Does Lauri Get Traded?

[Elizah Huge]

Stay healthy and I’d be shocked if we weren’t. Lauri/Sexton provides a great offensive base to build some wins… Walker provides a defensive floor. One or two young players play well and the rotation is pretty solid.

Lauri/Walker/Sexton with rotation vets Clarkson/Collins/Eubanks and if Key/Taylor aren’t horrific you have 7 solid rotation pieces. If we have a legit injury we could let go of the rope.

Feels like the same convo from 2022 lol

 

[sip]

Wizards
Hornets
Pistons
Nets
Blazers
Bulls
Raptors (maybe)

I’d comfortably put us 7-8 right now.

We have a lot more talent than all of these teams. Lauri, Sexton, Collins, Kessler, improved Keyonte, etc.

I'm trying to wrap my head around how you think we are clearly better than the Hornets, Pistons, Blazers and Bulls. With the raptors it isn't even close. They are firmly in the play in picture in the east.

 

[Elizah Huge]

I'm trying to wrap my head around how you think we are clearly better than the Hornets, Pistons, Blazers and Bulls. With the raptors it isn't even close. They are firmly in the play in picture in the east.

Lauri is better than the best player on all of those teams. Sexton is better than most as well.

 

[Elizah Huge]

The Bulls lost DeRozan and Caruso in exchange for Giddey. They owe their first top-10 protected. They will be trashy trash.

 

[Coach Ellis]

If the Jazz aren’t in a bottom 5 position, they could easily get there. Either they trade Lauri (which I think is 50/50 at this point) or they trade the rest of the vets around him. Sexton should have decent value, and I could easily see the Jazz sell low on Clarkson/Collins for expiring contracts and massive cap space next year.

Hardy does well with a misfit roster, but if DA is smart he won’t leave him with many options.

 

[Elizah Huge]

If the Jazz aren’t in a bottom 5 position, they could easily get there. Either they trade Lauri (which I think is 50/50 at this point) or they trade the rest of the vets around him. Sexton should have decent value, and I could easily see the Jazz sell low on Clarkson/Collins for expiring contracts and massive cap space next year.

Hardy does well with a misfit roster, but if DA is smart he won’t leave him with many options.

Yes, we need to trade Lauri or at bare minimum Sexton and Clarkson/Collins if we want to guarantee being top-5 bad.

 

[KqWIN]

If you project great health/luck onto us and bad health/luck onto those other teams yes we are clearly better. Without doing that, I really don't think so. We're counting Eubanks as one of our 7 man team who won't even play with two of the others. So even with a perfect clean bill of health we're generously assuming 6 rotation guys. If we count Key/Hendricks as solid, you also have to count guys like Scoot/Sharpe as solid.

This ain't 2022 when you looked at the team and there where the roster was littered with vets and there were like 10-11 guys you might consider rotation level players.

 

[Elizah Huge]

If you project great health/luck onto us and bad health/luck onto those other teams yes we are clearly better. Without doing that, I really don't think so. We're counting Eubanks as one of our 7 man team who won't even play with two of the others. So even with a perfect clean bill of health we're generously assuming 6 rotation guys. If we count Key/Hendricks as solid, you also have to count guys like Scoot/Sharpe as solid.

This ain't 2022 when you looked at the team and there where the roster was littered with vets and there were like 10-11 guys you might consider rotation level players.

This line of thinking will have us in the 7-8 spot again.

 

[NUMBERICA]

I feel like it’s 2022 all over again. People are seriously underestimating the talent we have on the team currently. Not world beaters but much better than the trashy trash teams in the East who we will be playing.

I think we’re definitely worse than 2022 but I also think we’re underestimating the team relative to the true bottom-of-the-barrel East garbage.

The best thing about the East garbage is that they’ll win more games than they should since they’ll be playing each other and somebody has to win those games. It is still not enough, though.

We need Lauri or Walker gone by the start of the season if we’re serious about getting anywhere near the bottom.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

If you project great health/luck onto us and bad health/luck onto those other teams yes we are clearly better. Without doing that, I really don't think so. We're counting Eubanks as one of our 7 man team who won't even play with two of the others. So even with a perfect clean bill of health we're generously assuming 6 rotation guys. If we count Key/Hendricks as solid, you also have to count guys like Scoot/Sharpe as solid.

This ain't 2022 when you looked at the team and there where the roster was littered with vets and there were like 10-11 guys you might consider rotation level players.

Taylor specifically has a chance to be solid more than Scoot/Sharpe because of his role and being solid at the things he does and not moving outside of that role. Blazers are the biggest swing team for me. Deni is good but I’m projecting they make a trade. If they don’t then they are better than us.

Eubanks may not be regular rotation or a small part of it but if Walker or Collins gets hurt he is reliable depth. That’s why I named him. This isn’t the magnitude of 2022, but it is a similar theme “we will be awful… oh wait we actually are half decent because a few things went the right way that we couldn’t have seen… oh **** we need to tank really hard now.” Same thing in 23… different magnitude of course.

 

[rippimpc]

People have trouble thinking probabilistically. Simply put, trading lauri gives us the best shot at drafting a superstar. Not only in this draft but also next one. Sure there are discrete events that could lead to a title with lauri, but that requires getting a top pick, players outperforming, etc. Stuff that you generally take the other side of the bet on.

 

[NUMBERICA]

Lauri is better than the best player on all of those teams. Sexton is better than most as well.

Kessler is better than at least half of those teams’ starting centers too (saying nothing of Collins).

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I think the veil has been lifted. Just as Hardy played Keyonte because "it's time", he will play Cody instead of Bazley because it is already time. Even if he doesn't think it's time, I wouldn't necessarily see Hardy as a guy who can win with a skeleton crew. I think the reasons we "overachieved" was more so a result of having tons of veteran players/depth versus Hardy magic.

Right now, I'd say we'd be a favorite to be bottom 5. "Bad" things can happen to anyone, but can also happen to us. If we're not bottom 5, I'd say we'd have really good fortune with multiple others being unfortunate.

I mean the veil was lifted in 22 too… that’s what happens at the end of the season. Most coaches aren’t going to do that all year without some serious pressure and maybe we see that… or maybe we hear about “no free minutes” in training camp again.

 

[sip]

Lauri is better than the best player on all of those teams. Sexton is better than most as well.

That is debatable. Lauri is great but LaMelo and Scottie Barnes are more desirable for me because they can do so much more with the ball in their hands. The same goes for the Cade Cunningham I saw the second half of last year and I expect him to be even better this year. With the hornets and raptors I don't think it is particularly close when you take into account that they are in the east as well.

Hornets-
C- Mark Williams, Nick Richards
Pf- Grant Williams, Salaun
Sf- Bridges, Cody Martin
Sg- Miller, Josh Green
Pg- LaMelo, Micic

They are still a little thin up front but the trio of LaMelo, Miller and Bridges is nasty.

Raptors-
C-Poeltl, Olynyk
Pf- Barnes, Vezenkov
Sf- Dick, Ochai
Sg- Barrett, Brown
Pg- Quickley, Mitchell

That is a solid team right that is going to get after it defensively.

 

[Elizah Huge]

That is debatable. Lauri is great but LaMelo and Scottie Barnes are more desirable for me because they can do so much more with the ball in their hands. The same goes for the Cade Cunningham I saw the second half of last year and I expect him to be even better this year. With the hornets and raptors I don't think it is particularly close when you take into account that they are in the east as well.

Hornets-
C- Mark Williams, Nick Richards
Pf- Grant Williams, Salaun
Sf- Bridges, Cody Martin
Sg- Miller, Josh Green
Pg- LaMelo, Micic

They are still a little thin up front but the trio of LaMelo, Miller and Bridges is nasty.

Raptors-
C-Poeltl, Olynyk
Pf- Barnes, Vezenkov
Sf- Dick, Ochai
Sg- Barrett, Brown
Pg- Quickley, Mitchell

That is a solid team right that is going to get after it defensively.

I seriously stopped reading after the first two sentences.

 

[Elizah Huge]

LaMelo, Cade, and Barnes do not affect winning more than Lauri does. What are we doing here?

 

[sip]

The Bulls lost DeRozan and Caruso in exchange for Giddey. They owe their first top-10 protected. They will be trashy trash.

It's important to give perspective on this board. DeRozan and Caruso are essentially being replaced by the return of Lavine and Patrick Williams plus their injuries enabled the emergence of Ayo so it is more so adding those 2 plus Giddey for those guys. I don't expect them to be good but I don't think they will be trashy trash.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Also with injuries... Its not that you are painting a picture that we will have no injuries and everyone else will stay healthy... its that several teams are one injury away from being bad. One of them sustains and injury and they move below us if we have normal health luck. I think we are clearly better the Pistons, Wiz, Nets... One team is more injured and one team is worse than expected and now you are sitting around 6... unless you were the injured team imo.

 

[sip]

LaMelo, Cade, and Barnes do not affect winning more than Lauri does. What are we doing here?

I look forward to revisiting this conversation midseason.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

It's important to give perspective on this board. DeRozan and Caruso are essentially being replaced by the return of Lavine and Patrick Williams plus their injuries enabled the emergence of Ayo so it is more so adding those 2 plus Giddey for those guys. I don't expect them to be good but I don't think they will be trashy trash.

A disgruntled Lavine who has his own injury concerns and Pat who has a hard time staying healthy and is not in the same world as Caruso as it comes to helping teams win. Demar is VERY healthy and a league leader in minutes. That is a giant hole. Drummond was also very good for them. We will see but they project to be hot trash.