Finestrg wrote:

nixluva wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:Id be surprised to see if CA didnt like Okafor. First off we know that Ok4 WILL FIND THE OPEN MAN--we see that every game. It gives him a player that will take heat off himself. You cannot double team two players on one team. It will give him a second legit 20 point scorer but as a young lad will defer to Melo and listen to Melo. Check. Hes a bully when you go to a fight you want a 6-11 275 pound guy with hands as big as sledge hammers on your side. Hes efficient. There is NO player we will get via trade that will be a better fit for Melo--None. Melo needs to play a hybrid wing position. His knee cant handle guarding 260 pound guys in the post. Melo can officially follow around the spot up shooter from the other team whether that's 2-5 If we had a defensive wing--we could play Melo Okafor and a wing who can block shots.

That's what Phil drafted Thanasis for.

Thanks for posting. You kinda forget about Thanasis -- he could be a very important piece for us next year. Wally's right, he does play HARD. And it looks like his offense is coming along nicely. Looks athletic & strong as hell, he can shoot, take it hard to the basket. Dude's motor is incredible and I actually like his skill-level too...Gotta love that defense is his constant bread & butter though...There's potential for a very nice 2-way rotation player here. I'm really looking forward to seeing him next year. Just because we never brought him up doesn't mean he's not in the mix. I think we just wanted to maintain flexibility with him. Kinda like a minor league baseball player you can send down because you still have options on him. I think TA is very much in the plans for next yr.. Briggs brings up Eric Griffin -- I like him too. I want Early to succeed but there may come time where we realize Early's not cutting it -- Griffin might wind up being a better option than Early, someone who could backup/play alongside Melo for stretches, someone who can score the ball and also supply standout defense...Imagine how much improved our defense would be with Thanasis AND Eric Griffin alone. The fact that these two can also contribute offensively is an added bonus. And we could add both guys for peanuts..Long 6'9" shot-blocker Khem Birch, same deal. Rim protection plus he could contribute offensively as well. No idea how Phil puts the 15-man together for next year but I like that he has options--there's plenty of offensive and defensive players out there, some he could get pretty cheap.

Thanasis looks really good. He is every thing that you said, really good defensive player, talented, he just has to really develop that 3pt shot. It regressed by 8% from last season for some reason, maybe just needs to develop some consistency.