SSBA

This is a completely open question, asked out of simple curiosity.

I mean no disrespect to anyone, and I am not pointing anyone out.

I am just wondering, when you guys are talking trades, do you think it is fair for a GM to wait til hear an offer when they have given no input to what they are looking for?

Let me give you a hypothetical situation:

RaptorsGM: Hey, I am interested in player x. What are you looking for? See anything we could get done?

OtherGM: Send me an offer.

RaptorsGM: Well, could you give me some input into what you are looking for? I am willing to trade: Player A, Player B and Player D as well as such and such draft picks.

At this point I usually don't get a response.

I'm wondering how you guys feel about this. Should I be counted on to send an offer when I have no idea what the other GM is looking for, or should they be telling me? I really have no idea, but i have noticed this going on alot, and I'd like to know. I have had great interest in many players, but the talks always die like above, and it's somewhat frusterating.

And if I have had a similar conversation with you (as above) please do not post here saying "yeah that was me i just didnt have time to get back to you."

I'm not asking about specific people, I'm asking this question to everyone, in general.

I think that's perfectly valid.

If you put a player on the block, its not your job to analyse every team that's shown interest and come up with an offer your self.  If you're interested in a player, you should have a foundation for a deal already in mind.  Basically, if you're interested in a player, come up with an offer (or at least a general idea of players involved) first.  Just my opinion

I appreciate it. But don't you agree that it would really help to at least give some idea of what you're looking for?

It doesn't have to be specific, could be like young big man, swingman with good defense.

in my opinion, i'm pretty conservative about certian players and when a person tells me they're interested in a player, i weight their interest by them having an offer in mind. I don't like receiving, "I'm interested in so and so...what can we do". Usually i give more input as to what I may need if i'm interested if i reject the initial offer and see that something could potentially work out. I'ms ure i've frustrated gms with this, but I feel you should have something in mind rather than put the onus on me to work out a deal that you apparently want.

Yeah I agree, but most people have that in their trading block posts anyways.  Very rarely you see a post that says 'Player X is on the block' and that's it.  Usually they post what they're looking for and if they don't need anything in particular, they say so

I rarely go after players that re on the block, because those are usually big name players, and I don't want all stars, since I don't want to have to give up my youth.

I just think that it wouldn't kill people to respond with something like "I want a young big man".

And I hate it when people don't respond, but that's allready been discussed (see: The Moral Issue of Responding To PM's)

I send out both styles of PMs and I have noticed that it is much more productive to send an offer rather than just express an interest. It gets the offer / counter-offer ball rolling. The reason I sometimes send out an "interest" pm is that I usually prefer receiving the 1st offer rather than giving the 1st offer.

I think the onus is usually on the person who sends the 1st PM to make an offer. If you ask what they're interested in, you are essentially asking them to make an offer...

Example, purely hypothetical-

Hornets: I am interested in Max. What would you be looking for?
Raptors: I don't really know. Send me an offer and we can try to work on it.
Hornets: Well, what would you be looking for?
Raptors: Ummmmmm. Robert Swift and the Knicks' 1st rounder?

BAM, there's your offer!
See, it's a little unfair to ask what it would take; basically 'who are you interested in from my team' = 'make me an offer.'

Ummm....That's exactly the same conversations that I have, except the 4th line doesn't happen. Your situation is the same as mine.

Sure i like to receive an offer rather than having to "build up" an offer myself because there's some general interest in one of my guys.

But on the other hand, by getting a straight offer talks usually die down very fast, especially if i GIVE those. I can't count how many "not interested" i received and i'm at a point now where i'm not interested in getting ANOTHER offer up for that team.

"Open" requests lead to more of a conversation (easiest through AIM, Raps !) and various scenarios. So my ideal trade talk would begin with an offer and if thats not reasonable continue with trade talks. What i don't have a problem with if someone overvalues his guys. Everyone does


Just one big PLEASE:
Please make reasonable offers. I won't ask for anyone to check other teams as in-depth as i do it, but I hate getting offered guys who wouldn't even crack my rotation for being the 5th SG or so (and are not even talents that might someday).

I try to offer by filling a NEED for the other team (which may be cap space or expirings too, and often i'm completely off target mith my assumptions, but at least i try ...)

The fourth line doesn't happen because people don't want to make you an offer...

Even saying: "I am interested in a young big man and draft picks" is pretty close to an offer. How many young big men and valuable picks do the Hornets have on their team?



Another Hypo-

Hornets: I am interested in Yao.
Raptors: That's nice. Send me an offer and we can work on something.
Hornets: Ok, the players on my team that I am willing to trade are Stephen Jackson, Anderson Varejao and Brian Skinner.
Raptors: You want to trade me those players for Yao? Get real.

The fourth line doesn't happen in this one either because the guys the Hornets are willing to part with can't be put together in any way to equal Yao. There's no way to respond to that kind of thing.

Allright, I understand what you guys are saying, thanks.

And do alot of guys deal on AIM? I would get it if it was useful.

I almost never use it for trading. I have only gotten 1 suggestion through AIM. Some others might though.

i dunno about here, but i make about 95 % of my trades on AIM, its much more practical to discuss it that way, rather then sending 20 PM's until the deal is done, on AIM you can get a deal done in few minutes or in 1 minute sometimes, while trough PM's it can take up to few days.

Allright, I'm gonna get it

God help us all.

:lol:

Here's another question - how come no one responds to freakin PM's anymore? I understand not wanting to respond to ideas if you are not interested, but yesterday people would be sending me offers, I would reply that I was interested, and they wouldn't PM me back. A few guys had time to post in a few threads but not time to PM me back.

It is very, very frusterating. Makes me only want to deal with like 5 GMs and that's it.