If Camby bolts where do we look? We really can't go forward and rely on the often injured Oden, at least not yet. Joel Przybilla's two surgeries were major and who knows how he'll return. I'm guessing a player not nearly as effective due to loss of overall athletic ability. Do we look at brining over Joel Freeland? At 6'11" 255 lbs., he has the size. Or do we look at the draft? Cole Aldrich looks like he could be a slipper, not to #19, but trading up into the mid-lotto for him doesn't seem like a stretch. Backup PG is also a big void. IMO, one of our best choices could be brining over Petteri Koponen.
Make a point to keep Camby. Use Camby and Oden. Backup PG is fine, imo, Bayless is just in a slump in which I think he will get out of, or at least improve next year. Think about all of the PG's that took a while to develop.
If we can convince Petko and/or Freeland to come over that might work, as for the draft maybe a guy like Hassan Whiteside, Solomon Alabi or Larry Sanders (guys in that forward/center mold) could be attainable/available. The trouble is, free agency comes after the draft and if you get a high pick center prospect does Camby take that as sign and look elsewhere? Best case scenario seems to be drafting BPA, resigning Camby, bringing Koponen over and working trades with Rudy, Bayless and/or Webster in combination with Joel's expiring deal to shore up wing depth or maybe acquiring an heir-apparent to Miller There's so many variables and scenarios right now -- too tough to project anything until we know what we've got in the draft.
I think he's fine as an attacking 'off-the-bench' scoring guard, but he's not a point guard and has shown almost no signs of becoming one any time soon. And while it's true that point guards take a while to develop, almost all of them were able to run an offense in college or whatever level they played at before going to the NBA, the only notable exception I can think of is Chauncey Billups.
These centers, with the exception to Sanders, are projects and aren't ready to contribute. Cole is a player, IMO, that could play 20+ min. on a playoff team right away. He's the only Center in this draft that could help us.
Living in KU country, even hardcore KU fans all agree that, aside from being a good shotblocker at the college level, Aldrich doesn't have much to offer offensively. I mean, he is pretty challenged in the paint for the most part, and if you thought Camby's jump shot release was nuts, Aldrich makes his look like MJ's. Aldrich=Thabeet 2010.
I agree, but Aldrich seems like 'a bridge too far' (likely) in the top ten. I wouldn't make trades to acquire the center prospects I mentioned, but if they are there when we draft at 19 (or whatever) I think you take them, assuming they're near the top of your draft board.
Thabeet has no basketball IQ. It's truly on a Ha Seung-jin level. Cole will be a rebounder/shot blocker in the NBA, like a Przybilla-type.
Sure ... but what do you do with him? He's looking more and more like a square peg in a round hole to me.
That's exactly what he is. I would probably put JB/Rudy/Webster on the block to fill the backup PG and C void.
If Camby is for certain leaving, I would try to S&T him to wherever he wants to go, NY, OKC, etc. for the TPE. Say he gets 3 years, 21 million, we'd net a nice roughly 7 million dollar TPE to use. Free cap space. Almost like getting 2 MLE's to use. The target is the trickier part. He adds so much of sa veteran presence, that Freeland or Aldrich isn't going to replace what he brings. A lot would also depend on Joel's prognosis. Maybe sign Shaq for the MLE, or portion of.
First off I doubt Camby leaves. He has said that he would like to end his career in Portland and the Blazers are not stingy, so my guess is that an agreement will be made. But if for some reason we lose Camby, we just try all we can to get another quality big and hope beyond hope that Oden has a healthy year. I would take a look at Freeland, who I think will actually have a better fit in the NBA game than in Europe. But I doubt that any rook that we would likely be able to get without major pieces leaving will be a crappy band-aid.
Step 1: Get Oden healthy and rehabbed Step 2: Offer Camby decent $$ / years If Camby doesn't re-sign with us - get best available player with our MLE. Step 3: Package anyone not named Oden, Aldridge, Roy, or Batum for a super sub player (i.e. Crawford for Atlanta type or Monta Ellis)
