Power Forward we can bring in

Now that Stro is history, it is plainly obvious that the weakest link is our power forward play. We have got to bring in somebody if just for a band-aid solution this year until we can get to next year. So, who do you guys think would fit? I'll throw out a couple names:

1. Kelvin Cato-he knows the system, gave us great defense under Van Gundy. Can we get him for the league minimum? And can he bring back two years ago?

2. Pops Mensa-Botha-Pretty sure he went undrafted. He's a terrific up and down athlete with good rebounding skills and shot blocking at the college level. I'd like to see us invite him to camp. WHat have we got to lose?

3. Throw the MLE at Drew Gooden and forget about Mike James. I hate the thought of it. But, if we had a deal worked with Memphis to send us Stoudamire for the TE, maybe this would not be so bad.

4. Get lucky and get Wilcox to bite on a MLE deal. Still leaves us out in the cold on James, unless somehow we can use our TEs to acquire a couple players that Toronto wants and send them to Toronto for a re-signed James.

5. Danny Fartson is lurking out there. Ugh.

6. Mo Taylor or Malik Rose??? Would they even be an upgrade?? I doubt it.

7. Badiane?? No. I shouldn't even list him. It shows how desparate I think we are to get better power forward play.

8. Big salaried guys like KMart, Boozer, or Zach may be available but we would have to send out Juwan, which would be a good thing for us, plus additional salary. I suppose we may be able to work a S&T deal with Denver for KMart, signing up Wesley and sending him and Howard to Denver. But only if Denver can't get rid of KMart for something better. I would think they could find something that would be better than that offer. Zach is an immature brat. Don't really want him. He doesn't fit here.

9. Is there still a Miles for Howard deal on the table? I doubt it. After seeing this trade for Battier, I think we can pretty much write off anybody like Miles.

10. Melvin Ely - AHA! This guy would be a fit. Is he worth $4 million per? Because that is probably what it would take to get Charlotte to take a pass on him. Im thinking the Moochie TE here. What would we have to give up to get Charlotte to S&T him to us, a future first, or would they settle for a couple of second rounders and the TE?

11. Troy Murphy?? - I think he would be good, especially now that we've got Battier to take away the defensive pressure of having to guard all the Nowitzki types. Would GS take Howard back and some other expiring contract we acquired with the TE? I doubt it.

12. Jared Jeffries - I really like this guy and with Stro gone, he would be the perfect fit as our long, skinny, athletic 4, that can run the floor. But how do we get him?

13. One of Memphis' other power forwards. Don't they have like 5 of them now? And then went out and added Alexander Johnson. I have a funny feeling he is the PF we are going to get back in the big trade. Rookie and green. Oh well, I suppose it couldn't be worse than Swift. But it still leaves Juwan on the floor way too much.


The addition of Battier changes the landscape for our team a little bit. Now, we still need more scoring, a solid scorer off the bench, but we also still need a starting power forward. Juwan is not a starter. And with him, Yao, and Deke as our big man rotation, we have to have the slowest big man rotation in the history of the NBA. We need another big that has quick feet if nothing else. Anybody else got any ideas on something cooking?

 

I just can't believe we are going to war next season counting on Juwan "one foot nailed to the floor" Howard playing 30 mpg. That totally disgusts me. Granted Stro wasn't great shakes either, but at least we could entertain the posssibilities in our minds of giving him more minutes. Now that he is gone all I have is this feeling of hopelessness watching every 4 in the league just chew him up every night.

Juwan and Yao on the floor together is just terrible.

 

Your starting shooting guard is Tracy McGrady who is one of the best in the business. Your starting small forward is Shane Battier, one of the most efficientin the business. McGrady will play from the top and Battier will play on the wing and baseline on offense and Battier will take the toughest defensive matchup of the 2,3 on the other end.

All this talk about Battier being a power forward is a bunch of garbage. He may be able to play spot minutes there when the matchups dictate it, such as againt Antoine Walker or someone like that, but he is not a power forward that can play 30 minutes a night at the 4. He is mostly a perimeter player, which is to say, he is mostly a small forward, who is fundamentally sound enough and versatile enough to stretch that ability into the shooting guard position or the power forward position occasionally. But he is neither. He is a small forward on offense that is the best defender on the floor on the defensive end.

At this point, we need power forward help now much worse than we need another shooting guard.

 

So, send Howard to Portland, and send the TE to somebody else who in turn sends a player to Portland, and then Portland sends Raef to us. I'd do that deal. Raef would be a very good fit here.