I would go after Shawn Marion. Good locker room guy, versatile, solid defender and can score a little. Pierce is intriguing but I think he goes to a bigger market team like Miami or the Clippers. I would prefer Livingston to Mo at backup PG
To me backup PG, backup SF, and backup C are the biggest needs in one order or another. So with that said I go for the following guys (listed first is who I would approach first): PG: Livingston, Vasquez, Sessions, Harris SF: Ariza, Marion, Williams, Aminu C: Okafor, Hawes, O'Neal Tried to lean to more defensive players. If we want a good Center we are going to have to spend a lot though. Mo and Earl and one to two of Leonard, Wright or Crabbe or Claver is dealt for a pick so I think we have 3 new bodies next year. Hopefully 1 at each of those positions listed above.
If we can land Livingston, Marion and Okafor/O'Neal somehow...that would be great. I wonder if Olshey has any sort of relationship with Livingston? He was with the Clippers when Livingston was there...
I would LOVE to get Livingston, Okafor/O'Neal and Marion or Pierce. I think we should target Martell. He's making too much for a bench player and I think they'll throw a nice contract at Ariza. Maybe Dorell/Leonard for Martell. Dorell is on a much more manageable contract and he essentially does the same thing that Martell does. Here is a comparison of available point guards Chalmers has the best DRTG, but nothing great by any means. Sessions has the best assist% by far. Vasquez is the best shooter. I think Livingston is the best overall package though. I would love to sign him but I think it would take the full MLE. Sessions has bounced around a lot. I think I would offer him the BAE. Throw the full MLE at Pau and see if he bites. He said he wants to play on a contender. I think adding him to our bench would be fucking amazing. I'd offer him the max you could give a guy with the MLE. Martell Sessions Pau Dame/Sessions Wes/Barton/CJ Nic/Martell LA/Robinson Rolo/Pau Our bench would have a ton more firepower.
I like gasol as a player and as a guy but I'm not sure how he would fit here. Him and LA on the court at the same time might be cool offensively, but defensively it creates a problem because neither is a rim protector. It would also take minutes away from Robinson who I feel will take another leap next year.
Gasol is a smart player. He can play both front court positions. He'd be perfect because he can be plugged into a lot of situations. He's a winner. He has experience and I think he's beyond the point where he's going to bitch. The thing is, Robinson is going to run into problems eventually anyway. He's going to want to start at some point. That's inevitable. I hate to say it, but we're basically grooming Robinson as a trade piece.
I think eventually Robinson can see starters minutes in Portland...without technically starting. He fits well next to Aldridge in theory. He could eventually steal some of Lopez' minutes. I also don't like Aldridge playing 36 minutes a night. That could/should go down as well.
I don't see how he could get starter minutes. He's too short to play center and Aldridge has said again and again how he doesn't want to play center.
I am going to get blasted for even suggesting this but could Robinson progress enough next season that we sign and trade LMA next off-season?
I don't think so. I think Robinson could be a very good starter, but he's not really a star. I'm not even sure Robinson will ever achieve what Aldridge has, but LA is getting up there in age. He's going to be 29 in July. So he's at his peak right now. I think he has a game that will age well, but you can already see the athleticism leaving him. He can't really jump that well. Robinson would be a great replacement to groom, but I don't think he's going to want to wait five or six years.
I dont know but he said all that before Robinson was acquired. I just get the feeling that he likes playing with him.
I don't think LA likes to defend centers, but it's funny because he ended up defending Howard in the playoffs. I just think it takes a toll on him if he has to defend them over the course of a full season. Surprising enough, Robinson is actually strong enough and quick enough to defend most centers. He didn't do too badly on Howard when he was defending him, and I think Dwight was surprised how strong TRob really is.
