Will be released by the Lakers under the amnesty rule - would he be a viable option short-term at centre? His height (6-9) might be an issue given his knees don't allow him to be the shotblocking threat he's been in the past, but he is a terrific, experienced defender and rebounder, can hit the 12 footer and is a great locker room guy. Might be a bit of a stretch (would still prefer Dale Davis), but I don't want to see Pot starting there come opening night, or Nick played out of position too much. Discuss.
Grant would fit well in Seattle, he would bring them some needed defense with the departure or the Jerome James.
I love B. Grant, he's one of my favorite players in the NBA. I was living in Portland when he had that huge postseason, playing elbow-to-cheekbone with Malone for 6 or 7 games or whatever it was. But his aforementioned knees and playing as an undersized center have beat him down and I don't think he has much left in the tank. He seems to have problems finishing around the rim nowadays as well. But as a character guy you won't find anyone better; the local rag ran a story about him and this kid with cancer that lived about 30 miles South of Portland. Apparently the mother contacted the Blazers through official team channels, kind of like a 'Make-a-Wish' thing. So B. Grant goes down there and there's cameras and team reps and so forth and he makes his visit. Well the next weekend he goes back down on his own and hangs out with the kid. And the next weekend. And the next. Takes the kid places or sometimes just hanging out to play Playstation. Apparently took a real father/big brother figure as this kid went through his cancer treatments. B. Grant was huge in the community and then of course Whitsett ships him away for Shawn Kemp. That was the beginning of the end for the Blazers (well they made the Dale Davis for Jermaine O'Neal deal the same week ).
Assuming identical deals, I would rather just keep Vitaly I think. Grant is a decent player, but I don't think he would bring anything more than Pot would in similiar minutes - and with 3 extra years on those already suspect legs, his tank might hit empty sooner than Vitaly's. If its a two year deal, it might not make a difference though. At this point in time, I just see these two players as similiar in rebounding, defence, and would have to give the edge to Vitaly as far as being a scoring threat. At the end of the day, neither of these guys can play effectively in any sort of up-tempo offence, so their minutes will likely be limited anyways. Assuming one of these two (or DD) was signed, what do you guys see the C minute breakdown being this season...I'll give it a crack. Vet C - 12 Collison - 14 Fortson - 14 Swift - 8
No thanks. His best years are behind him and the last thing we need is another PF. Also, we need a guy that can post up and finish.. Grant can't do that anymore.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting M_Cage89:</div><div class="quote_post"> Assuming one of these two (or DD) was signed, what do you guys see the C minute breakdown being this season...I'll give it a crack. Vet C - 12 Collison - 14 Fortson - 14 Swift - 8</div> I reckon I would swap Swift and Nick there. Bobby has already indicated Swifty will be a part of the rotation, and I think you'll probably see him get up near the 15mpg mark, as an estimate. Nick spending 14mpg in the middle would either mean he's spending more time there than at the four, or he's playing 30+ mpg.