Those teams needing some help from “Turning the Corner” are evaluated on how well they followed instructions.
Jarnell Stokes. I was legitimately excited to see him on the court, playing alongside Anthony Davis in Alvin Gentry’s up-tempo offense. He was one of my favorite players to watch in the tournament a few years back, keying Tennessee’s run to the Sweet 16 in 2014. Acquired from the Heat in a salary-cutting move, I thought he could actually get some run and have a shot to impress the coaching staff and make the roster.
Well that wasn’t to be, as Justin Verrier of ESPN reported Friday morning; the Pelicans immediately cut Stokes. They also were otherwise quiet at the trade deadline, failing to trade pending free agents Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon. Perhaps if I had written a “Turning the Corner” piece for them, Dell Demps and the Pelicans front office would have had more direction. That one’s my bad, guys.
I have written six such pieces though, so let’s see how teams followed my advice when approaching the deadline. We’ll start with those who sat on their hands Thursday.
The Silent Ones
Los Angeles Lakers – For the remainder of this season, I advised the Lakers to keep Byron Scott in place, ensuring the best odds at retaining their (Top-3 protected) first round pick. So far, so good. They also didn’t make any foolish “win now” moves, such as flipping DeAngelo Russell for an older veteran. I would have approved of any trades that removed veterans from the roster without offloading assets, but deals to ship out Brandon Bass or Lou Williams may not have been on the table. This team has solid young pieces in place, and their next major moves should come this summer as they replace Scott as coach and draft another young star such as Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram in the draft. Josh’s Grade: B+
New York Knicks – Calling the Knicks “silent” at the deadline is not entirely accurate; they seemed to be making a plethora of phone calls to see if a deal was available to them. But Atlanta wanted too much for Jeff Teague, and similarly Houston asked too much for Patrick Beverly. My advice is to cut ties with Phil Jackson and his rigid devotion to the Triangle and his former associates, and that’s not something they will do before the offseason. Hanging on to their assets now made the most sense until new management is in place and they can evaluate the roster. The deal I would have been ok with was a Carmelo Anthony trade that brought in major assets or a star; while unlikely, that would have been a clear win for the Knicks. Josh’s Grade: A-
Started to Scare Me
Minnesota Timberwolves – The Timberwolves have one of the best young rosters in the league, with dynamic young talent at multiple positions and future star Karl-Anthony Towns seeking to quickly drop the “future” from that description. However, they appeared to be considering a big move when it was reported they were calling around about Ricky Rubio. I am a huge Rubio fan, and I think his combination of passing/defense/quickness/character/hustle is a great fit alongside the young core of Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, and Towns. This team needs to keep that foursome together, give minutes to the young players and see how they fit together, and fix their focus on the draft and adding one more high pick. Whoever hung the phone up and decided to keep Rubio is my hero. Crisis averted. Josh’s Grade: B
Saved From Themselves
Sacramento Kings – Don’t do anything rash, I told the Kings. And yet Sacramento did everything it could to disobey me without actually succeeding. To recap my advice: Offload veterans who aren’t part of the long-term plan – Sacramento still employs Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, and Kosta Koufos. Don’t give up on your young players – The Kings called nearly everyone in the league offering Ben McLemore in trade packages. Make patient decisions with long-term success in mind – Reportedly seeking a run at the playoffs, the Kings tried to add Pau Gasol – a 35 year-old impending free agent who plays the same position as two of their best players. That’s not a patient or long-term move, Vlade.
Thankfully the Bulls backed out, and other teams did not engage enough to get any deals done. Congratulations, Sacramento – you dodged a bullet you almost fired yourself. Or something like that. Josh’s Grade: C
Made Some Deals
Portland Trailblazers – Finally we have some action. Portland took part in two deals on Thursday. In the smaller deal they took on the contract of Brian Roberts from Miami, netting them a second-round pick. In the larger one they took on the contract of Anderson Varejao from the Cleveland Cavaliers, acquiring Cleveland’s 2018 first round pick. They instantly waived Varejao. I initially told Portland to miss the playoffs, thus allowing them to retain their first round pick. However, after further consideration I think their plan of sending their first to the Nuggets this year and assuring they keep their pick for next year’s more loaded draft makes a lot of sense (that’s why they pay Neil Olshey the big bucks). I also told them to use their cap space to acquire assets, and they did just that. Bravo Portland. Josh’s Grade: A
Phoenix Suns – The first thing I told the Suns to do in recovering from this trainwreck of a season was to trade Markieff Morris. He was a locker room cancer and a guy who clearly did not want to be in Phoenix. Well the Suns did just that, acquiring two contracts that will come off the books this summer (Blair via a Non-guaranteed contract) AND a first-round pick that will almost definitely convey this year. I also told them not to re-sign Jeff Hornacek (check!), not to make win-now moves (so far, so good), and to shop Tyson Chandler around. They did not appear to do the latter, and I think they could have received good value for P.J. Tucker and Mirza Teletovic, but Morris was the big move and they got it done. Josh’s Grade: A-
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