Today's Chad Ford chat tibits

[BudweiserCeltic]

I disagree with IT being trade bait. If an opportunity presents itself sure, but there's also A LOT of value in having a player like him, young and very good scorer, and very cheap while having cap space to throw around.

This attempt to pigeonhole the acquirement of Thomas into a singular plan that Ainge might have for him is just dumb and shortsighted.

He's a good player to have period. He has more value than what he was traded for. And that's the bottom line. That he's also a good trade asset doesn't detract from what he potentially brings to a team that is rebuilding and is looking for young talent on good contracts.

[tazzmaniac]

Some items of note from Chad Ford chat this afternoon:

John (Boston) - Hi Chad, i see a lot of people questioning the Thomas trade for the Celtics, but arent Smart and Bradley the two right defense first guards to team with Thomas? Also, isnt he a nice asset to collect in case they try to trade for an established veteran like they did with KG?

Chad Ford - They could use a more elite scorer in their backcourt and that was Thomas. But I don't think Ainge made the deal for that reason. I think he felt that Thomas's contract was a good one, was movable down the road and therefore a solid asset in a potential trade this summer. My guess is his calculations were it was a better asset than the first round pick they gave up. I doubt Thomas is a building block for the Celtics. But as a future trade chip, I thought it was a good trade for Boston.

===
James (Miami) - Do you think Philadephia was actually considering to trade Embiid? What does this mean if it is true?

Chad Ford - I think it's been proven that Philly will consider anything. So yes I believe. I reported a little over a month ago that they weren't sold on either Carter-Williams or Embiid. That's now clearly proven to be the case on Carter-Williams given what they got in return. I believe the reason Joel Embiid is still there is because they weren't able to get what they were looking for in return -- another Top 5 pick in this year's draft.

===
Nick (Philly) - To me it's incredible Hinkie got what he did for MCW, a guy who regressed after winning ROY? Agree?

Chad Ford - Two things. No one is sure exactly what Hinkie got for him. If he gets the pick this year (highly unlikely) and it's a pick at No. 6 -- I'd say he got good value. I like this draft and there are several interesting players there at 6 (but no point guards really). If he gets a pick between 4-8 in next year's draft -- we'll see. The high school class of 2016 is one of the weaker ones in the last decade. After Ben Simmons and Jaylen Brown (who should be picks 1-2 in some order) the talent level drops. If the Lakers improve over the summer and that pick falls in the 9 to 15 range, I say they got poor value for Carter-Williams. If it moves all the way to 2017, they probably got poor value as well as I'd be shocked if the Lakers were still awful by then given their proven ability to lure free agents. Second, I think it's impossible to totally judge Carter-Williams. He's played 1.5 seasons, was on an awful, awful team that asked him to be the primary scorer even though that's not his forte. He took a ton of bad shots in Philly, in part, because he had to. That will change in Milwaukee and until we see him for a full season with that roster under the tutelage of Jason Kidd, it's tough to know what he really could be. All in all, it's too early on both sides to judge this trade, but I think right now, I'd lean toward Milwaukee winning it. (And remember, Milwaukee could've just gotten that pick from the Suns straight up for Knight if they had wanted it ... they clearly judged MCW as more valuable).

===
John (Boston) -  Regardless of the moves made- and going to be made- by the Celtics, I see Willie Cauley-Stein as an ideal fit based on team need and draft slot. Sometimes the obvious answer is the best one, right, Chad?

Chad Ford - He'd a be a great fit for the Celtics though, given the way he's playing lately (he's even showing off a jumper now) I'm not sure he'll still be on the board.

Otherwise Ford said Towns and others are closing in on Okafur.  The sentiment he expressed toward the 2016 draft that I bolded above is the same as Givony's recent take from DraftExpress.

It is way too early to speculate on the strength of the 2016 draft.  We don't even know who is going to actually declare for 2015.  Celtics fans better hope that 2016 is a strong draft.  If not, all those picks we have aren't much to crow about. 

[tazzmaniac]

Some items of note from Chad Ford chat this afternoon:

John (Boston) Hi Chad, i see a lot of people questioning the Thomas trade for the Celtics, but arent Smart and Bradley the two right defense first guards to team with Thomas? Also, isnt he a nice asset to collect in case they try to trade for an established veteran like they did with KG?

Chad Ford They could use a more elite scorer in their backcourt and that was Thomas. But I don't think Ainge made the deal for that reason. I think he felt that Thomas's contract was a good one, was movable down the road and therefore a solid asset in a potential trade this summer. My guess is his calculations were it was a better asset than the first round pick they gave up. I doubt Thomas is a building block for the Celtics. But as a future trade chip, I thought it was a good trade for Boston.

===
James (Miami) [via mobile] Do you think Philadephia was actually considering to trade Embiid? What does this mean if it is true?

Chad Ford I think it's been proven that Philly will consider anything. So yes I believe. I reported a little over a month ago that they weren't sold on either Carter-Williams or Embiid. That's now clearly proven to be the case on Carter-Williams given what they got in return. I believe the reason Joel Embiid is still there is because they weren't able to get what they were looking for in return -- another Top 5 pick in this year's draft.

===
Nick (Philly) [via mobile] To me it's incredible Hinkie got what he did for MCW, a guy who regressed after winning ROY? Agree?

Chad Ford Two things. No one is sure exactly what Hinkie got for him. If he gets the pick this year (highly unlikely) and it's a pick at No. 6 -- I'd say he got good value. I like this draft and there are several interesting players there at 6 (but no point guards really). If he gets a pick between 4-8 in next year's draft -- we'll see. The high school class of 2016 is one of the weaker ones in the last decade. After Ben Simmons and Jaylen Brown (who should be picks 1-2 in some order) the talent level drops. If the Lakers improve over the summer and that pick falls in the 9 to 15 range, I say they got poor value for Carter-Williams. If it moves all the way to 2017, they probably got poor value as well as I'd be shocked if the Lakers were still awful by then given their proven ability to lure free agents. Second, I think it's impossible to totally judge Carter-Williams. He's played 1.5 seasons, was on an awful, awful team that asked him to be the primary scorer even though that's not his forte. He took a ton of bad shots in Philly, in part, because he had to. That will change in Milwaukee and until we see him for a full season with that roster under the tutelage of Jason Kidd, it's tough to know what he really could be. All in all, it's too early on both sides to judge this trade, but I think right now, I'd lean toward Milwaukee winning it. (And remember, Milwaukee could've just gotten that pick from the Suns straight up for Knight if they had wanted it ... they clearly judged MCW as more valuable).

===
John (Boston)  Regardless of the moves made- and going to be made- by the Celtics, I see Willie Cauley-Stein as an ideal fit based on team need and draft slot. Sometimes the obvious answer is the best one, right, Chad?

Chad Ford He'd a be a great fit for the Celtics though, given the way he's playing lately (he's even showing off a jumper now) I'm not sure he'll still be on the board.

Otherwise Ford said Towns and others are closing in on Okafur.  The sentiment he expressed toward the 2016 draft that I bolded above is the same as Givony's recent take from DraftExpress.

I don't know if Chad Ford really knows things, I haven't followed his track record, but the stuff on Embiid is fascinating if it is true. There seems to have already been a leaked story about him putting on weight and fighting with trainers. Now if they really wanted to trade him for just any top 5 pick after a year invested in developing/rehabilitated an injured player, there must be really something they don't like about him because that would be very poor value. (again this is only based on if Ford's declarations are true).

Ford is just regurgitating the garbage Forbes article.  If there had been any serious discussions on trading Embiid, Woj, Stein, etc would have reported it.  Here's a video of Coach Brown working with Embiid before a recent game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROc8jk53ANM

[jambr380]

I don't know why IT wouldn't be a good building block for this Celtics team. When was the last time (in more modern times, at least) the Cs had a point guard who could penetrate and score like he does? Never? Rondo could get into the paint pretty well, but he was bad at drawing fouls, and he's nowhere near the scorer IT is. IT does some important things that the Cs have been bad at, such as attacking the rim, getting to the FT line, and being a PG who can shoot the 3 well. He's also (in my opinion) the first true/pure/natural/legit scorer Boston's had since Pierce.

I suppose there are only a couple players (LeBron and Durant) who are truly untradeable, so if Danny could use IT to get, say, Marc Gasol or James Harden (or someone else on that level), then I guess he has to at least consider it, but otherwise I don't know why he'd trade IT, especially given that IT could be a key piece of our next contender.

IT is kind of like that beautiful house on a busy road that you got for cheap. You love the house and everything about it inside and outside is great, but you can't get over that busy road. The 'busy road' in IT's case is his height. Even though he has proven that he can perform at a high level, people may never be able to give him the proper credit.

[chambers]

If anyone here thinks the 76ers would give up anything but a top 3 pick in this years draft (and even then they'd be crazy to swap Okafur for Embid), you're kidding yourselves.
The only reason they would trade this guy is if there's some kind of career threatening injury on a Greg Oden level. Other than that, this is 99% made up journalism for clicks.

And for those throwing Embid/Philly in the toilet before he's even played a game, please take your Haterade somewhere else.

Wait till he starts playing. Wait till Philly puts
Noel, Embid, Saric, Cannan, Covington, the Lakers pick, their own pick.

Also please remember that his little brother died in a car accident three and a half months ago.
It's quite understandable that a 20 year old, sitting out from injury, with all the new 'friends' and responsibilities that come with playing in the NBA..... is still pretty torn up and emotionally fragile about the passing of his brother- who he was just about to lift up out of Africa and bring over to the USA to be with him on his NBA journey.

Please imagine if your own sibling passed away and the pain involved-particularly after coming from their circumstances and what they were planning to experience with their new found wealth and security in the US.

If anyone has seen him workout recently, he's looking huge- as in he's looking like the Hulk and not Jarred Sullinger- and his movement is beautiful. He's certainly not 'overweight'.

Again, put down the Haterade.

[colincb]

Some items of note from Chad Ford chat this afternoon:

...The high school class of 2016 is one of the weaker ones in the last decade. ...

Otherwise Ford said Towns and others are closing in on Okafur.  The sentiment he expressed toward the 2016 draft that I bolded above is the same as Givony's recent take from DraftExpress.

It is way too early to speculate on the strength of the 2016 draft.  We don't even know who is going to actually declare for 2015.  Celtics fans better hope that 2016 is a strong draft.  If not, all those picks we have aren't much to crow about.

Not too early for teams, DraftExpress or Ford.

[colincb]

Some items of note from Chad Ford chat this afternoon:

...
James (Miami) [via mobile] Do you think Philadephia was actually considering to trade Embiid? What does this mean if it is true?

Chad Ford I think it's been proven that Philly will consider anything. So yes I believe. I reported a little over a month ago that they weren't sold on either Carter-Williams or Embiid. That's now clearly proven to be the case on Carter-Williams given what they got in return. I believe the reason Joel Embiid is still there is because they weren't able to get what they were looking for in return -- another Top 5 pick in this year's draft.

...

Otherwise Ford said Towns and others are closing in on Okafur.  The sentiment he expressed toward the 2016 draft that I bolded above is the same as Givony's recent take from DraftExpress.

I don't know if Chad Ford really knows things, I haven't followed his track record, but the stuff on Embiid is fascinating if it is true. There seems to have already been a leaked story about him putting on weight and fighting with trainers. Now if they really wanted to trade him for just any top 5 pick after a year invested in developing/rehabilitated an injured player, there must be really something they don't like about him because that would be very poor value. (again this is only based on if Ford's declarations are true).

Ford is just regurgitating the garbage Forbes article.  If there had been any serious discussions on trading Embiid, Woj, Stein, etc would have reported it.  Here's a video of Coach Brown working with Embiid before a recent game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROc8jk53ANM

Ford's been saying this for a while. The Forbes document is the latecomer to the party.

[MBunge]

If anyone here thinks the 76ers would give up anything but a top 3 pick in this years draft (and even then they'd be crazy to swap Okafur for Embid), you're kidding yourselves.
The only reason they would trade this guy is if there's some kind of career threatening injury on a Greg Oden level. Other than that, this is 99% made up journalism for clicks.

And for those throwing Embid/Philly in the toilet before he's even played a game, please take your Haterade somewhere else.

Wait till he starts playing. Wait till Philly puts
Noel, Embid, Saric, Cannan, Covington, the Lakers pick, their own pick.

Also please remember that his little brother died in a car accident three and a half months ago.
It's quite understandable that a 20 year old, sitting out from injury, with all the new 'friends' and responsibilities that come with playing in the NBA..... is still pretty torn up and emotionally fragile about the passing of his brother- who he was just about to lift up out of Africa and bring over to the USA to be with him on his NBA journey.

Please imagine if your own sibling passed away and the pain involved-particularly after coming from their circumstances and what they were planning to experience with their new found wealth and security in the US.

If anyone has seen him workout recently, he's looking huge- as in he's looking like the Hulk and not Jarred Sullinger- and his movement is beautiful. He's certainly not 'overweight'.

Again, put down the Haterade.

Has more slobber ever been slobbered over a kid with nothing but two-thirds of a season in college ball on his resume?

[chambers]

If anyone here thinks the 76ers would give up anything but a top 3 pick in this years draft (and even then they'd be crazy to swap Okafur for Embid), you're kidding yourselves.
The only reason they would trade this guy is if there's some kind of career threatening injury on a Greg Oden level. Other than that, this is 99% made up journalism for clicks.

And for those throwing Embid/Philly in the toilet before he's even played a game, please take your Haterade somewhere else.

Wait till he starts playing. Wait till Philly puts
Noel, Embid, Saric, Cannan, Covington, the Lakers pick, their own pick.

Also please remember that his little brother died in a car accident three and a half months ago.
It's quite understandable that a 20 year old, sitting out from injury, with all the new 'friends' and responsibilities that come with playing in the NBA..... is still pretty torn up and emotionally fragile about the passing of his brother- who he was just about to lift up out of Africa and bring over to the USA to be with him on his NBA journey.

Please imagine if your own sibling passed away and the pain involved-particularly after coming from their circumstances and what they were planning to experience with their new found wealth and security in the US.

If anyone has seen him workout recently, he's looking huge- as in he's looking like the Hulk and not Jarred Sullinger- and his movement is beautiful. He's certainly not 'overweight'.

Again, put down the Haterade.

Has more slobber ever been slobbered over a kid with nothing but two-thirds of a season in college ball on his resume?

I don't know- but that's not his fault nor the 76ers- that's the media.
It's fine if you don't agree with the 76ers tactics but to call it a total failure because you want it to be is called bigotry.

[MBunge]

If anyone here thinks the 76ers would give up anything but a top 3 pick in this years draft (and even then they'd be crazy to swap Okafur for Embid), you're kidding yourselves.
The only reason they would trade this guy is if there's some kind of career threatening injury on a Greg Oden level. Other than that, this is 99% made up journalism for clicks.

And for those throwing Embid/Philly in the toilet before he's even played a game, please take your Haterade somewhere else.

Wait till he starts playing. Wait till Philly puts
Noel, Embid, Saric, Cannan, Covington, the Lakers pick, their own pick.

Also please remember that his little brother died in a car accident three and a half months ago.
It's quite understandable that a 20 year old, sitting out from injury, with all the new 'friends' and responsibilities that come with playing in the NBA..... is still pretty torn up and emotionally fragile about the passing of his brother- who he was just about to lift up out of Africa and bring over to the USA to be with him on his NBA journey.

Please imagine if your own sibling passed away and the pain involved-particularly after coming from their circumstances and what they were planning to experience with their new found wealth and security in the US.

If anyone has seen him workout recently, he's looking huge- as in he's looking like the Hulk and not Jarred Sullinger- and his movement is beautiful. He's certainly not 'overweight'.

Again, put down the Haterade.

Has more slobber ever been slobbered over a kid with nothing but two-thirds of a season in college ball on his resume?

I don't know- but that's not his fault nor the 76ers- that's the media.
It's fine if you don't agree with the 76ers tactics but to call it a total failure because you want it to be is called bigotry.

1.  Don't use words you don't understand.

2.  Read your previous post.  Did "the media" make you slobber all over Embiid?

Mike

[Chief]

Maybe Boogie has expressed interest for playing with Isaiah Thomas again?

[BleedGreen1989]

I disagree with IT being trade bait. If an opportunity presents itself sure, but there's also A LOT of value in having a player like him, young and very good scorer, and very cheap while having cap space to throw around.

This attempt to pigeonhole the acquirement of Thomas into a singular plan that Ainge might have for him is just dumb and shortsighted.

He's a good player to have period. He has more value than what he was traded for. And that's the bottom line. That he's also a good trade asset doesn't detract from what he potentially brings to a team that is rebuilding and is looking for young talent on good contracts.

Well said. TP.

[Alleyoopster]

Sorry to be off topic...didn't want to start a new thread just to answer a simple question.

Just wondering, I've seen a couple references to Isaiah Thomas IV.  What does that IV signify?

[chambers]

If anyone here thinks the 76ers would give up anything but a top 3 pick in this years draft (and even then they'd be crazy to swap Okafur for Embid), you're kidding yourselves.
The only reason they would trade this guy is if there's some kind of career threatening injury on a Greg Oden level. Other than that, this is 99% made up journalism for clicks.

And for those throwing Embid/Philly in the toilet before he's even played a game, please take your Haterade somewhere else.

Wait till he starts playing. Wait till Philly puts
Noel, Embid, Saric, Cannan, Covington, the Lakers pick, their own pick.

Also please remember that his little brother died in a car accident three and a half months ago.
It's quite understandable that a 20 year old, sitting out from injury, with all the new 'friends' and responsibilities that come with playing in the NBA..... is still pretty torn up and emotionally fragile about the passing of his brother- who he was just about to lift up out of Africa and bring over to the USA to be with him on his NBA journey.

Please imagine if your own sibling passed away and the pain involved-particularly after coming from their circumstances and what they were planning to experience with their new found wealth and security in the US.

If anyone has seen him workout recently, he's looking huge- as in he's looking like the Hulk and not Jarred Sullinger- and his movement is beautiful. He's certainly not 'overweight'.

Again, put down the Haterade.

Has more slobber ever been slobbered over a kid with nothing but two-thirds of a season in college ball on his resume?

I don't know- but that's not his fault nor the 76ers- that's the media.
It's fine if you don't agree with the 76ers tactics but to call it a total failure because you want it to be is called bigotry.

1.  Don't use words you don't understand.

2.  Read your previous post.  Did "the media" make you slobber all over Embiid?

Mike

Bigotry is the criticism of something you don't understand. That is exactly what you are displaying.

Not sure where I slobbered over Embid. I stated that he's injured and his brother died which may be affecting his behavior as a counter argument to posts like this:

The Sixers have no one to blame but themselves if Embiid has gone south on them.  You hand a 20 year old who only started playing basketball at 15 millions of dollars and then, essentially, tell him you have no interest in him actually playing NBA basketball until the start of the 2015-2016 season, what do you think is going to happen?


You're blaming the possibility of him 'going south' on his age and basketball experience.
I have no idea why Embid is different from other top 3 picks. They all make the same money.
This guy just happened to be injured and then his younger brother died very recently.
It appears you're attempting to bundle your pessimism for the 76ers rebuilding strategy with Joel Embid's injury and death of his brother.

If you're not doing that then I'm not sure what you're doing?