Earl Barron showed today why 2 max free agents is crazy--it's a team game and you need 3 around 7ft guys who can play you need 3 PFs 6- wings and 3 Pg's and two vets/rookies--that 14. While we may need more fire power--I believe more smart moves like this will help just as much collectively as a team. People want to kick David Lee to the curb--no--just get him a C to play with.

Do we want to spend 45 mm on Ray Felton? Are you kidding me--spend 4mm for Shawn Livingston and let Rodriguez and Douglas improve.

It was so crazy to watch basketball for the last two years and really play with no 5 man--it's a huge reason why we have been terrible. Whatever Mike D thinks works or does not work--I think that he needs to also be flexible to adding wrinkles and understanding we all can try to improve--he needs to get there. He has to take responsibility for losing--a few reasonable tweeks by him and this was NOT a 27 win team. When you are wrong you must admit it to yourself and move in the right direction--playing a C and a PF is the way in the right direction. trying to starphuck with our money might not be the way--find a great player who can blend in retain what is good and add diversity and depth to what we do not have or need to improve on.

Now in terms of the two star option, you can't look at it from a single season standpoint. You get a chance to add Lebron and Bosh, you do it, cuz you'll be able to find cheap role players and you'd be surprised at how good they'd look with Lebron, Bosh, Gallo and Chan carrying the bulk of the load. Then you'll still be able to find a way to add to the roster over the next 5-7 years of great ball you'll get from having 2 top tier players. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PLAYING FOR A TITLE ... RIGHT!!! You need at least 2 top tier players to be serious about winning a title. I say if you can get them go for it.

nixluva wrote:I guarantee that if you give MDA a serious option at C he'll play him. He's not an idiot despite what many think. Playing Lee at C was our best option based on who was on the roster. I don't care about the empty stats that Darko is putting up or what Hill is now doing. Back when we really needed a big to step up, neither Hill or Darko was either capable or ready to do enough to make a real diff. Hill isn't gone, cuz he's not a good prospect. He's gone cuz there's a chance to get someone better.

Now in terms of the two star option, you can't look at it from a single season standpoint. You get a chance to add Lebron and Bosh, you do it, cuz you'll be able to find cheap role players and you'd be surprised at how good they'd look with Lebron, Bosh, Gallo and Chan carrying the bulk of the load. Then you'll still be able to find a way to add to the roster over the next 5-7 years of great ball you'll get from having 2 top tier players. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PLAYING FOR A TITLE ... RIGHT!!! You need at least 2 top tier players to be serious about winning a title. I say if you can get them go for it.

I think that Lee Gallinari and Chandler are very good players who can get better. Im not so gung ho on 2 max FA's unless Lebron James says so--and he's smart enough to not want to do that anyway.

We would literally have to renounce an entire team for two max FA's and lose Lee with it. I don't want to do that unless one of the names is Lebron.

BRIGGS wrote:

nixluva wrote:I guarantee that if you give MDA a serious option at C he'll play him. He's not an idiot despite what many think. Playing Lee at C was our best option based on who was on the roster. I don't care about the empty stats that Darko is putting up or what Hill is now doing. Back when we really needed a big to step up, neither Hill or Darko was either capable or ready to do enough to make a real diff. Hill isn't gone, cuz he's not a good prospect. He's gone cuz there's a chance to get someone better.

Now in terms of the two star option, you can't look at it from a single season standpoint. You get a chance to add Lebron and Bosh, you do it, cuz you'll be able to find cheap role players and you'd be surprised at how good they'd look with Lebron, Bosh, Gallo and Chan carrying the bulk of the load. Then you'll still be able to find a way to add to the roster over the next 5-7 years of great ball you'll get from having 2 top tier players. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PLAYING FOR A TITLE ... RIGHT!!! You need at least 2 top tier players to be serious about winning a title. I say if you can get them go for it.

Earl Barron was sitting in the D league all year when we had no C as were a few other really good players. We couldve enhanced the team a long time ago when it mattered.

I agree...

BRIGGS wrote:

TMS wrote:he's been playing well for WAS... what makes u think they won't offer him a MLE to stay?

Id be willing to pay him 6mm guaranteed for one year if need be with a team option on year 2. If we honestly ask who is the best PG we can get in FA--the answer is Shaun Livingston. The kid is 24 years old and just the way he is playing is just too tempting to not get involved knowing we dont have it at PG. What determines he stays with Wash--he is a pure UFA. I think we can offer an attractive one year offer with a team option on 2. I dont see a team going beyond that. Id much rather pay a tad more--even 6-6.5mm for one year than pay someone long term. He just has way too much talent to ignore and I dont see any player I would commit big money to at that position. 1 year OK--not long term. I think he's got to prove some bonafies over the full year in terms of health.

i agree, talent wise i don't think there are any better options than Livingston at the position this summer... the problem w/Livingston is his penchant to get injured... on a 1 year deal i'd be OK w/signing him but if WAS offers him something longterm i have to believe he'd take the offer... if u could get him on a 1 year manageable contract i'd have no qualms, but he'd have to finish out the final stretch playing at his current level & healthy.

BRIGGS wrote:I have been following his play the last two weeks. He's been nothing short of great. He's been a guy who has been full of potential and actually has shown great production for good stretches at times but he's obviously been injury prone. Well some bodies mature and get stronger as they get into their mid 20's. Maybe he was a kid who just came out way to early and his body just could not handle the rigors and broke down--but can anyone ignore he is a 6-7 PG with great skills? We have a good young PG in Tony Douglas but he has not proven he is starter worthy. That doesn't mean he can play 20-22 effective minutes but from what players I see out there that we can have in terms of cost/production--I think I would offer Livingston a 2 year 9mm$ deal with a team option on Y2. There is 15 roster spots--I don't think spending the money on two max FA and being forced to renounce everyone is the way to go. I think we should keep Rodriguez/Douglas and add Livingston as the starting 1 with a goal to get him to play 25-27 minutes.

Earl Barron showed today why 2 max free agents is crazy--it's a team game and you need 3 around 7ft guys who can play you need 3 PFs 6- wings and 3 Pg's and two vets/rookies--that 14. While we may need more fire power--I believe more smart moves like this will help just as much collectively as a team. People want to kick David Lee to the curb--no--just get him a C to play with.

Do we want to spend 45 mm on Ray Felton? Are you kidding me--spend 4mm for Shawn Livingston and let Rodriguez and Douglas improve.

It was so crazy to watch basketball for the last two years and really play with no 5 man--it's a huge reason why we have been terrible. Whatever Mike D thinks works or does not work--I think that he needs to also be flexible to adding wrinkles and understanding we all can try to improve--he needs to get there. He has to take responsibility for losing--a few reasonable tweeks by him and this was NOT a 27 win team. When you are wrong you must admit it to yourself and move in the right direction--playing a C and a PF is the way in the right direction. trying to starphuck with our money might not be the way--find a great player who can blend in retain what is good and add diversity and depth to what we do not have or need to improve on.

I think Livingston would be the perect PG to pair with Douglas. Would not mind signing him at all, but he is too much of an injury risk to plan on playing him 30 minutes a night. If we strike out on LBJ and Bosh, then the plan has to be resign Lee and wait. Grab guys like Barron and a few other high character low-cost vets to fill in the roster. I would try to pick up Camby too on a two year deal. You let Douglas, Chandler, Gallo, and Lee grow and hopefully a guy like Barron or some other young prospect develops. You go into next summer with max money available and go after Anthony.

TMS wrote:curious about 1 thing... why would u be willing to pay Shaun Livingston $6.5M for 1 year but not T-Mac? they're both high injury risks... when healthy i think it's fair to say T-Mac is by far the better player... Livingston is younger but on a 1 year deal age doesn't really factor, does it?

Have you watched Shaun Livingston the last few weeks? It's his play that has turned my head--T mac is washed up. He is no where near Livingston right now and will never be there again.

I personally would try and get the best two players available (whether free agents, tradeable players, etc...) and let everything else work itself out. You can sign guys like Barron to a minimum contract even if you are over the cap. And a buyout of Curry will clear at least million or two.

I just think to compete with teams like LA, Dallas and Orlando you need to have at least 1 superstar and likely two more all stars (and then a couple on the fringe all-stars. I think Lee is fun, but he is a fringe all-star. I question whether he makes the all star team playing PF rather than C.

TMS wrote:IMO regardless of what happens this summer, we have to make sure we sign at least 1 of the top FA's... if that requires us signing 2 max FA's, then that's what needs to be done... if u can get Lebron or Wade by just signing a few support role players on lesser deals, then go that route... whatever it takes to get 1 of those bignames in NY, do it... we've come too far & given up way too much to fall short of the main goal, which is to get a franchise talent we can build around... if getting 1 of those guys is an impossibility, then it comes time to start putting together a team built on depth of talent rather than 2 overpaid starphuch signings that can only get you so far.

I think that's right. I don't want to sign high priced players for the sake of signing players.

BRIGGS wrote:

EwingsGlass wrote:Briggs, I think your comments on Livingston might make him a quality backup plan, but I think we differ on the quality of players we want for our money. I think that there is a big difference between the top 3 (maybe 5 or 6) free agents and everyone else. If you have the chance to get some combination of James, Wade and Bosh, I think you have to do it... even if it means giving up Lee. I think the difference in skill between guys like Livingston who are playing for contracts and veterans who are taking less money to win a championship is marginal at best, so that the best use for unused salary cap is the veterans. To entice those guys to play anywhere, I think they need to beleive the team is a contender. We can guess whether a team with a core of Livingston, Chandler, Gallo, Lee will be a contender. You could even add another max player to that core and have a very competitive team.

I personally would try and get the best two players available (whether free agents, tradeable players, etc...) and let everything else work itself out. You can sign guys like Barron to a minimum contract even if you are over the cap. And a buyout of Curry will clear at least million or two.

I just think to compete with teams like LA, Dallas and Orlando you need to have at least 1 superstar and likely two more all stars (and then a couple on the fringe all-stars. I think Lee is fun, but he is a fringe all-star. I question whether he makes the all star team playing PF rather than C.

Obviously Lebron James + Chris Bosh would trump everything else---but in absence of a coup--I still think this can be a very good team if we are smart about it. Just for instance if we signed Barron and Shaun Livingston to vet minimum back at game 40 when we were in the playoffs they likely couldve enhanced the two positions we had most troubles with for basically the cost of a soda and hot dog in nBA salary and kept us competitive and let us think about different variations. Our coach and team management did not do enough to keep us competetive. They locked in Chris Duhon and would not come off him. They would not play a 7 footer or look to acquire one from the D league--we couldve done this 50 games ago.
I don't think we believe that we can improve the team through any other means than hitting the jackpot--and that is not true.

I agree, the fact that we were getting good,not consistent, but good production from the young guys(chandler and gallo) along with lee and harrington, having a starting PG and a big man to help down low,could have kept us in the playoff hunt no doubt...