The one player on the list that can instantly make players on te 2nd unit better is Livingston. Great play maker can play and create shots for Lillard. If not Livingston then i want a good back up power forward. I personally think Barton will have a bigger role next year.
I'm still clinging to hope that we can somehow get Luol Deng. Now, he/his agent should be thinking right now of at least $10M a year, so why the hell should he even consider a MLE? Answer: because it's a bad year to be a FA SF not called Lebron or Carmelo. Who's going to view Deng as their first target? Especially after the shitshow that was the Cavaliers last year. I think if somebody went ALL OUT and showed up at his door at 12:01 with a big slideshow (or with the trainer holding a sign saying "Welcome to Portland") it could maybe make a difference? And could we give him an opt out, a la Mo, so he can hit the market again next year when the pickings are slimmer? Maybe I'm deluding myself. But who's going to go after him who can offer him what he thinks he's worth? In the likely event that that really is a pipe dream, an alternative would be (prepare for sacrilege) Trevor Ariza. He was arguably Washington's second most important player last year, but they've got a ton of SFs, including Porter, the #3 pick last year, so they might not want to break the bank to keep him. Hey, and now everyone here has decided they hate Rudy, maybe they'll welcome the guy who practically drove him from the NBA.
I really like Frye, and the reason is that I think he can fill the LMA role while TRob works in the paint. Plus we know Channing loves it here.
Its like you are starting these threads to piss me off. Cole Aldrich? Isaiah Thomas? Seriously, can you not find anyone who can defend?
Thomas would fit the "spark plug" role perfectly, but I don't think he would really work well next to Dame.
I want him here for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtQXUWcKFXc With Lillard that would be deadly! Lane wide open to drive, Frye pick n pop for three on one side, Robinson pick n roll on the other, yes please! Plus, I think he'd pair well with Robinson by playing C on defense and stretch 4 on offense (allowing Robinson to pick n roll - which he should be great at long term w/his athleticism; and to crash the boards) and pair decent with Aldridge. I wouldn't want to play him w/Lopez much, that would be terrible perimeter D. I think we could kind of make two units out of the team (other than starters). Dame/Barton/Matthews/Robinson/Frye - enough ball handling out there next to Dame in Barton, 3 shooters, and some fast break opportunities. Batum/McCollum/Matthews/Aldridge/Lopez - Batum can kind of run the offense, which would revolve around Aldridge and Batum p'n'r with Lopez. Obviously Matthews isn't playing 48 but that would be a solid 9 man rotation I think.
I was being sarcastic. Just thought it was funny you decided to like the midrange jumper for Thomas... when I've read many posts that says the opposite about Aldridge. Would love to see stats to back that up because logically that's pretty invalid. It's either a good shot for all, or it's not a good shot for anyone. A tougher shot is always a guard having to dribble off of a p&r regain balance and shoot the mid range 15-20ft jumper while a defender recovers. They're not in a catch and shoot situation like most PF's are off of the pick & pop. Not to mention 99.99% of the time a Big man shooting a 15-20ft jumper doesn't have a defender behind him trying to recover... It has a defender trying to close out on a 6"9+ jump shooter who is on balance in a catch and shoot situation.(see nene/ibaka/Aldridge/lee to list a few) I bet if I could find the stats it would back my hypothesis up in a catch and shoot situation for a big man shooting a higher % than a guard does from 2 in a p&r situation or when one creates their own shot.
I had to bump this after looking at what he has done so far in his bench role and he's an absolute steal for a contract just a tad over the MLE. 23 PER 60 TS% 16 PPG - nearly 40% from three. The role he's playing - a pure gunner off the bench - is something I hope CJ can turn into.
15 pts, 5 asts, 1.7stls, 17.5 PER He's also a good defender and while cold right now, a good 3pt shooter. He signed a 2-year deal worth ~$8M. Fucking steal for Miami.
