Here's what Hedo would've brought: * The ability to break down a defense from somebody other than Roy * Actual advanced basketball skills: basketball as a team game, rather than simple jumping and shooting * A height mis-match * The ability to get Oden more involved * Advanced pick&roll ability * Veteran coolth under pressure All of this without demanding too many shots or necessarily hogging the ball. At least, that's what I told myself when I thought we were getting him. We need those things. We are short on basketball skills, which is one reason it makes sense for Nate to play such a conservative offensive style. I was really hoping with Hedo that we could have opened up more and played more flowing BBall. Gone are those happy dreams. BUT: if we are to sign a FA, he must at a minimum have most of those. That's why Lamar Odom would be my next choice. It's also why I am depressed to hear the following names being floated around: Shawn Marion - very limited basketball skills, at least on offense, and far from a leader David Lee - again, not somebody who's going to help get Oden involved or make the offense run smoother Andre Miller - at one time I was leading the charge for him, but I think he's a bit of a ball-stopper. The only good thing about him is that he's useless unless you run, so getting him would FORCE Nate to run. Marvin Williams - very Outlaw-esque. PF ballhandling in a SF body. I'm wracking my brains for who would be a guy who would bring most of what I thought Hedo would bring but (unlike Odom, who is not going to leave LA unless they kick him out, and they won't) might actually come here. Josh Childress? Is he any better than Batum? The answer might simply be to give players like Batum and Rudy more free rein. Let them create a bit. I think Batum has latent Hedo-esque skills, almost certainly as much as a 20-year-old Hedo did. (And maybe Claver too.) I also wonder about some Euro guys. Big multi-skilled players are popular over there. Theo Papoloukas is a giant of international ball, and a major reason the Greeks beat the pre-Redeem Team USA team. He's basically a 6'7" PG and a real leader everywhere he's gone. Not a scorer really, but can when necessary. But he's 32 and may not be interested, even for the money we've got (and spending it on him would be a huge risk). I also like Pablo Prigioni, as I've said, who is a 6'2" version of same, the starting PG on the Argentine national team. But also 32, and I've heard nothing to suggest he'd come over. Anybody got any outside the box ideas? I'd much rather do nothing than sign Shawn fucking Marion...
Honestly it all points to getting a guy that is 30 or older at this point. Jason Kidd and Steve Nash are not looking too bad right now.
I really think we could probably get Steve Nash for Blake and Bayless (and absorbing the cap space). The trick would be getting a young backup point for him to tutor. My vote would be on Rubio or Mike Conley Jr, if MEM signs AI I'm thinking we could likely get Conley Jr for just Outlaw. Nash/Conley Roy/Fernandez Batum/Webster Aldridge/Cunningham Oden/Pryzbilla and maybe trade for Kurt Thomas for a cheap 2nd rounder or something, wherever he just got traded has no use for him.
You make some good points. We can get a good free agent, but will he really make a difference from what we have. A back up PF really does not make a HUGE difference althoght we still need one. I think Bayless is the key. So I think they may have to wait until after summer league to see how he has progressed. Not only from a PG perspective but from a SF perspective too. We don't need an attacking SF as much if Bayless is ready to contribute. He would then give us that "third guy". They could get Sessions if they wanted to over pay him. But is that wise if Bayless looks good? I don't think so. Turk would have been a good addition. But right now I don't know which direction to go in. Ideally Bayless starts and Blake is a back up for then next 3 years. Ideally.......
Tayshaun Prince fills pretty much all those roles. Trade Joel + TO for Prince and Maxiell. Sign David Lee. Call it a summer.
You really need to give up on David Lee. He doesn't fit here and we don't need our highest paid player to be a backup playing 15mpg.
Did you see that I traded Joel? Lee, much like Odom in LA, would be our third big in the PF/C rotation.
No way we trade Joel. He is the only thing that kept people from really freaking out on Oden last year. Could you imagine if our only other true center was a S. Hill type player?
Why sign Lee if you add Maxiell? PG Bayless/Blake/Mills SG Roy/Rudy/Bayless SF Prince/Batum/Roy PF LMA/Maxiell/Cunningham C Oden/LMA/Pendergraph I don't see a need for Lee in that lineup.
Well, for one thing I don't think Maxiell is very good. And Lee would (IMO) be a more impactful player in that rotation than any PG we could find.
Yeah, but I thought you also were bringing in Maxiell to play backup center. I think Detroit values him, so expecting him to be a throw-in isn't likely. Either way, why would we want our highest paid player to be a backup?
Any of those, imo. And a Prince/Battier type at SF and that would be a phenominal summer. I'd also be cool with just gettin' a nice vet SF if we are sure Bayless has improved (which i'm sure he has) and is our guy.
I would love to make a trade w/ Houston for Battier, Brooks, Landry though. But I agree that Brooks isn't all that great, and probably shouldn't be on that list. But I think he is only going to get better and really stepped it up in the playoffs. Having a quick guard like that that can really shoot and spread the ball around would be nice, imo.
"Harris, Paul, Williams, Parker, Billups, Rose, Westbrook, Ellis, Sessions, Stuckey, Rondo, Brooks, Rubio: Yeah too bad only one of them is a free agent. So I guess we all agree that we don't want any of the free agents afterall, and a trade is the only way to go anyway.
Westbrook is an interesting choice. Would OKC be willing to trade him? I think they are more likely to give up on Green then Westbrook. I actually think Rondo is more likely. In this trade Joel is NOT being traded. Joel + Trade Exception = Capspace. The trade is Rudy, Outlaw, Webster and Bayless for Rondo and Ray Allen. Celtics: Pros: Get rid of PG you are complaining about and albatross contract. Pick up rejuvenating young talent in Rudy to replace Allen and Outlaw to back up Pierce. Get a potentially very talented PG in Bayless to replace Rondo. Cons: lose Ray's experience and Rondo Portland Pros: You get your starting PG of the future and a great back up SG to play behind Roy or when Roy plays SF. Cons: Giving up depth and taking on Allen's contract. Gambling that Rondo is a fit in the locker room. You then follow it up with this trade Joel Przybilla to Houston for Battier and Chuck Hayes. (Shavlik = Capspace proxy). Lineup: PG Rondo/Blake/Mills SG Roy/Allen/Battier SF Battier/Batum/Roy PF LMA/Hayes/Cunningham C Oden/LMA/Pendergraph The defense of that starting lineup would be suffocating and the second unit would hold it's own. You could use more firepower in the second unit but it's worth it to have such an incredible starting 5.
LMA would be a find backup center with Hayes or Landry at PF. The problem last year when LMA played center (Oden and Przybilla had fouls) was that Frye or Outlaw would be the PF = absolutely NO rebounding. If LMA could count on Hayes and Landry to help him with defense and the boards he would be a mid-tier center and mostly we would only need him against second string guys. Having Joel is great but not at the expense of gain depth, rebounding and defense at backup PF (Hayes or Landry) and veteran experience, leadership and clutch scoring at SF (Battier). The more I've thought about it the more convinced I am we need to be talking to Houston.
How about top Lithuanian Ramunas Siskauskas? Or Greek PG Dimitris Diamantidis? (It would be fitting to turn to a Greek after being spurned by a Turk...)
