True, but you can always accommodate Stepien by saying "next available". Or you can include option to swap picks rather than a straight up pick transfer.
on paper, perhaps But the thing about D12 is this- beyond the diva issues and general fit- he's going to cost a fortune. He's a 10 year vet with nearly every qualifier and he's angling for a max deal. That max deal will START at $25m per year. That just destroys cap space- and with all the other strings attached he's just not worth it to me. I don't disagree that the Blazers need a big- that's what they need to address (and talk about in the podcast this week- shameless plug). But I would rather see them target someone like John Henson- a rim protecting big that doesn't NEED the ball. There's only 3 bigs in the league who I would be willing to run my offense thru and that's Boogie, KAT, and AD. If it's not one of those guys, I'd rather try to fill that spot with a defensive minded player who ticks all the boxes and can finish a lob/hit free throws. Then address the SF/PF position for the potential 3rd player of a big 3. That's my 2 cents anyway.
So, an article in which Dwight says that he wasn't demanding the ball in the playoffs 2 years ago is evidence that he currently demands to be force-fed? Yeah, not buying it.
Didn't say it would be, and that's actually questionable as to how numerous the suitors will be considering the likelihood of an opt-out. But that's not really the discussion at hand. The main question is not "what would it take to get him?", so much as, "if we could get him, would we want him?" The general consensus in this thread amongst those interested in the possibility is that it would have to be a sweetheart of a deal.
I too wonder what exactly Dwight's market looks like right now. How many teams are even in position both financially and positionally to acquire him?
@MyMikeCheck: Knicks, Mavericks and Blazers would seem somewhat ideal landing spots for Dwight Howard. But can't see Cuban/Morey working together. Espn reporter
If the price is ridiculously low on Howard, sure- kick the tires and see if it works. As for the PnR- DeAndre Jordan can't hit a shot to save his life- he's still lethal rolling to the rim. Imagine if bigs couldn't hedge on deep PnRs b/c the threat of Howard is so big. That's the thing that has me interested in him at all- and if he wasn't willing to run it w/the best PnR Point God of all time, then yeah - that makes me question the fit. When you factor that in with all the other stuff- it makes me less and less interested. The force fed thing is straight from Howard saying he wants more touches. Explicitly. The last few months he's quieted down- but previously he's wanted to be a bigger part of the offense. When you already have Dame and CJ- feeding it inside to a guy demanding touches seems like a deviation they don't want to make, but I could be wrong.
I don't think me being forced to root for Dwight Howard to succeed could be considered "very little downside." Just sayin'.
Google: Dwight Howard demands ball, more of a role, bigger role, etc There's a TON of articles out there where he's said as much pretty much since his last year in ORL. I found some from 2012 all the way up to APR of this year. (I'm not saying it to be a jerk- there's just a ton of examples)
Not a huge Dwight fan, but still, many are ignoring some obvious facts: 1) Dwight would immediately become our best shot blocker - by A LOT. 2) Dwight would immediately become our best drive-and-dish finisher - by A LOT. 2) Dwight would immediately become our best rebounder - by A LOT. 4) Dwight would immediately become our team defender. 5) He'd be expensive, but you can't get something for nothing, period.
Ha I like that angle. Lets not trade for him because we can sign him for a cheaper contract. I don't necessarily disagree.
Actually it was Jerome, Tracy Murray, Dave Johnson and Reggie Smith (Remember him? Yeah, me neither....) in 1993. That was an interesting situation.....
