Yeah, but that's what I was getting at - Haslem knows HOW to play. Freeland doesn't. I know you were asking for Freeland do do what Haslem is doing NOW, not yesteryear. But it's still asking QUITE a lot because Haslem really understands what to do when he's on the floor. Though again - I have seen signs of intelligence from Freeland. So it's not far-fetched to think that he could eventually become a solid player like today's Haslem - and that's far better than I ever thought Freeland would be. But he's first got to learn the NBA game before he can apply his instincts consistently.
Haslem was great but it seems his skills have left him. I would hope for more than Freeland than that. (This year's Haslem not in general of course) http://www.basketball-reference.com...m=0&p1=hasleud01&y1=2013&p2=freeljo01&y2=2013
much rather make a roster cut and start giving 10-day contracts, try a guy like Hassan Whiteside who is buried on a Rio Grande team with two other C's
We are talking about improving this off-season in general. Have you chimed in with what you would like to see Mick?
I'd like basically an entire new bench. Keep Leonard of course, move him into the starting lineup unless we upgrade that position. We need to look at the draft. Going after Smith would be a monumental mistake.
Agreed on Smith, I doubt he would come anyways though. So spend basically all Free-Agent dollars on bench instead of trying to get a stud (that may or may not happen)?
Bolster the bench through draft and MLE. Of course, getting rid of Aldridge would snag us some depth too.
That's the route I would go. We could get a defensive center that can play starter minutes and be fine. Leonard can be the offensive center (in time of course); then try and grab a bench scorer like Reddick or YUCK Mayo; something of that caliber. Then use whatever we have left to grab a defensive bench player and a vet that can fill some void.
Which is why I said "I wish". Our bench has about as much value as a box of chocolates and that's debatable.
Back to the the main topic of the thread for a sec. I can't wait for the upcoming offseason and seeing what Olshey can pull out of his sleeve. His first draft was a homerun, going to be a grand slam once Leonard pans out. Barton was a 2nd round steal and should keep him on the bench moving forward. Olshey knows what he's doing. He convinced freaking Donald Sterling to spend money. If a GM can do that, he has his shit together and can sell anything.
Too much of a headache. Not worth the hassle. Talented, but will always be more stupid than he is talented.
I'm going to give you this just because I like you. http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=a26erpn
Trade.hickson for whatever assets you can get. Spread the cap space among 3 to 4 good free agents. Dont overspend on guys. So many decent guys that can play. You can probably sign a guy like Matt Barnes to a $3 million a year deal. Boobie Gibson for $3 million a year and then throw 5-6 million a year at Landry, or keep hickson and still go after a boobie and Barnes type
Assuming a salary cap of 60 million, teams with more than MLE(5 million) of cap space: Atlanta:42 million Charlotte: 16 million Cleveland:28 million Dallas: 18 million Detroit: 24 million Houston:20 million Indiana: 12 million LAC: 18 million Milwaukee: 19 million Minnesota: 6 million NO: 27 million Orlando: 11 million Philadelphia: 16 million Phoenix: 20 million Portland: 17 million Sacramento: 10 million SA: 22 million Toronto: 7 million Utah: 35 million Numbers aren't entirely accurate, as they just represent the difference between the cap, and the player salaries on the books. It doesn't reflect cap holds on current players and also roster charges for being below minimum # of players. Cap holds all but eliminates cap space for a few teams that seem likely to re-sign their current players, like Philly with Bynum, Minnesota with Pekovic.
