LOL! This should be good for a few laughs. 1) My first move would be to contact Memphis about a trade (which of course, they'd accept). Houston sends the #8 pick/Howard to Memphis. Memphis sends Mike Miller/#24 pick to Houston. Memphis is loaded with 2/3 swingmen & making this trade would give them some size at PF (JHo), & allow them to draft a starting PG or PF/C, like Cedric Simmons. Houston would have it's big SG & former best friend of T-Mac. Thus, our need for a 3rd scorer would be filled. 2) On to the draft. With the 24th pick, we select Josh Boone (PF) & with the 32nd pick, we select Daniel Gibson (PG). JOSH BOONE Boone reminds me of Ben Wallace. His offensive game isn't real strong, but he's a terror on the boards & defensive side of the ball. He does the dirty work & will be a real nice compliment to T-Mac, Yao, & Miller. Gibson's still raw, but has all kinds of potential at the PG position. 3) And finally, free agency. I'd go hard after 1 or 2 of, Reggie Evans, Cassell, Devean George, and Matt Harpring with the MLE, & I'd try to use Swift in a sign & trade deal. I wonder if Utah would like another athletic big man to pair with AK47? So, in summary, if all my moves play out just like I wished, we'd have a slightly retooled roster of: C: Yao/Mutombo/Boone PF: Evans/Boone/Lampe(IL) SF: T-Mac/George/Hayes/Bowen(IL) SG: Miller/Sura/Bogans PG: Alston/Head/Gibson I could live with that. What about you?
Not really. It seems like your moves are going the exact opposite of the trend in the rest of the league towards quickness in the front and backcourt. Reggie Evans, Josh Boone, and Mike Miller at SG. I don't see how they would help us matchup with the Suns or the Mavs of the league. I'd rather surround Yao with 4 swingmen/guards so we can pound it inside with our big fella and let everyone else shoot and slash and dribble their way through anything in their path.
Sorry for not reading the entire post, but two things ruined it for me right away... - Reaching to take Gibson at #32 when he's slated to go mid to late second round. On top of that he's about as NON NBA-ready as you could ask out of a PG. - Taking Josh Boone at #24 when he likely needs to go back to UConn for another year before he's ready for the NBA, as shown in this excerpt from a recent workout... "The last workout was the most disappointing, as Josh Boone decided not to play competitively and instead held a slow and lethargic big man drill pitting him against an unguarded rim. According to one observer, Boone “displayed everything he does poorly and should go back to school if the workout is any indication of his ability.” Another was not as kind: “he had a chance to show that he has a heartbeat with a dozen NBA teams in attendance, and failed miserably. No NBA team likes to watch a player shoot jump-hooks by himself in a gym, especially when we’re talking about a guy who may or may not be draftable. We’re not talking about Gerald Green here who can afford to do that." NO THANKS on both accounts.
Actually, they'd be trading the 6th man of the year for a chance to move up 16 spots in the 1st round to pick #8 in this year's draft. Howard makes the salaries work & his contract is one year shorter than Miller's.
While you may be right, I'm still a strong believer that a dominate low post game will neutralize the smaller, quicker teams that seem to be trying to set a new trend in the league. In my opinion, they are only going this route, because they don't have a Yao or Shaq in the middle. Those kinds of players are rare & we have the good fortune of having one of them that's just beginning his journey into the prime of his career. Unless I miss my guess (and assuming that Shaq/Zo can stay healthy), Miami will shut down this new trend in the Championship game.
But since we already have a dominant low post scorer in Yao, we don't need all these other plodding rebounders/defenders. We can have our cake and eat it too, by forcing the issue with Yao in the post while still being able to matchup with speed and skills from all of the other positions. The key is finding a long Horry/Diaw-like matchup defender for the 4 position. Someone that can use their length to give post scorers trouble, while using their speed to deny them the ball. And grab a couple of rebounds while they're at it. Once we get someone like that, everything else falls into place. Theoretically T-mac could fill that role, but considering what kind of shape his back is in, I wouldn't want to chance it. P.S. The Champs are going to come out of the West this year.
Where he's slated to go is pure speculation. Only the GM's know where they have him seeded. As for him not being NBA ready, neither was Rashard, T-Mac, Cassell, etc., etc. in their first couple of years. Gibson has enough potential to wait on him for a couple of years. With Alston & Head, we'll get by until then. Who is that excerpt from? Him not going up against other players doesn't prove he's not ready to play in the NBA. It just proves that he disappointed the people that came to observe him. Not knowing who these observers were, I can't properly respond to such a claim. Were they legitimate NBA scouts, or just some media people looking for a scoop?
I like the idea of getting Mike Miller, but not sure if Memphis would be willing to deal him to a division rival. Plus, the Grizz have Gasol, Cardinal, and Warrick at PF, they really don't need a PF like Juwan. No thanks on Boone, he really needs to go back to school for another year. I think the MLE will only get you 1 of those guys. I would love to bring back Cassell, and Evans would be an interesting pairing w/ Yao. Evans is a beast on the boards.
I kinda like the idea.. except for a couple of things in the lineup: 1. heck NO for Evans.. we saw what he did to Chris Kaman.. 2. I hate George, hate Kobe, Hate the Fakers.. I would NEVER take a former laker (who played in 05-06 of course) 3. I dont know about Alston starting at 1... do u think he is good enough? I dont think so.. I would love to see Sura staring and we can trade Alston and Howard for Miller, keep the 8th pick, and bring James from FA... 4. I dont know about Head playing the 1.. he showed no PG skills and I dont really like his handles.. he might be alright for a "10 minutes off the bench" SG.. but not a 1...
How come Memphis is loaded with 2/3 position? Eddie Jones is 35 years old and his contract is 1 year left. Bobby Jackson and Chucky Atkins are both FA this summer. Mike Miller is only 26 and has a very good contract.(35M for the next 4 seasons) And considering their GM is not Isiah Thomas, this trade wont happen.
I like your way of thinking. I don't like all these suggestions that we need a one dimensional beast like sheldon williams or josh boone, to me that just clogs up the lane. We need a long PF with a good shot, with some speed and a little bit slashing skills like Diaw. Imagine Yao posting up in the middle then passing to someone like Diaw in the circle, he can either take that medium range jumper or slash to the basket causin havoc for the defense.
I agree, too...though I am not convinced that Shelden Williams isn't athletic enough to fit in that system - it's hard to tell how his athleticism in particular will translate to the NBA...would love to read some workout reports on them when they happen.
here comes the "we need a 4 with range" thing again... I dont understand why y'all want a shooter at the 4.. how about we get a pG and a SG that can shoot first, then think about the 4... we need a monster at the 4, a tall Chucky Hayes .. an aggressive rebounder that can clean up T-mac's and Yao's mess...a PF that is really a PF, a PF that can hit the boards hard and finish strong under the basket... that's all what we are missing.. if we get a shooting 4 like Diaw ( and dont get me wrong, I like Diaw's game, I think he is a great contributer in Phoenix and I want them to beat the Mavs)... but If we get a player like Diaw, our team will be as soft as heck.. we would only have Yao inside and 4 perimeter players... I think we should focus on getting GREAT SHOOTERS at the 1 and 2, and I mean GREAT ACCURATE SHOOTERS, something like Redick or somebody.. and then get an aggressive 4, and we are guaranteed a championship... and of course, if that monster at the 4 can shoot, it will be great, I'd take him anytime... but it's not a priority... shooting for PF's is a great bonus, they can spread the floor and give the team another dimension.. but with T-mac and Yao, I think we should have a strong rebounder down at the 4... Yao cant take all the physical punishment down low by himself (well, he obviously can, but it will cut his career short)... so we need a 4 that can help him in that physical battle in the post and get "trash basket".. kinda like Chuck Hayes does..
Van Gundy is saying he wants a range shooting 4. I'm just glad to see he wants to get players that can shoot the ball. Of course, he's probably talking about a bench 4 that is a designated shooter for 5 mpg. Still, at least he's admitting he shouldn't have let Padgett loose.
Josh Boone stinks. He is in no way a Ben Wallace. Wallace has an NBA body and athleticism. Boone is slow, not explosive and has zero offensive game beyond put backs. He doesn't rebound out of his zone well either. Pretty much the boards he gets are the ones that go right at him.
I'm really tired of 1 dimensional type of players like Miller. If they're not wide open and not hitting, they're useless. If he's so good, why he couldn't beat out Battier or Jones? I would prefer multi talented guys. I really like Childress from Atl. He can get his own shot, a decent defender, long and can start the offense. Underrated as a athelete and is getting better every yr. He can be a Prince type of guy that can do alot of things and fill a box .
I just we could draft a quality athlete like Rudy Gay or at least a quality PG (Marcus Williams) with our #8. I wouldn't be disappointed if we took Cedric Simmons or some other athletic PF. However, my wish then would be for the Rockets to trade Luther Head for a #10 to #20 pick so that we could land Maurice Ager. Ager could take L.H.'s place as the Michigan representative. I think Ager holds a lot more promise than Brandon Roy. For some reason, Roy strikes me as a Rodney McCray type of pick -- i.e., a safe, solid player but without any sparkle. Unfortunately, I don't think any other team regards Luther that highly.
