Woj + Lowe: Bledsoe to Bucks

[saltlover]

I mean, with a year in the right system Jahlil Okafor would have an outside chance at being very similar to Greg Monroe, and look at how much of this board doesn't want Okafor for free.  Monroe and the 23rd pick for a 21 ppg 27 year old scorer (even on a crap team) is a bargain.

It will probably not be the 23rd pick.

[byennie]

I am not with the crowd on this one.  I don't think Bledsoe is that great and I don't think the trade is all that bad for Phoenix (depending on how the protections end up).  I am also not worried that this makes Milwaukee a big threat.  I understand the trade for both and like it for both.  Bledsoe seems like he will be good for MIL, just not best in the conference good.

Phoenix may be able to flip Monroe.  It is a lot of salary but they may be able to get something done where Milwaukee couldn't.  And they get a first round pick for a player they had given up on.  I think Phoenix did fine under the circumstances.

Part of this is how I feel about Antetokounmpo.  Sure he is an emerging star but I think a star like Isaiah Thomas.  Fabulous numbers but in the end, not as good as the numbers would make you think in terms of being the best player on a team looking to go deep into the playoffs.  Saying GA is like IT is not a bad thing, he is clearly a very good player like IT.

I thought about posting something like your last paragraph. I'm still not convinced that his style of scoring will work in the playoffs. He has a little fade away within 15 feet, and then he has bullying his way into the paint. His passing has regressed and the rest of the team relies on him way too much.

The Bucks are scary defensively with this trade, if they can play more as a team. Individually, they are really good, though. Offensively this might move the needle a little bit, but I've never been impressed with Bledsoe's scoring ability anyway.

Hard to really take that position when Giannis, as a 22 year old, is coming off a playoff series in which he averaged 24.8 p, 9.5 r, 4.0 a, 2.2 s, 1.7 b, while shooting 40% from three and 55% from two. 

He is the first player since they started tracking all 5 major categories to lead his team in all 5 in the same season, which he did last season (Henson currently is topping him blocks this season, but he has the other 4 right now). 

Giannis is a freak of nature.  The most gifted all around player since James to enter the league.  Obviously him reaching James' level is unlikely, but he is 23 and has already accomplished more than most of the league and most all time greats at a similar age.

He's a career 28% three point shooter with a 4-8 record in the playoffs. Obviously he's an incredible player, but going 4-10 from deep over 240 minutes of losing basketball last postseason doesn't dispel the concern for me. He also had almost as many turnovers as assists for the entire series, shot 54% from the line, and made 1 three pointer in the last 130+ minutes.

Awesome, awesome player, but the playoff flaws as a leading man are real.

Great stats. He is still young -- really, really young. These are legit questions though.

Don't get me wrong, he's in good company. LeBron was an MVP in training who shot in the low 30s from deep, too. It's just that the bar for "leading man on a contender" is extremely high. He's being graded on a whole new scale that 99% of players don't touch.

[Vermont Green]

Need to see what they look like with both Parker and Middleton healthy at the same time.  They haven't ever had that trio firing on all cylinders at the same time.

I think a healthy Parker does more to help the Bucks than getting Bledsoe.  If the Bucks are able to put this team out there:

Bledsoe
Brogdon
Middleton
Parker
GA

That is a decent team; a little smaller than I like but still pretty strong.  I like that team much better than

Bledsoe
Brogdon
Middleton
GA
Maker

[playdream]

I didn't know Bledsoe scored 21 a game last year.  I mean, he's still young.  This will fall on Jason Kidd's coaching ability, because getting a flawed but impact player like Bledsoe for only a bench scoring big and a weak pick is a win.

1.Bledsoe "only" average 21 on a tanking team with all the green light, and his team sucks, and one  can even argue they are better without him because he is a "me" guy not a team guy, also he definitely not professional for asking out like that

2.Monroe being a bench player is the prove of Jason Kidd's coaching ability

[vjcsmoke]

Bucks got a steal.   They improved and gave up a piece, on an expiring deal, who wasn't helping them much and a draft pick that likely won't even be in the lottery now.

Need to see what they look like with both Parker and Middleton healthy at the same time.  They haven't ever had that trio firing on all cylinders at the same time.

I think a healthy Parker does more to help the Bucks than getting Bledsoe.  If the Bucks are able to put this team out there:

Bledsoe
Brogdon
Middleton
Parker
GA

That is a decent team; a little smaller than I like but still pretty strong.  I like that team much better than

Bledsoe
Brogdon
Middleton
GA
Maker

I'm sorry did you just suggest that GA should play center?  That's ludicrous...

[Who]

They should bring Bledsoe off the bench. Brogdon has done great for them and has good chemistry alongside Giannis and Middleton. They do not need all 4 of those guys on the floor together and do need a creator when Giannis sits. Bledsoe would be perfect for that. Give him 30mpg off the bench. He will probably still be their 2nd leading scorer.

Let the starting lineup continue to revolve around Giannis whose continued growth needs to be priority #1 for the team. When Jabari Parker comes back, they could have both Parker and Bledsoe off the bench. That would give them major firepower and balance.

Great trade for Milwaukee. Monroe wasn't helping them at all. They won't miss him. He had the good game here and there but he was horribly inconsistent and did not fit well into their team. His continued lack of application on defense was a major detriment to his overall effectiveness. Bledsoe is a big upgrade over him.

Bad return for Phoenix. They got very little back for a talented guard.

[tazzmaniac]

They should bring Bledsoe off the bench. Brogdon has done great for them and has good chemistry alongside Giannis and Middleton. They do not need all 4 of those guys on the floor together and do need a creator when Giannis sits. Bledsoe would be perfect for that. Give him 30mpg off the bench. He will probably still be their 2nd leading scorer.

Let the starting lineup continue to revolve around Giannis whose continued growth needs to be priority #1 for the team. When Jabari Parker comes back, they could have both Parker and Bledsoe off the bench. That would give them major firepower and balance.

Great trade for Milwaukee. Monroe wasn't helping them at all. They won't miss him. He had the good game here and there but he was horribly inconsistent and did not fit well into their team. His continued lack of application on defense was a major detriment to his overall effectiveness. Bledsoe is a big upgrade over him.

Bad return for Phoenix. They got very little back for a talented guard.

They should start Bledsoe and send him to the bench after 5 or 6 minutes to off-shift his playing time.  Giannis is being asked to do too much.  They need another shot creator to relieve his load and make defenses have someone else to be concerned about. 

The Suns got a decent return considering the talented guard had essentially demanded a trade.  They weren't going to get a better offer by waiting.   

[jdz101]

They should bring Bledsoe off the bench. Brogdon has done great for them and has good chemistry alongside Giannis and Middleton. They do not need all 4 of those guys on the floor together and do need a creator when Giannis sits. Bledsoe would be perfect for that. Give him 30mpg off the bench. He will probably still be their 2nd leading scorer.

Let the starting lineup continue to revolve around Giannis whose continued growth needs to be priority #1 for the team. When Jabari Parker comes back, they could have both Parker and Bledsoe off the bench. That would give them major firepower and balance.

Great trade for Milwaukee. Monroe wasn't helping them at all. They won't miss him. He had the good game here and there but he was horribly inconsistent and did not fit well into their team. His continued lack of application on defense was a major detriment to his overall effectiveness. Bledsoe is a big upgrade over him.

Bad return for Phoenix. They got very little back for a talented guard.

Phoenix seem to make a living from getting very little back for their talented guards.

[footey]

Milwaukee will be our major competition in the east for a long time. I’m worried about them more than Philly.

[Moranis]

Milwaukee will be our major competition in the east for a long time. I’m worried about them more than Philly.

I still think Philly poses more of a long term threat because they have a lot more potential top end talent.  I mean Milwaukee is pretty much Giannis and maybe Parker (if he ever stays healthy) as every year all star level players (or better in the case of Giannis).  Philly has Embiid, Simmons, Fultz, and maybe even Saric with that sort of potential as well a lot of solid depth.

[jdz101]

Milwaukee will be our major competition in the east for a long time. I’m worried about them more than Philly.

I still think Philly poses more of a long term threat because they have a lot more potential top end talent.  I mean Milwaukee is pretty much Giannis and maybe Parker (if he ever stays healthy) as every year all star level players (or better in the case of Giannis).  Philly has Embiid, Simmons, Fultz, and maybe even Saric with that sort of potential as well a lot of solid depth.

Philly will not be able to keep those 4 and fill out their team. Especially with Covington getting big money. Saric will be the odd man out.

[celticsclay]

Milwaukee will be our major competition in the east for a long time. I’m worried about them more than Philly.

I still think Philly poses more of a long term threat because they have a lot more potential top end talent.  I mean Milwaukee is pretty much Giannis and maybe Parker (if he ever stays healthy) as every year all star level players (or better in the case of Giannis).  Philly has Embiid, Simmons, Fultz, and maybe even Saric with that sort of potential as well a lot of solid depth.

That seems pretty biased towards Philly if you ask me. Most would say Saric won't ever be as good a player as Bledsoe is now (Saric will be 24 in April and isn't exactly super raw). If memory serves correct you were saying Bledsoe would probably be an allstar if he ended up in Cleveland?

You also interestingly don't mention Middletown who just turned 26 and has a very legit chance of making the all-star game this year (averaging 19, 6 and 5.5 with solid defense).

Why is that?

Also hard to be terrified of Fultz as a high end prospect right now...

[celticsclay]

Milwaukee will be our major competition in the east for a long time. I’m worried about them more than Philly.

I still think Philly poses more of a long term threat because they have a lot more potential top end talent.  I mean Milwaukee is pretty much Giannis and maybe Parker (if he ever stays healthy) as every year all star level players (or better in the case of Giannis).  Philly has Embiid, Simmons, Fultz, and maybe even Saric with that sort of potential as well a lot of solid depth.

Philly will not be able to keep those 4 and fill out their team. Especially with Covington getting big money. Saric will be the odd man out.

Saric had a nice game but it is a bit ludicrous that some people are acting like he is a future star cause he put up some points on Philly when they were tanking hard last year. Even the Philly fans acknowledge he is a role player. He shot 41% from the field last year and is down to 38% this year. He is averaging 10 and 5 with as many turnovers as assists. By comparison when KO was 23 he was averaging 10 and 4 on 45% shooting. When Mirotic came over at 24 he averaged 10 and 5 on 40% shooting also.

When people start talking about Saric as some big star I really don't understand if they just saw a few garbage time games last year or think he is like 3-4 years younger than he is.... it really is confusing. Meanwhile a player like Middletown averaging 19, 6 and 5 on 42% shooting with better defense is a nobody...

[Monkhouse]

Milwaukee will be our major competition in the east for a long time. I’m worried about them more than Philly.

I still think Philly poses more of a long term threat because they have a lot more potential top end talent.  I mean Milwaukee is pretty much Giannis and maybe Parker (if he ever stays healthy) as every year all star level players (or better in the case of Giannis).  Philly has Embiid, Simmons, Fultz, and maybe even Saric with that sort of potential as well a lot of solid depth.

That seems pretty biased towards Philly if you ask me. Most would say Saric won't ever be as good a player as Bledsoe is now (Saric will be 24 in April and isn't exactly super raw). If memory serves correct you were saying Bledsoe would probably be an allstar if he ended up in Cleveland?

You also interestingly don't mention Middletown who just turned 26 and has a very legit chance of making the all-star game this year (averaging 19, 6 and 5.5 with solid defense).

Why is that?

Also hard to be terrified of Fultz as a high end prospect right now...

Why can't we just agree to disagree...

I think Bucks and Philly, are going to be a thorn in our backside for a while now. They both have at least one superstar prospect, and a few high end prospects...

Middleton is putting up amazing numbers this year, but that's to be expected with a few more minutes and literally no floor spacer on their team.

[celticsclay]

Milwaukee will be our major competition in the east for a long time. I’m worried about them more than Philly.

I still think Philly poses more of a long term threat because they have a lot more potential top end talent.  I mean Milwaukee is pretty much Giannis and maybe Parker (if he ever stays healthy) as every year all star level players (or better in the case of Giannis).  Philly has Embiid, Simmons, Fultz, and maybe even Saric with that sort of potential as well a lot of solid depth.

That seems pretty biased towards Philly if you ask me. Most would say Saric won't ever be as good a player as Bledsoe is now (Saric will be 24 in April and isn't exactly super raw). If memory serves correct you were saying Bledsoe would probably be an allstar if he ended up in Cleveland?

You also interestingly don't mention Middletown who just turned 26 and has a very legit chance of making the all-star game this year (averaging 19, 6 and 5.5 with solid defense).

Why is that?

Also hard to be terrified of Fultz as a high end prospect right now...

Why can't we just agree to disagree...

I think Bucks and Philly, are going to be a thorn in our backside for a while now. They both have at least one superstar prospect, and a few high end prospects...

Middleton is putting up amazing numbers this year, but that's to be expected with a few more minutes and literally no floor spacer on their team.

Don't get me wrong. I think Embiid and Simmons both have a chance at being legit superstars and the 76ers will be a very tough out for us in the future as those players continue to grow (obviously provided Embiid isn't struggling with "load management."

It just seems a bit ridiculous to talk about Saric is some big star when he is clearly a role player (and not an incredibly young one either). I would have had the same take a few years ago when people were pumping KO as a star... Middleton is also a nice player that may deserve an all-star spot this year and deserves some props. Would love him on the Celtics if we didn't have Tatum and Brown...