I would like Matt Barnes (for MLE) in that case, if it was to happen...but I seriously doubt we get the guy.
Denver has no interest of making us better while not improving themselves significantly. Outside Tmac and Yao, or Kmart's contract, there is nothing else Denver would want to take to us about.
That's what concerns me the most about Camby. He only averages 56 games played per season, and he's already 33 years old. I think that after the Rockets would get him, he'd probably get injured and his game will be on the decline soon.
Battier could serve the same role he did for us. Play the tougher defensive assignment and shoot the three bawl. You have to remember denver does not have one player that can shoot from the 3 point line.
1. Denver is over the luxury tax with AI, Melo, Nene, K-Mart, and Camby so they need to "unload" some high salary. AI and Melo will not go anywhere. Nene is a young budding All-Star so he won't go anywhere. K-Mart is often injured with a ridiculous salary, so he's untradable. That leaves Camby out of the picture. 2. The trade should be Sura's contract, V-Span's contract, and Rafer for Camby. Knocking off Sura's contract and V-Span's contract will get them under the luxury tax. 3. Steve Blake is still up in the air so they might not have a point guard and J.R. Smith is coming off a off season car accident, and they traded away Earl Boykins last year, so they need depth at the guard position. Rafer isn't a bad point guard, he just not a 25+ minute point guard. Denver is the opposite of us, loaded in the frontcourt but thin in the backcourt. The main reason I don't see this happening is that we are battling Denver for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and they probably wouldn't want to face that duo of Yao and Camby to get in the playoffs.
Oh we signed Francis? News to me. I also thought Bonzi was a slow, fat, quiter. Mike Jame is a point. Snyder would really be your only real answer...right
You can get this done with Sura + VSpan + Head for Camby. Denver is going to trade Camby for cap relief because otherwise they will be in luxury tax land. Sura and VSpan provide 4.78M in immediate cap relief. Head gives them the outside shooting they desperately need. This is not the pipedream everyone claims it to be. What other team can offer comparable contracts that can come off the books immediately? This deal would probably have to wait until close to when luxury tax penalties are counted. Does anyone know when that is?
Unfortunately the other two bigs aren't moveable. Nene, the 10 million dollar man, has a big and bloated contract and behind him is Kenyon Martin with an even worse contract and two knees that have gone through microfracture surgery. They need tax relief and hence the reason why Camby's name has popped up. They don't want to trade him but he's the only guy anyone would trade for. Just a crappy situation for Denver but their owner wants relief.
I'm not going to argue with you about this. I think Bonzi or Snyder and Mike Jame at the 2 guard position and Camby at the 4 would be a whole lot better than having Hayes as our primary and only PF and Shane Battier. It would also allow TMac to play at his best position, the 3 spot. Another reason to do it is its easier to find a shooting guard for the MLE/Draft than a quality 4/5. I know everyone here has a hard on for Battier, but you would have to be sleeping with him to turn down Camby, reigning DPOY who can play at your weakest position. If you rather have Battier, then so be it. Nothing I say will change your opinion.
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_5828677 written 05/06/2007 Nobody ever wants to see Nuggets center Marcus Camby leave. But the No. 1 basketball issue facing the local NBA franchise is: Should Camby stay or should he go? What the Nuggets decide to do with Camby will reveal how steep a price billionaire Stan Kroenke is willing to pay for a championship run and how close team management really believes these players are to challenging for NBA supremacy. As Camby strolled through the Pepsi Center loading dock on the eve of Denver's final playoff game, he was halted by the voice of Sparky Gonzales, the best equipment manager in the business. Nobody or nothing leaves the arena without the knowledge of Gonzales, who sees all and knows more. "Hey," Gonzales called out to Camby. "Where do you think you're going with that thing under your arm?" "I'm taking my little friend to lunch," replied Camby, who cracked up laughing. Crooked in the veteran center's right elbow was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophy, which features a bronze statue of a tiny man hunched over in the caveman defensive stance taught to every prep hoopster since the invention of the coach's whistle. "You better bring it back," Gonzales said. "Yeah," Camby promised. "We'll pass it around, like the Stanley Cup. Everybody will get a day with the trophy." Maybe. Maybe not. While the Nuggets love Camby for the calm, veteran voice of reason he brings to what can be a raucously hip-hop locker room, the team would be wise to carefully calculate the plusses and minuses of moving the center, who's value as a trade commodity will probably never be so high again. Let's start with the biggest minus on Camby's ledger. It's $9 million. That's the big money Denver owes Camby in salary next season. What's more important, unless they seriously trim payroll, the Nuggets are looking at paying as much as $10 million in luxury tax next season. Billionaires hate to pay taxes as much as you do, maybe more. And know this: Word on the NBA street was after the Nuggets acquired the hefty contract of point guard Allen Iverson, they were looking to move Earl Boykins or Camby. Boykins was sent packing to Milwaukee. Camby stayed and played a major role in Denver's stretch drive in two ways, one positive and one negative to the basketball bottom line. His defense was the foundation that allowed the Nuggets to begin winning games without 100 points being an absolute necessity. And huge bonuses in an incentive-laden contract for the often-injured center kicked in to the tune of more than $2 million, when Camby unexpectedly was on the court for 70 regular-season games. Kroenke has built a Denver sports empire on economies of scale. For example: The Avalanche and Nuggets call the same arena home. Neither the hockey nor basketball tenant, however, produced as much playoff revenue as the boss would have liked. Something or somebody has to give, and unless it's Kroenke digging deeper in his wallet, it might be Camby walking out the arena doors forever. The Nuggets, with no first-round choice in the upcoming NBA draft, could shop Camby to a salary cap-rich club, if they want to jump back in what's regarded as a deep talent pool. You think 6-foot-11 Joakim Noah of Florida or Ohio State point guard Mike Conley Jr. would look good coming off the Nuggets' all-too-thin bench? Even if Kroenke signs for the luxury-tax bill, Denver might be wise to consider swapping Camby for the veteran jump-shooter who could nail a 3-pointer and save George Karl from bending J.R. Smith over the coach's knee and spanking him. Any trade of Camby would be a gamble on forward Kenyon Martin's return to health after microfracture knee surgery. Rubbing his flat belly while accurately predicting the demise of the Dallas Mavericks after a recent Nuggets practice, Martin declared he was itching for a return to action, saying: "I know the game. I'm a great analyst. But I'm a better player." At age 33, Camby could be considered a bit of a health risk himself. As dangerous as he can be swatting shots, Camby is also a weakside help defender, not the man Denver put in front of Tim Duncan in the effort to stonewall the San Antonio offense during the playoffs. Even an NBA team owned by a billionaire must answer to a budget. If the Nuggets keep Camby, the team brain trust of Rex Chapman, Mark Warkentien and Bret Bearup must sell Kroenke on the notion a $75 million Denver roster needs only minor tweaking and a few more bucks to beat every team in the NBA. It's a big bet. Would you make it?
To be fair, like I said before, the only available guy I would like to see on the team if we did happen to trade Battier would be Matt Barnes. I think he had his best season in the up temp system in Golden State. He is a decent defender, with a little more fire than Battier. I think that if we were able to replace Battier with him, then I would be all for a Shane+Sura for Camby trade. I just know we need a lock down defender, and Shane really did well. He also wanted to play every game although JVG wouldnt let him. I worry about Camby' past injuries.
Nobody answered one of the posts original questions. Can Camby play PF? If he is too slow everything else is moot. I think a package of Sura, Spanman, and Head plus a future 1st round pick might get it done, except Denver won't want to improve the Rockets.
He's ok from the elbow, but his offense is pretty bad. His defense and rebounding and the foul trouble he would keep Yao out of would more than make up for it. I think it's a long-shot, but if he could be had we should jump all over it, even if it meant giving up Battier (who I don't think Denver needs.) Can you imagine the defense if we didn't have to give up Battier? James McGrady Battier Yao Camby JVG would shut everyone down with that lineup. Would Adelman?
Next to Yao, anybody can play PF, even Shaq. Camby is expensive but is a good temporary solution to both starting PF and backup C. I think he would help in all the right areas. He's still athletic to run the floor from the games I've seen of him in Denver's uptempo system. My two concerns are injuries and age with him. You also want someone to develop with Yao, rather than leave the PF position as a swinging door. But if that's the splash Morey is looking at, I'm fine with it - temporarily.
Here's the real question in regards to Camby. What is the market for him, who else would want him? Who else would want to take him and be willing to give up expirings and picks? Because Denver is looking for just that and that only. They don't want contracts back. Remember, every team is now at or near the cap with Memphis signing Milicic and Charlotte locking down Wallace. Only Milwaukee with breathing room left to re-sign Mo Williams but they don't need a 4/5. I guess Charlotte would be a possibility. Possibly New Jersey too, but don't see how Denver really saves a lot of money in either deal. Don't see how Denver could do a lot better for themselves in talent and salary cap situation then to take a package like Sura, Head, Snyder, and JLIII, a bunch of cap relief and a backcourt shooter.
