His stats on the season were pretty good though. Ya it’s all about staying injury free.
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…and that mustache. It’s just … really awful.
There has to be more to it. Has to be. And other moves off the back of it too.
Or maybe it’s wonderful!
So bad, it’s good
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Not sure I’d give these guys that much credit for doing maths. I mean they’re not accounting majors. They may think stretching Batum is brilliant.
Was told there was but hey, past performance is indicative of future results…
Cmon Mike… 
I still can’t believe we did this 2 years 40 i would’ve been cool with but 
There’s a lot of chatter on the Twitter that we are waiving and stretching Nic to make this happen. Please Lord tell me that’s not what we are doing here.
You can bunk with me at the shelter
You and me both, damn lol.
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I agree with everyone that the smarter play would be to wait one more year before committing big money, try to get another lottery pick…
It seems maybe they might feel that Ball is the most talented player we’ve drafted in the new era, and likely the most talented we’ll probably get to draft in the near future. Risky bet without seeing how quick he can get rolling, but it seems to be their major calculation.
So if they are all in, then their moves seem to be what will give Melo the best chance to get better. Keep a roster of high character, high IQ guys, whose games complement each other. Since Ball is best at ball handling/passing, we have some good catch and shoot guys as well as speedy players that can get up and down in transition.
I really think PJ and him will be a strong 2 man game in the pick and roll/pop. Miles will be running harder than ever to catch lobs from him and Devonte, even Devonte may have an easier time getting open looks with a high quality ball handler creator. Now add in Hayward, a very smart crafty player who can fill any role from big to small lineups. Can handle, spot up, do it all on the offensive side to make it easier.
Might be one of those kind of teams where no individual player knocks you out, but the high quality passing and offensive acumen to pick apart a defense will make us a tough team to guard.
Now we’ll still get killed on defense, but I guess there’s time to figure that side out.
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Horrible, looks creepy
what a time to join the community
If we stretch Batum i’m gonna have to go into hiding
I wish I could go back to my pre Hornetsplanet self when i was 14 and would’ve loved this move
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From listening to a recent interview with Borrego, it seemed like they had plans to spend both this summer and the next. SMH. There has to be more to the story (I hope).
If you draft Ball and want him to develop, you have to give him guys to pass to.
The money is a problem. The fit isn’t.
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Don’t forget that LaMelo gonna be launching the rock too. Especially when the other teams are letting him.
He’s gonna get a lot of face time from his coaches and team mates. Will he give a shit? “Melo let’s it fly from 30 feet! Aaah…Ewww…”
How much can him signing anywhere trim up the dead money on our end?
And on an unrelated note, anyone know Stephen Silas’ phone number?
I’m shocked I’m the one to come in and defend this, but hear me out.
First off, this is undeniably a massive risk. Hayward just turned 30 and has a troubling injury history, that can not be debated. But 30 really isn’t that old - if he stays healthy he’s going to be playing at a high level until he is 34. I think his game will age decently well.
He averaged 17.5 PPG last year shooting 50% as the fourth option on the Celtics. He will be the first or second option from day one here. He’s going to be a 20/5/5 guy from day one minimum. I could see him performing at an all star level here. His game really doesn’t have many flaws and I think he fits into the core we are building like a glove. I think this could be great for the development of guys like Devonte, PJ, and LaMelo.
I was of the idea that we should bottom out one more year and try to secure another top five pick. I still understand the argument for that approach, but I don’t think this move makes us a playoff team. I think we are still picking in the lottery next year, and you can find good players there.
I liked the idea of one more really bad season and then trying to sign a big time FA. Out of next year’s crop though, who do you think we could relatively get and who is actually better than Hayward? Giannis, LeBron, Kawhi, PG, Gobert, Lowry, Holiday, Oladipo, DeRozan, CP3, Conley… I only think a couple of those names pick up the phone when we call. And the ones we might could get definitely aren’t better than Hayward.
I HATE that we are stretching Batum, that definitely doesn’t look great but I’d MUCH rather do that than give up a future first round pick to trade away a bad contract in an S&T. We still aren’t in a bad spot cap wise, we’ll have at least $30 million to work with next offseason if my math is right. Some will probably be used for a Devonte extension.
We actually have something interesting going here. Again Hayward truly is exactly what we need from a fit perspective, there is no reason to think he won’t play really well here as long as he is healthy. It’s undoubtedly a big gamble, but sometimes bad teams have to overpay if they want to bring in good players. If Hayward stays healthy I truly think this contract won’t look like much of an overpay in a couple of years.
I mostly love it because I think it clearly signals a huge commitment to LaMelo. We fumbled six years of Kemba Walker because we could never surround him with quality talent. We aren’t letting that happen this time, we’re giving LaMelo a damn solid wing to play next to that will also hopefully help his development.
We just aren’t a team that has many avenues to bring in truly good players. Sure the draft is the best option and I wanted another top five pick next year, but I just can’t fault Mitch & MJ for bringing in a really good player for four years when they had the chance.
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If Ball is who many think he is… we’re good, that kind of player makes a bunch of above average guys look like all stars
I think Melo will take PJ to another level…
We will have enough next year for the stretch 5 which is all we will lack
I’m ok, think it’s crazy money but we got the scoring wing who can help lead the clubhouse…
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