Still listening. Will report back on anything worthwhile. KO'C: Can't blame Philadelphia for going after one of the better GMs in the league. And Daryl staying in Houston, that's great. You wonder if when Chris Paul is in year three of that contract, should I have taken that Philly gig? I've heard...odds are they'll hire internally but they're clearly doing due diligence elsewhere. Mike Zarren from the Celtics is another name that has gotten thrown around. I'm not sure he'll lead that gig now. If you're an executive and have a path to becoming GM & Philly wants you, I often wonder...Philly is already set. With Colangelo, one of the issues was Hinkie already built the team. You're still on the path of what Hinkie built. Would you take it knowing it's an easier gig or want a greater challenge? KO'C: Which team is closer to a title: Houston or Philadelphia? CV: Houston. KO'C: Agree. Right now, Houston. CV: Fair to say neither has gotten better this offseason and possibly worse? KO'C: Houston two losses at forward can't be overlooked. They'll need to be replaced at some point or with waivers. So far, they haven't been. The team building process doesn't end July 17th. Houston has time but those guys are important & will be missed. CV: Would you like the Carmelo Anthony fit? KO'C: On paper, yes. ... Team USA version of Carmelo wasn't good in OKC. Maybe it'll be different in Houston. I have question marks after last year in OKC but I'd be intrigued to see it. Houston can do some creative things with him. Instead of Ryan Anderson setting those slip screens at the top of the key & popping for three, if you have Carmelo doing that, granted he's not the shooter Anderson is, he is better attacking off close outs. He'd add a new dimension to their team but I thought the same damn thing about OKC and I was dead ass wrong. I don't know? He's worth the risk. He adds some variance to their team. What did Daryl say last year? We need to raise our risk profile. That's what he would provide if it happens. CV: D'Antoni's creativity worked so well for Carmelo the first time. KO'C: He quit his job because of him & publicly admitted it. CV: And Carmelo really known as a screen setter & all around team basketball player. ... Carmelo Anthony setting screens, that was a good one Kev. KO'C: I just pulled up Carmelo's synergy stats from last year. CV: He's set 7 screens in his career. KO'C: He's set more than that. Last season, he finished 93 possessions shooting, drawing a foul or turning the ball over out of the PnR when he set the screen. He did well in the pick and pop. Didn't do well slipping the screen. Numbers aren't good. 93 total possessions. He was in the tenth percentile for scoring which is not good but it's such a small sample. I've never been a big Carmelo fan. I'm saying it's possible you catch him in a season where he's hot. He's had seasons where he's shot better. ... This season, caught him right around his average. Houston can get him more open shots, different spots on the floor,... CV: I'd worry about the minutes he'd log on the wing. Now you are putting Harden, not Mr. Lockdown, you have the front line of Paul and back line of Capela but you know where I stand on the ability to make Golden State uncomfortable & play them in a lower scoring game. This is add firepower & maybe we can play them 128-122. No one will beat Golden State playing a fast paced all-star game trying to outscore them. The key is make them uncomfortable & you did with Tucker & Ariza and the like. You had four guys grinding with Ariza, Tucker, Capela & Paul, able to withstand Harden. You're adding Carmelo to that? We keep thinking Carmelo will be able to move into being a role player but I'm not so sure. Some players have a difficult time doing that. KO'C: Including Carmelo. Unfortunately, he'll have to accept it at one point. If he starts, doesn't mean he has to finish. CV: That can cause real problems, especially with someone that accomplished. I lived it for 2 weeks. In one offseason, the Grizzlies added Allen Iverson. Iverson was not going to be fine being Mike Conley's backup and sitting at the end of games. Within 4 games time, his quote after the game, people asked him if he was healthy. "Are you healthy?" He said "Am I healthy?" "Yeah, do you feel OK?" "My butt hurts from sitting on the bench." There was a quick divorce. Some guys, it's not in them. I don't think Carmelo is willing to give up on "I'm not a big star anymore." KO'C: I just pulled up Iverson's quote. "No. I’m not a bench player. I’m not a sixth man," Iverson said. "Look at my resume and that’ll show I’m not a sixth man. I don’t think it has anything to do with me being selfish. It’s just who I am. I don’t want to change what gave me all the success that I’ve had since I’ve been in this league. I’m not a sixth man. And that’s that." Similar to Carmelo Anthony. That's unfortunate. Maybe things could have been different. Maybe he could have been a spark plug off the bench. ... CV: I lived it with Z-Bo two years ago with Fizdale. It was awful. After every game he got asked. He was the consummate professional but what you have to do is A) they have to swallow their pride a little bit B) you just run everything towards them in the 2nd unit. The 2nd unit is theirs. "Hey, your shot attempts aren't going down. The 2nd unit is yours." Carmelo would blast 2nd units.
He will be somewhere; tho he just might have the personality to take his $$$ and ride off into the sunset...
two picks > one pick last i checked. someone get morey on the phone. the path to the warriors demise begins NOW!
KO'C: (Butler turning down extension) For both sides, a no brainer. A no brainer for Minnesota to make the offer & no brainer for Butler to turn it down. There's no reason to sign the deal now. ... CV: Do you think it works out with Boston & Marcus Smart? KO'C: Mark Murphy/Boston Herald reported it seems like Smart might sign his QO. CV: Everything has gone silent on Kawhi. More persuaded he'll be a Spur next year or it'll resolve itself in the next month & a half? KO'C: As we discussed in May/June, Spurs could drag this out. All it takes is one team to make an acceptable offer. Wouldn't surprise me if San Antonio drags this into the season. KO'C: One other thought: It's pointed out on twitter, Kings/Grizzlies trade opens up cap space for the Kings where they now have $20.5M in cap space. That's notable. I've recently heard, and no surprise at all - it's been reported hundreds of times the past couple months - Houston would be looking for a team to dump Ryan Anderson on, that could ease the path to signing Carmelo Anthony. Sacramento can fit in Anderson's $20.4M within their $20.5M cap. CV: What else do they get? KO'C: Gotta get something else. CV: Why am I paying him $20M? KO'C: And $21.3M next year so you do need to get more back in return. We'll see. CV: I need every first round pick for the next decade. KO'C: No you don't. You're negotiating now & I'd hang up the phone if that's what you said. You're not getting all the picks CV: What is my benefit? KO'C: It's just 2 years. Ryan Anderson is not horrible. CV: What? Why do I want him? KO'C: You're getting something in return. CV: A future pick? ... They should ask for Zhou Qi so Vlade's master plan of adding 16 centers can come to fruition. KO'C: I like Zhou Qi. CV: Of course you do. You like everyone attached to Philadelphia & Houston. KO'C: That's not true. CV: You've never said a bad thing about a player on either team. KO'C: What are you talking about?
I believe he is a better shooter than Jeff Taylor. Taylor is more athletic than him, and might be a better defender than him. Treveon can play defense though.
