Eddie's problems are not just depression; he also has anger management issues which result in violent episodes on his part, usually resulting in him assaulting somebody else. He's been involved in no less than 4 brawls that we know about in the last few years: 1. there's the brawl in the cafeteriawhere he got kicked out of high school, 2. He beat up one of his teammates at Seton Hall 3. He started shooting at his girlfriend 4. He assaulted some dude in a hotel room in New Jersey. Again, those are just the ones we know about. I know people who have been depressed too, but that kind of behavior signifies soemthing else...and it's not like he just had one lapse. He's been out of control for 6 or 7 years now. But that's all a sideshow -- let's focus on him on the court: 1. He couldn't shoot 2. He couldn't dribble 3. He couldn't pass 4. He had no post up game 5. He was a lousy man defender 6. He was an average rebounder 7. He was a decent weakside shotblocker He was a decent athlete who had some success over a 20 game stretch in college (thanks in no small part to the college 3). He showed some very brief flashes in the NBA but he was handed the starting job and failed, repeatedly. He may have been perceived as having had potential 3 years ago..but those days are gone. At best he's a borderline NBA player based on performance and skills. Is that worth the baggage? No.
(OK, we all got distracted with the Wiseguy maneuvers ... thank God that's over. It was hard to discuss this for a few days. But, now its appropriate ...) I like Howard. He's solid and very versatile. On most teams who have a strong defensive center, he's a great addition, doing everything well. But, I remember what happened when Cato went out of the lineup. We lost a lot. Yao isn't mean enough yet. He just doesn't have the strength yet. So, I think we need muscle next to Yao, more than what Howard brings. Crash, if we could get Chandler, I'd love that, as far as building toward the future. But, in addition, we need a starting banger PF, who could also do some backup center, IMHO, and if I could get both, I would, but the muscle is our greater need. I know Grant is getting older, and he has a huge contract, but I remember he gave Ming fits last year. He's still got it. If there was someone like him who is younger, I'd love that instead. The problem is that we only have the TE to get someone like that, unless there is a FA who will come here cheap to play alongside Yao and TMac. (No, not Malone ... ) Does anyone else have a suggestion on who would fit that role for us, that is conceivable to get, either using our TE, or a FA we could attract? McDeyss of old would be perfect, but I'm sure there is good reason for NYK and PHO to pass on him and his injuries.
Yes, but we can't use it on multiple players in the same trade. I'm certainly not an expert on this, though. When I mentioned on another thread that we might get another TE from this TMac trade, Aelliott and Gater were gracious enough not to correct me on my statement, but pointed this out on another thread. They have certainly become the resident Cap and Contract experts around here. Either of them can explain the boundaries of this much better than I. All I would be doing would be rounding up their posts, and quoting what they said over the last few years ...
I would think E. Thomas fits that role. I looked up his stats. 25 mins, 10 pts, 7 rebounds, 1.5 block, 49 % shooting last year......not bad. Washington has K. Brown, Jamison, Haywood, etc. so they dont need him. Thomas had a couple of 20 rebound games last year also. Reminds me of a young B. Grant......Good fit I should think
Sherlock, I agree that aquiring Chandler does not eliminate our need for some real muscle inside. I think we could probably find someone a lot cheeper than Grant though. Brian Skinner is a name that has poped up a couple of times.
I was honestly thinking about reuniting Camby with his old coach Van Gundy if he's willing to sign extremely cheap. He's 6'11, improved to at least playing 72 games last season. I would have him play Cato's role as back up center and starting power forward. Juwan Howard can then replace Mo Tay as that scoring punch off the bench but with rebounding capabilities as well. Mo Tay can then be shipped off somewhere to fill out our other needs.
Of course, Brand would be perfect. But, I just don't know how to pull that off. About the only out of the box idea I've come up with, would be if CHI would do the deal that Crash suggested for Chandler, or something like it, and then ship him off to LAC with our TE for Brand. LAC immediately gets 6.9 mil space to sweeten the deal with Kobe, so they can outbid LAL for his services, and can still trade Chandler for considerable value, before his big contract comes up. Its the type of deal Sterling just might make.
I think we're gonna get Derek Fisher. I read on cnnsi.com a couple weeks ago that he expressed interest in signing with us. He's a perfect fit: 1. He's played with a prolific scorer in Kobe and a dominant big man in Shaq 2. Won 3 championships 3. Always plays his hardest 4. killer from three point range I'm assuming we won't be able to sign Rafer Alston, Brent Barry is too old, Van Exel isn't a pure pg, we should go with Fish. Arroyo is also interesting. What are the chances of getting Bowen? What kind of money do we have left to spend on free agents? Because while we have a very good team now, I don't see us being true title contenders until we get some more depth. But we will be very exciting to watch.
Skinner would be nice. A cheaper option like Francisco Elson might be good for us. He gave KG a tough time in the playoffs.
To quote the Gipper: "There you go again" No. No and NO! The only way this guy should ever get near the Rockets again is to buy a ticket to the TC. As for EG's "depression", I find it curious that he was diagnosed as such AFTER he took potshots at his girlfriend (sorry EX-girlfriend) and HPD was looking for him. But hey! If I'd screwed up and washed myself out of the league along with millions of dollars, I'd be "depressed" also. At this point in time, there's more BANG than BUCK to his game. I vote thumbs down. It's well past the time to move on.
Sherlock - I agree. Grant has his warts, but he also solves a lot of problems. However, I see his benefits as being on the court - ie playing the game. I see his warts as being off court - Contract & age. It is a real plus is that he is available. Sure I would LOVE Brand and am willing to watch Chandler grow, but let's face it, those guys are not available. The other "big" I see as available, can play PF & C (which I consider critical), and is reasonably priced (OK don't laugh, don"t puke, and if you hvae small children, you might ask them to move out of the room before proceeding) (and after you do laugh, puke and bring the kids back, think about it with an objective point of view) is Ostertag. I know, I know. I have personall called him a fat tub of goo more than once. But he is a big body, he can block, he plays both positions and I am fairly certain that he will no longer be overpaid (new contract - Fool me once curse you). A friend suggested Osterfag to me and I thought he was nuts, but once the shock wears off, he would not be a bad sub. Remember sub is a key word here. Also regarding less minutes for JJ. I wholeheartedly agree. I see Howard and McGradey each pulling a few minutes at the three.
According to NBATV Eric Diamper is a FA he just opted out of his contract. On a seperate note Phoenix Suns were sold today.
