I voted for Chandler because I think he had the most 20+ rebound games...but any of those would be great!
A mobile, athletic PF is the best compliment to Yao. Also, someone who plays with some intensity because Yao and TMac have a reserved oncourt demeanor. Clearly, Stromile Swift is the best choice. Throw in the fact that the Rox were his boyhood favorites....now if we just had the $ to sign him or available players MEM would want....
Swift. he's a better defender, shot blocker, and will bring energy that this team is sorely missing. Brown. He can block some shots but still an absymal player. Having him in our team would mean our front court consists of 2 1st picks. Nene. A bruising power forward but somehow a little short on rebound for his size. Chandler. Don't know much about him ... never seen a bulls' game since Jordan's days. Wilcox. Of all these players, he migh be the worse defender, which is not what we need to cover for Yao's weanesses. I would go for Swift. But my favorite, which is out of the question now, is Carlos Boozer.
I'm gonna go with Swift. He's putting up 13/7 with 24mpg. Nene would be my second choice but I'm not too sure how he would handle JVG sense he doen't look like he can handle coming off the bench...
Wilcox, no question. He's got a strong inside game and does everything you need from a F/C. Chandler's back would really scare me off. Taking a player based on their contract year is also dangerous. Kwame - ditto about the contract year. He's shown flashes of being a 20 and 9 guy, but has also proven to anyone watching that he's got very little heart and doesn't play tough in the post. Swift - a marginal F/C his entire career. There's a reason he's lived on the trading block since coming out. He's athletic but that's about it. Nene - I question whether he has any upside or if he's already shown how far he'll develop. Slightly below average offensive game, solid but average defense, and a good in transition. Doubtful he would be the enforcer we need next to Yao. Steve Hunter - rubbish. Go with Wilcox. That kid is a beast. Evan
Swift cannot be traded until after the season, as he signed a qualifyer. IMHO, Wilcox cannot be traded with the expensive Brand a Clip. Nene will be traded, I suspect, and to a team with a dynamite 3 shooter at the 2. Wiz and 6ers possible destinations for the Brazilian Block.
I voted Nene. Strong body, great athleticism. More importantly, he is unhappy in Denver and Nuggets are loaded with forwards, which means we do have a chance to get him.
I have a hard time picking any of them over the other since I think all of them are interesting in one way or another. At top, I struggle between Chandler and Nene. Chandler has the rebounding and shotblocking skills that the Rockets need the most -- he plays with energy and has a lot of potential. But the back really concerns me. You can't put him too high when he is just now able to get 25 minutes on the Bulls (fouls plague him at times) - but when he plays 29 minutes or more (8 games), he's averaging about 11 boards a night. Nene on the other hand is a true NBA body, built like a rock. Very high energy ... his steals in his career reflect that. But I figured he would have more rebounds and blocks than he does. I'd go Chandler, then Nene - very close for me though. Next I struggle between Swift and Wilcox. I'd put Swift third, but Swift is shooting 41% this season ... pathetic for a PF. Wilcox (almost 53% shooting, over 14 points a game) after Swift... but very close. I know Kwame has put up big numbers in the past, but I don't know if it's laziness or his mental makeup -- I put him last. And do we really want another #1 pick on the front line who we have to coddle, baby and motivate in order to play hard? And for those who say at this point any of them .... true, but keep in mind all 5 of these guys are looking to get seriously paid relatively soon. If we really had a choice, choosing wisely would be important.
i like swift...and would put him first. shotblocking skills would make him and yao near impossible to drive on, and he has the athleticism and dunks to get the crowd excited. 2nd Chandler - same reasons as above, but not as much upside IMO. 3rd Nene - price is low right now, and he proved what he can do last year. 4th Wilcox - a beast. 5th Kwame - good potential. but isn't that what we all said 3 years ago?
Clutch, great poll question! Just looking at those names, man how exciting would it be if we were ever in a position to obtain one! Unfortunately we wont see any significant cap space ANY time soom. As soon as Taylor/Spoon's deals come off the books Yao will get his Max contract. So that's out. Furthermore this team has done a TERRIBLE job of amassing "assets" that would make player moves available to us. Just look at what the Grizzlies have done. They have a lot of players that are very moveable. If you dont have cap space then the next best way of improving talent is reshuffling talent in trades. And you can't make those trades unless you amass talent. It seems our only hope is if one of those guys is willing to take LESS money (which would be our FULL MLE) to come here to have a chance to win with Tmac and Yao. I doubt a YOUNG player would be willing to do that. Maybe a veteran would. Or we luck into some good draft picks that are worth something in trades. Anyway, back to the question at hand..... My want list would rate like this 1) Swift 2) Wilcox 3) Nene 4) Chandler 5) Brown What I MOST want out of the PF spot is someone that will be a very good rebounder. Someone that will be able to be a good weakside shotblock. Someone that has good lateral quickness and be a good help defender. Being able to knock down a medium range jumper would be a plus. I also wouldn't mind a little nastiness and someone that shows a lot of emotion on the court. I think Swift does a lot of that. I wasn't high on him initially but the more I see him the more I like what I see. I think his assets would do a good job of MASKING Yao's weaknesses and I think that is the best match. Wilcox is very close to Swift. I dont think Wilcox is as good a defender as Swift but perhaps might have more offensive potential. I like that Wilcox doesnt mind banging around in the paint. Nene would be that "enforcer" PF we all seem to want. And I think that "nastyness" would be a VERY good thing on this team considering how passive we are. However his game hasnt really improved so I am wondering about that. He also doesnt seem to be all that great an offensive player. Like many of you I am skeptical about Chandler's back. I like his energy and his rebounding but he seems to be up and down. Brown would be last. He is too passive in my book and that is the LAST thing we need at the PF spot! Getting back to Swift. The Grizzlies gave him the 1 year tender offer so they cant trade him this year. He will be an UN-restricted FA in the offseason and will probably look for a contract similar to what Okur/Boozer/Camby/R. Wallace got this last off season. That is somewhere in the 10M/yr neighborhood. Clearly we dont have that kind of money. And I dont see the Grizzlies doing a sign and trade with us. Chances are Swift will take the most money available, probably in Atlanta. I dont see Swift taking our full MLE. Our only hope is someone like Tmac helping us out with recruiting in the offseason.
Swift would be a perfect fit for you guys especially if you had to keep Juwanna and Mo. However, he is out of your price range.
yeah eddie griffin had 20 points on 7-12 shooting, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks last night. not too bad. i guess garnett is a pretty good influence on him.
There was a time I would have put Chandler first, but it sounds like he has absolutely no offensive game and has bad hands to boot. I'd put him and Kwame last now. It's probably a toss-up between Wilcox and Swift for me as well. I don't know enough about Nene. I actually feel this should be in the GARM forum, since it is a speculative roster move, but it's your site, Clutch.
I'd prefer to look at who is available to help us and our MoTaylor/Howard (Same player type) combination. We need a rebounder/defensive player that can hit the occasional jump shot to keep defenses honest on Yao. A few guys that may help and may be available: PJ Brown: New Orleans is horrible and is looking towards the future. It may be quite easy to take some veteran pieces like him. Dale Davis: Warriors are pretty close to packing it up for the year and after signing Troy Murphy long-term, they may be looking towards the future or at least to lower payroll. Nene: Denver has Martin/Camby and with its payroll, i don't believe wants to commit more. I think he's attainable and would do well in a situation like Houston. They were forcing him to play center, which he truly is not. Brian Grant: In LA, he is pretty weak b/c he is primarily a defensive/rebounding-4 with limited offense. They have no post up players and were pursuing Howard before they got ......Malone. Karl Malone: I am horrified and disgusted to say it, but Malone would kick ass on this team. He is a great rebounder, a fiery player that can nail the mid range jumper. He is a professional and understands playing within the game and in a system.
Chandler with 18 boards tonite. Not sure if Mo Taylor got that many total throughout this losing streak.
