NBA: **Cyclones in the NBA and G-League, 2019-2020

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JP4CY

I'm Mike Jones
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Yeah, he's fine as a heavy minutes sixth man, but if Denver added a more consistent scoring wing player he could be great starting next to Murray.

It's a little odd that as good as he is as a pure point guard, their center is often the actual point guard for very good reason.
Yeah I don’t want people to take this so strong because he is a sure thing HOFer but Monte could have a Chris Paul light type of career in the right situation.
 
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TitanClone

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Mark my words, THT is going to average close to 20 minutes, 10 points, 4 boards a game next year as the Lakers 2nd or 3rd best bench player and they'll win it all again. He's got the respect of the team, especially LBJ and Vogel.
 

Cyientist

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If you look at the accumulated Win Shares of 2017 draft pick, Monte comes it at 7! Blackburn covers the nuggets beat and gives an awesome review of Monte’s career.

The TLDR version is don’t worry about Monte buying his mom a mid-tier Porsche last year, he’s getting paid.

 

I-stateTheTruth

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Why exactly did the two sides make that trade?
It looks like OKC goes into rebuild mode without Schroeder and Chris Paul (I think CP3 wanted out as well). They can play all their young talent, probably get some expiring contracts and acquire a draft pick. I'm not sure if the young guys that the Suns threw in were to make the money work for OKC or if they like any of them. Accumulating draft picks and taking on expiring contracts are common tactics used in the NBA.

For the up-and-coming Suns, they get a useful and experienced point guard - upgrade on Rubio - and a good bench piece. They're trying to be competitive after a good end to their season in Orlando (8-0 to end the regular season).

I have to think Burton will be gone from OKC.

Those are my guesses.
 

I-stateTheTruth

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Blurb from a quick take from CBS Sports on Nader going to The Suns:

Nader developed into a solid role player for the Thunder over the last two seasons, and he averaged a career-high 15.8 minutes per game in 2019-20. The Iowa State product will likely fill a similar role off the bench for the Suns.

Link: https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/basketball/news/thunders-abdel-nader-headed-to-phoenix/

My quick take - without a clear idea of the Suns' current situation at wing - is that this could be a positive for Abdel. There was a logjam of young wings in OKC.
 
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I-stateTheTruth

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Why exactly did the two sides make that trade?
I saw this tweet that gives an interesting perspective on this. CP3 went to OKC to get something for Russell Westbrook, stayed a year and played really well and helped the Thunder reach the playoffs (a bit of a surprise). But OKC never wanted his salary and knew that a re-boot had to happen. So on top of a great year for Russ, they got this haul of assets for Westbrook (Oubre and Rubio will probably be starters):

 

Sigmapolis

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I saw this tweet that gives an interesting perspective on this. CP3 went to OKC to get something for Russell Westbrook, stayed a year and played really well and helped the Thunder reach the playoffs (a bit of a surprise). But OKC never wanted his salary and knew that a re-boot had to happen. So on top of a great year for Russ, they got this haul of assets for Westbrook (Oubre and Rubio will probably be starters):



I don't doubt this works out well for OKC. That is a nice haul for what essentially is a multiteam deal to trade away Russell Westbrook as he starts to decline (only taking place over the course of a year).

What I don't get is Phoenix.
 

I-stateTheTruth

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I don't doubt this works out well for OKC. That is a nice haul for what essentially is a multiteam deal to trade away Russell Westbrook as he starts to decline (only taking place over the course of a year).

What I don't get is Phoenix.

Well, it's about upgrading whoever plays alongside Booker and CP3 was really good this past season. Here's what SI has to say about the advantages for Phoenix:


This move makes too much sense for Phoenix. Devin Booker has played with a rotating cast of point guards during his tenure with the Suns, and none of them has been as talented or well-rounded as Paul. CP3 proved last season he still has plenty left in the tank, and not only is he more than willing to mentor younger players, but he’s also capable of leading them to wins. Paul will help ease so much of the burden for Booker, as the primary ball-handler and secondary scorer. His pick-and-roll prowess should also be a boon for former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton, who should benefit almost immediately from Paul’s ability to find good looks for his big men.

This is an extremely well calculated risk for the Suns. Phoenix is more than able to absorb Paul’s big contract number. The roster will need to be filled out with a few vets, but now this destination is much more attractive. And most importantly, Phoenix needs to win. Stars are more willing to leave than ever—Booker wasn’t going to stick around his whole career to play for lottery teams. Putting your young core in a position to win should have long-term benefits as well as short-term ones.

Link: https://www.si.com/nba/2020/11/16/chris-paul-suns-thunder-trade-grades
 
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I-stateTheTruth

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Nice piece this week on Matt Thomas by raptorscage.ca, recapping his progress through the year and arguing that he could be a key rotation piece for Nick Nurse in his 2nd year. Some blurbs:

As the season went on, Thomas made noticeable strides on the defensive end.

With that being said, Matt Thomas should be an important piece for the Raptors off the bench this season. Between all of the uncertainty of the Raptors backcourt, the injuries and load management during this compacted schedule, as well as the fact that he appears to be gaining Nurse’s trust – we can expect to see a lot of Matt Thomas this season.

If he can continue to improve his defence, it isn’t unfathomable that Thomas could be playing 15-20 minutes per night and average around 10 points.

Link: http://www.raptorscage.ca/expect-matt-thomas-to-be-a-contributor-this-season/
 
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