I agree that he doesn't play defense. But why pick on him? Remember the way Steve Francis got jobbed by Iverson? We could use defense at ALL positions (except power forward). As far as offensive talent goes KT is a badazz. He's strong, he's incredibly explosive, has some of the best footwork I have ever seen, and can occasionally drop a 3. Nobody on our whole team plays defense except Eddie Griffin and Kevin Willis. I don't see small forward as being our weak spot.
Ron Artest: Chicago gave away Elton Brand last year so why not. I've always liked Artest. He can be a tough defensive player. It seems to me he has underachieved so far. Is that him or the team/coach? Pat Garrity: plays PF Matt Harpring: Philly isn't stupid enough Morris Peterson: Toronto isn't stupid enough Jonathan Bender: PF or C Matt Bullard: Nothing needs to be said here, except too old Dermarr Johnson: Atl isn't stupid enough Steve Smith: too old Stephen Jackson: Rudy doesn't like troublemakers Hidayet Turkoglu & Gerald Wallace: When was the last time Sacr let anyone good go? I think Brian Grant. Imagine talking Memphis into Williams for Bibby. Don't trade with Sacr. We will end up on the losing end of the deal. Devean George: similar play to KT but not an upgrade from KT Vladimir Radmanovic: I haven't seen him play enough. Corey Maggette: swings between 2 and 3 but a decent player we could get Jalen Rose: Indy isn't stupid enough Al Harrington: Indy isn't stupid enough Grant Hill: too old Mike Miller: Orl Indy isn't stupid enough Rashard Lewis: Seattle isn't stupid enough Bonzi Wells: Portland is willing to make deals more suited to SG Lee Nailon - may be able to get mainly would be a PF Eduardo Najera - may be able to get Zhizhi Wang - Dallas won't let him go So I think that puts my vote at Ron Artest, Eduardo Najera or someone in the draft: Drew Gooden, Dunleavy, Yarborough, Prince, Jacobsen, Rice, Jeffries My Knsas friends all say Gooden will stay in college but if he goes he would be the best option.
Not that theyd part with him, but I think Memphis' Shane Battier could be a very solid SF on this team. He brings all the intangibles, plays hard,and wants to win. Its very very unrealistic, but a KT for Battier trade straight up might work. Or, give them Cato as well, and we can take Nick Anderson, who makes a lot, but only has 1 year left on the contract after this.
We need a utility guy to back-up KT. Someone who dives for balls, rolls around on the court, sticks a hand in their face when they shoot, and isn't scared to get in a fight. We need a fierce defender with a lot of heart, who brings it every night. Some overlooked player in the Mario Elie mold.
i definetely agree that ARTEST is da perfect fit for our team... this boy can play straight up D... something that we straight up need... he also can put pts up if needed to
Maybe the NBA will give the Nets an extra 3 roster spots to keep all those players, and allow them to play an extra 50+ minutes a game to rack up those impressive stats.
well the point was the Nets could get out of KVH's huge contract and let Richard Jefferson develop as the starter at the 3. Also Willis could really help them in the playoffs esp if they meet LA in the Finals. as for roster spots they can waive Brian Scalabrine and Anthony Johnson and Donny Marshall.
I started a Qyntel Woods string in the draft forum, just hoping someone could let me in on what the excitement is about. I think whatever SF we get, it would be nice if he had some PG skills, it might help us get away from the three guard set.
I think Odom would be fairly easily acquired with a top 5 type of pick and a solid player like KT/Mooch, assuming he's not traded by the deadline. The SFs in this draft just don't thrill me. I think Dunleavy is a sure thing solid starter. I like Grizzard, and he could be the 2nd coming of Jalen Rose, but I haven't seen much improvement on his outside shot. I think Prince is similar to T-Mo, maybe a slight improvement but not enough for that redundancy, and Yarbrough is another iffy player. If we're looking for a long term backup SF, this draft is loaded, but the starting ability we need is not a sure thing. I think Jared Jeffries is going to be a starter, but he simply hasn't shown much 3 point range, making him a very questionable fit. Jeffries is a rare, one of a kind player-tall, long, not very quick, shotblocking/rebounding inside, excellent handles, mediocre shot. Caron Butler is worth keeping an eye on. I haven't seen Qyntel Woods. From what I've heard, I expect his stock to soar as draft time nears, similar to Kedrick Brown. Maybe another Peja or Hedo is coming out from Europe.
1. Odom 2. Lewis 3. Rose Lewis AND still try for a player in the draft, i.e. Dunlavy, would be the best scenario...
I would take Lewis over those two. I think he'd be less of a distraction. But does anyone really believe there is a way the Rockets would be able to sign him? I know he would love to play in Houston in order to be close to his family, but I wonder if he would be willing to give up some money for it or whether he's still hates the Rockets for passing on him. Are there any legitimate sign and trade deals the rockets could work with the Sonics?
I know we are talking about SF, but what if we get Van Exel. Then we could move Steve to SG and trade for Odom. When Mo comes back we move him to pf and have Griff play center. Then we would have a great line up. I know in order to get Van Exel we would have to give up someone like Mobley or Rice and Cato. I would rather them take Rice and Cato. Now our line up would look like this. pg Van exel sg Francis sf Odom pf taylor c griffin This line up is capable of every position putting up 100 points. Scary
VC15... unfortunately for your lineup proposal, the NBA doesn't play its games on a playstation. No offense man, but 4 of those are 5 people that at one point in their career were the primary scorers for their team: Van Exel (now w/ Denver) Franchise (now w/ us) Odom (last year w/ Clips) Taylor (his last season w/ Clips) In my opinion, most of these guys (at least Van Exel and Steve) still want to be big time offensive players and all of them have egos. To compact the issue further, Van Exel and Steve are not the type to distribute (and to all you Steve lovers, I don't think this is a bad thing. Right now he NEEDS to be our big scorer). What we need is a small forward with 3 priorities: 1) Get open for and hit 3's. 2) Defend the teams toughest scorer if they are a 2 or 3. 3) Be able to run w/ our gaurds, and pass effectivly on the break or into the post. Odom definately fits that mold and so does Rashard. Both need to realize though that they aren't the primary offensive player and that 15pts, 7 rebs, and 7 assists is a GREAT line, especially for our team. If our next small forward does these things, Steve continues his constant triple double threat, Cuttino continues to be a pure scorer, and Cato/Griffin/Taylor/KT (or whomever is left of that group) play solid interior defense, rebound, pass out of the post, and we get 25-30 points out the starting 4 and 5 the Rockets will contend. Since those things are very specific, chemistry is definately important. Every player must be aware of his role and be content to satisfy his role before taking over the game offensively. Van Exel is a chemistry nightmare so I don't think he's the answer.
Chicago would kill to get Jason Williams. Try a scenario where we sign and trade Williams to the Bulls. Jamal Crawford and Mo Taylor go to the Sonics. Rashard Lewis comes home. Then work out the rest to make it equitable all around.
i'd go with lewis over the two as well - easily more potential odom is showing regression... %'s are lower... and not many non-pg's make as many TO's as he does per game. either way, there are enough decent sf's to consider out there... the rockets should be aiming to sign a cheaper one for a long term and keeping torres as a rocket for a long time
