I'd rather give him a chance at the point. Let him earn it. He might be able to. To get a "suitable wingman"...well, I don't think we can get one along with a PF and AD..with draft and FA both considered. So apparently that limits our options to AD or a wingman (options?). Based on the ones that immediately come to mind as in our range and free agents (no, joe johnson is NOT in our range)...I think AD at point is a better option than any of those options.
I don't know guys, I am not big on AD, sure he is athletic and would be considered a good-sized PG, but he doesn't inspire you as a guy with a high b-ball IQ and is not EVEN a good passer. So basically , he would be like a younger version of Bobby Sura, without the toughness/attitude Sura brings, and for about double the cost. I say don't bother with him, if we ever bring in a PG, he needs to be a pass-first PG, and not another combo guard, we have too many of those already. With that being said, however, I wouldn't mind having him in a sign-n-trade if we can get rid of David Wesley (may be throw in a 2nd rounder or 2). Otherwise, he doesn't intrigue me. The real irony here is that the PERFECT PG for the Rockets would be...well, Charlie Word!!...10 years ago
Oh, btw, I forgot to add this... The funny thing is many of those free agent guards this year think they will be getting a lot of money, which will not be the case. This is probably the deepest free agent market we have ever had as far as PG/SG are concerned. There are just too many of them expecting big pay at the same time. I really think that if the Rockets are interested in a backcourt player, they should be patient and offer reasonable amount of cash for the right players, if they are gone by then, they should remain patient until the all the "big names" are signed, which will leave a few guards here and there who aren't picked up yet, and they will be cheaper and more within our range. That is just how I see it
I agree, keep the MLE, all of it if necc., for a PF. If we acquire a PF another way, great, than we can use it for another guard/swingman. Now let's say we do use all or most of the MLE for a PF (e.g., Swift, SAR, DM, Evans) and resign Deke and Barry without breaking into special exemptions. Then at the last stage of FA we go shopping for a bargain guard or swingman (more rangy and athletic type, even if he has major offensive weaknesses) with a 2 year 3.3 mil deal with a 2nd year player option (former 1 mil exemption) and a chance to earn a bigger contract after 05-06 or 06-07 (player option year). You are not going to get a Mobley or AD this route, but you might get an unrestricted vet who for various reasons have a limited market and whose other options may be the vet min--someone like Bobby J, Wells, McInnis, Raja Bell, Demarr Johnson, or Kerry Kittles, or a younger player where a match from his current team might be questionable because of salary or team needs--Flip Murray, Karem Rush, Matt Carol, Casey Jacobsen, Boki Nachbar (J/K), Devon Brown, James Jones, Keith Bogans, Steve Blake, or Luke Walton, etc. In other words we can look for bargains with these guys later who we think would contribute as a back-up (ideally a 6'4+ guy, but we can't be that choosy, even another PG helps b/c Sura can play the 2 or even some 3) when the vet min is the primary competition.
Ideally, I would love to have a guy like Raja Bell as our starting SG, while we would have to part ways with one of our current guards (hopefully Wesley, I really think he is the weak link in our lineup, and would love to replace him with a taller, younger SG). But still, we have more overriding concern at the PF position.
I'd like Bell too. He is going to be 29 at the start of next season (not much upside), it is possible a 2 year 3.3 mil deal with a player option on the 2nd lands him, he had only been making 1 mil year in Utah. However I would see no problem with Sura, Wesley, James, Barry and Bell on the roster for next year 05-06. Bell/Sura pick up the occasional SF minutes, and Barry and Wesley's come way down from last year--keeps them much fresher. And we are in more than OK shape if we lose one do to injury here and there. Then after next season we can evaluate if more major changes are needed and have the full MLE.
How is Bell as a defender? He's got good size (6-5) relative to Wesley. I agree that we shouldn't overpay for Daniels with the full MLE although I think he would be a very good addition to the backcourt. The deal breaker for me is his shooting. Although he was better a couple years ago, Daniels has had pretty mediocre perimeter shooting over his career. We can't afford to shell out big money for a guard that doesn't completely address all our needs, and perimeter shooting is a significant one. I like the idea of waiting to sign bargains again. I think it is important that we tweak our backcourt over the offseason, but I agree that it's infinitely more important to acquire an appropriate PF first.
