Mine 1- Andre Miller It's pretty obvious, I've been sweatin Dre since the season has been over. I think he would be a great addition. A nice, calming influence on our team and an ability to make the opposing point guards actually play defense on him. I like Steve, but he is nothing bu a spot up shooter. We deserve more from a starting point guard. 2- Hedo Turkoglu He turns 31 soon, but he still has a few years left in the tank, before Batum eventually would take over. I love how he is clutch, can handle the ball, and a dead eye shot. I think he could be the consistent 3rd scorer we need. He also has deep playoff run playoff experience from his days in Sacramento. 3- Ron Artest I am not 100% sold on this idea, but he does have a man-crush on Brandon. He would be another player for Batum to learn under for a few years. He has a nice 3 ball, but I absolutely hate how he tries to take over games sometimes. 4- Mike Bibby A better Steve Blake with playoff experience. He runs the team well and is quite deadly when left open. Where I like Miller better is his ability to take his man down in the post and abuse them. Bibby being this high on a free agent list goes to show the weak class of free agents. 5- Leon Powe/Brandon Bass Baring we do not draft Dejaun Blair, we need a high energy, banger off of the bench. Powe has Finals experience and Bass has playoff games under his belt as well. Nearly every team left in these playoffs has a big, physical backup 4 on their roster. We need that. I think the draft is really sub-par this year and only want Blair, because he has potential to be a better Millsap and would rather spend free agent money on a point or sf. Pipe Dream Chris Andersen I made a post on him already, but his heart is in Denver and I don't think even offering more money would be enough to lure him away. But holy hell, a bench lineup of Bayless, Rudy, Outlaw, Bird, and Przy would be fucking insane to watch. It should be noted that we could get potentially 2 of these guys on this list. One via signing them outright and the other via a sign and trade...Blake..Webster..future 1st.
1. LeBron James 2. Dwyane Wade 3. Chris Bosh 4. Amare Stoudemire 5. Steve Nash Oh, you meant this year.
I'd put Joe Johnson ahead of Steve Nash for our big free agent strike in 2010 (assuming we have tons and tons of cap space next year...we will, right?).
I have to disagree with Bibby. He seems to have an inflated opinion of his own ability/worth. I would bet that he will demand at least as good a contract as Miller, while bringing significantly less to the table.
For me, Chris Andersen is my second on my list of FA's I want the team to get. Everyone else is tied for 1st on my list.
Our 2nd unit of Joel, Anderson, Bayless and Batum could be a terrific defensive unit. Bass is another possibility, but I was surprised to see on 82games.com that he actually has a pretty poor inside shooting %. Bass shoots 38% from inside, and gets 30% of his inside shots blocked! He does have a 17% dunk percentage though, which is good. As a comparison, LaMarcus shoots 53% inside, is only blocked 10% of the time, and 10% of his shots are blocked.
Hedo would be a great addition. Not only for his experience and scoring abilities, but also because he has good court vision and could would be a great SF to have on the floor while Bayless is learning at PG. Hedo and Roy each have enough point ability so that Bayless does not need to be a "pure" PG. And Hedo could also help spread the floor which would be lost if Blake was out. So Even if Miller with his lack of distance was the starting PG, Hedo would be great in that lineup. I love the idea of getting both Miller and Hedo.
The crazy thing is that this is not that crazy. To get Miller, Hedo and Blair we would have 5 low picks, 7-8 mil to absorb, 3 mil cash in trades, Webster, Outlaw, Blake all on good contracts, trade exception , and KP's winning smile.
How about Tayshaun Prince? He's the perfect SF who can defend and he shot 40% from behind the arc this year.
I am gonna be a weak suck and not give my top 5 in any order I think the single most important thing for our team are players with playoff experience. We have some now, but adding a player like Prince for example would be ideal. A possition of need and a playr to fill it whp not only has the skill set, but the experience of a championship run, or at least a deep playoff run. Here we go on the FA's 1. Turkoglu. Perfect player because he is young enough to add a lot to the team, and old enough so Batum could easily take over in a couple of years. 2. Artest. Psycho in a good way. Seems to think the world of Roy, so maybe he could behave like he has in Houston all year. He would add much, much needed perimeter defense. 3. K*be. Yes he is the Devil, but Blazer fans cheered for Rider, Sheed, Wells and Damon for crying out loud. If he opts out and agrees to sign here we win the championship the next 2 or 3 years. 4. Kidd. See Turkoglu. Old, experienced and a great mentor for Bayless who could take over in a year or two. 5. this will be a list of younger players or vets who would be upgrades, but not bring us a lot of needed veteran leadership for the playoffs. Sessions Bass Felton Miller....he is an upgrade over Blake, but I am not sure that would be money well spent.
If Portland renounced LaFrentz, Ruffin, Frye, Blake and Outlaw, they could have up to $16 million under the cap. What does a max contract start at for a player of Kobe's veteran status?
Ramon Sessions is another guy people are forgetting if we go the young route at PG. While Conley isn't a PG, I can see KP trying to trade his assetts for him and taking his cap space and putting that towards a vet SF like Ron or Turk.
Drew Gooden? he would be a great backup. Probably the best available. I dont know his pricing though?
