I still want another big man. In fact I might prefer targeting Landry instead of Crawford. I have more concern about Kurt Thomas and Chris Johnson being our primary backup bigmen then Smith/Armon/Williams at guard. I’d love to get Crawford on a one year deal though; I would probably lean in that direction if Landry insists on a max 4 year MLE which he probably would. Would Crawford really take just a 1 year deal? I don't see why he'd expect to do better next off-season.
Another thing not mentioned is that you can only use the "Big" MLE every other year, iirc. So if we use it (either on Landry--man, I hope not) or to 1yr/5M Crawford, then we can't use it in the "Free Agent Circus of 2012!" Maybe that's a blessing in disguise.
Sadly yes. The defense over there stinks. I just want to see Batum develop some sort of handle to take opposing players off the dribble. I hope Euroleague helped him in that aspect of the game.
I'm NOT sure. I haven't seen the as-agreed-upon final version of the CBA yet, or even Storyteller's or Coon's summary of it. But that was the version I read that sticks in my head the most.
I'm thinking about a scenario where we extend Felton and/or Batum and/or have Oden's cap hold, OR one where we trade those expiring contracts for long-term salary on a good player. I'm NOT thinking about the "let everyone walk away and try to get FA's around Wes and LMA, b/c they'll be the only players left on our team" rebuilding project.
I am. This team needs some major retooling. This team will remain irrelevant if we continue to trot out bench players like Matthews and Felton as starters.
that's tough for me, b/c with that cap space you're either going to a) get a SuperFriends connection going (and really, are we getting 2 near-max FA's to team with LMA and Wes in Portland?), b) pay a lot of mediocre players just-above-MLE to get them to come here and fill out our roster. I don't think a) will happen, and b) will likely make us worse than we are now. I'm for going through this season seeing what we have. Maybe Felton's a near-all-star...maybe Nic starts looking more like Scottie Pippen and less like Scotty Brooks...maybe Crash is an all-star-level player again... If not, dump 'em and we go with your plan. I just have a little more kool-aid in my drink than that.
No. Gasol does well in both systems. Nowitzki actually does better in the NBA. Kirilenko seems to flourish in the Euro setting. Conversely, Reggie Williams and Ty Lawson were total scrubs in Europe. And compare Brandon Jenning's stats in Italy with his rookie numbers. I think what it shows is what a player can do in the right system. I have no doubt that Rudy could be a very valuable piece for the right team, which played unselfishly and had a PG prepared to look for him (like SERGIO).
This! Having Roy's boy on the team would greatly ease the pain of loosing the natural. He's exactly what we wanted Roy to fill this year, the jet sixth man role Seems like a no brainier if he wants to win, be with his peeps, and play in front of the best fans in the NBA. Fingers Crossed.
I suppose a bit, ya. The talent level in Euros is obviously not as high as in the NBA. But there are other factors to consider as well. Both Nic and Rudy had relatively limited roles here, while they've been given much more freedom and have their respective coaches' trust to do a lot more than simply spot up and shoot. I think both of them can flourish in the NBA as well if allowed to play their games. Nic averaged 5 asts and 4 tos in Europe. But his coach still let him create because he was the best player on his team, and they played better when he was allowed to create. Nate would not allow that many turnovers before putting him in his corner or the bench. So it still depends on the role, and this can't really be generalized. Like Rasta mentioned, there are some players who played well in the NBA but struggled in Europe.
It's actually funny how things come to pass really. 1.) Crawford seemed like a distant crap shoot for the Blazers to get. (Then all the sudden we are 1 of 3 teams really in the hunt for him) 2.) Chris Paul and Howard seemed destined to be Lakers. (Howard still remains to be seen, but he reports he loves Orlando and wants to stay as long as they make necessary changes) 3.) Roy is too much of an ego maniac to even think about medically retiring. If we somehow get Crawford, then I actually think we become a better team than last year. We add yet another player, known to excell in a faster paced NBA. I love Roy and still would love him if he was ever a Blazer, but this deal makes a ton of sense. (fingers crossed)
Who is our backup point guard if not Crawford? Armon Johnson: A sophomore second rounder? Nolan Smith: A rookie picked at #20? What happens if Felton gets injured? Do you run Batum at PG? None of these options sound great. Crawford at that price seems like something we'd jump pretty hard at.
Too funny man I was actually thinking about the same thing. Here's hoping that Felton never gets injured!
Nets just signed Shelden Williams. Unclear whether it's for the Vet Min, though, but if not, some of that money could have gone to Crawford (or AK-47).
Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine Sources w/knowledge of deal say Pacers have two-year offer out to Jamal Crawford worth $10M with out to return to free agency next summer
Well now we know why josh howard is mentioned! Anyone know what the most we could offer crawford is? He also just turned down utah i believe
