I wouldn't be so quick to dump Rodriguez without giving him a fair look. He was young and coming from europe, he hasn't been giving a whole lot of opportunities in Portland. He could be ready to turn the corner just as you give him away.
Yes, Pacers is robbing. Without O'Neal, they are eager for some good players. Bad news is that their aim is our Landry.
How about Danny Granger and Marquis Daniels for Luther Head, Shane Battier and we don't fight them on an offer sheet for Carl Landry? They want to shed Daniels salary which is too much for a bench player, so Granger is the sweetner for us. Battier is a solid Sixth Man for them and Luther provides solid outside shooting on a small, short (appropriate) contract. Landry obviously gives them depth at PF. For us, Granger takes the place of Battier defensively but has a much better shot and more athleticism. Daniels, if he could duplicate his Dallas years, would be a great rotational player at SG -- much taller, stronger and more athletic than Luther.
Granger is their pseudo-franchise player. Bird's not going to give him up just to dump Daniels salary or for Battier & Landry.
Luther and Francis for Josh Boone and a 2nd rd pick. The Rox essentially get Yao and scola's backup and can shoot Landry the duece. Boone can play 15 mins behind Yao and 14 behind Scola. He's 6'10, atheletic and long. Poor ft shooter, but good rebounder and finisher. In those 29mins he'll get us 10pts and 8 rebs off the bench. Younger than landry and the rox could use the mle on other players. Killing 2 birds with 1 stone.
I wonder what the story is with Andre Iguodala. He is a Restricted Free Agent this offseason but there hasn't been any word about him. Did he resign or sign an extension with Philadelphia at some point? If not, I wonder if there is a possibility for a sign and trade. He does play small forward which is one of our stronger bargaining chips, not that Battier is equal to Iguodala in a trade, but it would be interesting to see what happens to him now that Brand got a huge deal from Philly. Are they willing to shell out the same kind of cash on AI2?
Group I: Restricted free agents Only six first-round draft picks from the 2004 draft were signed to extensions last fall. That means some serious young talent is available this summer. These players' restricted status makes it likely they'll stay with their current teams, but at least they'll be in play: 1. Josh Smith, Hawks: Smith has been the hottest restricted free agent, drawing interest from the Sixers, Clippers and Warriors. He's a freakish athlete who can score, rebound and block shots. What holds him back is his questionable attitude. Right now, only two teams, the Clippers and Grizzlies, are far enough under the cap to give Smith an offer sheet big enough to potentially scare the Hawks. Given Atlanta's messy ownership situation, would the Hawks match a huge offer from L.A. or Memphis? That's the big question right now. 2. Andre Iguodala, Sixers: Iguodala's decision to turn down a $57 million deal last summer is tough to justify. At the time, the Sixers appeared to be the only team with significant cap room; I'm not sure where he thought his next paycheck would come from. Now that Elton Brand's on board, expect the Sixers to do everything possible to lock him up. 3. Emeka Okafor, Bobcats: Okafor turned down $13 million per season to hit free agency this summer. He's not the best player on this list, but he's the best young center on the market and one of the few guys in the league who's a lock to average a double-double. It sounds as if the Bobcats are open to a sign-and-trade if the right deal were to come along. 4. Luol Deng, Bulls: Everyone loves Deng's talent, including the Bulls. At least they used to. Injuries and a poor season have hurt his value around the league. Still, it's hard to see the Bulls not matching any offer Deng gets next summer. He declined a $57.5 million extension in October, so if he makes more than that, he'll come out ahead. It will be interesting to see whether the budget-conscious Bulls will take advantage of the market conditions and offer him much less. 5. Andris Biedrins, Warriors: Biedrins didn't get the lucrative contract offer that several others did. He was looking for something in the five-year, $50 million range but got an offer that reportedly was substantially lower. Biedrins falls a little bit into the Anderson Varejao category -- energetic big man whose stats don't tell the whole story in terms of on-court contributions. Given that he continues to improve and he's only 21 years old, it's hard to believe the Warriors wouldn't match an offer. 6. Monta Ellis, Warriors: He's young and he can score. Now that the Warriors have lost Baron Davis, re-signing Ellis is a priority. Though Ellis likely has few suitors, the Warriors will make him happy or risk that he'd take the midlevel exception. 7. Josh Childress, Hawks: Childress doesn't get nearly the respect or hype as many of his teammates in Atlanta, but he's been a devastatingly effective sixth man. Still, he might be expendable given all of Atlanta's wing talent. He probably can't get more than a midlevel deal on this market, but he'd be a bargain at that price. 8. Ben Gordon, Bulls: Of all the players who turned down lucrative contract extensions last summer, Gordon made the most mind-boggling decision. He turned down a five-year, $50 million deal that seemed above market value on a down season. For him to recoup that money this summer seems almost impossible. And now that the Bulls have added Larry Hughes to the mix, it's no longer clear where Gordon fits into the picture. There isn't a huge market for undersized 2-guards who have streaky jump shots. Gordon most likely will be the top restricted free agent not to have his offer matched, but he'll struggle to get a huge offer from anyone. Gordon might be better off taking the Bulls' one-year tender offer. 9. Nenad Krstic, Nets: Before his knee injury last season, Krstic looked to be locked up by the Nets. Now the uncertainty about his health could hurt his value. 10. Daniel Gibson, Cavaliers: Gibson has a great outside shot, can play both positions in the backcourt and has valuable experience on a contender. The problem is it appears that the Cavs will match any offer. If he wants a big payday, he might be better off taking the team's qualifying offer and trying again next summer. Other notables: Louis Williams, Sixers; Craig Smith, Timberwolves; Sasha Vujacic, Lakers; Ryan Gomes, Timberwolves; Robert Swift, Oklahoma City; Carlos Delfino, Raptors; Carl Landry, Rockets; Kelenna Azubuike, Warriors; Delonte West, Cavs; J.R. Smith, Nuggets; Dorell Wright, Heat. Group II: Unrestricted free agents 1. Kurt Thomas, Spurs: He's 35 years old but still tough enough to help just about any title contender. The Spurs got him in a steal of a deal at the trade deadline. Look for them to try to lock him up with a three-year deal this summer. 2. James Posey, Celtics: Posey helped himself with a strong performance against the Lakers in the Finals. He's another player who should get a three- to four-year midlevel deal somewhere. 3. Ricky Davis, Heat: The talented but troubled swingman hasn't helped his cause in his second tour with Miami. Pat Riley thought, after dumping him the first time, that Davis finally had the maturity to play for him. But Riley clearly is reassessing the situation. Davis looks like a midlevel-or-below type of player. I doubt he'll return to the Heat. 4. Kwame Brown: The former No. 1 pick has run out of excuses. Yes, he's huge, athletic and only 25 years old. But after seven years in the league, he has yet to prove that he's anything more than a backup. Someone will pay him something, but no one expects much. 5. Shaun Livingston: He has amazing talent but will he ever recover from that horrific knee injury he suffered in 2007? With the Clippers using all of their money on Baron Davis, someone might try to roll the dice. 6. Keyon Dooling, Magic: In a market starved for point guards, Dooling might be the best guy left on the board. He can be an excellent defender, has good size for his position and is coming off a solid season. He won't break the bank, and he's not a bad backup either. 7. Carlos Arroyo, Magic: Arroyo isn't a sexy name, but the market has a shortage of point guards, and Arroyo was more than adequate as a backup in Orlando last season. 8. Bostjan Nachbar, Nets: Nachbar is coming off the best season of his career with the Nets. He's not a starter, but he can provide some shooting and offense off the bench. 9. Eduardo Najera, Nuggets: Najera is a tough, energy guy who'll rebound and bring some grit to your team. But at age 31, how much does he have left in the tank? Other notables: Matt Barnes, Warriors; Alonzo Mourning, Heat; Patrick O'Bryant, Warriors; Jason Williams, Heat; Juwan Howard, Mavs; Jarvis Hayes, Pistons; Robert Horry, Spurs; Michael Finley, Spurs; Jannero Pargo, Hornets; Damon Stoudamire, Spurs; Sam Cassell, Celtics; Jamaal Magloire, Nets; Kareem Rush, Pacers; Gordan Giricek, Suns; Michael Doleac, Timberwolves; Francisco Elson, Oklahoma City; Quinton Ross, Clippers; Antoine Wright, Mavericks; Fred Jones, Knicks; Juan Dixon, Pistons; Maurice Evans, Magic; Primoz Brezec, Raptors; Anthony Johnson, Kings; Tyronn Lue, Kings; Theo Ratliff, Pistons; Adonal Foyle, Magic; Sebastian Telfair, Timberwolves; Kirk Snyder, Timberwolves; David Harrison, Pacers; Walter Herrmann, Pistons; Tony Allen, Celtics; Salim Stoudamire, Hawks; Mickael Gelabale, Oklahoma City; Randolph Morris, Knicks. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/colum...eeAgents-080629
He can't shoot and he is inconsistent on defense. He is very good mid-range game and inside, but not a great passer. He turned down a lot of money on an extension earlier in the year. Anything that we would offer to sign him, Philly would match. To get him you would have to offer ridiculous amount.
Bonzi isn't gonna join us again.He was so diapointed that he has decided to join the mavs in revenge againest the rockets.
Are you familiar with how the Pacers see Granger? He's a cornerstone of that franchise. They won't trade him.
I don't remember what the stipulations are with a Sign & Trade. I believe you can only trade the player signed for another player or players who's salaries match the S&T players contract or comes close. I don't believe it is possible to throw additional players into the trade with a player who is Signed and Traded, I may be wrong about this. Besides the point, I read that everyone on the Bobcats roster is available even Emeka Okafor (available through S&T) and Gerald Wallace. I don't know exactly what it would take but I would love to see some kind of trade where we Sign and Trade Carl Landry (Full MLE) and send him to Charlotte for Gerald Wallace (I know Wallace makes over the MLE in the 8.5 million range this next season so if possible we would have to package someone else along, I just don't know if this is possible). Next, Charlotte does a Sign and Trade with Emeka Okafor and we send Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes, Bobby Jackson and a future pick. I'm not saying that these deals would work or are fair but since Darryl Morey is looking for acquisitions through trades, Charlotte seems like a good trading partner. I know that Larry Brown is going to try to retain Okafor but it would be great to see Emeka come back home and play in front of his home crowd. He would also be the solid defender / rebounder we need playing alongside Yao who can score when needed. If they didn't want him playing alongside Yao, he would be a perfect back up to Yao allowing them to split time at the center position as to not jeopardize their already fragile body's and prolong their playing time. I think Scola and Dorsey could run the 4 pretty well. Gerald Wallace who has already played for Adelman has developed into a very well rounded player who is a border line star. I think his second go round under Adelman could be much more fruitful as he is now savvy enough to handle the complexities of Adelman's system. ( I hope) Anyway this would be an incredible Line-up though it's just a pipe dream: P.G. - Rafer Alston / Aaron Brooks / Steve Francis S.G. - Tracy McGrady / Brent Barry / Luther Head S.F. - Gerald Wallace / Donte Greene / Steve Novak P.F. - Emeka Okafor / Luis Scola / Joey Dorsey ..C. - Yao Ming / Dikembe Mutombo (If he doesn't resign, Dorsey goes here)
That should be ideal trade for us,man.Despite the salary , the trade offer should be gonna accepted by the bobcats four years ago.However , they would not for sure trade Gerald for any guy on our team except yao and tmac right now. I have dreamt of trading Luther head and Brooks for Brandon Roy , There is no limit to dreams,is there? I dreamt that the offer was accepted by the blazers . but i am quite countious that it would never happens in the real life.
How about a S&T Josh Childress for Shane Battier & Luther Head? I am a Battier fan, but someone like Josh Childress in my opinion really fits this team's makeup. What Josh Childress brings: *He has nice length at 6'8". *He can run the floor and finish on a fast break (versus spotting up in the corner like Battier). High percentage points. *He can defend multiple positions -1-2-3 *He can bring the ball up playing a point forward roll at times which allows Tmac more room to operate. *Dispite his slight frame, is a surprisingly rugged player and good offensive rebounder. Not afraid of contact. *Is not a bad 3pt shooter (36%) to space the floor and can put the ball on the floor to drive. Career 52% FG. *Good fit in Adelman's offense because he can play "off the ball" and still be effective. *Still young and in his prime. To me he is a decent upgrade over Battier. Perhaps not as savvy and intense as Battier and maybe won't take has many charges. But he brings a lot of other things to the table that I think this team needs and is a good fit with Tmac and Yao. Probably the only way the Hawks do this deal though is if they do keep Josh Smith and he is signed to a big deal and then they might not be willing to sign/commit to Childress to another decent deal with Marvin Williams, Bibby, and Joe Johnson to look at in the future.
Another one. How about Battier+Head+Novak to Portland for Travis Outlaw+Ike Diogu. It's basically Outlaw for Battier with players thrown in to match salaries (Diogu) and give Portland other assets to move (Head/Novak). I don't see Diogu as any part of Portland's plans with their roster. With Webster/Roy/Fernandez/Batum etc on their roster at the 2/3 and Aldridge/Frye/Batum at the 4 spot I think they could be willing to move Outlaw for the right price. Battier seems like a good fit and Novak might be a nice range shooting 4 in the Aldridge/Oden offense. I think Outlaw would be a great fit on the Rockets roster. He is a clutch player, very young and improving. His outside shot is improving, he is long and a good defensive player. He could see minutes at the 2-3-4 spots.
I really, really like Childress...but giving up Battier and Head for him would A. Mean we signed him to too much money and B. Is kinda a lateral step anyways If we can get him for some combination of picks and players (I'd even consider Landry S&T for Childress S&T) thats fine. But losing Battier for him? I don't think I'd be ok with that.
