benji wrote:Jennings is young enough that I'm not going to count him out yet, and the fact is they they have all three of them under contract and THAT'S IT after this season. That's why I like it and don't consider it a risk.
Yeah, I definitely think Jennings will improve. He was awesome before he hit the rookie wall and is talented (plus he can actually defend!). I didn't realize they had so many 2011 expirings, but I think LRMaM and Ilyasova are extended then, if not this summer.
I think people around here are getting the wrong impression of me, I really only have two outlooks:
1. You're contending? Add talent or go to 2.
2. You aren't? Clear space and add picks.
You have a 1-in-30 chance of winning a championship. As someone who primarily supports a perennial "almost" team, I'd rather see them trying to improve on a decent, but not contending roster than wasting years of fans' time just so you can win 17 games and reboot the rebuild (*cough* Minnesota *cough). The Lakers weren't quite contenders in 07-08, so rather than trading Kobe for picks and expirings (and commencing the Andrew Bynum era), they bought a star veteran and won two championships. That's why I like this trade so much for Milwaukee. The fact that they still have cap to sign someone in 2011 (obviously not Anthony, but if they get Carl Landry, Hammond is the GOAT) is gravy.
It's only a risk if the Bucks splurge on the rest of their team and if they do, they deserve what they get. Otherwise it's an interesting attempt in a weak East to try and entice such a "get better players" move in the future.
Flipping Bell for Maggette should move the team up a couple wins, if Redd comes back healthy at the end of the year, so much the better. The East is basically in shambles lest we forget.
The East is in shambles? Atlanta arguably improves (but remains a fringe contender) if they swap Johnson for Childress (as long as Smith's great season wasn't an anomaly), LeBron's probably staying in the East (though I would love if he went to Dallas), and most of the teams with abundant cap space are in the East. This was probably Boston's last chance at a title for a while though, as good as Rondo is.
I doubt Redd ever plays another game in a Bucks uniform, and I think Maggette will get more than just Bell's minutes. If LeBron goes somewhere other than Chicago or Cleveland, they'll probably win the division and make the second round. Jennings needs to become an all-star for them to contend though.