It seems like Lue is likely to make his way down here, so atleast we have a backup PG. Therefore.... Fisher- Opting out, says he's interested. Has played PG for a star studded team- a dominant C and a scoring SG- sound familiar? He is still a good shooter and a good defender. Has averaged less than 1 TO per game in his career, could come cheap. Barry- Barry is a tall PG that is a good passer and a good shooter. His defense is a question mark, and he is not getting any younger. Having a Barry/T-Mac backcourt would give major problems to defenses. Barry is looking for a long-term, expensive deal. Something I don't think the Rockets want. Also, don't forget we also have the TE to work with. We might be able to find a legit PG from a team who is looking for some cap relief, I do not want to spend the whole TE on one though.
James is a good passer for sure. The only thing that concerns me is that he does like to shoot the ball and I don't know much about his defense.
Fisher, I suspect, is opting out to get a big money contract. If he wanted cheap, he would have stayed with the Lakers.
I don't think that Fisher is going to get that big money, he might just be looking for another chance at a champioship and a nice place to live. Hopefully.
I'm not so sure. I think he just wants to get the hell outta LA while everyone else is leaving. He can stay in LA through the "rebuilding", or he can go somewhere like Houston and be right back on a championship contender. I believe he really wants to win, not just get paid.
Be very surprised to see the mitten leave LA. Isn't he due 5.6M if he stays there (no one else would be crazy enough to give him that type of money)? Plus with Phil Jackson gone, I think he might be happier in LA.
Upon further pondering of this Fisher situation....he almost kind of reminds me of a Robert Horry type...as it relates to how he's played in the playoffs after having mediocre regular seasons. He would be perfect off the bench, but I want a bigger PG to start.
Payton is not leaving LA. Nobody will pay him more than the remaining Laker contract. My top choice is Barry. Fisher is a close second. Barry is a better passer and more consistent shooter. But he is weak in defense. Fisher is a decent passer, a pretty good shooter, and tough as a nail as a defender. Yes he flops. That's the one thing I hate about him. But he's the kind of guy that is very annoying when he plays against you and very likeable when he's on your team. I suspect that JVG would prefer Fisher over Barry. I hope he doesn't prefer Ward over both of them simply because Ward was a Knickabocker!
Trade Juwan Howard for Nick Van Exel! Van Exel refuses to play unless he plays for a team in Texas, so we could probably swap one bad contract for another.
Nick Van Excel has a player option on his contract, and could opt out and become a free agent. He was talking pretty strongly about using it and either going to Texas or retiring, but I haven't heard anything recently about his decision. I can only think that the thought of declining 2 years and $24 million would haunt him. It's not like the Bay Area is such an awful place to be, after all. If Nash does something like sign with the Suns, it is possible that Cuban tries to bring NVE back. I don't see the Spurs having any interest, nor Jeff Van Gundy. Point Guards for the taking: Troy Hudson MIN Option Gary Payton LAL Option Charlie Ward SAS Option Derek Fisher LAL Option Brent Barry SEA FA ___________________________ Carlos Arroyo UTA RFA Keyon Dooling LAC RFA Rafer Alston MIA FA Kenny Anderson IND FA Damon Jones MIL FA Brevin Knight MIL FA Darrick Martin MIN FA Fisher and Ward probably best fit the JVG mold and would be happy to join up (seriously, the job looks pretty nice these days, I would imagine). Whether Les is still against Ward because of the religious stuff is a valid question. Competition for Barry will be heavy, and he may end up going for more than the MLE if there is a bidding war. Payton is washed up and never has been a team player. Hudson is more of a scorer than defender/distributer. Arroyo and Jones wouldn't be bad calls if the Rockets stick to the smaller exception. Evan
I wouldn't mind Arroyo and Jones..they are decent..backups. Even Darrick Martin showed some stuff during the playoffs lol. Rafer Alston would be good too if he wants to come! But we already have Tyronn Lue..and maybe Mike Wilks..bye Mark Jackson As a starter, I am guessing it will be Derek Fisher..he would be nice. He is a tenacious defender. lol although he cries.. http://home.comcast.net/~slayermin_2/fisher_1.gif I would like to get Nick Van Exel and/or Brent Barry.
