[Grades] Grades v. Nuggets 1/26/2014

[bajaden]

Quite honestly I am missing something about the sign and trade. If a team has a player we covet who is making $8 mil and the team that has him no longer wants him, why can't we sign IT to $8 mil and trade him to that team? To me, it seems the easiest way of getting full value for IT.

Trading him in a package deal would involve adding people we just want to get rid of. I certainly wouldn't trade away IT plus a serviceable player like JT or Landry just to make sure we get some value out of IT. Depends on who we get, of course.

In any case, I trust PDA on this one.

If we were to decide to sign and trade IT, it would have to be after the season since no sign and trades are allowed once the season begins. At seasons end, IT becomes a restricted free agent. Unless of course IT decides to accept our qualifying offer, which is as likely as my hitting the moon with a rock. So yes, its possible that if some team made an offer we didn't want to match, we could try to sign and trade IT. Of course the other team has to agree or there's no deal.

By that, I mean a sign and trade has to be presented to the league office as a sign and trade and the deal is contingent on both parties and the player honoring that deal. So for instance, if the Kings went ahead and signed IT to an amount they didn't want to pay as part of a sign and trade, and the other team then backed out, the contract would then become null and void, and IT would go back to his restricted status.

Here's the thing. If another team, lets say, offers IT an average of 7.5 mil a year for 3 or 4 years, and that's more than we wanted to pay, the other team, nor IT is under any obligation to help us out with a sign and trade. So we would have 3 days to either match, or convince the other team to do a sign and trade with us. For that reason, I think it might be to our advantage to try and trade him before the trade deadline if its our intent to get something in return.

 

[bajaden]

The question would be, if Bobby Jackson were on this roster instead of IT, would the above really have been any different this game?

IT isn't bad at everything, that's what's being lost. He's just bad at involving teammates in his little game of 1 on 1. But even that is not a hopeless flaw if he knows it, we know it, and we don't have him in a position requiring it.

That's the thing, IT has to know it! There are times when I love the way he plays, and then suddenly, he goes into that tunnel vision mode where he see's nothing but the basket. He has the ability to be a very good shot creator for others, he just doesn't do it at times. Particularly if he believes he's the best player on the floor. Which has been the case, at least in his mind, for the last two games.

 

[Toasty]

Do we know what other GM's think about him?

 

[sdballer]

Do we know what other GM's think about him?

Yep. Most of them post here all the time.

 

[bajaden]

I hope he's gone by the trade deadline. It would make watching the Kings a lot more enjoyable for me personally.

Well, for you sake, I'll do what I can!

 

[Glenn]

Thanks guys. The long and short of it for me is that keeping or trading a guy making $1 mil and worth in the $7 mil (just a guess) range is not easy. I wish his value as a ballplayer was clear cut. I know what I think of him and it is probably a good thing for the franchise and fan base that I am not the gm.

 

[sdballer]

I hope he's gone by the trade deadline. It would make watching the Kings a lot more enjoyable for me personally.

I personally would love watching him for 20 minutes off the bench in a scorer roll. He's extremely talented at what he does and there is a place for it. We just have far greater needs that his personality/skill set aren't suited for.

 

[bajaden]

Was happy to see Ben have a strong game. This was MUCH needed for his confidence level. It looked like he was able to really find a groove because he was give some opportunities to shoot the ball.

Don't know if anyone noticed, but he's starting to dribble the ball lower. As a result, he's starting to show more control. He still has a long way to go in that regard, but there are little glimpses here and there that show progress.

 

[mac]

Well, for you sake, I'll do what I can!

Always knew I could count on you!

 

[kupman]

That's the thing, IT has to know it! There are times when I love the way he plays, and then suddenly, he goes into that tunnel vision mode where he see's nothing but the basket. He has the ability to be a very good shot creator for others, he just doesn't do it at times. Particularly if he believes he's the best player on the floor. Which has been the case, at least in his mind, for the last two games.

I think he can get better in this area. It is easy to forget how young and in-experienced IT is. With more time and a coach who makes it known that tunnel vision is not appreciated, Isiah will become a better distributor more of the time me thinks.

 

[mac]

I think he can get better in this area. It is easy to forget how young and in-experienced IT is. With more time and a coach who makes it known that tunnel vision is not appreciated, Isiah will become a better distributor more of the time me thinks.

One can hope ... but I personally think that changing a player's mindset is the hardest thing to do. If that weren't the case we wouldn't be a bad defensive team year in year out. The Spurs specifically acquire players that already play the way they want them to. Guys like Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford remained scorers their entire career. Why wait and pray that Isaiah becomes a better facilitator when we can just move him to a role where all he has to do is score, or move him for someone who already fits the team better? Isaiah's tunnel vision isn't a result of lack of experience/skill, it's the result of his me-first scoring mentality that is going to be very, very difficult to change.

 

[bloom]

Just a random yet not random comment...My frustration: It’s seriously gotten to the point that when I.T gets into tunnel vision, hero ball, or whatever you want to call it that our Coach needs to call a time out to settle him down or seriously needs to pull him out. If we’re going to lose I’d rather loose with with our team playing together instead of having a “hero.”

 

[VF21]

...Its one of the major reasons why I have been bothered by IT getting puffed up like a blowfish as a gunning starter with a greenlight and legions of fans wearing little heart shaped lockets with his face on them...

You are SO lucky the little princesses don't post here.