Fords updated "10 names to be traded" list.

[MF Doom]

Sac in a financial crunch? Let's give them Ray for Martin and Nocioni.

I want this trade made ASAP
[/quote]

Agreed! Call it apanic move or whatever you want but you can't tell me that martin and nocioni could produce more than ray is now. Just like ray, martin could also spread the floor and create for himself, something ray simply cant do anymore.

[Mike-Dub]

Sac in a financial crunch? Let's give them Ray for Martin and Nocioni.

I want this trade made ASAP

Agreed! Call it apanic move or whatever you want but you can't tell me that martin and nocioni could produce more than ray is now. Just like ray, martin could also spread the floor and create for himself, something ray simply cant do anymore.
[/quote]I too would love to do this deal!... But Martin has been inured most of the season this year but Martin and Nocioni I think is to much to pass on.

[Who]

Anyone else see Houston/Memphis being trade partners? 

Gay/Thabeet for something along the lines of Battier and Ariza?

I wouldn't be willing to give up Thabeet for Battier and Ariza.

Nevermind Rudy Gay, a player who has far more value than that.

Teams shouldn't give up stars for role players ... especially when the goal is to win five more games so they can make the eight seed in the playoffs and get spanked in the first round all while hurting your team's future.

[KCattheStripe]

Anyone else see Houston/Memphis being trade partners? 

Gay/Thabeet for something along the lines of Battier and Ariza?

I wouldn't be willing to give up Thabeet for Battier and Ariza.

Nevermind Rudy Gay, a player who has far more value than that.

Teams shouldn't give up stars for role players ... especially when the goal is to win five more games so they can make the eight seed in the playoffs and get spanked in the first round all while hurting your team's future.

It isn't hurting your team's future if Gay is gonna go where the money is next year. It is, in fact, securing your team's future. Also, Thabeet is years away from being any good and even then he won't be as good as Gasol or Randolph.

[Who]

Anyone else see Houston/Memphis being trade partners? 

Gay/Thabeet for something along the lines of Battier and Ariza?

I wouldn't be willing to give up Thabeet for Battier and Ariza.

Nevermind Rudy Gay, a player who has far more value than that.

Teams shouldn't give up stars for role players ... especially when the goal is to win five more games so they can make the eight seed in the playoffs and get spanked in the first round all while hurting your team's future.

It isn't hurting your team's future if Gay is gonna go where the money is next year. It is, in fact, securing your team's future. Also, Thabeet is years away from being any good and even then he won't be as good as Gasol or Randolph.

If the team isn't willing to spend the money required to keep Rudy Gay, then, they should trade him and try to bring back a star quality player, a young prospect with star quality, or a draft pick. Not a role player.

I disagree on Thabeet. I think he's looked very good so far. Solid defense with excellent defensive potential. Good rebounding with excellent rebounding potential. Excellent garbage man offensively. He's one of those players that adds a lot to a team without needing touches. Very valuable.

[KCattheStripe]

Anyone else see Houston/Memphis being trade partners? 

Gay/Thabeet for something along the lines of Battier and Ariza?

I wouldn't be willing to give up Thabeet for Battier and Ariza.

Nevermind Rudy Gay, a player who has far more value than that.

Teams shouldn't give up stars for role players ... especially when the goal is to win five more games so they can make the eight seed in the playoffs and get spanked in the first round all while hurting your team's future.

It isn't hurting your team's future if Gay is gonna go where the money is next year. It is, in fact, securing your team's future. Also, Thabeet is years away from being any good and even then he won't be as good as Gasol or Randolph.

If the team isn't willing to spend the money required to keep Rudy Gay, then, they should trade him and try to bring back a star quality player, a young prospect with star quality, or a draft pick. Not a role player.

I disagree on Thabeet. I think he's looked very good so far. Solid defense with excellent defensive potential. Good rebounding with excellent rebounding potential. Excellent garbage man offensively. He's one of those players that adds a lot to a team without needing touches. Very valuable.

Couple of problems. The first is that Rudy's contract is only 3 million dollars right now. So you can't bring a star getting star money  back without flinging the Grizz over the luxury tax. Second, the Grizz's starting five is all young and/or talented so you need a player to come back that plays SF. You don't want to trade Rudy and bring back a 2 guard, PF, C or PG just to sit on the bench. So you need to bring back a player that doesn't make too much money, is talented and plays the 3.
Thats why this is a great deal. Not only do you get Ariza, who is a 16 ppg scorer and a great defender--also important seeing as how Rudy is the Grizz's best on ball defender-- but they bring back an excellent six man who also gives them depth at the SF which they don't currently have.

[Who]

Trevor Ariza scores 15.9ppg on 15.3 shot attempts + 3.5 FTAs + 2.6 turnovers. The man is not a scorer.

Ariza's defense + rebounding have also dropped considerably this season due to the increased demands offensively. He hasn't been able to sustain his previous high quality work in both departments. It looks like it will be one or the other and he's a lot more effective as a fifth option.

Shane Battier turns 32 years of age before the start of next season. How much use is he to a young team?

It's a terrible trade package.

[KCattheStripe]

Trevor Ariza scores 15.9ppg on 15.3 shot attempts + 3.5 FTAs + 2.6 turnovers. The man is not a scorer.

Ariza's defense + rebounding have also dropped considerably this season due to the increased demands offensively. He hasn't been able to sustain his previous high quality work in both departments. It looks like it will be one or the other and he's a lot more effective as a fifth option.

Shane Battier turns 32 years of age before the start of next season. How much use is he to a young team?

It's a terrible trade package.

Again, a couple of things. You mention that Ariza has suffered now that he is no longer the fifth option, but in going to Memphis he would become at best the 4th. Isn't it possible that his defense and rebounding would go back up now that he's no longer being asked to carry the offensive load.

As far as Battier being to old for a young team, how useful was Bibby to the Hawks? Brad Miller to the Bulls?

[Who]

I'm not as confident in the Grizzlies team or the youth.

PG -- Mike Conley is a major disappointment. He's only a role player.
SG -- OJ Mayo is a mediocre or slightly below average starting shooting guard. He doesn't appear to have star potential, at least not at this position but perhaps he does at the PG.
SF -- Rudy Gay is in a similar position to Mayo but has more potential at his position. Could develop well if placed in a superior team environment with a defensive focus.
PF -- Zach Randolph -- band aid that shouldn't be considered part of their future. He's a temp. Making a commitment to Z-Bo will hurt the Grizzlies down the road. Memphis should be looking to offload Randolph at the trade deadline (which they won't do)
C -- Marc Gasol -- very good offensive player and rebounder but struggles defensively. A good starting center. No idea what type of potential he has. If he can't improve his defense then the Grizzlies need to focus on pairing him with a defensive minded PF or use Gasol as trade bait to improve another position while giving the position to Thabeet.

Thabeet -- Solid player already due to his contributions in non-scoring areas and has the potential to be a top 10 center in the NBA.

I think the Grizzlies are a thoroughly mediocre team. They have solid upside (47-50 win team) but are miles away from fielding another close to a contender.

Also, Michael Heisley's overly optimistic reaction to the Grizzlies form + lack of patience spells disaster for this team's future. He's going to repeat his mistakes from the Gasol era by rushing to build a playoff team instead of remaining committed to fielding a Championship team in the future. The exact thing he's promised not to do repeatedly for the previous two and a half seasons.

I think the Grizzlies potential to improve increases considerably if they're (1) willing to jettison Randolph (2) if they'll trade Gasol, or package Gasol + Gay/Mayo or Gay + Mayo, in order to create ways to gain superior top tier talent (3) move OJ Mayo to the point instead of Conley and trade Conley.

[Gomesfan]

this works.......

Ray
Scal

for

Martin
Nocioni
S. Rodriguez

It will work w/out Rodriguez to make salaries match

[Who]

Trevor Ariza scores 15.9ppg on 15.3 shot attempts + 3.5 FTAs + 2.6 turnovers. The man is not a scorer.

Ariza's defense + rebounding have also dropped considerably this season due to the increased demands offensively. He hasn't been able to sustain his previous high quality work in both departments. It looks like it will be one or the other and he's a lot more effective as a fifth option.

Shane Battier turns 32 years of age before the start of next season. How much use is he to a young team?

It's a terrible trade package.

Again, a couple of things. You mention that Ariza has suffered now that he is no longer the fifth option, but in going to Memphis he would become at best the 4th. Isn't it possible that his defense and rebounding would go back up now that he's no longer being asked to carry the offensive load.

As far as Battier being to old for a young team, how useful was Bibby to the Hawks? Brad Miller to the Bulls?

Ariza -- So you're getting the 11-14ppg + 6-7rpg + very good defense player. Yes, I believe that's the player you'd want to get and he's capable of being. Or else the horribly inefficient scorer + reduced non-scoring contributions. I'd take the role player version myself.

Bibby and Miller

Brad Miller's primary value is as an expiring contract. Not a player. As such, I like him very much.

I did not like the Hawks acquiring Mike Bibby. I thought it was a waste of cap space and has served to limit their development. I also, as I'm sure you've guessed, don't believe he deserves much credit for the Hawks improvement. Ditto for Jamal Crawford.

Rudy Gay

(1) Rudy Gay's current + past on-court performance isn't much to write about. He's a comparable talent to Ariza in overall impact. He just does it in flashier ways. That has given him more of a reputation and more trade value. The Grizzlies should try to utilize that value instead of swapping him for a comparable talent.

(2) Rudy Gay does have considerable potential. He can still improve greatly as a defender, as a rebounder, and with his scoring efficiency. I doubt he'll ever be a franchise star but he could become a very good third option on a contender for the next 7-10 years.

Losing that potential for a role player is a poor decision.

Trading that player for an established star, a young prospect with considerable potential, or future draft picks is acceptable.

[Who]

Trading Rudy Gay's rookie scale contract for higher paid players

(1) Combine Gay + contracts (Hunter, Haddadi, Arthur) allows the Grizzlies to take back up to $12.15 million in contracts.
(2) Combine Gay + previous contracts + OJ Mayo allows the Grizzlies to take back $17.37 million.
(3) Combine Gay + Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies can take back $24 million in contracts.

Rudy Gay's rookie scale contract is a complication but it can be worked around.

[KCattheStripe]

Trevor Ariza scores 15.9ppg on 15.3 shot attempts + 3.5 FTAs + 2.6 turnovers. The man is not a scorer.

Ariza's defense + rebounding have also dropped considerably this season due to the increased demands offensively. He hasn't been able to sustain his previous high quality work in both departments. It looks like it will be one or the other and he's a lot more effective as a fifth option.

Shane Battier turns 32 years of age before the start of next season. How much use is he to a young team?

It's a terrible trade package.

Again, a couple of things. You mention that Ariza has suffered now that he is no longer the fifth option, but in going to Memphis he would become at best the 4th. Isn't it possible that his defense and rebounding would go back up now that he's no longer being asked to carry the offensive load.

As far as Battier being to old for a young team, how useful was Bibby to the Hawks? Brad Miller to the Bulls?

Trading that player for an established star, a young prospect with considerable potential, or future draft picks is acceptable.

The point that is not getting through here, is that you can't get that kind of value for a 1 year rental on a 3 million dollar contract.

[KCattheStripe]

Trading Rudy Gay's rookie scale contract for higher paid players

(1) Combine Gay + contracts (Hunter, Haddadi, Arthur) allows the Grizzlies to take back up to $12.15 million in contracts.
(2) Combine Gay + previous contracts + OJ Mayo allows the Grizzlies to take back $17.37 million.
(3) Combine Gay + Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies can take back $24 million in contracts.

Rudy Gay's rookie scale contract is a complication but it can be worked around.

1) They're not going to trade any of those players when they're in a playoff hunt because their team is short handed enough already. Any injury to Gasol or Randolph and Hadadi and Hunter become very important.

2) There is no way this team trades Gay and OJ to get 1 star player. There are literally 3 players the Grizz should target with that package ( Lebron, DWade and Kobe) and they would never get those in return.

3) Why on earth would you trade your TWO best players in one deal?

[Who]

Trevor Ariza scores 15.9ppg on 15.3 shot attempts + 3.5 FTAs + 2.6 turnovers. The man is not a scorer.

Ariza's defense + rebounding have also dropped considerably this season due to the increased demands offensively. He hasn't been able to sustain his previous high quality work in both departments. It looks like it will be one or the other and he's a lot more effective as a fifth option.

Shane Battier turns 32 years of age before the start of next season. How much use is he to a young team?

It's a terrible trade package.

Again, a couple of things. You mention that Ariza has suffered now that he is no longer the fifth option, but in going to Memphis he would become at best the 4th. Isn't it possible that his defense and rebounding would go back up now that he's no longer being asked to carry the offensive load.

As far as Battier being to old for a young team, how useful was Bibby to the Hawks? Brad Miller to the Bulls?

Trading that player for an established star, a young prospect with considerable potential, or future draft picks is acceptable.

The point that is not getting through here, is that you can't get that kind of value for a 1 year rental on a 3 million dollar contract.

Then there is no trade worth making.