Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency Does it matter Fez? I mean really? This team is a lottery\middling team for the next upteen years anyway.... Most crucial draft and the blazers totally fubar'd it...
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency They definitely have A LOT of holes to fill. Backup PG Starting SG Backup SF (Possible starting SF as well?) Backup PF (Hickson likely out) Starting C
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency Looking at the free agent list, I think Jameer Nelson would be a great fit as a guy who can start at point guard to begin the season, but do so in a mentorship role, understanding that he'd be (hopefully) overtaken by Lillard before the year ended. As for a center, I believe Chris Kaman was mentioned earlier in this thread, and I think he'd fit that role well too. That would be a decent 15-man roster: Nelson/Lillard/Smith Matthews/Williams/Barton Batum/Babbitt/Claver Aldridge/Hickson/Freeland Kaman/Leonard/Thomas I think that team would have a shot on any given night.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency Backup PG: Its gonna be Smith, might as well swallow that pill now Starting SG: Dunno all the hate on Wes. until we trade him he is our starting SG and he is a good defender but a streaky as hell shooter. We can defiantly upgrade this spot if a deal comes along, but I don't see this as something were going to do Backup SF: Hell if I know, is Babbit gonna step up and suddenly become good probably not, Claver might be something but no one knows how good he is but thats our most likely scenario next year Backup PF: Most likely Freeland Starting C: Please god not Spencer Hawes for 10m a year. I guess what i'm saying is Lillard/Nolan Wes/Ewill/Barton Batum/Babbit/Claver LA/Freeland ???/Meyers/ We also have Shawn Williams/Thomas under contract so we have some money but only 2 roster spots until we do a trade. What are the best players and most important positions to fill. From what I gather aside from Starting Center it seems like whoever is the best player we can get were signing.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency Still have no go to scorer that can break his man down 1v1 when POR needs a basket.... Nor does this team have that #2 or #3 guy to pair up wth LA... What a pathetic waste of a opportunity by POR...This is one of THE worst organizations in professional sports right now.... Seriously, I dare any of you with a brain to convince me that this team can compete and beat OKC? POR mgmt and ownership is just flat out horrible....I'd fire Olshey tonight if I was convinced he actually made the picks.... and the sooner that that piece of garbage Buchanan is sent packing the better....
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency Kaman would be really, really nice. But I'm not big on Nelson, honestly. Don't think he could take a back seat role very well. Kidd, Billups, Andre.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency My preliminary decision post draft if I was in charge is to target Nash and Hawes in free agency. We should have the cap room to bring in both. Give Nash a 2 year deal but be careful with giving Hawes large dollar years down the road. Another option instead of Hawes is Carl Landry. Consider keeping open some cap room for amnesty bids or lopsided trades. I think Nash could be a great veteran to mix with the young Lillard for 2 years. Even if Lillard is a stud PG he will need a lot of help running the team for his first few seasons. Billups and Nash himself were bench players for years before they excelled at PG. Nash learned a lot playing behind Jason Kidd in Phoenix.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency As a warning from a Grizzlies fan, I'd pray your team doesn't sign O.J. Mayo. He'll hurt your team more than he helps them. He's a selfish, poor decision maker, who can't run the point or finish at the rim consistently. At the end of the day, he's an average shooter and an average athlete who has just been coasting off of his high school reputation to this point. Some poor team will give him upwards of $8 mill this offseason; just hope it's not your team.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency if you thought they were going to come out of this draft and be able to compete with OKC then you've been hitting the bottle way too much. This is a team in re-build mode, whether they or the fans want to admit it or not. The FACT is not a single one of us have any clue how tonights picks will turn out. Most of us realize the guys chosen tonight now wear the Scarlet and Black, so let's see what they can do before we pass ultimate judgement upon them. You have chosen to call posters names and cry like a little baby, to each their own.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency If there was a good SG free agent prospect I would think of bringing them in instead of Nash, but Jason Terry doesn't excite me as much. I guess OJ Majo could be a possibility and would better fit our age timeline.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency i believe most of us are thinking like men but only one of us is acting like a child.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency Yeah OJ Mayo is about it, but at the acquisition price he is about as risky as resigning batum for double digits... But after tonight I have NO faith in POR mgmt....
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency Go to bed, and sleep it off. I'm going out on a limb and saying the sun will rise tomorrow and things won't look nearly this bad. OR keep acting like a 5 year old who had his toy taken away. Guess it's up to you!
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency Trust me, there are very few redeeming qualities in O.J. Mayo as a player. There are a lot of better players out there who, if given Mayo's opportunities and touches, would have proved to be better players. Mayo's that guy who can be a streaky, capable scorer but will also frustrate the hell out of you with his selfishness. He gets a few good, easy looks, and all of a sudden he think's he's Michael Jordan out there --- taking threes with 22 seconds left on the shot clock in a close playoff game. I remember when I was in high school, Mayo had a website promoting him at the age of 14, or something ridiculous like that. He benefited from the post-LeBron hype surrounding young prospects, and really, should be considered a bust more than anything at this point. Maybe a different environment can yield different results, but as a Grizz fan, I'm seeing the guy as addition by subtraction.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency Honestly, I go hard @ Hibbert/Eric Gordon, to open free agency. Very first move I make. Immediately offer them a large contract. Hope Olshey can sell them; if not... Kidd/Lillard Wes/Elliot/Barton Batum/Babbit/Claver LA/Freeland Kaman/Meyers/Kurt Thomas/MAYBE Joel. Try to throw together a trade package to S&T OJ Mayo, or try and sign Lou Williams. Also, I'd love to try and get Matt Barnes, somehow. Ideally, (Kidd/Miller/Billups)/Kaman/Barnes/Mayo or Lou Williams, somehow. I imagine Kidd/Miller/Billups 6 mill, Kaman 8.5 mill, 2 mill for Barnes. And then Mayo/Lou williams will probably command around 7-8, which means it would be more likely to do a trade. Elliot, cash, future picks, babbitt on a S&T. However, I believe Elliot can be a go to player if he can get healthy. So, that would leave us Kidd/Miller/Billups - 5 Kaman - 8 (13 mill) Barnes 2 mill (15 mill) Makes Nolan, Claver, Babbitt, expendable. Try to shed cap for Freeland, I guess... not really sure, But I think Kaman, and one of those PG's is attainable and VERY important.
Re: Now what? i.e. Free Agency I'd look at Omer Asik. The Bulls really want to keep him but with the new CBA they have to make A LOT of changes (Noah, Deng?) to make it work financially; they also want to sign Taj to a long-term deal as well. Omer is a young-ish vet (defensive minded) who can step in right away. A nice fit next to LMA.
