We have three SFs already, all of which are good to very good at particular things: Martell: shooting Travis: getting his own shot Batum: defense, all round BBall IQ. Could be a rich man's Ariza. What does Turkoglu give us that is so damn necessary? Meanwhile, we have big holes at PG and backup PF. I would much rather target Kidd or Odom, both of whom are better than Turkoglu at just about every quantifiable measure.
Surely. But what I am saying is the Blazers cannot expect him to be a spot up shooter who stands around watching Roy. He is not good that way. He has to handle the ball, and that is not a bad thing, as I have felt for a long time we need somebody to take the load off of Roy, and somebody that can be out on the floor when Roy is out who can handle that pressure. The thing is, in Orlando, Hedo was that guy that Roy is for the most part. Rashard Lewis was his jump shooting pressure outlet. If it happens, I just hope it works. I just dont' see it happening. Here is why: I don't think Orlando is going to move Hedo. When Shaq went to Cleveland, they didn't solve all the problems that caused them to lose that series. One of those problems, was their inability to match up to the size that Orlando had on the perimeter. By bringing in Vince Carter, and keeping Turkoglu (yes, going over the cap) you make that problem even more pronounced for Cleveland.
I hope it's a deal that starts out big but decreases. Maybe start out big at $11-$12 mil/per with it ending, over four years, at around 8 million.
Hedo is clutch, yes. But what about the other 25 minutes per game of an 82 game schedule and in the Playoffs for the next three to five years. If we waste our dollars on him, I'll be very disappointed. I'd much rather use our money and assets on Gerald Wallace, Luol Deng, Ron Artest, or Trevor Ariza if we're adding a SF.
Toronto's much more focused on re-signing Marion. If they get that done (and our front office seems optimistic), then they'll have only the MLE left which won't be enough to field a competitive offer for Hedo. I suppose if they have to sign-and-trade Marion, they could use the resulting capspace to offer something to Hedo. But, I consider it unlikely. It's looking more and more like you guys will be bidding against yourself.
I think they view Hedo as a legit third option and another player who can handle the ball and create. I like Artest and I would imagine he's plan-B after Hedo.
I think Ariza is a MUCH better fit w/ our team than Turk and will cost less, PLUS take away from a rival. I say go w/ the Rudy Stopper (too soon?) over Hedu 8 days a week.
They have no say in the matter whatsoever. Hedo opted out and is a free agent. They traded for Carter. Hedo will not be in Orlando this year for sure. Even if Carter played SG, Lewis makes sooooooo much money he is the starting SF. Is Hedo going to play PF?????? Not a chance. With Dwights, Lewis's and Vinces contract they cant afford to keep Hedo and pay him the money he is looking for. Besides there is no place for him to play.
Wallace: like him a lot but worry about his back. Every year he always is missing time because of injuries. Deng: no thanks. big contract and not the same player he was prior to his injuries Artest: I'd be all about that. Has seemed to mature by leaps and bounds. Highly complimentative of Roy and our team in the playoffs. Unbelievably tough, gritty defender. Would work the best in our system IMO. Ariza: good, solid player but honestly think his game is to similar to Batums. I think he works better in the Lakers system then in ours. Kobe like Jordan tend to make players look much better then they are (and no I'm not saying he is good just don't expect the kind of production from him that you see him do with the Lakers).
Oh really? They can't resign him for as much as they want? Did they somehow just change the NBA rules or something? They have bird rights on him man. They can sign him and go over the cap if they want.
Only because he or Turk could not play SG. With Lee out - they will move him to SF (where he belongs) and Carter will play SG. So they can either re-sign Gortat and play him as PF next to D-12 or...? Who knows.
Ok, sorry forgot. He played SF in Seattle. But nonetheless you can agree with me that they will not be paying him big bucks since they already have 3 players making max or near max money. Their GM said as much.
I know they can do whatever they want. I'm not disputing that. What I am disputing is that they said their GM said that they would not do that. Orlando is one of the teams that does not want to pay luxury tax. Trading for Carter to me signals the the writing is on the wall for Hedo IMO. Thats all.
And this is what I was basing my opinion on. Magic General Manager Otis Smith told the Sentinel that he made Turkoglu a "decent" initial offer before receiving Turkoglu's official letter this week notifying the team he had opted out of his contract. Smith didn't go into details, but said that Thursday's acquisition of Carter — an eight-time all-star — will make re-signing Turkoglu something of a long-shot. "It would be hard," Smith said.
Artest is the guy I want as well. If we want a tough, defensive veteran, he fits the bill perfectly. Sure he's a wack-job, but I think he'd fit well here under Nate. If we could upgrade the PG and get Artest we'd be pretty scary next year.
I would love to get Hedo (I think he would bring a vet presence and fit right in with core group). But then what do the Blazer do about the PG position if they burn all their free agent money on Hedo?
