Your guess for who will be our starting center next year

If the plan is to just upgrade slightly on cost effective deals, I could see wither Joakim Noah or Roy Hibbert on this team next year.

I don't think FA really offers that much - as far as "gettable" players - so there looks to be 2 realistic options, lower tier FA reclamation projects such as Noah and Hibbert, or trading CJ for a big- whether it be Monroe, Okafor, Griffin, Love, Vucevic, etc. To me, those feel like the only real options that are out there.

 

The HCP.

Benefits: his name has no vowels, choke on that rice!
Sure he's short... and fat... but, he's slow!
The wife will be home alone even more!

Cons: we suck

 

actually LBJ did it first

 

Did you put upgrade and Roy Hibbert in the same sentence?

CJ is better than all those players (except Griffin.. maybe). I thought you were talking about upgrading?

 

Yeah I would rather go the lower end FA route than trade CJ for some of those options. The options from that list that are somewhat attractive, (i.e Griffin) will be just as difficult obtaining as signing a top FA IMO.

Watching the Warrior -Thunder series and how well Adams played......he (and the other centers) were still in the distant background when the games were on the line. I suspect the finals to be the same. So even though we need an upgrade in the front court.......we can't jeopardize our back court to do it.

 

And this is why we should match on Meyers/Crabbe/Harkless.

 

Reverse jinx.

 

Likely: Plumlee or Monroe
Hope: Whiteside
Darkhorse: Noel

 

Do you think the Pistons want to dump him? I'd think the Thunder might want to dump Kanter.

 

I don't know about their GM but the Bucks fanbase can't wait until they unload Momroe.

Poor fit and his contract is long-term. I think MIL would have to add their pick to move him.

 

Well, he decided to sign with the Bucks over us, so screw him. Let him rot in Milwauki.

 

Monroe's contract is only 2 more years, and MILs cap is in great shape - they're not going to dump him for nothing.

OKCs cap situation is more difficult, and they might give up an asset to dump Kanter off their cap - especially after Russ told the coach to take him out of a playoff game (and he played scant minutes the next game, too). Of course, that assumes KD resigns with them.

 

White side would be an absolute perfect addition to this team. We have max to offer, but so many other teams do as well.

 

He barely played at all in the remainder of Game 4 or Games 5, 6 and 7. I'm sure he wants out of OKC and they'll want to move him so they can offer KD and then Westbrook the max. Ironically, given the huge increases in the cap over the next two seasons, Kanter may actually end up being a bargain compared to what free agent big men are going to get this summer and next. He's making about $17.5 million a year for the next two years and has a player option at $18.6 millon in 2018-19 (who knows what the cap will be like by then).

He's not my first choice, or even my second or third, probably not even fourth, but he is better than what we have now. He's an extremely talented scorer and an elite rebounder. We know all about his defensive issues. Its not that he completely sucks at low post defense, but his pick and roll defense is atrocious.

Offensively, he'd be a perfect match with Meyers Leonard - Kanter down low and Meyers creating spacing. However, the two of them on the court together with Dame and C.J. might just be the worst pick and roll defense in the history of the world. For Kanter to work, you really need to pair him with a defensive stud power forward, and then let Meyers (assuming he's retained) play with Ed Davis on the second unit.

BNM

 

If we're going to get an offense/bad defense center, I'd much rather have Kanter than Monroe. Kanter is better in all facets of offense.

Kanter is a top 3 big man offensively, him Cousins and Lopez.

 

And he led the entire league in ORB%. His dense sucks, but he can score with the best of them and his offensive rebounding creates extra possessions for his team. Age wise, he fits well with Dame,. C.J. and the rest of our roster.

BNM

 

That might be the worst defensive lineup in history.

 

Keens head quarters in Portland...

 

Hard to say on Kanter. If OKC was quick to dump him after Utah did, that is not a great trend. I would really look into his locker room chemistry. I know there was no love lost with him and the Utah players. If it was bad in OKC as well.......I would not do it.

 

Good thing we don't play any!