Not really. The Scottie Pippen trade was definitely a blockbuster. What good player did we lose in that deal?
When did he say this? Did he say this in the same conversation when Barrett said there would be a trade, or is this from a different time? Did he say it as one privy to inside information, or as someone speculating out of his ass? Not necessarily. You're assuming this would be a starter, but we picked up Rudy when we already have Roy, and nobody questioned that move. I'm not sure I understand this reasoning. Are you saying that there are no PFSS PGs out there that are (a) available and (b) better than what we've got? ...like Jamison or Kirilenko!
Yes, which is the point. I see Batum as our SF of the future (with Martell as the backup) because he will be Tayshaun Prince with better offense, whereas when we're giving minutes to Ike Diogu at backup PF, we're in trouble. That's a very good point. I just wonder how they'll react to Boozer's announcement that he'll opt out (which Larry Miller referred to as "the stupidest thing he'd ever heard" - not likely to warm Boozer to Utah). I think they're only happy to keep a high-paid non-star like Kirilenko if they can see him as a glue player on a contender. But if Boozer leaves, they'll likely stick with Millsap but want more scoring from other positions, which Outlaw/Webster could give them. Also, I see them wanting to dump salary. Isn't the owner a car dealer? Not a happy time for them...
This was said at the tail end of the courtside broadcast from this past week, and when the topic was brought up, the other two guys in studio started shushing Barrett in a "don't let the cat out of the bag, 'cause we'll get in trouble" kind of way. Why on earth would KP make a "big" move for a backup using Raef's expiring deal?
Ha, you mirrored my thoughts reading the original post pretty closely. To recap: When he said "former" All-Star, who knows what Rice really meant. Could mean a player that was on the team last year, but has no shot of making it this season. I would not exclude Over 30 "former" All-Stars, as getting a vet at the end of their career, who has a big contract that will expire in a couple years, is just extending the time-frame for hanging on to Raef's expiring. Getting the under 30 all-star is ideal, but may not be available. In which case, certain 30+ vets would be worth an experiment, with little to lose but RLEC. And, finally, I would not get too hung up on position. Many of the best players can play two positions passably well. Now a 4, could slide to 3, in the Mook example of Lewis. And, if we trade for a "former" all-star, it may be they are a 6th Man. Kinda like Antwan Jamison was for a successful Dallas team a few years back.
Butler would fit the bill more than Jamison or Kirilenko, IMO. He's a versatile defender that can play a pseudo point forward role while easing some pressure off of our guards. He would complement Roy and eventually Bayless fairly well while not taking much away from them. Washington has been dreadful this year and might be looking to re-tool. However, things are going to get nasty in Utah and they might want to clear out some space. OR, it could just mean that we're going after Jamaal Magloire. I hear that he's pretty good.
Remember when we acquired Brian Grant? We already had Rasheed. Or when we acquired Danny Ainge, when we had Porter and Drexler? Or when we acquired Strickland when we already had Porter? As the Lakers are demonstrating with Odom and the Jazz with Kirilenko, sometimes it makes more sense to have your third best player come off the bench. If you start five all-stars but have dregs on the bench you're not maximizing your talent.
Caron Butler, Gerald Wallace, Antawn Jamison, Shawn Marion, Andre Kirilenko....any of these guys would be a massive upgrade over our current SF position. Of course, I'd want some assurance if it were Marion that he had intentions on re-signing here. Still, I can't help but think about years past when we had expiring contracts in guys like Stoudamire, Sabonis, Rahim and Pippen, and how there was a lot of speculation and little actual results. The only time in recent memory we actually did trade a big expiring contract was with Rasheed, and he was still a damned good player. I know we were a lot worse team back then with a lot less promise, but still. I'll only really start believing it's going to happen after there are some specific names mentioned in the media.
I was talking about RICE saying it would be a player 28 or younger, not Barrett saying there'd be a trade.
I was just about to say that all our prior complacency with expiring contracts did not occur during KP's tenure until I remembered about Magloire. KP could have gotten something for his contract after showcasing him during the first half of the season that year. Either way, the point I'm getting at is that KP does not make mid-season moves (or, atleast he hasn't in the past). Even in today's article on NBA.com, KP said: "It's more important that we got the ingredients. Now we're sticking it in the oven and we're letting it bake. Let's see what comes out and when it comes out if it's what we like, great, if it's not then we can make some adjustments. Right now we got to bake." This seems highly unlikely to me.
Grant played around 32 minutes a game his first two season with the team, so it's not like he was a true backup. Secondly, Ainge was brought in as one of the finishing touches for a complete roster that was in the midst of contending for a title; our current roster is still pretty much a work in progress, with the point guard and small forward positions anything but set in stone. I agree that sometimes it's a good idea to have a superior player come off the bench to provide scoring pop, but with as much promise as Batum holds I still see the small forward position being unsettled with this team.
Two of those three guys were free agents. We didn't have to make a big deal to get them. Ainge was an upgrade, it was thought, over Drazen, but I don't think it was considered a big deal at the time. I am not opposed to strengthening our bench, but we have a lot of similar talents. If we're going to move the RLEC we should be looking to add a guy who's our 3rd- or 4th-best player, if at all possible, rather than adding more depth to the bench. Ed O.
From that list i would agree with Caron Butler as the best possibility. As for Kirilenko......no way. The Jazz hate the Blazer organization and would never give us Andre. And as stated above they would rather let Boozer walk. Okur is no guarantee to stay either. They need Kirilenko's toughness.
