lot of great points here guys (really agree with alot of what guarenteed has said)--but i few minor additions:
1st--bulls finalizing deal for aaron brooks. back-up point guard, similar skill set to dj augustine but brooks is smaller and weaker, more of a defensive liability and a bigger chucker. tells me the bulls wish they resigned brooks. if derrick rose isn't derrick rose this is the worst offensive backcourt in the league top to bottom. butler is a great role player, great D and streaky shooter, but not a guy u can rely on to score.
i like the hell out of tony snell--really improving the 3pt. shot and a great perimeter defender. great size at 6-7. look for him to play a major role this year. rose is the perverbial box of chocolates and hinrich and brooks are washed up with their best years behind them.
add the fact that dunleavy and douggie mcbucketts are your two small forwards and this team (minus rose-if-healthy, butler and snell) will have a hell of a hard time guarding athletic pg's and wings all year long and really struggle to match-up in the playoffs and get enough scoring punch. they need another piece or 2 in the backcourt to compete imo.
2nd. alot of talk about phoenix already having 3 point guards, no one has mentioned that they drafted tyler ennis of syracuse so the really have FOUR pgs (i know dragic is listed as a SG but he played mostly point since moving to phoenix--i could c them pairing him with bogdanovic if their games mesh).
this is why i don't c why they wouldn't want to move bledsoe. really this team has plumlee and okafor and shav randolph as well as a 7 footer from Wisc-gb that will be a project and not ready to play this year--so you got 3 guys around 6-10 to 6-11 all with no post game, then you got the morris twins, who are a bit undersized for the karl malone type PFs of the league (both 6-9) and that's it for frontcourt--then they have a ton of athletes at the 1-2 and 3--including ennis and t.j. warren from nc state who has looked great in summer league, but how many minutes are available for those guys on this team. the raptors covet ennis, the lakers bledsoe, and as i just mentioned the best fit for a trade partner would be the bulls, who brought in gasol, mirotic and cam bairstow to an already talented frontcourt. it drives me nuts that these 2 teams can't swing a deal to make both better.
3rd- alot of talk about the cavs and financial flexibility going forward. one thing that was mentioned is lebron taking less when his deal expires. he has been underpaid his whole career and is sick and tired of it. he has said publicly that he wants to max out from now on. this will be the 1st year that he will be the highest paid player on his own team (this is the most mind-boggling salary stat i have ever heard). unless love gets signed and traded and max contract, then lebron may play an entire 15-20 year career without making the most $ on his team.
we all know its not about the $ for lebron, its about pride and about right-is-right. its gotta be hard playing with a has been like rashard lewis when lebron is 100x the player as lewis yet lewis was making over $5mill per year more than lebron over the last decade. lebron liked mike miller, publicly campaigned for more minutes for james jones-- i never thought him and rashad lewis got along too well--even when lewis was knocking down shots in the playoffs, he was a defensive liability and not much of a rebounder.
finally -- a bidding war only happens when 2 parties increase their offers. golden state has done no such thing. until i hear the words klay thompson has entered the fold in trade discussions there really is no other offer for the Tpupps. do they want to pay a 31 year old david lee over $15 mil per year and pair him with pekovic? is harrison barnes worth more than a mid-1st round pick? i dont think so.
...as a cavs fan -if gm grant did offer wiggins, bennett and a 1st round pick and the wolves said we want more u gotta view that as a sign from God. i mean that's some burning bush shit if you ask me. when i guy like love walks and u get nothing in return u will be at the top of the lottery for the next 4-5 years. why get guys like david lee? it makes no sense. hell i wouldn't even want a barnes or klay thompson (him and rubio doesn't sound like a very good defensive backcourt). why not get say, 3 1st round picks next year (which the cavs can offer, including memphis's which is protected IF they make the playoffs but not if they r in the lottery!!) why not get 19 and 20 year olds and go through the growing pains now.
as a cavs fan i refuse to admit that the deal on the table is love for wiggins, bennett and a 1st round pick. wolves need to give up more --1st round pick one of the next 3 years, cunningham, budinger, brewer, barea--anyone but $7mill per 31 year old kevin martin.
...time will tell
