The Timelord extension was excellent, the Smart extension fine, the Thompson trade good (though I don't know why we didn't just acquire Wright), and the Richardson deal / extension very good. I'm not a fan of the Horford deal -- I don't like trading 1sts if a star isn't coming in -- but I guess I understand why it was done (if Kemba's bruised ego was simply unbearable for the locker room) so I'd give that a "C" not an "F".
But I thought Brad's first trade deadline was awful -- gave him a "D". Put this in tonite's game thread:
My knife's been out for the White and Theis trades from the start. Liked the team better before the deadline, save for Schroder -- who needed outta here to hunt shots somewhere else (just trade him for a 2nd round pick... it's not complicated).
Brad opened the kimono to his inexperience. I think the Cs took a long-term step back, and I'm disappointed.
What didn’t you like about the Theis trade? Theis for Schroder, Bruno and Kanter seems fair. Now we have a backup 4/5 with decent size at 6’9” who has already been in Boston and played well.
In regards to the White trade, I think it was an overpay, but sometimes you have to do that if you believe the player is a great fit. I don’t think he’s a huge upgrade in terms of talent, but I think Brad valued having another proven point guard with size that can defend at a high level. I’d imagine finding another 3 and D guy is easier than finding a backup PG. Even though Richardson isn’t a point guard, I would have loved to keep him and used the TPE to get White instead.
Having a rotation of Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford, Timelord with White, Richardson, Grant, Theis off the bench would have given the C’s a lot of depth.
Here's what I see:
Brad Stevens traded Denis Schroder, Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford (all flexible to very flexible pieces) and two first round picks for $26-27MM in commitments for the next several seasons for two back-ups. Yes, I know one was a pick swap -- the risk there outweighs the reward, IMO.
You can argue whether White is a back-up, but i think he's the definition of one. He's a small energy guy who excels at nothing and struggles with shooting (as a guard, no less). Upon seeing his downward shooting trend, Pop realized as much and shipped him during the first year of his pricey extension. And Schroder and Richardson are capable back-ups themselves, while Langford has the makings of one.
I think that's poor General Management, especially after sending out our first rounder last year. It's a star driven league -- good teams compile assets like these and / or good players they hit on the draft to acquire difference makers, not Daniel Theis and Derrick White. If the right deal as such doesn't present itself, patience is required -- especially for a team as young as the Cs. You may need to pick well and develop in house. Our hit rate in the draft, is not high in the regard -- but i don't that's an excuse to throw in the towel.
I hear all the talk about fit etc. That White's shooting will rebound and so on. I'm not buyin' it. I find it very hard to conceive of how White and Theis move the needle on this team -- which is still a key piece or two away from serious contention -- at all. Again, the Spurs know White better than anyone. And Theis -- much as he's beloved -- is just a bad contract we bailed Houston out of.
So either Stevens is not a good judge of value and flexibility, he's impatient, he doesn't plan on being around long, or some or all of the above. Whichever way, I think it's bad management.
I agree on White being a backup, especially on this team, but’s he’s a backup PG with size (6’4”) that plays defense at a high level, which Schroder and Pritchard can’t. If the teams identity is going to be based on defensive ability, those guys don’t fit. Romeo and Richardson wouldn’t fill that role either as they are 2/3’s.
I also agree that the C’s do need to do a better job drafting and developing talent, but at the same time Brad is trying to win now. He has to give up assets to get the players that he thinks will fit. JB is also only under contract for two more seasons and there is no guarantee that he stays. Theis has two years guaranteed on his current deal $8.5M next season, $9.5M the year after and then it’s a team option. Is he overpaid, probably. But by how much, A few million? He’s a player that has already shown that he can play well in Boston and the C’s desperately needed a PF/C with size. Grant has been shooting the ball very well, but he becomes a liability defensively and struggles to rebound against bigger players.
To your points above:
1) White isn't a PG. He doesn't run an offense. He's a switch guard with limited range.
2) Theis is a minimum contract player on a year-to-year deal at this point... possibly a few bucks over. His contract is one of the worst in the league (the NBA has gotten wiser about now handing out long term deals role guys).
Remember how this board split hairs about the lux tax for months this season? And now we're hampered with Theis for 2 more seasons after this one at almost $10MM per?
3) Richardson was / is a nice switchy defender and was a contributor to that league's best defense off the bench. We lost wing depth when we trade him, and Langford was essentially his back-up. We didn't replace either.
4) If Schroder and Pritchard were such a poor fit, why did the Cs have the best defensive rating in the league by far the last 1-2 months? Not everyone on your team has to be Eric Snow.... when you have numerous plus defenders on your team, you need offensive role players too. Pritchard is fine in that capacity. And as started above, I'm absolutely fine with dumping Schroder -- just don't saddle your self with Theis in the process. And if BS was gonna trade for a back-up, he should've added a 1 or 4 on short money, not a 5. Other teams got decent value here that Stevens missed out on.
5) If Brad's plan is to "win now", which frankly I think is absurd, he better really like this team -- cuz he's taken his swings of the bat now. No cap space. No pick this year. No pick last year. Nosmith was a major whiff no matter what silver lining anyone wants to pretend to be believe, with no trade value. Langford has already been dumped for nothing. And the hope that Horford's kinda sorta attractive expiring contract plus junk is going to give us a chance to trade for a legit starter over what other teams in the market can offer is a pipe-dream.
I like the core of Tatum, Brown, the Williams' and Smart. I think the supporting cast of Horford, White and Theis is really weak. And their combined commitment over the next few years is way too high. With virtually no young talent (after Ainge and Stevens have botched their end of bench horribly over the past 3-4 years) and a marginal pick pool, we're stuck with what we have.
