DAVID WEST! Obviously not as our #1 signing. No way he would make us a contender, but if we can't afford 2 max FA's (we might be close though) then he would be a great 2nd signing, playing along side Dwight or reunited with CP3. He just seems like the perfect fit: - would play well next to Omer (or Dwight) - we need veteran leadership / mentor for young guys - is known to be a great locker room guy (could help Dwight not be a diva if he comes here) - he's unrestricted - would settle for less salary (maybe around the $8-10 range unlike J-Smoove) - he fits our positional need - has playoff experience - has proven to provide the true culture change for Pacers, and would fit our culture. - spaces the floor for Harden/Lin/Dwight(if he comes) It all depends on what direction we want to go. Are we talking super long term as a contender and build from the ground up with youngsters like OKc who still haven't won a title? If so, West might be too old. But, getting Dwight would make us a win-now team. Even though Dwight is experienced, he is not a veteran leader, someone like West (or Garnett previously mentioned in other posts) should be the 2nd option if CP3 is not available.
He's really good. Great defender, can hit the mid-range J, and is a good roll man. He's not leaving Indy though.
However if we could sign Dwight, would that make West think he can win a ring with us? The Pacers are a great team but can they really make it all the way as currently constructed? I acknowledge that P George is just going to get better over the next 5 years, but I don't know about the rest of the team. They are currently better than the rockets, but with Dwight, everything changes and there is just more upside.
ive mentioned him several times. Perfect fit. He always plays great against us too, so might as well have him on our side
For the same price, I'd take David West > Jafferson/Milsap > Josh Smith, worth 10, 9, 8 mil per year in Morey's books.
Next year I think Derrick Favors is available. 21 years old and he is the best shot blocker in the league. Rebounding monster and has good enough footwork to do damage on offense. Would be perfect for the Rockets and he is just now getting to be the right age at 22 to start blowing up. If Millsap leaves the Jazz (either Al or Millsap must go) will start Favors. Millsap ends up in Houston.....yawn. Favors becomes a perennial all star. Nobody talks about Favors, but you should.
Hey I thought about Kwame for the vet min. He is a better defensive center than Greg Smith. A real center.
Another guy who is too old to fit in with the current squad. I don't want to sign or trade for any player over the age of 30, tbh.
1. David West got a 2yr, $20M deal with the Pacers when he was coming off of ACL surgery. He's only made about $50M in his career, so I don't think he's going to come all that cheaply, and he'll be looking for a long term deal, as it's probably the last contract he signs. 2. David West is about 2 months younger that "washed-up" Pau Gasol. At the end of a 4 year deal, he'll be 37. 3. David West as of now has played in 43 career playoff games for a total of 1462 minutes. James Harden has played in 49 career playoff games for a total of 1530 minutes. Good experience there. I really like David West. I would imagine the Rockets really like him too; I always thought that he was Patrick Patterson's ceiling. But the Rockets have to be really careful about signing a guy past 2015. At that point, they'll have Asik, Lin, Beverley and Parsons all needing new contracts, and any guy they sign to a 4-year deal this off-season will have 2 years remaining on a hefty contract. That's fine if it's a 30 year old Dwight, Josh Smith, Paul Millsap or Chris Paul. That's not ok if it's a 35 year old David West who's breaking down.
