I'm not giving you that video to watch so you can see if he's good, or not. Just showing you that he's not a soft Euro.
I was thinking more Carl Herrera with Pete Chilcutts post moves, Mookie Blaylock's determinations and John Crotty's charm.
Question. Since he is a former first-round pick, does the new CBA still say Freeland is slotted into pay based on his draft position? I ask because Rudy Fernandez basically pissed away four years of big dollars in Europe to play on a late first-round rookie deal in the NBA. Rudy is buried on Denver's bench at this point, and is a 32% 3-point shooting "specialist". He was a scratch tonight because of his back, fwiw. Fucking Trevor Ariza.
I don't have it in me to slog through Larry Coon's FAQ (I'll leave that to more inquiring minds) but I seem to remember some provision about players staying away for a certain number of years and the requirement of the rookie salary scale going away. This is probably wrong, but I've been under the impression that he's eligible for a salary up to the MLE.
Portland really needs another competant big man to play next to LA. Camby can't play forever. Camby's contract is expiring, and I wonder if he's going to go ring chasing, or if he'll decide to hang it up after this year.
Yep, the best part about getting Freeland is he won't cost us anything (other than salary) at this point. That frees up our other assets (draft picks, expiring contracts, etc.) to use on trying to find an answer at PG. Even Freeland's salary won't have as much impact as if we gave the same money on a free agent. Since we hold his rights, if we don't sign him he will count as a cap hold of around $1 million. So, it's almost like his contract comes with a groupon for $1 million off his annual salary. BNM
Great to hear. We know what the downside of a soft euro can be, but upside for Freeland is our Kevin Love type player.
Well, I think that's a bit too optimistic. Love is already a two time all-star - and he DEFINITELY deserves it this year. I'd be happy if Freeland can become a serviceable back-up 4/5, and maybe some day a starter. If we can hang onto Camby for another year, I'd like to see what a 3-man rotation of Camby, Aldridge and Freeland looks like at the 4/5. If Freeland works out, perhaps a future starting front court of Aldridge at the 5 and Freeland at the 4 with a young stud backing up both spots. The upcoming draft is very deep at the 4/5 spots. If there isn't a viable PGotF when we pick, I think a solid 4/5 would be my next choice. As we all know, you can never have too many healthy bigs on your roster. But, that's my expected upside for Freeland - solid back-up and potential future starter. If he can be that, he will have been worth the pick and worth the wait. I just don't see him as all-star potential. BNM
Yes, it's taken him years to get to this point. A future NBA all-star would have progressed faster against Euro competion. A good backup is all I hope for, though I won't complain if he exceeds that and is a barely-adequate starter after a few years.
Actually, he's progressed surprisingly quickly given he didn't take up the game until his late teens. He was originally a soccer player, then a grocery bagger and finally a basketball player. Still expecting anyone picked with the last pick of the first round to be all-star material is a bit unrealistic, especially a raw project like Freeland. In terms of his basketball pedigree and early development, he's the anti-Kevin Love. BNM
