We couldnt even get Millsap?!??

[Pharaoh]

We need to learn to walk before we can run - you're talking about knocking off Miami!

Assuming Drummond and Monroe can play 34 minutes each... that still leaves 28 minutes for another big.

Other teams don't have 2 quality bigs.... and no one has 3? GOOD! Let's do it! Lets be different and not play small ball and instead dominate inside!

You have 3 choices mate: Be better than other teams, be worse than other teams or be different to other teams.

We don't have the talent on roster to be better than the contenders. We also don't want to be worse than other teams. So you gotta be different!

And signing a quality big man like Millsap would make us different because at ALL times we would have had a quality big, if not TWO on the floor!

The fact that he's an old pro without a large ego is just a blessing. He's a high character guy, someone that would fit in with Monroe and Knight and what Joe is wanting to build here.

But as stated, I'm cool with people disagreeing about Millsap. But claiming we were wise to avoid him and that he doesn't fill a need isn't accurate IMO.

As for Smith defending Lebron one on one...I don;t think anyone can "stop" him regardless. Yes he probably has more of a chance than most but we've got a long way to go before knocking off Miami should even be considered

[mindbender]

Not understanding the Paul Milsap love here. He's basically a "rich man's Maxiell". He fills literaly no need on our team, and costs a fortune. Pistons should've avoided him like the plague and wisely they did.

I compare Milsap as a Antonio McDyess at his later years. If you want to get longer down the playoff road, those are the players you want as your back-up. I understand he would have been quite expensive have we acquired his services and us being a long shot, but to say that hes a ''rich mans Maxiell''? Come on now, have you even watched the guy play?

[HotelVitale]

Not understanding the Paul Milsap love here. He's basically a "rich man's Maxiell". He fills literaly no need on our team, and costs a fortune. Pistons should've avoided him like the plague and wisely they did.

I compare Milsap as a Antonio McDyess at his later years. If you want to get longer down the playoff road, those are the players you want as your back-up. I understand he would have been quite expensive have we acquired his services and us being a long shot, but to say that hes a ''rich mans Maxiell''? Come on now, have you even watched the guy play?

I agree it's ridiculous to compare him to Maxiell in any way, shape, (except maybe body shape?), or form, but i don't think you're going far enough, mindbender. Millsap is better than later McDyess, statistically he actually compares quite closely to Monroe over the last 3-4 years. Great passer, great rebounder, good shooter, very smart, good help defender, and he's had great advanced stats for years. Here's John Hollinger's take:
'Millsap might be the most underrated player in the league. I love this guy. He's not a prototype 4 because he's undersized, but he's athletic, skilled and just knows how to play. He beats smaller players on post-ups, takes bigger ones off the dribble and confounds both with his midrange jump shot...The key is how broad-based his skills are: Millsap was in the top half of power forwards in every category I track except fouls per minute. All of them.'

I agree with Pharaoh that he probably wasn't exciting enough for Joe, but I'm also not sure that adding him at his age really helps us much in the long run. Now that we lost out on Iggy, Evans, etc, I'm really hoping we just go super young and figure out a way to keep our cap space for next year. I would've been down for a win-now if we added, say, Iggy and Millsap and Jack, but now? Play them kidz!!!

[Pharaoh]

Thanks for backing me up Hotel Vitale.

The point of signing Millsap at his age is he can get the job done now while Monroe and Drummond still develop and improve.

In a couple of years when our kids are starting to really get "it" Millsap's contract would be approaching it's end... at which point having a 3rd big as good as he is now probably isn't worth the cash. But in the meantime? Hell Yes he would have been worth it.

The ship has sailed though - time to improve with other players. Dorell Wright or Corey Brewer are still out there and those are 2 guys we've all discussed at length.

[sfballa13]

All these threads defending Dumars and his lack of moves are hilarious.

We have been paying CV, Jerebko, Maxiell --- almost 18M to back up the PF spot.

None of these players actually play and when they do they SUCK.

That being said. Milsap even at 13M on a two year deal (7M more than what Atlanta offered) is 1000000x better than the trash we have been using to back up Monroe.

People are even claiming Mayo and Tyreke are overpaid when we have been paying Stuckey 8M a year to ROT away for the past 3 years.

Bottom Line: Dumars overspends when he doesnt have to with BG/CV. Then trades a draft pick in one of the most talented drafts in recent history in order to make a splash in this summer's free agency and fails horribly

You think we are in the clear? off the hook? Just wait
I wouldnt put it past Dumars to throw a giant contract at one of the **** players left.