We could always pull a dick move and NOT sign Kaman on July 10th. Of course, that would kill our credibility with the players, but it's not like we had much to begin with in this veritable waste land that is Portland, Oregon.
You have a point but another point, I like centers who make free throws and Rolo is money. Hack a Hibbert in the playoffs would be a real drag to watch. Like I said, it's a tough call
Like most folks, I think he was horrible in the playoffs. Who knows what the reasons are but he was a no show in the finals. That's a serious red flag for me but it is tempting to see if he'd bring it if he came to Portland. He's made no secret he loves the Blazers
But he was a legitimate star up until the second half of last season. Don't you think that's strange? Something happened on that team, and Hibbert wasn't the only one affected. The whole team crumbled. They barely got past the Hawks. They barely got past the Wizards. There was a serious meltdown somewhere around the All-Star break, and Hibbert was the most obvious casualty of that. I think he needs a change of scenery.
Imagine how much Aldridge helped Lopez propel into a good center. Now add Hibbert and something very special could happen. Do what ever it takes to get Hibbert. I don't give a shit how badly he played in the playoffs. The dude would be a beast!
Plus, sometimes you have to roll the dice to win big. Look at the Bulls with Dennis Rodman. The guy was a huge headcase, but they banked on Jordan, Pippen, and Phil reigning him in. It paid off.
I think Hibbert would fit well here with the whole "us against the world"/underdogs mentality. Lots of teams would take a risk on him, but if they want to send him west I'm not sure who we'd be up against. The suns, lots of assets/draft picks, but can't send Indiana a proficient big for their current window. Mavs could send Chandler, but Lopez is probably on par/better and a more long-term fit for them. Oklahoma City wouldn't give up Ibaka, even though KD & Hibbert would be nasty. Warriors - probably the biggest competition if they want to give up Bogut, but he is on the older side and injury prone. Lakers - nothing to give up and they shouldn't stay bad too long, their draft picks will never be worth much. Clippers - Maybe a Deandre Jordan swap would make sense, but Hibbert definitely would slow them down. Doc also loves Jordan supposedly. Kings - not sure they want to trade one head case for another. Boogie can score though. Honestly, I think a Lopez & Freeland or Wright & 1st is as good as they can get at this point. And it would clear plenty of room for them to sign Stephensen.
Totally agree. You take a chance he shifts back to being the best defensive center in basketball. It's not a HUGE risk. I really like rolo. Mentioned him a ton last offseason as a target, but I think Hibbert would give us that enough of an upgrade to make us contenders, IMO.
Fonz: How do you figure? What is Indiana really going to get for him? I don't think any teams will send stars and they aren't going to want projects b/c they're in win-now mode. The best I could see is getting Bogut from the Warriors.
This is a pretty solid proposal. I'd be in favor of it, if it were available. The Pacers have to find a way to keep their general dynamic alive while still picking up a bit of flexibility and simply paying all of their starting five huge salaries locks them into "good enough to top out in the ECF until better competition comes along." That's not a great tag line for an era. Obviously, Rolo doesn't push them higher, but it's the kind of decent creative move that could enable further creative moves.
