My defense is that we never owned the pick.

Koufus is from Akron, Ohio

He plays for Greece in some Euroball stuffs

Thoughts:

Steph Curry has become sick enough that he basically forces a 4v3 every single possession. Is there any better way to defend him, or do you just have to accept that?

* Switching isn't really an option for most teams (ironically the one team that could pull off switching a ton would be GS in their super-small lineup). There's always at least one guy on the court who just can't handle Steph alone. Switching seems good when you're able, but that's not often because the picker is typically being guarded by the worst matchup for Steph.

* Obviously, pick-defender can't lay back and wait, he has to hedge hard. Laying back is just giving up open looks, which is death for obvious reasons.

* Hard hedging seems like the only reasonable option, where the big man runs hard at Steph while Steph's defender fights over the pick as fast as possible to let the big man recover. This stops Steph most of the time, but unless your big man has superhuman levels of timing/speed he's going to be giving up a 4v3 as his man rolls to the hoop.

I can think of a couple ways to neutralize this, but none are really that great.

One way is to run a third defender at all Steph PNRs, waiting to sniff out the inevitable pass to the pickman. This leaves a hole somewhere else on the court, but that's often harder to find as a passer. Steph is still good enough to find that (couple examples of this in G5 and G6), but it's probably a better % play for the defense than giving Green or Iggy a free run at the basket in a 4v3. You can vary where the 3rd defender is coming from, and you have more time to scramble/help back. Not a perfect strat - It can be beaten, and it's hard to implement unless you have a very good defense imo. But it could be done.

Alternately, you can switch your defensive assignments to disallow certain guys picking. One of the problems is that Green is often guarded by a PF/C who just can't hang with Steph 1v1. You have to hard-hedge-and-recover, switching is not really an option. Instead, why not put a better guard/wing defender (if you have one) on Green and just switch? You might get punished by Green posting up a smaller player, but it would force GS to adjust away from the automatic Green 4v3 they seem to get any time they want. Another example of matchup switching is if something like Green and Bogut/Ezeli is in the game, you much prefer Bogut/Ezeli to have to make 4v3 decisions instead of Green, so put your best 'switching' option on Green and your worst defender on Bogut/Ezeli, regardless of size. Try to force the 4v3 into a lesser decision maker's hands.

That's about all I've got. It really is a super, super hard tactic to stop because Steph is uniquely dangerous. Any thoughts?

Have a couple of Perks at the end of your bench for making Steph run into some hard screens when he plays defense?

According to ESPN, the Wolves are shopping Anthony Bennett. Pretty sure he has negative value.

The Heat are trying to salary-dump Mario Chalmers. How would you feel about Chalmers to Milwaukee, Henson to a third team that has cap space or a trade exception, and some second-round picks or even a late first from that third team to Miami and Milwaukee to make the value less lopsided?

4m/4.3m left on Rio deal? Milw can easily take that on.

I dont think he is a long term piece but I would certainly think hes better than Ennis/Bayless. He and MCW could be played together as Rio can play off ball on offense and MCW is long enough to cover more than 1s.

Rio in general isn't a guy that excites me and not a long term corr piece but he could be a nice valued 2nd unit guy on a fair/small contract.

I would probably say like a early to mid 2nd + Rio for Henson works. Bayless being there makes it tough though.

Goran opts out. Expected to get a 4/80 deal from Heat.

Pistons will only trade pick if superstar is involved.

Bucks will move up or down, and targetting a bunch of max free agents. Leggo Bucks! Make it rain

Why would Dragic take 4/80 from the Heat for sure, he can get that deal from anyone, correct?

I'd be trying to get that 5th year and the full max or close to it, he has leverage given what the heat gave up to get him

I thought he's getting 5/80 from the Heat. He can't get a 5 year from anyone but Miami. 4/80 would be an overpay. I think 5/80 is still an overpay but cap explosion and all maybe not.

Cavs board is clamoring for waids. Im sure lebron gm is pushing for him hard. Hopefully griffin and gilbert are sharp enough to recognize waids is an awful fit and a massive negative and adept enough to manipulate the situation to eliminate the risk of his acquisition without pissing off lebron.

Unless WAIDS is willing to RANG-chase for two years with a relatively low salary, no?

(I don't think this is likely, but that's a scenario in which I'd consider bringing him on to make LeBron happy and at least add a depth guy at the 2 for a reasonable price tag. But like $7-8M max, and I doubt there is any way WAIDS goes for it.)

The funny thing about this is Bosh. He taking over in Miami now?

You're right i think 5/80 and agree with you on it being an overpay but not so bad after cap increases.

Put a healthy wade in the cavs non-lebron lineups in the playoffs and their Ortg would double

Wade would be a great add at the $3.4 million taxpayer exception, which is the most they can offer him. Even if they don't sign Love, renounce Shumpert and Smith, waive Haywood, and wait on TT, they are still over the cap and couldn't offer him more. There's basically no financial maneuvering that lets the Cavs pay more than $3.4 million. Wade would be a great deal at that price.

Yeah but there's no way he would take that price right?

Right. No player of wade's caliber is leaving $15M on the table at age 33. And he already has 3 rings not like he's desperate to get another. On top of that Miami>>>>Cleveland.

So Stein is reporting the Lakers are trying to acquire Boogie!

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...cramento-kings

Boogie is literally the only way I ever root for the lakers.

Make it happen

Lol at waids accepting 3.4 M a year, literally a 0% chance of that occurring.

Regarding Dragic he'd be an idiot to take 5/80. He can get 4/80 and would on the open market (not to mention the Heat gave up lots of assets to get him and presumably don't want to let him walk), no reason to tie himself down for an extra year even with him being 33 or whatever then, and take less annually.

Lakers might be the only way I root against Boogie. And the Knicks I guess.

Realistically what would the Lakers have to give up to get Boogie, just the #2 pick? Or would they have to add someone like Randle or Clarkson?

It might be just me, but Wade going to the Cavs makes sense (aside from the Cave having no money..) Wade could start at the 2 and give him 20-25 minutes a game and give Shumpert the rest.

It would probably take all 3 + a future pick


but this is the KANGZ we're talking about so they'll probably do it for Julius Randle and Robert Sacre