My favorite 2011 free agent

[granger05]

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/67840/20100705/horford_unsure_about_future_in_atlanta/

I always liked Horford, and thought he was the best of the 2011 restricted free agent crop. With Atlanta resigning Joe Johnson to that max deal (or at least agreeing to it), he may be tough for them to match. The link there says he wants to play the 4. That can be arranged....on our team.

[JONEAL]

i just was reading that, and thinking the same. he is a really good player.

[jowglenn]

Especially if they sign shaq and re-sign chlidress, you gotta start wonderin about horford.

problem is he'll be RFA, and hawks will match anything reasonable, even if they just want to use him as a trade chip. so 5 year/50 mil would be easily matched.

[Indy2thaWindy]

I like him, but I'd like to see Jeff Green(reunite him with Hibbert), Carl Landry(played at Purdue), I hate him but if Chicago gets 2 max guys it will be hard to match Joakim Noah.I'd like to see them here before Horford. If they ain't available I would like to see a strong push for Horford.

[MUpacersSIC]

My 2011 favorites to sign:

1. Al Horford
2. Aaron Brooks (If we don't get a PG through the draft and the Lance PG thing doesn't work out)
3. David West
4. Jeff Green
5. Carl Landry
6. Tayshaun Prince (could be a great guy to come off the bench IMO. Obviously this wouldn't be our main free agent)


I think any of these guys on the Pacers would make our team better. I really hope that Stephenson pans out to be our starting PG by the end of the season. He is just a pure basketball player.

PG Stephenson/Price
SG George/Rush/D. Jones
SF Granger/Prince
PF Horford/Hansbrough/Rolle
C Hibbert/Foster/Rolle

That to me is a young team that could do some damage.

[Indy2thaWindy]

Jeff Foster better accept the vets minimum.
Why would we want David West? He is another Troy Murphy who scores a little and rebounds but doesn't play D. He will be 31 by the time the 2011-2012 season starts. Green or Landry would be better pickups than West.

[DWCP2]

The fact that the Pacers went after Jefferson without regard to the salary cap right before the draft oughta send up a warning flag that the Pacers will go MAX dollar for any one of the top bigs out there in free agency.

Putting the top free agents out there

A list: Guys who should get at or near MAX dollar:

Tim Duncan -- PF/C -- San Antonio
Marc Gasol -- PF/C -- Memphis
Carl Landry -- F -- Sacramento
Glen Davis -- PF/C -- Boston
Al Horford -- PF/C -- Atlanta
Joakim Noah -- PF/C -- Chicago

B list : Guys who are worth more then the MLE, but won't get quite the MAX:

Zach Randolph -- PF -- Memphis
Jonas Jerebko -- PF/C -- Detroit
Boris Diaw -- F/C -- Charlotte
Spencer Hawes -- PF/C -- Philadelphia
Greg Oden -- C -- Portland

C list: Guys who should draw any teams MLE with solid performances:

Troy Murphy -- PF/C -- Indiana
Nene -- PF/C -- Denver
Kenyon Martin -- PF -- Denver
Yi Jianlin -- F/C -- Washington
Jeff Foster -- PF/C -- Indiana

If I miss anybody on this list that should belong there, please feel free to redo the list with your take and view. There were simply too many to go through hard enough, so I pretty much figured I did miss somebody.

[DougInOz]

Always liked Horford (as a 4), if the rookies from this year show good signs (along with Psycho-T) and we keep developing Roy and Brandon, then sign Big Al? Wow, that would be cool. Hopefully we have the cash and Atl struggles/ is-unwilling to match.

Although, I think Glan Davis should be in the B list.

[Indy2thaWindy]

Duncan is the only player that will get anywhere near max. Marc Gasol and Glen Davis

[DWCP2]

Duncan is the only player that will get anywhere near max. Marc Gasol and Glen Davis

Rest assured that some team will overpay them dramatically like the Pacers.

Even at 12 million, that's nearly 71 million over 5 years for guys who are near 20-10 guys and are only getting better.

[Starkiller]

Duncan is the only player that will get anywhere near max. Marc Gasol and Glen Davis

Glen Davis no, but I can easily see Marc Gasol getting max.

[DWCP2]

Memphis and Indiana are set to be the big money players in 2011 with Indiana having more cap room in 2011 then the Knicks have in 2010.

Biggest thing about Memphis though is that come 2011 they have to give big money to Conley, Randolph, and Gasol. Any of those players get anywhere near max dollar and the team risks losing Mayo and Thabeet in 2012 or ends up paying major money in luxury tax payments.

[Boneman2]

The problem with the NBA is that so many players get near-max deals. For instance New York will regret signing Amar'e, and ATL will regret giving JJ his too, just like Orlando has to regret giving Lewis his insane deal, and how Wash regrets agent 0'.

If the league wants to fix its problems than they need to use Granger's deal as a measuring point. Granger makes what he should ( 12 mill).

My value of some of the 2010' f/a's:

LBJ = Max
Wade= Max
Bosh= 16 mill
Boozer= 12 mill
J J = 12 mill
Lee= 11 mill
Gay = 8 mill
Salmons= MLE
Felton= MLE
Blake= 4 mill
Foye= 3.5 mill
Livingston- 2 mill

At best Marc Gasol is Troy Murphy. Would anyone sign Troy to a 5 yr. max deal? Didn't think so.

I'd give Gasol 5/40 mill tops. Just because teams like the Bucks throw 40 million at an average player (Salmons), and 30 mill for washed up PF's (Gooden), doesn't mean that is where the market is set. They're stupid for doing it, and hopefully they will suffer from it.