I'm pretty sure Hayes will stay here if we don't try to rob him. He is smart and knows that only on this team with Yao and TMac, the 2 most unselfish stars in the league, he can get all that quick layups night in night out. And I like Mo Pe, too, another former Raptor with Rafer and TMac
Some names to consider: Steve Blake Jamaal Magliore (4/5 insurance player -- still relatively young) Grant Hill Anderson Varejao (restricted) Mo Pete Gary Payton (not a bad "last resort" option) Pietrus (restricted) Not many options for PG's via free agency and with the way the draft is shaping up, our options for PG's through the draft look limited as well. Our solution at PG might likely have to come through a trade. Obvious "if they opt out, we still can't afford them" players: Rashard Gerald Wallace Chauncey Billups Jermaine O'Neal KG Vinsanity Marbury Antawn Jamison Maybe we could convince one of these underachieving boneheads to sign for the MLE?
Totally. I doubt Stackhouse leaves Dallas but if we threw the entire MLE at him it would force Cuban to overpay to bring him back. He wouldn't be a bad replacement for Bonzi if he happens to walk in the offseason. We need OFFENSE badly. Too many teams beat us by simply outscoring the team. Unfortunately, Jerry doesn't fill one of our bigger holes on the roster which MUST be a priority in the offseason. I wish we could get an elite one. Someone like Luke Ridinour but a defensive one like Watson off the pine would be good. It seems Francis may be available but I would only bring him back on a deal like Bonzi had this year. – A two-year contract with an option on the second. If he's bought out, he won't need the money if he's serious about coming home. Mo Williams is a guy I'd like to see come off the bench (If we got him). He certainly fits a need and can be that third shooting option. Even though I'd prefer him to come off the bench he would can definitely finish the game in the fourth when the game slows down and shots become important. Rafer despite all his flaws is the best one we've had in the T-Mac/Yao era and I'd be reluctant to really see him benched or moved completely unless it's for an elite guard. Otherwise, it could be counterproductive if he throws a fit while if he sits. It's to bad we have to consider that but I think it's an underrated likelihood. I just hope we have learned our lesson on injury riddled players. As for the four I say draft a big and go from there. We could be better at that position though I would only deal Juwan at this point but that's only if we can upgrade that position significantly. Lewis is fun to think about but he's opting out of his contract to make MORE money. -- Not less. He hasn't shown much of a loyalty to Houston in the papers and really do you blame him?
I am having a difficult time seeing where guys like Blake and Mo Williams would represent much of an upgrade over Rafer on this team because of their shooting. Mo is a better midrange shooter, but from distance he's actually worse. I liked him last year, but seems like his game has taken a downturn. However, maybe somebody knows his positives more than I do. I like Blake as a distributor but we don't run the break enough and McGrady is doing most of the distribution in half court, so unless Blake can shoot lights out, what good is he? He's playing on a team with two guys drawing defenders away from him and he's not hitting 40%. Magloire is the wrong fit to me. Just a big banger down low. He can't get out to the perimter. All he would be useful for here would be to back up Yao and occasionally in tandem with Yao if teams like San Antonio or the Clippers went with dual low post players. That doesn't happen often enough to warrant giving him the MLE in my opinon. He has put on weight and he is slow. We don't need any more slow. Grant Hill - My goodness man. He's injured half the time and he plays the same position as our superstar. And I think he has become a defensive liability. I like him, just don't see how much good he would be to us. Varejao ain't gonna be available. Payton-please no. Remember Rod Strickland? I would love to get Jamison on this team, but he ain't opting out. $16 million or whatever? No way. Maybe after next season, but then again, I doubt it. He's an East Coast guy. I think he would be great here but it just ain't happening. I don't see the need for Jeff Foster when we have Hayes. We already got our version of Foster. We need a guy that is 6'9" to 6'11" and can shoot the 3 ball and is big enough to rebound.
One name I didn't see mentioned was Matt Bonner. JVG said he would be the perfect fit for the Rockets at the beginning of the season as a 4 off the bench that can shoot the 3. Although he is a restricted free agent. And obviously noy for the MLE
I'd rather have Fazekas with a low first round pick. Bonner only if we have an open roster spot and we can get him for the minimum.
The PF issue can be cleared up with Fazekas. Steve Francis is gonna be bought out cause nobody is gonna trade for his huge contract. So we're probably gonna spend a little on him(since being bought out means he gets paid anyway, so he wouldn't demand much). If Bonzi leaves, I would love for us to pick up Jared Dudley. He's projected 2nd round to undrafted, I see that as a steal waiting to happen.
I never suggested Mo Williams mainly because I feel the same way about his game that you do. He's undersized, trigger happy and not much of a defender so in that sense we already have a player like that in JLIII. Blake wouldn't be a bad option off the bench if we were to split up the MLE to give him part of it. He certainly wouldn't be my first choice and I agree with your concerns about his less-than-stellar shooting percentages on a team where he gets open looks, but he's one of those smart gutsy players that aren't going to hurt you when they're out on the floor. He protects the ball, plays better defense than people give him credit for and can score of you if you don't respect him. We're talking minimum salary here not the MLE. His production has steadily decreased the past three seasons plus he's coming off a contract that paid him $8M a year -- I doubt his asking price would be anything astronomical. He's still only 28-years-old, can rebound well, is a solid post defender and has a decent back to the basket game. Yeah, he's slow but we're a halfcourt team so it's very possible he could fit in as a 4/5 insurance policy. His injury concerns go without saying. If he could stay healthy and could sign for the minimum though, I think you have to do it. What is Kirk Snyder's achilles heel? Lack of basketball IQ, right? With Hill you wouldn't have that problem. Hill is somewhat like a poor man's T-Mac with his role in the Magic's offense. He runs their halfcourt offense most of the time and is basically their glue guy. I agree. With the way Ferry overpaid for Illgauskas who knows what kind of money Varejao will get. Horrible comparison. As sad at is to say, at 38-years-old he's still one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Next time you watch a Heat game take a look at who is guarding the opponent's best perimeter player for half of the game. On top of that, his post up game is still effective and his assist-to-turnover ratios throughout the course of his career speak for themselves. We're talking last resort/minimum salary. I would do it if all other more attractive options fell through. I agree that passing up on $16M is very unlikely. You could say the same about Vince Carter though and he's expected to opt out also. I guess anything could happen, right? Doubtful he would head back out West though. My idea is to make a play for Okafor. He's been hampered by injuries and they have Sean May waiting in the wings. Perhaps Charlotte would part with him if we dealt Luther while his value was high, Sura's contract (cap filler) and our #1? I would be willing to sarcrifice the 3-pt shooting if it meant being able to acquire a glass cleaner like Okafor. With T-Mac, Rafer, Head and Battier in the rotation the one thing there will never be a shortage of is 3-pt attempts. With Okafor you get a 24-year-old, 6'10, 250+ lb monster capable of playing both the 4/5 that can score in the low post, is top five in rebounding, will play great defense and block shots.
Sign Najera and get a decent backup PG with the MLE. Najera would be perfect in this system, big, strong, he hustles and can finish those shots that hayes sometimes cant. I think JVG would love him
Talent wise - absolutely, but temperament he is not a good fit. I agree he is a big upgrade on Mike James. But will he want to pay 3rd string? I like Juwan at vet minimum too!
we have 4 FA's (deke, jake, hayes, and bonzi). i expect all but bonzi to be resigned, giving us this roster: yao-jake-deke hayes-jho-novak shane-snyder tmac-head-sura rafer-lucas-billy we need (1) a scorer off the bench, (2) PG help, and (3) maybe an upgrade at PF. i would target PG's who can put up points, in order to kill 2 birds with one stone. billups, bibby and williams will be out of our price range. -james (trade) -francis (buy out) -atkins -boykins
He has only had one stretch of games missed this season due to his knee and that had nothing to do with his ankle. But he is starting. Here he would be coming off the bench to lessen the wear and tear. Yes, he does play the 2/3. But that's still a need for us in our rotation. Hill would be a 6th man kind of player, like Stackhouse, like what we were hoping for with Wells. What good could he do for us? High BB IQ player. No Chemistry Risk. Is 6'8" so he has size defensively. Can play the Point Forward, allowing other playerse (Head, Tmac) to play off the ball. He can slash to the basket and hit the midrange shot. He can create his own shot. I don't think he has become a defensive liability. He is no worse than a Stackhouse or a Snyder. And in a JVG system he would be solid. The upside is that he brings alot of intangibles offensively, things this team needs when it gets into offensive ruts. Those are the things that ususally lead to the team's downfall.
I have my doubts about re-signing Big Jake. I think we only re-sign him for the minimum for one or two years and I think somebody else offers him a few more dollars. And I don't see Boykins being an option here. Not with JLIII here.
Ironically, I expect a similar strategy this summer as last summer. 1) Trade our draft choice and a player for a key starter, either at PF or PG. 2) Use MLE and TE from Sura to pick up a value piece or two, and keep the players we're building, such as Hayes and Deke. 3) Trade one of the role players for someone else's role players who fit each team better, and make their team better. (Anyone but Yao, TMac and Battier are up for grabs). Don't trade if you don't improve. I like the idea of Grant Hill. What a class guy with a high BB IQ. He'd provide great depth, if he was willing to come off the bench. I like the idea of Francis, if he's comfortable coming off the bench at the 1/2. I sure would like a serious rebounder at the PF, like a Chandler, but so would everyone else. That's probably harder to find than a PG, especially to compete in the West. My hope though, is that we could pick up a starter at the 1 and/or 4.
Draft Nick Fazekas Use the MLE for PG help/ Chuck Hayes Resign Jake to be Yao's backup of the future/ bird rights Then you have Sura's contract (which can be bought out for a million same as an expired contract) JL3 might be expendable, Howard as well if we get young help at 4. The 1.1 million TE is worthless but we are in decent shape with Yao and Jake being young, T-mac and Head locked up and young and Shane and Snyder locked up and young we will be good if we can get help at the 1 and 4. Just a slight upgrade is all we need.
I think you're right on the money in terms of team needs. Atkins would be nice for short-term help. Forget about mike james. Boykins is no good defensively. And francis will want MLE money, which is scary. Oh, and if milwaukee targets billups and pries him away from detroit, mo williams is fair game for either the MLE or a SnT.
The players I would go after in order: 1) Steve Francis 2) MoPete 3) Grant Hill I think PG is the biggest need, and I think Steve would be the best fit. If no other pgs are available, I'd go after a scorer that could come off the bench and play big minutes
