Sasha Kaun. Tall white dude that played at Kansas, you may remember him as the guy that took a back seat to Aldrich. Now playing in mother Russia with NBA rights held by the Cavs last I checked. Oden. The guy's career is in limbo and if the Rockets can find a way to correct his abnormally long leg (different size shoes?) to keep him healthy, this guy could be the best center in the NBA, no doubt. Nene. I think would sink the ship. A great pick up if it happens but I think teams are more likely to spend more money on him than Chandler, Jordan and Marc Gasol. For the price, consider what it is worth relative to the teams payroll and ability to make moves, this could be one of those "bad contracts". Dalembert, Hawes and Pryzbilla are not on my list to sign. Too old (Dalembert), too injured (Pryzbilla) or too poor of a player (Hawes).
Not really a fan of Oden, but one tactic would be to offer him a big contract that is guaranteed for only one season. We could offer him $9 million then make years 2 and 3 be team options at the same level. If he agrees to this then we have a good center at a fair price. If he can't recover from injury, we only paid him 1 year. That would also preserve our cap room for 2012 if we need to dump him.
I like this idea though I'm not sure if it would work. Oden is easily the best center that we might actually have a shot at if he can play without getting injured. It will probably take a 2 year contract minimum, maybe 3 years. 2 years at 8 million with the 3rd as a team option? I don't think we have any chance of getting Gasol or DeAndre. Dalembert's probably not coming through that door. If we set our sights low on just a C who can defend somewhat then that increases our pool of players with the likes of Asik, Aaron Gray, Biedrins, Dorsey(?!). If we want a C with scoring ability and defense then I think we're out of luck.
Oden has a worst track record than Yao. A healthy Yao is better than anyone listed. Yeah I know he hasn'nt been healthy but he has played a lot more than Oden. And seriously we can not outbid Portland if they want him
Gasol is probably the only center the rockets should overpay. Dont see why not. Great size, efficient offensively and was third in blocks last year. It is a pipedream, but I would give him 10 mil a year in a heartbeat. Dudes only 25 or 26.
Oden... That would be a great Morey pickup, if he gets hurt it's not his fault and we can't throw blame at him .
Trust me I doubt Oden is on our shortlist of viable FA centers and I love Yao but I would cringe at the signing of either to a long term deal. It's hard to put your trust and invest long term money into two guys that have played less than double digit games for the past two years combined. I love Yao but DAMN! How long can we go thru this torture of laying our future in his hands (or feet) and here we are again just above .500 in lottery territory. It has to stop.
I TOTALLY agree. Chandler is overrated on this board. He is a put back dunk center at best who gets a few blocks on occasion. The guy has minimal post moves. He could be of help obviously, but probably not at the price you can get him.
Or maybe the Grizz and the Clips would bite on a Sign and trade offer? I will be very surprised if Gasol does not get a $10 million a year offer.
I have to agree with others here - Despite all of the problems in the past, I still (naively) believe our best realistic option for a real center is Yao Ming.
Marc Gasol. And I like Aaron Gray as a backup. He seemed like a pretty good anchor/post presence down in the paint against the Lakers. I have mixed feelings about DeAndre Jordan.
