I like Vlad a lot. I think he's looking for a payday though. If he could be had for the MLE, I say go for it.
The stats you project for Carney are very close to guys like Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni. I think we'd all be beyond thrilled if he played on that kind of level. Those guys are solid. I suppose it's possible too. After all, Deng was taken 7th a couple years ago. Now, the numbers you project for Shelden Williams seem a whole lot less plausible to me. You do realize they are vritually the same numbers Dwight Howard put up in his rookie season? (except you gave Shelden .60 more blocks per game). Amare Stoudamire won rookie of the year by putting up 13.5 points 8.8 rebounds and 1.06 blocks. Charlie Villanueva silenced critics by posting up 13 ppg 6.4 rpg and .78 bpg last season. Channing Frye, last seasons other stud rookie power forward, put up 12.3 ppg 5.8 rpg and .72 bpg. Basically, your projected numbers for Shelden Williams ought to make him a lock for rookie of the year and would earn him something close to a max contract as soon as his rookie deal is up. I guess my point is that I hope you're right, because we're sure getting a whole lot of help next season if you are..... but I think you're just a wee bit optimistic.
I am basing my projections on expectations of Carney being Richard Jefferson ( for those who are rooting for him) and in the Case of Williams- I am just going by his progression from College. He may not be the Offensive weapon but I have absolutely no doubt that he will be a defensive presence. Again go ahead and discount his stats to your liking- the point I am making - carney is risky vis-a-vis Shelden Williams ( and we get an extra player a shooter or a back up for Yao) I have no comment on Amare. let us just say Kenyon Martin was a Monster in New Jersey! If anything it proves how underrated Nash was 2 seasons ago! Worst Case Williams is a hard working, coachable PF who can be a defensive force and contribute his share on offense if left open ( Juwan hits the shots- but he is horrendous defensively). He is more of a Defensive forward than Amare, Villanueva- and perhaps a tad lower than Dwight Howard ( who will be a legitimate all star- and he was #1 Pick!) With Yao and Tracy on the floor- I think he will have upside offensively and will be a lot better on the defense than what we have now- and yes he will cost less at the PF spot!
And Just to add - Comparing stats in two significantly different Offensive schemes ( or even coaching philosophies) is something that you should be careful with.
You're pulling stats and making claims on floors and ceilings as if they're givens. I think you should heed your own words.
You based Carney's numbers off the comparisons to Richard Jefferson, but I need to be careful in comparing stats in two significantly different offensive schemes? I understand that every team is different, but that's why (in the case of Shelden Williams) I compared your projected numbers to a handful of players. They are all talented players on very different teams, yet none of them exceeded your expectations of Shelden Williams in their rookie years. I think that's worth pointing out.
If i exaggerated- as you put it- Carney's numbers it is because that is what the general expectation is. That he will be Richard Jefferson like! J Kidd has definitely a part in Richard Jefferson's numbers ( Not that he is a mediocre talent) Even if you want to put Williams below Dwight Howard on rebounds- he will be more value and a better fit for the team needs. If not for the Frenzy with Noah and Tyrus Thomas in the Final four- Shelden would be a lot higher than he is being projected right now- Duke did not live up to the hype!
I think you are asking a lot for either player. Carney might be able to produce those kind of stats by the end of the year. That would certainly be impressive and provide the 3rd option we seek. I find it very hard to believe that Williams would get to those numbers. Playing beside Yao would limit his rebounds a lot more than you think. He would have to be an absolute beast (on the level of Ben Wallace) or steal cheap rebounds from Yao to average 10 boards. Also 12 pts a game is a lot to expect out of him when I doubt he would be more than the 4th option. You are putting a lot on his ability to get putbacks or a lot of foul shots because his jump shot isn't that consistent.
in seattle they did try radmanovic at pf. after a while the coach and vlad both decided that he was more suited to sf in the nba.
How about the #8 pick and Juwan or Swift, plus cap fodder, for Lamar Odom?: http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1316 "Lakers Looking to Move Up? Rodger Bohn Contrary to published reports, Brandon Roy will not be working out only for teams selecting in the top five of this year’s Draft, as members of his camp had stated earlier. DraftExpress learned this week that Roy has already worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers, and will be in New Orleans sometime in the near future. With no first round pick in this year’s Draft, many might wonder why a top-10 prospect in Brandon Roy was willing to work out for the Lakers this past week. DraftExpress has been told by numerous sources on the West coast over the past few weeks that the Lakers are exploring the option of moving up, and are interested in both Marcus Williams of UConn and Brandon Roy of Washington." Here's another article: javascript:newwind('http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/beatwriters.asp?column=mcgraw&id=194207','31') "The Bulls haven’t had any serious discussions with the Los Angeles Lakers about Odom. But the Bulls would love to plug him in at power forward, and it seems apparent that the 6-foot-10 Odom isn’t meshing well with Kobe Bryant. Odom averaged 17.1 points and 9.7 rebounds in 2003-04, his lone season with Miami. He scored 14.8 points for the Lakers this year, shooting a career-high 48.1 percent."
First priority for the Rockets is to find away to get Mike James here. Next find away to get Spanoulis in a Rockets uniform this year. Then if Carney is not there at the 8th pick, look to trade it. Just thinking how different the Rockets could be next year with James, Spanoulis, Carney, and a healthy Mcgrady has me stoked for the upcoming season.
i'm beginning to like the idea of brewer over carney even more. imagine the rockets having a 6-7 pg who is quick and is also a very good defender.
hi i agree with you, Carney seems to be the same kind of player than TMac, so i'd rather pick a different type of player ... and at 6'7, with the abilities to play both G spots, Brewer would be a matchup nightmare ... he is also younger than carney .... but he has no shot, so if we take him we absolutely need to get another lottery pick to get someone like Redick ... that said, i would be extremely happy if we get Brewer over Carney ... has Brewer worked out for teams already ?
As a student at the University of Arkansas, let me say Ronnie Brewer = bust waiting to happen in the NBA.
I am very worried Spanoulis is going to be like Langhi or Boki. In the respect of everyone being so high on him and then he turns out to be crap. Do any of think we could Jay williams if Mike James doesnt work out? He would make a servicable backup PG, and if he has improved like they say he has, he might take over the starting job.
i'd like to see him with our summer league team ... and be our backup PG, next season, or better, who knows ... but has he fully recovered ?? what are his stats in the league he played in this year ?
Whatever happened to Jay Williams? He was auditioning for a comeback- with a whole year behind me he may be somone to keep an eye on for the PG spot ( back up)
I saw this too but unless other teams are involved in some complicated deal, I really think the Lakers are just dreaming here. They have nobody with any value outside of Kobe and Odom and i'm sure their intentions are to keep Odom which doesn't leave them with much to bargain with. Sure, we could use a big man with range like Brian Cook coming off the bench but that certainly isn't anywhere near enough to part with the pick or consider trading down for. As for Jay Williams: My opinion on him was we should have brought him in for a workout and possibly signed him under basically a trial contract back when we knew the playoffs weren't a possibility and were forced to put the likes of Rick Brunson on the floor. If he proved to he could still play and showed the ability to contribute we could have re-signed him this off-season. Now, bringing over V-Span and/or signing Mike James seem like much better options at this point.
Carney isn't anything like T-Mac, they don't have similar skill sets at all. Overrated college seniors shouldn't be compared to T-Mac. And if the Lakers wanted the 8th pick and others for Odom, I wouldn't even think twice about it. The Lakers aren't that dumb though.
I like Cook. While it wouldn't be ideal, I would be content if we went into the season with him starting at the 4. How about Cook, Mihm and #26 for Juwan and #8?
