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Killa4luv
Posts: 27769
Alba Posts: 51
Joined: 6/23/2002
Member: #261
USA
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Tim Thomas, in a sign and trade for Ruben Patterson and SAR.
SAR signed for around 4 years starting at 6-7 mill per.
I think it is a reasonable deal for Portland, giving them a player they may like who expires at seasons end in any case and wipes 12-13 mill of their books if they don't like him. He very well may excell in the west.
I think Ruben Patterson would be good for this team, he runs, plays defense and rebounds. He could play the 2 and the 3, and we really need D in those spots. RP is consistant at what he does, and he rarely takes bad shots. His 11 ppg at 52% represents that. He dunks in the paint, meaning he doesn't go up soft and is atheletic. His contract expires at the end of next year so it isn't a huge risk, i really don't think its a risk at all. He is a poor FT shooter though.
SAR, is a versatile PF/SF who is still very good. I have watched him play several times this season and I just don't get what the problem is that folx on this board have with him (he is the mythological loser to some). If he comes at that price or something close he is a very good pickup. He is a guy who can play 2 positions, can score in a number of ways, runs, is atheletic, rebounds, takes his man off the driblle, and will give you about 17 & 7 on a nightly basis. Is it that the knicks can't use this? Do we have too much talent or too many better trade options that this is not something we should look seriously at?
He is 28 years old, and has been healthy through most of his career. He shoots over 50% from the field 39% from 3 and is 86% from the line (thats among the best on the league btw). He also actually gets to the line which means his FT percentage means something. He's no Karl Malone as far as getting to the line is concerned, but he is also no Kurt Thomas. Most importantly, he is consistant at what he does. He can give you big numbers at times, but he is rarely gonna give you single digit nights which is more than I can say for any big we have on our squad. We need another scoring option, and he could definitely fit that role for us.
The only negatives I can think of aquiring him is that he is not the answer to our defensive problems. He doesn't block, but he does rebound. His man to man D is not the best, but it is no worse than KT's (realistically how many pf's are worse than him on d?). All of that is not an argument not to get him though, that just states the obvious that we still would need to acquire a defensive big, which we still could do because we only gave up Tim in this trade.
We would absolutely have to move some PF's, but we have to do that anyway and this makes it easier to say goodbye to our best PF in KT. We could move him in a trade for a pick, an expiring contract, or a Kwame Brown. Or we can package him with Sweets for something more (expensive) attractive. What exactly, I don't know. Sweets will probably go, because he and Kurt are our most tradeable assets.
This trade I am proposing wouldn't be our last trade, but it would be a good start as far as adding talent that we need and can use. Even if we have KT at the end of this summer (which would be a shame imo), we have still upgraded decently. SAR and RP are clear upgrades at the pf/sf slots (Ariza is not our answer yet). We would have 3 guys who can give you 20 a night, 2 of whom are very consistant and one (craw) who we hope figures some things out over the summer and becomes more consistant.
Our Starting Lineup would be
Steph/does it matter steph is playing 45 mpg anyway?!
Craw/RP/Ariza
RP/SAR/Ariza/Rose
SAR/JYD/Rose/Draft Pick
KT/Rose/ButlerDraft pick
Its a start.
[Edited by - Killa4luv on 04/19/2005 02:07:18]
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