dont see it and i dont recall anyone ever talking about him being a black hole while i watch the game..i hear aot of" he needs to take more shots or he needs to take over the game" more though while im watching them play
Quincey... You're too smart for this. If he was a franchise player, they'd be too scared to let him test the market. Do you think OKC is going to let Durant test the market lol? Do you think the Lakers would let Kobe test the market? Do you think the Bulls are going to let Rose test the market? Did Portland let Roy test the market? Gay is NOT a franchise player.
like i said before..im not saying he is nor am i saying he isnt..i think its too early for me to say either way since he int in his prime yet...you dont have to be a durant or a kobe to be considered a franchise player...you can also be a franchise player in one teams opinion but not one in another teams..portaland didnt think j.oneal was a franchise player but the pacers(when he was healthy) did...so im smart enough to assume i already know if a 23 year old is or isnt a franchise player who is very very talented
Gay has been in the league long enough for me to know he is never going to be a franchise player. He's a great/potentially elite scorer, but that's all he will ever be. He's not a leader at all, he looks completely uninterested sometimes, and he plays absolutely no defense.
He'll be a great 2/3 option on a good team, but he absolutely cannot be depended on be the leader of whatever team he is on. And I'm not trying to bash Rudy; He's a great guy and a great scorer, and he plays for the team I love. But the fact is he doesn't have the desire to ever become a franchise player.
Memphis has been one of the worst teams in the league so far and now some people are saying AI might leave the team because of PT. So who do yall think they should draft? And lets assume they get a top 3 pick and AI leaves. I think they should trade trade Conley for whatever they can get and try to trade Mayo with one of their late 1st round draft picks for another top 5 pick. Then I think they should try to draft Wall and Favors. After that I think with there other late first round draft pick they should draft a SG that is a good shooter and can play well off the ball. Then I think they should try to resign Gay. That gives them
Wall/Williams
Draft pick/FA
Rudy/Carrol
Randolph/Favors
Gasol/Thabeet
Anybody else like this idea?