I know NBA is supposed to have the best talent and in many cases that is true, however I'm sure there are lot of players outside the NBA who are capable of being a PF starter in NBA. So, what about finding that starting caliber PF outside NBA? + Small salary; Low risk - high reward; - Never tested on NBA stage; Not used to NBA style of play.
Just spitballing here but some possible options to look at: Ike Diogu Erazem Lorbek Darjus Lavrinovic Ksystof Lavrinovic While options like these are nowhere near the likes of LMA/Smoove/Love, they are still better than our rookie prospects + they have a lot of experience.
first, it is a high risk, high reward. 1. as i understand even for international players, they have to go through draft. 2. as you say there is no guarantee how well they will fit into the nba style of play, and there is no such a thing as try b4 you sign. 3. rox have always been scouting international players. e.g. d.mo, yao ming, david andersen. 4. the cost of scouting international players is higher, and the area is boarder as well. 5. the cost of signing an international player is higher. i remember the team has to buy out his original contract in the first place.
Thank you for clarifying, I have one follow up question though. How about Pablo Prigioni (Knicks)? As far as I know, he never never even participated in the draft, let alone being drafted.
Bro, how many PFs do we need? We have 3 on the roster right now (Smith, Dmo, and Jones), and we just signed basically a stretch 4 in Caspi. None of the guys you could come up with are gonna be as promising in a starting role as the guys we already have on our team. I, for one, am really interested to see the progress in the maturation of our 3 young guys. They DO have the talent to be solid starting PFs. So I'm glad we didn't over-pay for Josh Smith. Do I wish we could find a way to get back Sola or Pat? Sure, both would be a nice fit next to Dwight. But the young guys we have are talented enough to play that role. They just need an opportunity. They showed a lot as rookies, I think one of them takes tht next step in their second year...like Parsons did. Excited to watch Smith and Jones Dominate Summer league this morning!
I am completely with you on this one. I am a big fan of both T-Jones and D-Mo (Smith too, kinda). This thread was more of a reply to the people who want to sign someone to a PF position who we know could contribute immediately, without any extra maturation period. Who knows tho, perhaps Jones and D-Mo will make some big strides during the offseason.
I really hope that Jones will improve his outside shooting this summer,and his post game/ defense. He is the one player who has the ability to take the next step,and become a regular contributor for us.
