Welcome Alec "Game Winner" Burks

[cliffdawg]

I've honestly always kind of liked Burks. Make no mistake, he's not a world beater, but he has always seemed like that steady 4th or 5th guard/wing on a good team kind of guy. Can shoot it pretty well and can occasionally play some solid defense.

If getting him means I don't have to watch Harrison play anymore and we net a decent little package for his contract around the deadline, then I'm all for it.

I think you’re the second person to mention he could take Harrison spot at point guard, do Burks have pg skills, or at this point it don’t matter because Harrison is terrible.....lol

 

[Stark]

I think you’re the second person to mention he could take Harrison spot at point guard, do Burks have pg skills, or at this point it don’t matter because Harrison is terrible.....lol

According to BBall reference, Burks has played ~9% of his career minutes at PG, ~85% at SG, and ~5% at SF.

He can run minutes there, sure. There's 96 minutes per game at the two guard spots, and I'd like to see them split up between Sexton, Clarkson, Hood, and Burks as of now. George Hill also gets back soon as well who we likely will try to showcase.

EDIT: And Nwaba as well, who plays SG and SF -- really no reason for Harrison to play at this point.

I mostly have an irrational hatred for Andrew Harrison and would welcome bringing back Mo Williams or Anthony Parker to play if it meant I didn't have to watch him.

 

[Cavatt]

The one thing that terrifies me is I heard a Jazz reporter say that he liked Hood better than Burks, but then he pulled back a bit when it was mentioned that Hood is just 2 years younger and was almost 26.

Burks apparently pulls a disappearing act too at times and was described as the worse defender of the two(yikes!).

I get the feeling that Koby almost had something good, but it didn't save the team enough money with Korver, and he needed 2nd rounders? I dunno. Another low level shot creator at the 2 in a Rodney and Clarkson role doesn't make much sense.

 

[CleveRocks]

Unless Burks can offer time at the three ( he has enough size), we have to be moving one of hood, nwaba or Clarkson, in addition to hill when he comes back. There are too many ( mostly average) guards..

 

[Lee]

I doubt we use his contract to get much back. The issue I see is we want to cut payroll so we can actually have some cap flexibility. Burk causes us to take back a huge contract and the only players that teams want to unload are big pay players with little usefulness like Carmelo.

Jr's contract is the one worth allot because teams over the summer trying to get cap room will want his partial guarantee. That is when useful players are given away for free, not during the year.

 

[Lee]

Unless Burks can offer time at the three ( he has enough size), we have to be moving one of hood, nwaba or Clarkson, in addition to hill when he comes back. There are too many ( mostly average) guards..

Hill will get moved because of his contract and still useful player.

I doubt we move Hood, he basically is auditioning for cap room next year. Being on the QO really makes his contract useless, he can veto any trade, and a team doesn't automatically get his bird rights, it really makes for Hood to be here all year. Clarkson is interesting. I think he has use to the right team with a good backup pg but needs scoring off the bench, he could end up being traded.

As for Nwaba, he is on a team friendly contract, young and has some upside over his production. He is the exact type of player a rebuilding team wants to keep.

Basically only Hill and Clarkson will be traded, Nwaba and Hood are here for the season. I am also predicting JR doesn't get traded until the offseason, but I could be wrong about that ne.

 

[CavsFan07]

I doubt we use his contract to get much back. The issue I see is we want to cut payroll so we can actually have some cap flexibility. Burk causes us to take back a huge contract and the only players that teams want to unload are big pay players with little usefulness like Carmelo.

Jr's contract is the one worth allot because teams over the summer trying to get cap room will want his partial guarantee. That is when useful players are given away for free, not during the year.

Respectfully disagree. Packaging Burks expiring with JR's contract can potentially save a team upwards toward $30 million next season. How could that not get something back? The Cavs aren't going to help someone save $30m without a.) a valuable young asset or b.) 1st round pick (or more).

 

[Lee]

Respectfully disagree. Packaging Burks expiring with JR's contract can potentially save a team upwards toward $30 million next season. How could that not get something back? The Cavs aren't going to help someone save $30m without a.) a valuable young asset or b.) 1st round pick (or more).

But who would we take back? Who gives up a lottery pick for the savings? And why extend our cap hell when those start coming off our books?

When we were a contender, you do anything to turn a garbage player into useful player, but having cap space when you are a young team helps a ton to rebuild. At some time we will have to start letting these contracts expire so we get out of cap hell.

 

[Randolphkeys]

What I've found interesting is that the Jazz have always wanted Dante Exum to take the next step in his development and earn bigger minutes away from guys like Hood and Burks, but he has never separated himself as a combo guard from those two. Last season, fans heard a lot of chatter about Exum taking a big step. They even cut Trey Burke and gave Exum a layup to beat out as backup point/shooting guard. Then he got hurt and both Hood and Burks had to play less like shooting guards and more like combo guards, which really isn't what they do best.

Now the Cavs have sort of become a symbiotic team for Utah to move away from high usage players who aren't that productive in high usage, and we gain assets while giving up low usage players in Crowder and Korver. Let Utah enjoy what they want to build in the present, because the real payoff for the Cavs is the assets that come with the two trades.

 

[CavsFan07]

An interesting tid-bit on Alec Burks is that he cannot be traded WITH another player until at least January 28th.

There's a rule in the NBA that if you are acquired by a team that is over the salary cap, that team cannot trade that player with another player until AT LEAST two months after the previous trade.

This should explain why we pulled the trigger on this deal now considering the NBA Trade Deadline is February 7th, thus giving us around 10 days to ponder our options once this restriction comes off.

 

[CavsFan07]

But who would we take back? Who gives up a lottery pick for the savings? And why extend our cap hell when those start coming off our books?

When we were a contender, you do anything to turn a garbage player into useful player, but having cap space when you are a young team helps a ton to rebuild. At some time we will have to start letting these contracts expire so we get out of cap hell.

Typically this line of thinking comes from teams who don't want to start a rebuild and thus believe they're fairly close to contending. Or, they're over the salary cap and have no ambition to commit to 3-4 years of a 1st round draft pick contract.

Without doing any research as to who owes what team their 1st rounders etc, here's some teams with a bad contract off the top of my head that would potentially consider it.

Washington: Porter's contract is massive and horrendous. As is Mahinmi's.

Memphis: Chandler Parsons

Charlotte: Nic Batum



Wayyyy less likely:

Boston: Gordon Hayward's contract is insane and he's nowhere near the player he should be to receive that type of money.

Minnesota: Wiggins contract is insanely awful, but I don't see this possibility being likely.

Miami: Whiteside if they genuinely believe they can lure a big name free agent in the offseason.

Suns: Ryan Anderson (this is obviously unlikely since they NEED their pick badly)


Again, just spit firing certain ones... I'm sure there are others.

 

[Lee]

Washington: Porter's contract is massive and horrendous. As is Mahinmi's.

Memphis: Chandler Parsons

Charlotte: Nic Batum

But what asset are those teams willing to give for those players? a heavily protected first round pick? Is it worth it to stay years on a bad contract. I am not sure, would have to individually look.

My point is we aren't in the auto use expiring contract mode anymore, some contracts will be let to expire now.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Boston: Gordon Hayward's contract is insane and he's nowhere near the player he should be to receive that type of money.

If Koby picks up the phone and hears Danny Ainge's voice, he should throw the phone down an elevator shaft.

 

[bigfoot5415]

But who would we take back? Who gives up a lottery pick for the savings? And why extend our cap hell when those start coming off our books?

When we were a contender, you do anything to turn a garbage player into useful player, but having cap space when you are a young team helps a ton to rebuild. At some time we will have to start letting these contracts expire so we get out of cap hell.

I think the Hornets do. Easily.

Right now they are a treadmill team that can be a 6 seed & knocked out in the 1st rd every year...or they could miss the playoffs entirely. The upcoming offseason they have to resign their face of the franchise. In doing so, even at a bargin will put them into the luxury tax. With zero signs of being able to improve.

If they can dump Batum (making $24 mil for 9ppg) & MKG (making $13 mil for less than 20 mpg) they can dip to about $25 mil under the cap. Utilize that space for better players while they have a cap hold on Kemba. Then resign him after big moves are made.

Washington is in a similar situation as the Hornets, except their franchise player is going to be making nearly $40 mil. They cannot afford for that relationship to go sour because no one will take on that contract if it does.

Either team would likely pay a little bit extra, whether it be assets or actual dollars in year 1, to create space. The east is wide open & it would be a shame for either franchise to waste time.

 

[I'mWithDan]

My only thoughts on Alec are, hopefully this trade with Utah goes better than the last one.

I already despise them for forcing me to swallow this much of Rodney's Hood.