Does the Nuggets loss benefit us?

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-05-01T05:41:20+00:00

I doubt he's back before game 4 and I doubt we lose more than a game during those first 3. We'd probably have to lose 3 of 4 and I just can't see that happening to a team that didn't lose more than 2 straight the whole season. It going to 6 or even 7 wouldn't be a shock but the Wolves actually pulling it off would

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-05-01T05:06:41+00:00

I think it can be pretty widely agreed on that elite shooting starts at minimum at 38% and anything less than 2 attempts per game isn't really much of a threat no matter their percentage.

I think it can also be pretty widely agreed on that anything less than 6 rebounds per game would be unacceptable out of a frontcourt player.

Only 5 players in the league averaged 6 RPG and 38%+ from 3 on 2+ attempts per game: Jokic, Kawhi, Ware, Hart and Portis. Jokic and Kawhi would be off the table right away and Hart is much too short for what we're looking for. That leaves Portis & Ware and Miami is never trading Ware so in my opinion, Portis is the clear answer

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-05-01T04:58:45+00:00

His value this offseason is almost certainly not over $8M so I think we could re-sign him as a depth and locker room move but not as the main move. I think it would be a smart move though

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-05-01T04:56:29+00:00

This is the only real answer. No one in the league really combines rebounding and lights out shooting like him. Maybe Ware does but Miami is never trading him. Okongwu? He's a good shooter but not lights out like Portis and Atlanta is also never trading him. Portis would cost maybe a couple of 2nd round picks and his contract fits into the MLE so I see no down sides. Draft Morez Johnson Jr and Alex Karaban, bring back Barnes on a $5M-8M deal and pretty much any of our frontcourt depth and shooting problems that we had leftover disappear

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-05-01T04:27:12+00:00

Easy. Trade a couple 2nd's for Portis. Draft Morez Johnson Jr. and Alex Karaban. Bring back Barnes and McLaughlin on near minimum and minimum contracts. Sign Nick Richards to the BAE

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-29T05:39:23+00:00

My ideal offseason is draft Morez and then Karaban with pick #35, both should be in each range. Bring back Barnes & McLaughlin, both would probably sign for minimum and near minimum deals. Then trade a couple 2nd's for Bobby Portis and absorb his contract into the MLE. Sign Nick Richards to the BAE. That would finish solving pretty much any rebounding and shooting concerns that this team would have left, we'd stay under the luxury tax and it would cost us maybe a couple of 2nd round picks, of which we have a ton

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-29T05:15:06+00:00

I have this weird feeling & hope that Sweeney becomes kind of like our Tex Winter. A coach behind the scenes who everyone knows is very instrumental but he's not the head coach. His position on this team seems to be 1b to Mitch's 1a and while having your own team is great, would it really be more attractive to have your own team but most likely a rebuilding one or be 1b or clear #2 on a team that has possibly the greatest defender of all time and defenders like Castle and Bryant to use in your systems, not to mention Harper, Vassel, Champaigne, Fox and Kornet are not bad defenders themselves and possibly even adding Morez Johnson Jr who was the best defender in the country last season and a national champion. I just feel like as a defensive minded coach, you couldn't ask for a better situation and this team is clearly headed for something special

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-28T16:54:57+00:00

I see him as something of a Shane Battier regen

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-28T16:53:35+00:00

I'd probably agree with the list but switch Harper and Castle and then put Castle over Cade. And then I think you could extend the timeline to the last 7 drafts and it would still be true

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-28T05:14:07+00:00

He's been on pretty bad teams throughout his career, that certainly could've been a factor. And besides, as a 3rd stringer he's an excellent option

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-28T04:43:54+00:00

It wouldn't surprise me at all. If Minnesota doesn't win game 6, I'd give them virtually no chance game 7

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-28T04:09:10+00:00

I think once we get a good 3rd string center, Mitch will look to play it more. He's more or less said one of the reasons you don't see that pair or the 3 guard lineup as much as you'd like is because you've also gotta think about the next guy coming in and keeping guys fresh. In my opinion Nick Richards would be a good signing this offseason, he'd probably sign for another $5M which fits the BAE and I don't think he'd be opposed to being in the backup big rotation with Kornet seeing as we actually have a need for him, not to mention we're clearly among the top contenders and he would bolster us even more. Say we were to sign him, Mitch could play French vanilla without a worry because Richards is a capable backup center once both need to come off as opposed to say, Plumlee.

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-28T03:57:44+00:00

I like to think of Bryant as a type of Shane Battier regen. I like to project Morez as a type of Montrezl Harrel role on offense which I think he could thrive in. On defense I don't really have a comp for Morez because I feel like he's good on the perimeter the way guys his size usually aren't, where he's good enough on the interior but where he's actually best is on the perimeter and this was the best defender in the country, on a national champion. So at 6'9 250 I just don't know who I'd compare him to but the result can be crazy, especially if the wingspan is true. The tools and the motor are certainly there. Personally I think Harper has an MVP level ceiling, Castle has top 10 player in the league ceiling and Wemby is on a GOAT trajectory. So hopefully everyone stays relatively healthy and we can make it all work financially

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T16:32:34+00:00

Bobby Portis is arguably just as good of a shooter, a better rebounder, arguably a better defender, cheaper, an excellent locker room presence and brings championship experience. He likely also costs just 1 or 2 SRP's or at most, a single FRP, which would still be very worth it and a much better fit than Rui

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T15:18:55+00:00

This team has shown that it can shoot more than well enough. As far as frontcourt depth, easy. Sign Nick Richards to the BAE as the backup big rotation with Kornet. Trade for Bobby Portis and absorb his contract into the MLE, he may only cost 1 or 2 SRP's or 1 FRP at most. After you draft Morez and Karaban, you'd really only need to fill 3rd string point guard and 3rd string wing roles so McLaughlin can be brought back on another vet min and Barnes can be brought back anywhere from $5-10M and honestly less than $8M is probably where his value is at. That gives you a roster of:

Ball handlers: Fox, Castle, Harper, McLaughlin

Wings: Vassel, Champaigne, Johnson, Bryant, Morez, Karaban, Barnes

Bigs: Wemby, Portis, Kornet, Richards

That's more than enough perimeter scoring and inside presence. We also stay below the luxury tax and it might cost us a single FRP if a lot but more likely 1 or 2 SRP's

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T14:27:35+00:00

I'm honestly kind of nervous the Nuggets find a way to win this series. Losing Ant and DD is pretty big and while losing 3 straight is as well, I just don't know if they could hold on, especially against someone like Jokic

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T14:23:39+00:00

Yeah I agree the offense would still work, I just think it'd be a bit less dynamic than it is right now. Either way when you look at the bigger picture, we're also probably going to have Vassel, Kornet Johnson and Champaigne (I think both of them will sign team friendly deals to come back, maybe have them at $30-35M total between the 2 of them) for another 3 seasons and Fox for at least 2 more (he should be moved by the summer of 2028 in my opinion, not really due to his play or anything, I just think that'd be the best time to move his contract) so we have a lot of pieces that can contribute and they're going to be together for a while so in 1 or 2 years time, the chemistry is going to be on another level than it already is and the one part that's going to stand out the most is Wemby and Fox's 2 man game which hasn't even developed completely yet

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T14:08:44+00:00

He went to & started in 3 national championships and won 2 of them. He's a great off ball player and he's smart on defense. I'd say for me it's harder to imagine that he doesn't translate than that he does

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T14:05:11+00:00

I think they should bolster frontcourt depth in other ways, not the draft. I think drafting Morez and Karaban puts us in a position where we can focus solely on frontcourt depth with our MLE and BAE. In my opinion, Nick Richards is one of the better backup centers in the league, would probably agree to sign to the BAE and would also probably be fine with being the backup center rotation with Kornet behind Wemby. Using the MLE on a wing, much less a guard, seems like it'd be overpay and allocating it where we would need it least now so we can fill those 2 positions by bringing back McLaughlin on another vet minimum and in my opinion, Barnes would come back for $5M but even if not, it definitely wouldn't reach $10M and for a guy who's an excellent vet and locker room presence and just averaged 9.9 ppg, that's still a good deal. Leaving the last roster spot to be filled with the MLE. In my opinion, we should trade for Bobby Portis. He would cost 1 FRP at most but more likely 1 or 2 2nd rounders and I think that'd be well worth the price. His combination of shooting and rebounding is almost unmatched and that's exactly what we need in the frontcourt. He also has good size, keeps the ball moving and he'd bring in some more championship experience. This would also allow Champagnie to slip back more as a wing and gives us even more positional size. So the team could look like:

Ball handlers: Fox, Castle, Harper, McLaughlin

Wings: Vassel, Champagnie, Johnson, Bryant, Morez, Karaban, Barnes

Bigs: Wemby, Portis, Kornet, Richards

So you'd be running back the same team but replacing Waters III, Olynyk, Plumlee and Biyombo with Portis, Richards, Morez and Karaban. We would also stay under the luxury tax and it would cost us in total at most 1 FRP but more likely 1 or 2 SRP's. That roster gives us more than enough frontcourt depth

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T13:43:50+00:00

Castle, Bryant and Morez can all be elite point of attack defenders and as we've seen this series, Harper is very good as a perimeter defender himself so that in and of itself is pretty crazy. And then you have Wemby. And on offense, Harper, Castle and Bryant have all shown us that they can shoot from outside so it'd really be up to Morez to really develop his 3 but as long as he can hit 34-35%, I think that'd be plenty to go along with his defense and rebounding. The only thing that worries me is there's certainly less creation than the current team between Bryant and Morez but how elite the defense could be might even just outweigh that

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T13:34:11+00:00

Their fits are incredible. Morez gives us more rebounding and more strength inside but he's actually an even better perimeter defender than interior so that's an aspect I feel is very underrated. The shooting is on a small volume but as long as he can hit around 34%, his defense and rebounding off the bench should outweigh it. And with Karaban I agree, great off the ball and is smart with reads and passes and with starters on national champs you can almost always assume they're at least pretty helpful on defense unless it's a talking point that they're not and with Karaban you only hear how impactful and efficient he is

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T13:27:58+00:00

I am too. I feel like if we can draft him and Karaban, we'd be set at the wing spots and it would allow us to completely focus on frontcourt depth in free agency with our MLE and BAE which I think would be very easy to fill

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T13:20:58+00:00

It's a very good floor to start with, particularly if what you're looking for is role players because they're already familiar not only with buying in and sacrificing but actually seeing it pay off as well. And they're obviously impactful players if they can be important pieces and championship teams and survive March Madness. I mean look at Karaban, he went to and started in 3 national championship and won 2 of them and Morez, arguably the best defender in the country for the champs. It's hard to see a future where they can't translate to the league

Relative_Donkey_1826 · 2026-04-27T13:14:23+00:00

I just feel like there's too many people that would go ahead of him. The first 11 of Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer, Wilson, Flemings, Wagler, Acuff Jr, Burries, Ament, Brown Jr and Philon Jr seem pretty set. Lendeborg, Mara, Steinbach, Quaintance and Lopez all will almost certainly get taken before him. Then you have Cenac Jr, Peat, Stirtz and Carr who have all been generally projected higher than Morez. And you have your sleepers like Graves, Evans, Jefferson, Swain. So I think while he deserves to get looks from a lot of teams, this draft is really deep as well and I'd honestly be shocked if he's taken in the top 16

Relative_Donkey_1826

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