Well, I can't believe that I read through this whole thread (10 pages worth) and blown my work day so far when as MadMax said, the answer to this will be Von Wafer. Marvin Williams would be nice to have but I doubt the Hawks are just going to let him go and you have the problem of having essentially 3 SFs on the team that could all start. Reading some of the posts about starting Ariza at the 2 is amusing at best, but mark my words, if we have a starting line-up of Brooks, Ariza, and Battier at the first 3 spots, then we are going to have a very stagnant offense which makes getting a good inside player at C even more crucial. I would love to see the Rockets try a trade with Portland and bring in Rudy Fernandez and Pryzbilla. Re-sign Von Wafer with the MLE and trade Battier and whatever works salary-wise to Portland for Fernandez and Pryzbilla. Assuming that we didn't have to trade Brooks, our starting line-up could be: PG - Brooks SG - Rudy Fernandez SF - Ariza PF - Scola C - Pryzbilla That is not a bad starting 5. Or we could even explore a bigger trade with Portland that would include getting Bayless and Travis Outlaw - only problem is that we would have to deal Brooks and probably Scola or Landry.
Agree 100%...IF Von was the free agent pickup Morey was talking about in his comments would not have been so vague plus he later on did address Von possibly coming back but said a free agent would be signed. Marvin Williams would be an ideal fit after considering it but your right Hawks even though there having salary cap problems probably would match. I say go after Okafor and Portland's youth.
Okafor would be nice ... didn't he worked out with Hakeem "The Dream" last summer (or the summer before last summer)?
I say go after Hakim Warrick: McGrady + $3M to MEM → Warrick (S&T) + M.Gasol + Stackhouse (partially guaranteed) + Buckner (partially guaranteed) Brooks + Landry + Dorsey + Stackhouse to PHO → Nash *Suns save $6.12548M Hayes + White (non-guaranteed) + $3M cash to ATL → D.Andersen (S&T after 30 days, $3.55M) *Hawks make a $1.064M cash profit and get a player paid for by the Rockets. Nash, Lowry Ariza, Taylor, Barry Battier, (Warrick), Budinger Scola, Warrick, Cook D.Andersen, M.Gasol, Yao Conley Mayo, McGrady Gay, Carroll, Young Randolph, Arthur Thabeet, Haddadi Brooks, Barbosa J-Rich, Dragic, Tucker Clark, Dudley Amare, Landry, Amundson Wallace, Lopez, Dorsey
I believe he did...Charlotte is not in a good financial position so if we can give them expiring contracts we may be able to convince them. I would do Battier and Berry or Cook for Okafor and start there. Okafor has 5 years left so it would be a commitment but also a young athletic big who is already a top defensive big man with improving offensive game.
AI? LO? Good talent? No. Whenever Morey is mysterious about a signing, it's underwhelming. He's talking about Von. I wouldn't mind seeing Von walk. I like the kid, but anything more than 2.2 mil a year is asking too much.
Gosh, I am curious, do some of you really believe multiple trades involving multiple players, like the one made up below, would actually ever go down? It is so unrealistic. I can respect a fan being a fan but I like reality and these types of made up deals just would never happen. Its simply rediculous... Just my opinion on the matter... I am entitled...
If Portland releases Peteri Koponen, I hope Morey picks him up as a free agent. We are always looking for a tall PG with high BBIQ and the ability to shoot from the outside. Well, take a look: An early entry candidate for the 2007 NBA Draft: Full Name: Petteri Johannes Koponen Position: Guard Height/Weight: 6-4 / 195 Birthdate: April 13, 1988 (Helsinki, Finland) Career Highlights: Has played with Honka in his native Finland the past three seasons, helping the team win the Finnish League Championship in 2006-07. Averaged 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the Finnish National Team at the 2006 U20 European Championships held in Lisbon, Portugal. Scored 12 points and dished out six assists as a member of the World Select Team at the 2007 Hoop Summit Game held in Memphis, Tenn. 2006-07: Averaged 12.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists during the regular season. Scored 20 or more points three times. Posted a career-high 28 points and 10 assists vs. Lahti. Recorded 22 points and 10 assists vs. Pyrinto. Contributed 12.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 11 playoff contests. Registered 28 points, including seven three-pointers, in quarterfinals clinching win over Tarmo. Tallied 14 points, six rebounds and six assists in game three clincher of the finals vs. Lahti. 2005-06: Averaged 6.2 points and 0.7 assists in 13.4 minutes a contest. Scored in double figures eight times. Posted a season-high 18 points vs. Vantaan Pussihukat. 2004-05: Averaged 1.6 points and 0.4 assists in 6.4 minutes a contest. Scored a season-high five points on two separate occasions. Strengths: Skilled point guard with a high basketball IQ. Shoots the ball well from long distance and mid-range.
If we're indeed looking for a center via trade, it'd seem logical to trade someone who has a contract <i>beyond </i> next year. That would be Battier. He'll make somewhere around 7 mil in 2010-11. And if we're looking for someone long term, even after Yao comes back, maybe someone versatile enough to play both center and PF, then we'll have to pay for them beyond just this year. This is where a trade including Battier would make sense. It's been discussed that with Yao, Shane, Ariza, and others on the roster (Scola, Brooks, Lowry), we'd be close to being able to offer a max to a free agent next year. It'd take a bit of tinkering by Morey, but its Morey. If we spend any money beyond that (mid level this year), then it'll be basically impossible to score a Wade, Bosh etc. As such, as much as I love Battier, there are plenty of players I would not mind getting if we are to indeed trade him. The key is, who would want Battier bad enough to trade a center. Likely scenario would have to be a 3 way trade. The players I was going through: Al Horford Blatche M. Gasol S. Hawes D. Lee B. Lopez Noah T. Thomas You get the gist. These would be hard to get, but perhaps not impossible? To me this would make much more sense than signing a free agent outright for the mid level (M. Williams as people are suggesting), cause that will dip into our cap next year. By trading Battier, we avoid that while getting younger and filling a position of need. As for the SG, here we could use <i>some </i> of our MLE on a player for a 1 year deal or 2, 3 years with team options (Von maybe?). Also use this to sign Taylor and Buddinger. The thought here being is its easier to plug a guard than a center. Also, SG would be the ideal position to score on with a max next year, or blockbuster (via TMAC). Right now, make do with small free agent (von?), our picks, or other free agent. I'd love to get a Rudy Fernandez, or sign a M. Williams, but to me, if we can score a young center instead, it'd better for us long term.
