Howard likely to Rockets/General NBA Free Agency Thread

I just don't understand the fascination with Dwight Howard.  He's got a lot of talent, but he isn't a leader and he strikes me as a guy that plays lazy and disinterested at times.   

I had read the Bucks had interest in Jeff Teague.  He's a good player and more of your typical PG than Jennings

For Howard, its all about the environment. He works well when he's lead, but not the way Kobe does with the sniping. Howard is too sensitive. But Harden's a killer on the court, not Kobe off it, and Howard wouldn't feel a ton of pressure.

Bu the better place for Howard is Golden State. The reasonbis the coach- Jackson is a master psychologist, and would be the right guy to lead a guy like Howard. The former player Fred goes a long way too, plus the makeup of their team is conducive to Howard's unrefined game. I don't think they have the cash, bough, unless they moved Bogut's $14M.

Woelful is saying the Bucks are in the running for Smith because of the Larry Drew connection. Like I said before- he would be Hammond's Rasheed- good player that can be great on the right team. Underachiever. Wallace had those tags in Portland before the Pistons deal for him. Hammond was there for that, I think. Jeff Teahue in a sit and trade? Not likely, and Jennings is already saying the Bucks need to assure him that he's their guy or the price tag is going to be high. I know we'd all rather have Teague, but he's not an UFA.

Should be a busy week next week for the Bucks- they have no Gs on their roster rich now...

From a friend in DET: I see how the Pistons almost traded Stuckey and Villeneuva to the Raptors for Rudy Gay. I'm glad they didn't. I'm not a big Gay guy.

Lol... But seriously, if Memphis was so quick to get rid of him, it makes you wonder. He is a good player, but why would Memphis dump him on he cusp of a big playoff run? I know Tony Allen, but it does make you wonder. And he was a popular player from what I have read.

I don't even know why Toronto still has a franchise....

What?

 

@WojYahooNBA: Milwaukee is nearing a deal to sign free agent guard O.J. Mayo.

I also just read a report they are in talks with Kyle Korver.  Adding Mayo and Korver would be a good start in replacing Dunleavy and Ellis.

Posted in the other thread- Korver is likely staying in ATL.

Manu staying in SA.

JR Smith likely staying in NY if the Bucks sign Mayo.

Howard to decide by the end of this week.

Just heard the Warriors are making a play for Howard and among the contracts they may free up is Bogut's.

Lot of speculation today that Howard is in fact going to Houston and the Rockets are said to also be pursuing Josh Smith.   Good luck with that Houston.  Both guys are very talented but don't always give maximum effort and are not leaders

Josh Smith goes to Deetoilet for 4 years at 14MM per.  Wow.   That is insane for a guy that's the Brandon Jennings equivalent at SF.   At least that takes him off the market so a team like MKE doesn't do something stupid

Josh Smith goes to Deetoilet for 4 years at 14MM per.  Wow.   That is insane for a guy that's the Brandon Jennings equivalent at SF.   At least that takes him off the market so a team like MKE doesn't do something stupid

I was NEVER in favor of Milwaukee going after Josh Smith.  My guess is a million dollar body with a $0.02 brain.

 

No thanks!

Sp lets assume then that the Bucks are done (and Jennings is the starting PG next year and beyond). They have Jennings and Mayo as a backcourt, LRMAM and Henson at F, Sanders in the middle, Ilyasova, Pachulia off the bench... Is there enough scoring to win? You assume it'll be a stout defensive team- but if this is the scoring lineup, its weak. Unless Henson suddenly becomes 20/10, it isn't going to be much more than a .500 team again...

It all depends on what they do with Jennings.   If they retain him he can't be taking 25 shots a game and hitting 8 of them.  This is why I think they still need to trade the guy.   He isn't going to change.

Atlanta only has about 10 million in cap space so if the Bucks signed Teague to an offer sheet similar to Mayo I am not sure they would match it.

The Bucks are heavy now in the frontcourt with Henson, Sanders, Zaza, Ersan, Udoh, Ayon and possibly Moute although he plays more the 3.

Makes you wonder if a deal is pending because they aren't going to carry all of them

Delfino signs at 2yrs 6.5MM.   They needed help at the SF spot and he was a pretty good outside shooter the first time around with Milwaukee.

A curious signing I guess... Delfino certainly isn't a better player now than when they let him leave. Familiarity breeds comfort I guess.

Latest thing I am hearing now is a sit and trade swap between the Bucks and Hawks for Teague/Jennings. Head scratched there, too...

Jennings is a more dynamic scorer but Teague is probably a more consistent overall PG on both ends of the court.   This team does not need a guy jacking up 25 shots a game that only shoots about 40 percent from the field.   Teague shoots less but his FG % is a lot better and he plays D

How about mentally?  Who has a better attitude?  A better work ethic?

Is Teague a better option? He averaged more assists, but he certainly isn't the same kind of scorer. He doesn't shoot much better than Jennings.

 

The idea I suppose is that Mayo will add scoring, and they'll get more from Ilyasova and Henson as he develops. But Jennings is still the guy that score 55 points in his 9th game- he has a scorer's mentality, and that's something you cannot teach. And with a developing yet inadequate supporting cast, Jennings was asked to do more with less.

 

This is not to say that I think Jennings is a star in the making, or that he couldn't be. Just that this Teague "option" being explored doesn't scream "answer" to me.

Dwight Howard will never win a title as the lead man...if he could not win with Kobe, then how in the world would he win one with Harden?

Well, the Bucks made a move- they signed Teague to an offer sheet of 4yrs 32MM.   It'll be interesting to see if the Hawks match it.  If they don't, what's going to happen to Jennings?   I still think a sign and trade of Jennings for Teague makes sense for both teams but ATL is still in the running for Ellis also.  They don't have the money to sign both Ellis and Jennings.

Unless the ATL dwal is already agreed to, this could be a disaster.

One way or another Jennings won't be a Buck. He'll view this as a slight, and he'll go out here and sign a deal. But what if it isn't ATL? What if Jennings signs with, say, Dallas?

So if ATL can't sign Jennings, and decides to match to keep Teague, the Bucks would have the right to match Jennings, but would then have a disgruntled employee wanting out- eliminating any sensible trade value.

Then what? All I know is this better be attached to an agreement with ATL on Jennings.

I think they have the cap space to sign Teague without dealing Jennings but BJ would have to go for chemistry reasons

Then again MC, maybe Jennings needs to experience getting his a$$ burnt and how he responds is equivalent to whether or not he is good as a Buck.

 

The hand has been dealt.

Latest report now is Atlanta will match 

 

 Great.  Teague was disgruntled that ATL didn't give him the time of day and I am sure Jennings is feeling the same thing with Milwaukee.  

 

Please tell me this isn't the end of it 

Is this part of the sign and trade? Or is this the beginning of the unravelling?

Beginning of the unraveling?  I think that happened when Don Nelson left.

I'm not much of a basketball fan, but the Bucks remind me of the Packers of the 80s. They seem to have no clue. I feel for you guys.

It's got to be a weird feeling though for a guy like Teague.  The Hawks did nothing leading up to Milwaukee's decision to sign the offer sheet and the disappointment I have is it sounded like he wanted to play in Milwaukee.  For a small market team like the Bucks that type of attitude is hard to come by.

 

I still think they need to find a way to deal Jennings because if he sticks around I have a feeling he's going to be bitter about things so it might better to cut the cord while you can.   The problem is I don't know how much he's actually worth to other teams out there.

I agree, if the Hawks really wanted him, they wouldn't make their own guys sit through that.  Can't be the best for morale