I love Noel but I don't know how I really feel about moving the 3rd pick for him. I get moving 3 for Okafor, because I think okafor can develop into a star. Noel has DPOY potential but his contract situation is a little alarming.
If Dunn is actually a rich man's Marcus smart I'd feel a lot more comfortable about just keeping Dunn and trading Smart for Noel (who despite recent Media suggestions, is still a lesser asset than okafor).
I don't expect Ainge to trade #3 for Noel straight up. My gut says it would also be for a future pick, and my hope would be Saric. Noel entering the final year of his rookie deal lowers his value. He's a good player, but beginning next season, he will no longer be a bargain.
Saltlover, what do you think about that lineup?
My only bit of concern would be Horford full-time at the PF. However, Noel is probably the best perimeter-defending big in the league, so he could always guard the quicker PF's while still leaving a shot-blocker in the paint in Horford.
Do you think that team is enough to draw Horford and Durant? It's hard to find a team that can offer as much immediate competitiveness alongside future versatility and promise.
It could be enough? *shrug* Getting two players to willingly leave the successful (but not championship) teams they've been on for nine years is difficult, to say the least. I've heard rumors over the years that Horford would prefer to play the 4 more -- Noel would allow him to do that sometimes. I'd also assume that KD would prefer to primarily play the 3, which Horford playing the 4 would also allow.
So yeah, I think you need a true center-like player, who has enough cred. Because Horford and KD are expensive, you need one who's at least cheap this year. The number of cheap centers with cred to NBA vets has to be very low. I honestly don't know if Noel is on that list, but he reasonably could be.
In conclusion, I certainly wouldn't say it's an "excellent" way to draw them. I think it would help. I think it would help more than keeping #3. But say the Celtics have a 15% chance to get them -- I'd say a trade would bump them to no more than 20%.
Yeah, that's the difficult part with this. Durant isn't coming here to play the 4, so just adding Durant and Horford isn't going to draw them here (I'm assuming that KO isn't a legitimate option for starting at the 4, which is a pretty safe assumption). You have to be able to find a cheaper stretch 4 that can also defend, OR you can just find a cheaper, rim-protecting 5, which would also allow Horford to play his preferred position of power forward. That's why I think Noel is the perfect set-up for us here.
AND think about this - is that projected team not almost a mirrored set-up to OKC presently?
PG - Score-first, penetration-heavy point guard
SG - Defensive-minded, 3 and D 2 guard
SF - Durant
PF - Defensive-minded stretch four that can hit the three
C - Defensive-minded rim protector that can board
That's a really, really close set-up to OKC. And going on a side-by-side comparison, I think we have the obvious advantage outside of Westbrook.
PG - Westbrook >> IT
SG - Roberson < AB
SF - Durant = Durant
PF - Ibaka < Horford (Ibaka is younger, but Horford wipes the board with him statistically)
C - Adams < Noel
Bench - (Waiters, Kanter, Collinson, Morrow) < (Smart, Crowder, JJ/Turner, KO) (That could go either way)
Add this to the fact of the Eastern Conference being the easier route to the Finals, and there's good reason for both of them to join here.
Topic: Getting Noel would be an excellent way to draw Durant/Horford (Read 3061 times)