Minimum players who might be on the Bobcats' radar
by David A. Arnott on Aug 3, 2010 11:56 AM EDT
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PrintAt this point in the Bobcats' success cycle, with so many moving uncertainties lying ahead, it might be time to consider alternative roster-building strategies beyond trading for superstars. That is to say, as of now, Erick Dampier has FAR more value to the Cats as a trade chip, then a waive-able contract, than he does as an actual flesh and blood center. Should the Cats be unable to trade him, they should definitely waive him, save both the luxury tax money and his salary, and take their chances with Boris Diaw and a parade of dumpster dive finds at center.
That also applies to PG, where D.J. Augustin and Shaun Livingston, though interesting, and begging for a chance to prove themselves, have not actually shown that they can be a starting-quality point guard for a full NBA season. (If only we could combine their talents.)
However, we haven't heard anything about trawling for talent at either position, even though the talent's out there. Leave trades out of this. Assume we're going to dump Dampier. Which minimum-salary players should the Cats pursue?
First up, if he'll command only the minimum, I'd give Delonte West every opportunity to win the starting PG job in a three-way competition with Augustin and Livingston. In many ways, I see his game as a poor man's Kirk Hinrich. Personal issues matter when they affect the team's business, but West's well-publicized issues didn't necessarily affect the Cavaliers. After all, their chemistry was fantastic, thanks to that cure-all: winning.
Second, at big man, Josh Boone is a defense-oriented big man still in his mid-20s. He sucks at scoring, but everyone else on our squad scores, so his ability to patrol the lane and grab boards would complement the rest of the guys already on the roster.
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I begrudgingly support signing West (to a minimum contract)
Talent wise, he’s not ideal. He does, however, represent a safety valve should Livies knee not hold up and D.J.’s shot become more shakey than sharp.
You’re alluding to the key concern with West, which is his off court issues. On a personal level I sympathize with a guy battling mental illness, which he is. But as I believe you’re hinting at, a team w/out the stability of a Lebron James may not be able to handle the anxiety that he is sure to bring to the locker room. He definitely belongs in the NBA and I’ve always appreciated the guy as a character though.
As for Boone: A resounding YES. He can bring in blocks, rebounds, and well placed hard fouls. We don’t have any inside scoring anyway so there’s no downside to bringing him in. A center rotation of Nazr/Boone/Diaw is as solid as we can get barring any major trades. Also, I just spent the past two years living in a town called Boone, so destiny is on our side.
As long as he doesn't sleep with anyone's mom
Seriously I’d support even signing him for a little bit more.
I’m sorry you had to live in Boone I was there for 6 months and hated life.
Lol. Boone ain't all that bad.
I used to go stay with my girl up there when she went to App. Pretty boring, but, very peaceful.
by Charlotte Bobcat on Aug 3, 2010 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I honestly didn't like it that much
but I did make a lot of great friends there :)
And as far as West
I’m pretty sure that if he hasn’t slept with your mom already that he’s at least tried to.
but in his defense...
who hasn’t?
Maybe, just once, someone will call me "sir" without adding, "you're making a scene."
by HireMattMillen on Aug 4, 2010 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Shawne Williams > Josh Boone
At least on talent. Liked what I saw in summer league. He’s developed a solid jumper. That being said, if we were to sign him, how much of his season would be spent in jail?
Joe Smith would be a good pickup, but I think he’s one of those vets looking for a ring. Etan Thomas was productive for the Thunder until they gave his time to developing Serge Ibaka. Plus he’s a high character vet. I have a soft spot for Cedric Simmons and he played well in summer league games with the Nets (or was it the 76ers?).
Yea I forgot about Williams
Has he lost the weight though? I honestly don’t know. And he can probably score, but does he really bring defense and rebounding?
Cedric Simmons ftw
Too bad he left N.C. State early because he hasn’t done anything in the NBA
R.I.P. Scott Kazmir 2005-2008
by raysfan81 on Aug 3, 2010 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Also, we haven't heard much about Miles lately
I’m actually excited to see him play.
What about...
That Earl Barron dude for center, Patty Mills, but it’s really messed up that we can’t move Diaw! Is he really that bad that nobody is willing to make a trade for him?
by jah p on Aug 3, 2010 1:29 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Just read that Portland has 15 guys under contract
and Patty Mills isn’t one of them! Though it seems they may decide to make room for him since they gave him a QO.
We could probably find a way to get him though.
He hasn't signed the QO
And some rumors say he won’t because he won’t get any PT.
Or he could sign it since it's money in the bank
Some people in Portland really do like him, and if they make a 2 for 1 trade to open up a roster spot he’ll probably stay.
I’m sure it all depends on what kind of interests he gets from other teams.
Im OK with Mills and Earl Barron.
1st choice Patty Mills at PG and Earl Barron at C.
2nd choice Sherron Collins at PG and Omar Samhan at C.
I hate to say it
but I 100% support getting Delonte West. I’m also down with Patty Mills. Josh Boone? no thanks.
"It's something I think about on a day to day basis: These Colors Don't Run. Love it or leave it USA #1!"-Ricky Stanzi Iowa QB and Patriot
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Fransisco 49ers, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
Boone is horrible
"I could never be a thug, they don't dress this well." - Malice
by Julius Coxswain on Aug 3, 2010 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'd rather
have Amundson and I don’t even want him.
"It's something I think about on a day to day basis: These Colors Don't Run. Love it or leave it USA #1!"-Ricky Stanzi Iowa QB and Patriot
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Fransisco 49ers, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
Of the available leftovers...
I’d rate the Centers as follows: Kwame Brown, Josh Boone, Patrick O’Bryant. You could also make a play for RFA Kyrylo Fesenko of Utah, but they would likely match a small offer we might place. But Fesenko is young and could be a decent role player at the 5 (needs to rebound better). Kwame will never come here but he’s the best remaining (other than Shaq, who will not come to CLT). PG’s? Limited options here. West has played in some key games, and I’d give him the nod over Earl Watson for sure.
Because we don't want him
And Patrick O’Bryant is garbage.
I was deeply impressed with Nathan Jawai during summer league.
I’m pretty sure he earned a training camp invite. If anyone gets a chance I’d like to see it be him. At the very least, opposing centers will have trouble posting on him.
Count me into the camp that is more worried about our roster at the five than concerned about the point guard situation. Augustin will either work for us or he’ll be gone. I’m all for giving him the chance. Both Jax and Crash have said that they are prepared to take on some of the play calling and offensive setup responsibilities and it’s a heck of a lot easier to work around a weak point guard than it is to contain a hot offense without a decent center to defend the post and grab rebounds. Let’s face it; Rebounds – or more importantly the lack of them, are one of the most important impact stats affecting the win/loss record. We need stability at center. Nazr should still be a VERY solid backup but playing him in excess of 15 minutes per is a fool’s gambit, as we saw last season when Chandler was injured. Our need for someone capable of giving us 30 minutes per at center is immediate and paramount. This is why Shaq is largely useless to us. He can’t carry the minute load.
We can live with a big young beast that can play some defense. He doesn’t have to be a scoring powerhouse because we already have 3 starters capable of scoring the lion’s share of the points. I think Jawai may be the best available answer but we need to get him working with Larry Brown as soon as humanly possible so that his game is already in an advancing state of refinement before opening night.
My sources can beat up your sources
Jawai was OK, but he's never impressed when getting minutes at the NBA level
But I would figure him for a camp contract if nothing else transpires.
Just looking carefully at these options makes me sick, really sour-stomach sick! How fast we’ll fall back without a solid 5 and 1 (I just don’t see DJ being an effective starter). Livingston would have to have the comeback story of the decade to carry the minutes and production we need there.
It’s the difference between competing every night versus playing exhibitions. Jax will get frustrated quick if we have crappy play from the 1 and 5 spots.
I agree with you about Jackson's rapid frustration.
As for Livingston…
In the brief history of the team, the Bobcats have become Comeback Central.
Jackson had been written off. We took him when nobody else really would and in less than a season he’s become essential.
Tyrus Thomas was considered a big question mark and now he’s one of our lynchpin starters.
Gerald Wallace was dumped into the expansion draft and became our first All Star.
Livingston is going to fit in here like he was born to it. I personally think the odds are that he will become the biggest steal of the off season. He has this one last chance to prove that he’s overcome his injuries and can achieve what he was on his way to becoming prior to getting hurt. He’s hungry and eager to prove himself. We’re lucky to have him.
My sources can beat up your sources
by Ourdaywillcome on Aug 3, 2010 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree that...
Livingston has something to prove, and technically, I would figure this to be the year to show that he is back.
Jawai has room on the bench in front of Diop for sure
Agreed
Livingston has something to prove and I think he will be good.
Jawai is very raw and in need of coaching. He is a bit big on the weight side, but he has quickness and loves to play physical.
If Diop is fit and ready to play this year then he will get minutes in front of Jawai, but Jawai I think would be more versatile as he has the ability to get out and set picks / screens and then roll quickly back to the basket for rebounding position which is something that Diop isn’t all that good at.
If Diop comes back out of shape again then I think Jawai could get minutes in front of him if he is signed.
But we made the playoff without a solid center all last year
Whoever ends up starting at the 5, it’s going to be a mediocre big rotation. I’m all for giving Jawai a chance. He has the size if nothing else. Let’s be honest though, if nothing changes, we’ll have Diaw player there for 15-20 minutes a night, Nazr and probably even Diop chipping in the rest of the minutes. Boone or Jawai or both deserve a shot, but we’re still not going to have any decent bigs again. I feel like I’m rambling.
The point that I intended to make was that the biggest change from this season compared to last is the change at the point. The center position is going to be very similar.
And why do we want Diaw playing the 5???
When we played small ball last year it was a very mixed bag of results. Eventually most teams adjusted an it was ineffective. Diaw played no better in the middle than at the 4, and gave up far worse inside. No thanks to repeating that experiment.
No one WANTS Diaw to play the 5
I’m saying that given our current crop of centers, that’s what LB is most likely to do. And that represents less change from last year’s playoff team than does our PG situation.
I hate to agree
but and1droid is right in one sense. It was done last year when we had more centres to choose from, so unless there is major change you can bet on seeing it again. Will it happen every night → no but it will happen when LB thinks he can get away with it.
15 – 20 minutes might be a little overstated though → but I think you will see Diaw and Thomas playing together in the front court for 5 – 10 minutes stints at some stages during the season.
I still think that we need a consistent scorer
we know Gerald and Jax are going to score points but we all know how Diaw is painfully inconsistent and we don’t know how Livingston and Dj are going to play.
R.I.P. Scott Kazmir 2005-2008
Definitely need "that guy"
One thing that struck me…
Crash kept complaining that he couldn’t get a good grasp on shooting with that international ball.
Hear me out…I beieve that this was his off season to work on ball handling and his jumpers and 3 point shots…
And if he played it safe in the dunk contest and in the all star game…would he do the same with the USA tryouts?
+100
Our biggest problem last year was the inability to score enough points. I know we’re concerned about PG and C but in the end, our biggest need was (and still is) someone who can consistently make outside shots.
Fans never fall asleep at our games, because they're afraid they might get hit by a pass
by Bring Back Primoz on Aug 8, 2010 10:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Just throwing out some guys that could maybe help, Rashad McCants. Could maybe provide some quick bench points in spot duty. Another guy i would like, but only on the cheap, is Ike Diogu. I would give O’Bryant an invite to camp. He hasn’t shown much, but he is still young and tall. Bring in Mills, a D.J. clone with more leadership. I’m sure i have forgotten some guys, but that’s all i’ve got.
I thought about mentioning Diogu
I figured we don’t really need another PF.
I’d have to pass on Rashad McCants and I think LB feels the same way. He’s specifically mentioned in ESPN’s recent article on McCants as someone who wants nothing to do with him. I read the whole article. It tries to be optimistic, but it’s not a pretty picture regarding him.
I like Ike...
I would rather have Diogu running some pinch minutes at center than Diaw. Diogu has some skill and is pretty rugged when healthy. He also brings some good defense and athleticism. I don’t know what he would cost, or if the Hornets are intrested in signing him. I think he is a RFA. I really don’t think we are set at PF with Najera as the back-up. I just hate his game and would rather have a younger player with some upside.
Ugh...
I would take a gander at Stromile Swift before i would consider going into the season with the 5’s and back-up 4’s we currently have on the roster. We don’t need points from those spots, just good defence and rebounding. Just the fact that i just mentioned Swift should tell you all what i think about our front court at the moment…
Yes, sick is the feeling I'm also getting...
Can a sour stomach actually be caught via forums?? Well it can when everybody’s eating the same bad food. And all we have to chew on are the league scraps.
Sorry…gotta call Ralph…
Hey Bobcats…do something before I lose my appetite for this season!!
RFA'S...
Nothing to write home about, but if we are smart, we could come away with 1 or 2 guys that could help us at some point…maybe. Right? I could see West on our team, just wouldn’t tell anyone about it…MEH!!!!!
Let's get him...
but the stipulation is that we change his name to
Major Edward Rection
by andrewlail76 on Aug 3, 2010 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions
and on the back of his jersey I want it to say
E. Rection
by andrewlail76 on Aug 3, 2010 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Or we could change his name to Franklin Uck-Yu
The back of his jersey would then read F. Uck-Yu
Sooooooooooooooooooo FUNYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMGZ THAT WUZ THE FUNNIEST TING IVE EVR HERD AND1DROD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WRE U IN TEH MOVI FUNNY PPL? U SHULD HAV BEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GSO
How much do you want to bet West signs with the Wizards....
and he and Arenas hold a 2nd amendment rally.
Karl Malone approves
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is,
I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis
- Guru, of Gangstarr
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