Would you trade JR Smith?
by NugNugz on Dec 9, 2009 8:00 AM MST
49 comments
First off, let me say that this is an idea in my head for about about a week now. It is not a freak out response to last nights loss. Secondly, I know I'm going to get a lot of angry responses to this one, so please try to be somewhat polite. I'm not even sure if I'm happy with myself for posting this question.
Some people have been posting about the possibility of trading KMart, which due to his contract and/or defensive value to us, is damn near impossible. So I've decided to look at other possibilities, that's when I stumbled upon JR.
First let me just say that I am a JR fan. His "immaturity" off the court (or on for that matter) doesn't bother me too much. I could do without him jacking up some of those 3s but, whatev. My question is, has JR reached his potential? Last year in the playoffs I would've said no. I believed that he could be a top 10 all around player in the L. He can score with the best, he's a surprisingly great creator and passer and can board some. Last year's playoffs I would've projected JR to be around 23 ppg, 7 apg and maybe 3-4 rbg. As well as improving defense. This year I find myself wondering if he's more or less hit his ceiling. Not that there's anything wrong with his ceiling. 15-20 ppg 3-5 apg, 3 rbg. I'd take that myself. JR has a lot of talent and an agreeable contract.
Would you trade him if it meant getting a young big or perhaps a big and a young wing player? I didn't do the contract thing, but the trade I have in mind is JR for Kevin Love and (ideally) Corey Brewer. Love is undersized yes, but if we're talking about needing some rebounding, I think he's as good as they come. Brewer plays every play and is a solid defender (his offense is extremely inconsistent). Keep in mind we have Afflalo who has looked good this season. why would the Wolves do this deal? They desperately need wing scoring. I think Ryan Gomes is their leading scorer if that tells you anything. JR would easily step in there and average 20 ppg. and Love and Brewer are both leftovers of McHales legacy, which Kahn seems anxious to rid himself of.
Another thought was Smith for Barbosa and Earl Clark. Clark could be KMart 2.0. these are just some thoughts. You're welcome to propose your own. I look forward to a dialogue
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Depends on the deal
Like you, I thought J.R. was on the edge of becoming a much more effective player. He can be unguardable when he’s penetrating for layups and assists. Something just doesn’t seem right so far. Perhaps it’s the suspension, I don’t know, but he doesn’t seem to have it like he did in the playoffs. Maybe he needs to start and let Lawson but the sixth man. I wouldn’t do anything yet unless that got a ridiculous offer, but you could look at something at the deadline if he doesn’t improve.
2 way street
if denver will not fully utilize earl then what is the point is having him. smith not being in the starting line up is like being in a fist fight with one hand tied behind your back. starting he can make teams pay for double teaming melo, drive to the basket while dishing the ball to nene and do major grunt work for billups. earl needs to buy in to what the nuggets are doing. against the nets the first time he touched the ball on offense he launched a 3 point shot. he is valuable coming off the bench with his scoring and playing small forward in the 3 guard offense. last season smith and kleiza combined for 25 points off the bench. when earl missed the first 7 games of the season afflalo and lawson combined for 21+ points off the bench. arron and ty made a great tandem. smith is traded it has to be to an eastern conference team. he will come back and kill denver whenever they play. smith for gortat will work for salary cap purposes. chicago lost to the nets and they will shake up their roster, fire the coach or both. aaron gray could be available with little impact to denver’s salary cap. i would like to see earl stay in denver a long time. after the loss to the bobcats and kmart being out, the line up could stand a change.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
i too am a JR fan but...
if we could get gortat, i would make the trade. the love/brewer trade is tempting, but i’d like to get more height than love offers. if the right offer came along i wouldn’t be too hurt about losing swish. assuming we keep him, experimenting with jr in the starting line up isn’t a bad idea either.
No thank you
Smitty is WAY better than Gortat. We could get a lot more for JR.
by GoldenNugget on Dec 9, 2009 10:00 AM MST up reply actions
Love Junior, but
What about a deal for Courtney Lee and Tony Battie for Junior and Malik Allen? Lee plays defense and can score; Battie can rebound, play defense, and most importantly shoot a 15 foot jumper. More spacing on the court means more penetration for Melo, Billups, and Lawson. We lose the ability to shoot ourselves back in the game, but Lee’s stability would go along way.
ESPN’s trade machine says we would get two more wins. Plus Battie has an expiring contract of $6M. Lee has two years left and could be resigned.
Terrible
I would quit watching the Nugs for a couple weeks if this happened. Neither Battie or Lee has close to the upside of JR. Awful.
The proposed trade with Love and Brewer is much, much better. I still would rather have JR and quit this irrelevant trade talk though…
Anyone who wants to bring Tony Battie back to denver
should be tarred and feathered imo. I will never forgive El busto, never!
I'd rather trade JR and someone else for an All-Star
Or send him to Golden State for Andres Biedrins. It would be a perfect trade. We would finally get the rebounding/ true center we have dreamed of while JR would, most likely, finally get to start for a team in which his game seems like it was made for. Or, package JR and, say a couple other contracts somewhere else for a top tier C.
Chris Bosh, David Lee, Chris Kaman, Troy Murphy, Bogut, Baby Gasol, ect.
Those are the types of players we could get with JR.
You think?
That was a sincere question, as I haven’t given much thought about JR’s value on the block, due to his inconsistency as well as the impression that his star was still rising, so he was part of the young core we would continue to build around. A more direct question: with Kleiza gone and then shipping off JR, would you be immediately concerned with an offensive lag off the bench? Or would having a true big man at C bolster our D (and hopefully make up for a need to score as much) and at the same time allow someone like Nene to blossom further at PF?
by Artimus Mangilord on Dec 9, 2009 10:45 AM MST up reply actions
I don't think it's that far out of reach
From what I’m hearing Maimi is trying to trade for him, and what the hell does Miami have to offer, Beasley? JR is better than Beasley right now and if we threw in Balkman and some draft picks or something like that, I’m sure Toronto would at least listen. As far as scoring off the bench goes, I’m wouldn’t be worried if we got Bosh. We would have so much fire power it wouldn’t matter. Plus it just gives a guy like Grahm some more playing time, and he isn’t half bad really.
bosh isnt happening
toronto can’t be that crazy. kaman or gasol would be a fucking dream. i still like gortat too. i think a billups, aa, melo, kmart/nene, gortat line up is nasty and could hang with the lakers.
by calvin brodus on Dec 9, 2009 11:08 AM MST via mobile up reply actions
LOL!
Bosh is in the last year of his deal and if they don’t trade him he is gone. Not a chance in hell he stays in Canada after this year. They would love a trade for a guy like JR. It would be the Nugs mistake to take on Bosh unless they could sign him for 5 years in the deal.
kaman or gasol a dream come true...
to clarify my statement above. i didn’t mean to imply you were dreaming and it couldn’t happen. billups, aa, melo, kmart/nene, gasol or kaman is also a line up I think could take the lakers in a series. plus, kaman looks like a fucking caveman and gasol rubs his balls before each free throw. so either one would bring some comic relief to the nuggs.
by calvin brodus on Dec 9, 2009 11:22 AM MST via mobile up reply actions
I would be happy with Lee, but a different big from the Nets. Naturally I can’t ask for Lopez, but perhaps Josh Boone and Sean Williams. Or truly, in a perfect world, I’d rather have Terrence “Chilly Willy” over Lee (though Lee does have the finals experience). From watching Lee this year and last year I get the feeling that last year he was quite good because he had Dwight in the post.
No
I still say he should be starting. We aren’t getting the most out of JR, plain and simple.
He is one of the most unselfish players we have. Honestly, I am being completely honest when I say this – I would rather trade Melo.
Agreed on the unselfish thing
But you are stretching it on the Melo thing. Not a chance I get rid of Melo before JR…
Hell No
You all don’t understand teh upside that JR has. The only plyer I would trade JR for his Dwayne Wade. Smith is the real deal and could average 26-28 a night on a team where he is the premier scorer. He’s not on Denver, but still produces because he isn’t afraid to pass and play team basketball. Now that his D is up he has become even more valuabl. Smith is a dime a dozen when it comes to haveing a player wih elite offesive ptential and accepting the fact to play second or third option,pass the ball, play defense and create for other people.
Chris Bosh, Kamen, Gortat, C.Lee, D. Lee, Brewer and Love… none of those players are worth Jr. Call me crazy, but I see JR as being one of the most gifted players in the league and Denver needs to keep Melo and JR together for a long time.
If Afflalo can show jus a little more potential offensively, I thin JR may be starting next year.
You wouldn't trade JR for Bosh?
If the trade happened and Bosh signed an extension the Nugs may be the team to beat in the West for the next 10 years. You’re smoking some weird shit if you don’t think Bosh would be a more than adequate replacement for JR. Love the guy and his game but comparing him to Bosh is ridiculous.
Depends
Denver doesn’t have the money to lock im down long term. Of course if it was JR for Bosh and we have Bosh long term then I make the trade but that’s not the case. Jr for 4 months of Bosh would be stupid. Denver can’t land Bosh unless they deal Martin and JR and still be able to lock Bosh down long term. In that case no I don’t make that deal.
by Garrett Olsen on Dec 9, 2009 3:36 PM MST up reply actions
Agreed on 4 months of Bosh being stupid
But if the Nugs could trade Nene and JR or Kmart and JR in the offseason to the Knicks for Bosh I would shit my pants in happiness. Could be done I think with a sign and trade.
My best idea would be
Nene and Kmart to the Knicks for Lee and Bosh or Nene and Kmart to Memphis for Gasol, a wing, and Bosh. Nugs would be stacked for years and permanent contenders in the West.
Of course this would be after this season
And hopefully a championship for our Nugs.
If Bosh didn't want to go to NY
I’m using NY as an example and truthfully they would be trading Lee for Kmart and Nene. The Nugs FO works the deal with the Knicks and the Knicks know he isn’t coming to NY. It is how a sign and trade works…
Why would we trade Nene
He just needs more touches hes shooting 60 percent from the floor. Get him 16-18 shots a game not the 9 he is averaging.
Also
Denver has plenty of money. The owner is a Walmart aire. If he decides he wants to spend money then the Nugs have a pretty much unlimited gold mine. What you are saying is he doesn’t want to spend it. If he was willing to spend though, the Nugs could “afford” to take on a Lakeresque payroll.
It would have to be the right guy
I heard theres a team in Los Angeles that has gold and purple jersey’s.
they’ve got a pretty good player on their team that I wouldn’t mind trading JR for.
I can’t remember his name, Jobe, Hobi Kobe something like that………..
by InboundingLobPass on Dec 9, 2009 6:21 PM MST reply actions
WTF? Are you seriously suggesting that it’s even an extremely remote possibility that we could trade JR Smith for Kobe Bryant?
Its like the Melo trade talk two offseasons ago
only the right trade…I will meditate on this, seriously my life wastes away on that trade machine
And the best Melo trade i herd
as Melo to NJ for Jefferson which is absolutely crazy. The best deal we’d hear for JR Smith is somtething like Smith for Tyrus Thomas or Smith for Brewer and one of their bigs that isn’t Love. The fact of the matter is Denver isn’t going to trade Melo, Billupsor Smith. I’d say anyone else is fair game.
by Garrett Olsen on Dec 10, 2009 10:08 AM MST up reply actions
Haha
true… but we couldn’t afford it. I’m thinking more like Brewer and Jawaii (Is that how you spell it?). Not even at all.
by Garrett Olsen on Dec 10, 2009 10:54 AM MST up reply actions
I felt my idea was sound
It was a Melo and Camby for Deng, Hinrich and Thomas. Gave the bulls a superstar and aquality player the nuggets a star, a quality player, and an upside player not sure if the salaries worked. Of course in hindsight the thought of trading Melo is absurd
Absolutely
But it would have to be the right deal. Marc Gasol would be good but I have a feeling Memphis isn’t giving players away anymore. Chris Bosh would be good if the owners committed to paying the luxury tax next year in a big way to resign him (make no mistake—he WOULD stay with Melo + Nene + Chauncey for next year).
We would need to get premier talent for him, because he’s a rare player that has shown that he can shoot, drive, and defend. That’s all-around game. Why isn’t he more effective, you might ask? He’s the 4th option on our team right now, and Melo is taking over on offense. And when Melo is out, he’s stuck with guys like Kobe guarding him and still puts up decent numbers.
But given that we are in desperate need of a true center, if we can get a center out of this, we should do it.
JR doesnt play starter minutes...
I mean hes the juice off the bench, and he could be starting for several teams in the league and putting up those numbers. Be glad hes not or he will start demanding a huge payraise.
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