[ESPN Insider 3-7] Redd and Allen head a deep free-agent class

Good luck trying to pull that one off......

 

I don't think people realize how flexible our roster is right now.

Assuming TMac is locked in at the 3, the best 2 guard on our team right now is probably Bob Sura. It's just that playing Sura at the 2 used to mean Strickland, or Barrett was playing. No thanks.

Let's wait and see how James and Sura look playing together. TMac's ability to play the 2 or the 3 along with Sura's ability to play the 1 or the 2 and 2 marginal starters in Wesley and James means we can really acquire a 1, a 2, or a 3 to achieve the same purpose. That's awesome flexibility. I think we need a little more size on the perimeter, as TMac is our only real player over 6-5. A guy like Casey Jacobsen (an unrestricted free agent Ford failed to mention) to play some 2/3 minutes might be nice.

The 4 is our biggest hole, bar none. Guys like Evans and Haslem are pretty unacquirable because the only way Seattle/Miami let them go is if we SEVERELY overpay.

I'd like to get a guy like Swift, or Chandler, or Kwame in here as a really young guy to pair with Yao. However, I posted a stat earlier on Juwan Howard that makes you wonder about Abdur-Rahim: We're 15-3 when Howard grabs 7 rebounds or more. Abdur-Rahim is fairly similar to Howard, except he's a smoother offensive player, and is a better rebounder. If you could plug SAR into what Howard currently does offensively, except be a legit 3rd option threat, have more range, and be the consistently solid rebounder next to Yao, it very well could be what makes the team take off.

 

Jacobsen stinks, we would be better off sticking with Barry because he can at least provide us with something else besides being able to hit shots. Jacobsen doesn't do much else well.

I agree with your assumptions about Evans and Haslem being out of our price range unless we overpay. The solution? We find our own version of Haslem or Evans. That falls on the shoulders of our scouts. It would be awesome to find a no nonsense, tough PF like both of them. Seattle and Miami got them practically for free since they were both overlooked---lets find the next one.

Or----

We pursue one with our pick in the draft or via free agency. There are plenty of options out there in the draft, although ideally finding our own version of Haslem or Evans would be most cost effective.

Swift, Chandler, Kwame and Dalembert would all be huge additions but with 3/4 of them being restricted and only one being unrestricted, I'm not going to hold my breath.

As for Shareef, my biggest problem with him is he's very similar to Howard. Howard was very similar to Taylor hence the reason CD somehow convinced our boy Isiah to trade for him. He's also NEVER been on a winning team---that doesn't bode well for a playoff team, although there shouldn't be too much stock placed into that.

He's better than Howard and we need depth at the position. Obviously, if we signed him he would start and make Howard an option off of the bench---which is a good thing. Right now, Howard is all we have at PF and if he gets injured we are in some trouble. That cannot be the case next year. Bottom line, as long as we add a quality player at the position I am happy. I would consider SAR, but would like to look at our other options first.

 

okay how about resign Barry and Mutombo and Wesley..and then go after Kerry Kittles, Raja Bell, and Dan Dickau..or aim a little higher for a guy like Joe Johnson (impossible) or Bobby Simmons (don't know). I think Hornets will resign Dickau..but he's unrestricted so yeah he'd be nice. Raja Bell would be really nice..he's unrestricted and I hate him. I hate him because he's good..he's improved his shooting over the years and he's tough and would be a good backup in our system. Kerry Kittles would be a guy like Wesley..veteran shooting guard to contribute for us. Also..maybe we can get Jason Kapono. I like him..he's restricted though and well he reminds me of Piatkowski.
Kittles, Bell, Dickau, Johnson, Simmons, and/or Kapono all would be nice imo.

Hmm yeah I'd really love it if we could draft a guy like Haslem or Evans this summer. I think we can do it.

Or go after Donyell Marshall or Shareef Abdur Rahim..or Tyson or Kwame or Stromile.

I'm happy that we'll still have Yao, Tmac, Howard, James, Sura, and Padgett. Spoon and Ward and Baker and Moochie are good teammates. We can resign Deke, Jon, and David. And we actually have our first round draft pick this year lol.

btw..I didn't mention Jacobsen cuz I really don't think he's that good.

 

Reef blocks 3 times as many shots per game as Kwame, twice as many per minute. Reef is also a better rebounder than Kwame. He also is a much better shooter and has legitimate 3pt range (43% this season, 30% career).

SAR is everything that Howard gives us on his best games, only he provides it on a consistent basis. This team would be perfect for him because he can start at power forward, his natural position, and he only has to be the third option on offense. NIKE's 15-3 stat is a good indicator of how SAR could help this team, playing like an always ON Howard.

 

once Sura comes back that will knock either Mike James or David Wesley to the bench. and if we can upgrade our PF position this summer and also bring Juwon Howard off the bench I think this team will be very dangerous...

 

Agreed. SAR would be a great fit with this team. He is a good rebounder and a very good shooter.

We need a PF that can rebound and defend, but don't forget that he also needs to be able to hit that mid-range jumper. Our offense really got going when Howard started hitting that open shot Yao was giving him.

 

Kwame Brown is getting anywhere between $9M and $11M most likely from Atlanta.

Chad btw remains a fraud.

 

How would a player similar to Howard be a "great" fit? HOW?

Howard and Shareef are similar players just like Howard and Taylor were. WHY make the same mistake after the impossible just happened and CD found a GM stupid enough to trade for Taylor?

You're contradicting yourself here. You claim how SAR would be a "great" fit for the team yet you go off in the 2nd paragraph of your post about how we need a PF that can rebound and defend in addition to hitting the mid-range jumper.

Shareef is a good rebounder....by what standards? He is a better rebounder than Howard, not by much though. And if you're so willing to throw money at the PF position---why not go after a guy like Evans who does the more important of the three things you mentioned: rebound and defend?

As far as the 15-3 stat about getting 7 or more rebounds. Well, we win 80% of our games when T-Mac scores 30 or more points. By that logic, I would rather see T-Mac shoot until he scores 30 than to bring in a talented but overrated PF that doesn't really fulfill what we are lacking from the position currently.

 

Shareef has averaged double digit rebounds in the NBA. He's put up 8+ rebounds per game 5 times in 6 years. Howard has put up 8+ rebounds 0 times in the last 6 years. SAR is a good rebounder.

Your logic is non-sequitor. Having TMac shoot till he scores 30+ isn't practical. This is not an argument that the team should defer rebounds to Juwan- it is fairly simple logic: when Howard is active on the glass, we usually win. TMac shooting means someone else is not shooting; Howard getting rebounds means a.) the other team isn't getting rebounds b.) the guards don't have to stay back for the boards as much.

The Shareef is overrated argument is about 3 years ago. He's a 28 year old PF that could probably put up 15-8 on this team in his sleep. And what does "overrated" have to do with it? If we got him for the MLE, would you be complaining?

Evans is pretty foul prone (5.2 per 48...for comparison, Yao is at about 5.7). Which is partly why he doesn't play more than half the game. He also can't shoot a lick- 54% FT%. I don't want him shooting the looks Juwan is getting right now.

 

you guys are underestimating the value of howard's scoring and post up game. At this point, Yao and TMac have not proven that they are enough on O. SAR as an above poster said is howard's really good games on a nightly basis.

 

The whole point behind your 15-3 stat was to point when Howard gets 7 or more rebounds a game we are generally winning. Well, with the exception of this season and one of those disaster years he had in Washington---these are the only two seasons in his career where he has failed to average over 7 rebounds a game. Why? Well, he is averaging about 10 less minutes a game than he's used to.

But my intention is not to turn this into a stat war. SAR is a better rebounder than Howard, I will gladly acknowledge that. My point though, is he's not that much better of a rebounder (hell, I would hope the guy could get 7, 8 or 9 boards a game playing 40 mins) that we should overlook the fact that in all other regards he is practically the same player as Howard. Which brings us back to my point about how Howard-SAR and Howard-Taylor would be almost the same situation. JVG and CD obviously found the combination of Taylor-Howard to be redundant so one of them had to go. Luckily, the Isiah Thomas's of the world are out there.

No, it's not practical. My intention wasn't to suggest T-Mac should turn Allen Iverson on us and start shooting more. I was saying that if all we need is for Howard to get 7+ boards a game, well then just play him more. I didn't mean to sound like I am mocking the statistic, but at the same time I think relying on a number like that to build a team is foolish.

As far as Reggie Evans, getting him would be nice. We wouldn't be bringing him in to shoot the looks Juwan is getting. It's no secret the guy doesn't have much of an offensive game.

As for his 5.2 fouls per 48 stat, that is irrelevant. The real "per 48" stat that intrigues me is 19.2 rebounds, which is tops in the NBA.

Bottom line is we need a workhorse. Somebody that can be relied on to be tough and protect the weakside. I've had it with soft PF's that are mediocre rebounders/defenders but can give you an occasional mid-range jumper. Those kind of players will get us nowhere. I'm not saying Evans is THE answer, but adding him would certainly help towards giving us what we are lacking from the PF position.

 

Howard doesn't play more because he doesn't merit more playing time. A guy like SAR does, because he is a better offensive fit and player, and is a better rebounder. Defensively, SAR is quicker to boot.

Not if he can't stay in the game due to foul trouble. Evans is a great rebounder, but that's pretty much all he is (which isn't something to underplay, granted). He's not a very good defender- he lacks height, and isn't freakishly athletic- he's averaging about as many blocks per game as Scott Padgett in twice the minutes. He moves decently well with a guy of his much weight, but gets eaten alive by any PF with a face up game- which is just about all of them nowadays. Think a late career CB4 without any sort of offensive game. He rebounds, and that's about it.

The statistics aren't meant to be and end all, but they certainly don't disagree with this. As per 82 games.com, his team net plus minus is actually negative. His opponent production according to the PER statistic is above the league average, and even significantly above Juwan Howard's.

Van Gundy is a simply ridiculous defensive coach. I'd much rather take my chances giving him a tremendous offensive talent like SAR who is a practically tailor-made fit on that side of the ball, and a decent rebounding improvement, than give him a rebounder who he'll have to figure out how to hide offensively.

Evans is LESS than Cato offensively, and doesn't provide Cato's defensive presence. For the cost it would take for Seattle not to match...I'd stay away.

 

nikestrad - that's the best argument i've heard for SAR or for that matter a pf who isn't a banger, something i've always thought was essential to this team. when howard is on, he rebounds and is a legit scorer in the post or on the wing. most importantly the team wins and he makes us forget we have any PF problem to begin with.
i like the "always ON" howard comment because that's exactly what SAR could be. juwon's best games, particualrly rebounding, are SAR's mediocre games. i'd love stromile swift but this guy wouldn't be a bad consolation prize at all.

my only concern is the softness factor. when sura plays he has some kind of ability to harden his teammates and make sure they bust their ass, but when he's out the guys go soft. my hope was that we could get a PF with some toughness and energy to keep that intensity, even if bob goes out. SAR is not that guy.

 

It's not that he doesn't merit more playing time, it's just that when Taylor was healthy we had an adequete backup. I don't disagree with that at all. When Taylor was healthy and before it became obvious he can't play in JVG's system anymore---Howard would rarely go above 30 minutes a night. Once Taylor got the "flu" and our immediate backup was Padgett, Howard's minutes increased due to us not really having a solid backup.

Basically, I think what this is coming down to is kind of an "Offense vs. Defense" battle we have going here.

You prefer the more talented but softer player to score and produce above average numbers in rebounding. I prefer the less talented and skilled player to do the dirty work.

It's not that I don't like SAR, it's just I don't want to see us get into another Howard-Taylor albatross debacle. I firmly believe, and cannot be convinced otherwise, that what this team is lacking is an enforcer PF to play alongside Yao. A player whose biggest strengths are their ability to defend and rebound. A player who refuses to be pushed around. We are currently sorely lacking in those departments.

This is also not to meant to be perceived as any type of an onslaught directed at Howard. He is a good player, works hard and does a good job of providing some offense for us. I do though, however, believe he would most effective playing off of the bench backing up whoever we pursue at the position this offseason.

And it's funny you mentioned Cato's name because I had his name in mind but didn't mention it. Despite playing out of position, what he brought us what along the lines of what I am looking for. Of course, somebody with slightly better coordination would be nice.

With both PF's we know what we are getting and honestly, neither are ideal. You are right on the money when you point out Evans' shortcomings because he is alot like his teammate Danny Fortson. Both aren't very skilled, both aren't tremendous defenders by any means, but they both are big despite their lack of height they find a way to bang & bruise down low. Evans is pretty strong and more of an intimidator than people give him credit for.

That said, is he worth the full MLE? Probably not.
Is Shareef worth the full MLE? Yes he is.

My argument isn't about who is the better player but who is the better fit. Seattle likely won't let Evans walk, but a lot can happen between now and then since the Sonics have so many free agents. If our better options don't work out, all I am saying is the chance to sign to sign a guy like Evans could present itself.

 

I don't see enough passion in Abdur-Rahim's game to excite me in the prospect of him playing between the laid back Yao & TMac. The choice is clear to me. Stromile Swift is the perfect PF along side of Yao. If you can't have Stro, you get the closest thing you can. And SAR isn't it. Neither is Reggie Evans. He's not a FA, but I'd take the likes of Troy Murphy over either SAR or Evans.

 

Career rebounds per 48 minutes

Howard - 9.65
SAR - 10.6
Evans - 16.6

If we go after SAR then we definately need to unload Howard. We can't keep both, they are identical in their game.

I don't think we should automatically assume we can't get Evans just because he is a Restricted FA. Seattle has Allen, Radman, Daniels & James to resign as well. They mostlikely will have to let one go. They already have Fortson who is just like Evans. They could let Evans go to go after other PFs like Swift!

 

If he cracked and went into a shell because of Jordan/Collins, I doubt he'll blossom under Van Gundy's tough love.

Evan

 

I like Murphy's game, but I wouldnt touch his contract. 6 years at over 10M per? No thanks.

This summer, if the Rockets dont get Stro, personally I wouldnt be surprised if the Rockets try to pry Kurt Thomas away from NY again. Perhaps sending them back an expiring contract plus our 2006 1st round pick, since the Knicks are trying to collect 1st rounders.

 

i'm with you on kurt. great rebounder, great toughness, good defender, decent scorer and a texan to boot. all in all the perfect fit.