xiki, why do you feel Al Harrington would be a JVG 3? Van Gundy seems to like the same type of player at the wings, i.e. - Spreewell, Jimmy Jackson. I don't think we do much about the 3-spot this offseason except maybe try to sign Eric Williams. I'd also agree that JVG would love to have Harrington as a 3. Given his choice, I'd have to believe Van Gundy would love a big, strong and athletic 3. He loves his defense to play physical, so just think what he could do with an athlete like Harrington at the 3. At the 4 spot, Harrington is undersized, so he'd already be starting off at a deficit. At the small forward position, he could beat up on most 3's in the league ala Ron Artest. I think Van Gundy's small forward choices have been driven more out of neccessity than choice. In NY, he had both Houston and Sprewell. Those guys had to get their minutes, so one of them had to play the 3 spot. In Houston, he didn't really have any other real options except for Jackson. I bet JVG would love to be able to play Jackson at the 2. Eric Williams would be a definite JVG type guy. Tough, hard working and a good defender. If he's a FA, then that would definitely be an option.
http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/drew26_20040426.htm DREW SHARP: Rasheed must do more if he's pushing out Okur April 26, 2004 BY DREW SHARP FREE PRESS COLUMNIST MILWAUKEE -- The risks, thought to be nonexistent when the trade went down two months ago, have attained an increasing clarity. The high-impact acquisition of Rasheed Wallace is no longer the no-lose proposition that the Pistons publicly sold. But not for the reasons initially suspected. The gamble isn't keeping Wallace beyond this season as much as it is the possibility of losing Mehmet Okur. Okur's lack of early playoff minutes isn't lost on other teams. The questions are making the rounds on the league's underground network. Has Larry Brown lost faith in him? Does Okur believe he doesn't have a future with the Pistons? Can the prospective restricted free agent be had for the right, albeit outrageous, multimillion-dollar offer? But the bigger question is, can Wallace's playoff performance finally rise to the level of his exquisite skills, thus greatly easing the blow should the Pistons keep him but fail to retain Okur? And the early answer is no. The Pistons still have control of their first-round series. They never really lost it. They exposed the impostors who took the floor in Game 2, returning to their basics and delivering an intimidating forearm shiver to Milwaukee in Game 3. Maintenance crews were still working Sunday night at the Bradley Center, trying to clean up the spot where the Bucks' Keith Van Horn stained the hardwood in the fourth quarter Saturday. He wanted nothing to do with Ben Wallace under the basket, short-arming a five-foot air ball. The Pistons don't need anything more than a complementary Rasheed Wallace to eventually take care of the Bucks. But he's going to have to step up and command the game as his own if the Pistons expect to get past New Jersey in the second round. TNT talking head Charles Barkley called out Rasheed at halftime of Saturday's game. Never one to mince words, Barkley said Wallace possessed too much talent to put up modest numbers and that he can't be afraid to star. At what point does unselfishness become a crutch? It's easy to see why one of the many reputations Rasheed has garnered through a nine-year career is that of the perfect teammate. He spreads the wealth as well as the credit. He understands the team concept and so easily meshed with his new compatriots that it seems he has been with them 10 years as opposed to only 10 weeks. But if he's hesitant to assume the burden of wanting the outcome of a crucial playoff game on his shoulders, then he's not worthy of the maximum free agent dollars he could command from the Pistons this summer. Chauncey Billups isn't afraid to have the game in his hands in the closing seconds, and a potential championship team needs that backcourt component. But Wallace must be the No. 2 threat late in tight games, particularly with his inside-outside offensive talents. Yet it seems that Tayshaun Prince is considered a better option. With both Billups and Rip Hamilton gone, Brown designed the final play in Game 2 for Prince to take the ball to the hole and decide whether to shoot or draw the double team and find the open man. Rasheed's arrival raised expectations for the Pistons. He's cited as the difference-maker in any possible matchups against the Nets and Indiana, the perfect counterpoint to Kenyon Martin and Jermaine O'Neal. The city has adopted him and his family as its own. He has conducted himself maturely both on and off the court. His re-signing has become Joe Dumars' top priority, but the Pistons have gone out of their way to reassure Okur that they still consider him an integral part of the franchise's future. Dumars agreed to the Wallace trade only after Boston agreed to take Chucky Atkins, thus freeing up enough salary cap room to offer Okur the mid-level exception of nearly $5 million. Dumars can use the Larry Bird exemption to go over the cap and re-sign Wallace. But even should Wallace prove to be the missing championship piece, the Pistons cannot afford to lose a talented though unrefined 24-year-old 7-footer, especially when nobody's terribly certain about the development of their 18-year-old 7-footer, Darko Milicic. That's why everyone's wondering how Okur is coping with his limited minutes. And it's why ego-stroking has become another of Dumars' functions lately. Brown pushed hard for Rasheed, because Brown knows he has only a few years left to win his elusive first NBA championship. So what if he potentially alienates Okur? In his mind, there is no gamble. There is no risk. But Dumars doesn't have that luxury.
Ya, he won't be a FA. But Lebron said he wants Boozer to be his PF for a longtime, so I doubt the Cavs would trade him.
I somehow agree this article. Rasheed' future in Detroit depends upon if they can go to final this year. If Pistons fail to advance to final, there will be a good chance they will let Sheed go. To me, Sheed, Camby and a heathy Dice are the type of PF that'll push us to the top.
Without losing our core of SF, Cat, JJ, and Yao...Could we land a guy like Chris Wilcox from the Clippers? Cato for Wilcox?
How about Donyell Marshall? 6"9,long arm, very good rounder, good range (decent 3 point shooter), maybe a little bit undersize but compensate by the quickness. The only person I think he will have a bad match up will be Tim Duncan.
I don't agree with that article. To me, Detroit should make an offer based on his value to them. If they don't go far enough, make him a smaller contract at about six million. I honestly don't see Rasheed scoffing at a reasonable contract to sign with another team for the MLE. It would be a shame to lose Okur for nothing, but I don't see him as critical to their future. If they're committed to Rasheed, they should try to get something for Okur, and they will. A frontcourt of Wallace, Wallace and Darko should be fine. They can get something for whichever PF they don't keep. I don't see why going with Rasheed now when they're good enough to compete for a title now is a mistake over trying to keep Okur. Clips already have a center in Chris Kaman. If they trade Wilcox, it will be for a good PG (which we don't have) I don't think we need a superstar PF. Someone like a younger Kurt Thomas would be perfect. Our complementary star to Yao should be a wing player who doesn't need to be in the low post to score.
8 mil for 2 mil? Be serious. If you want to protect the core push for Dice and hope he stays healthy.
10 games in 01-02 0 games in 02-03 42 games in 03-04 There is no way on earth i want Antonio McDyess. He would be dead last on a list of Power Forwards. He's about to turn 30. He's finished, done, will never regain his old form.
Here is a good houston Chronicle add which mentions the major need for this offseason is a power forward. http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=76792
Assuming Rox could have either and assuming both checked out well with their physicals and my choice for the Big is between Dice and Camby I go and roll the Dice.
Oh, and the reply was to how to get a Big withOUT affecting the core. Quote: Originally posted by rocksolid Without losing our core of SF, Cat, JJ, and Yao...
I really hope we can get a good PF and some real bench players and still be able to keep SF, JJ, and Yao. I love Cat, but if he had to go I wouldn't to too sad over it.
Relativist, I somehow disagree. In the western conference, we need multi-stars to win a 7 game series. We don't need a superstar type PF, but we do need star quality or close star quality PF to compete. Look at LA, SA, Min, those teams that has MVP caliber players need multi-stars to compete for championship. The assumption of we don't need star quality PF was based on Yao Ming is going to dominant as Tim, KG, Kobe &Shaq, which we haven't seen in the playoff yet. I'm not saying Yao won't grow into that kind of player, but he is still probaly a couple of years away to reach that level. If we want to compete for championship next year, we need a Sheed, Camby type PF to compete. I just don't see under size good PF will really make real difference although their stats looks fine.
