Post#173 » by truthiness » Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:09 am
1. Steve Nash - bad fit
Very loved on this board, but most people seem to fail to grasp that HE WOULD NOT FIT.
He needs the ball in his hands, but so do Lebron and Wade, he's a poor defender, so opposing PG's that are quick and athletic would shred the Heat defense (especially since there's no shot blocking C to cover his ass), he works best with a big that can P&R and surrounded by 3p shooters. You don't want Wade and Lebron to turn into 3p shooters, watching Nash run P&R all day.
And I doubt he'd be useful (or happy) if you tried to make him a catch-and-shoot player and tell him to go wait for the ball in a corner.
2. Kevin Garnett - semi-bad fit, greedy ****, fake tough guy
I call him the pink sock (don't google-image it) because he always lets the inner **** out, so I wouldn't want him out of general principle.
Basketball wise, he's not really a C, not really a shot blocker, he's not a low post offensive player, his offensive game is more mid-range J's (so Bosh kinda makes him redundant), he's old and less and less athletic by the day.
I am also pretty sure he will look to get paid, he won't accept vet's min or even the MLE.
3. Ray Allen - great fit, especially if Mike Miller and/or James Jones retire
He's a nice guy, unlike Garnett, and he's the best 3p shooter ever and would be a great fit.
He'd also give you some flexibility regarding Wade, meaning you could play Wade 25-27 minutes per game and have Ray Ray play 18-20, or you could sit Wade down in back-2-backs or against poor teams and let Ray Ray be the starter. You could have a fresh, healthy Wade for the playoffs, which would be a HUGE boost for the team.
I'd offer him the MLE and hope he wants to punish the Celtics front office for how they treated him.
4. Jason Terry - if Ray Allen says "no", he could play a similar role
I'd still prefer Ray Allen over him, and I kinda expect Terry to look for more money, especially since he already has a title.
5. Chris Kaman - he'll get more money elsewhere
He would give the Heat a post presence, enable them to play big, he's a good player but he'll get a much better offer elsewhere. And he'll take it. He's not yet old enough to go chasing titles.
6. Samuel Dalembert - he'll get more money to help another team get to the lottery
He looks like a good fit, despite him sometimes being downright stupid, and he'd fill a position of need, but he'll take the money.
7. Marcus Camby - not the player he once was, but still an improvement
I'd give him the vet's min, maybe even the MLE for 1 year if the other candidates refuse. I expect Juwon to retire, and Camby would be much more useful than Juwon.
8. Greg Oden - only if he took Eddy Curry's place on the roster
This would be a lottery ticket, and thus would have similar odds to pan out. If he takes vet's min to try and revive his career, fine, if not, good luck elsewhere.
Miami's own FA's
- Ronnie Turiaf: I like him and the fact that he plays with heart, and if no better replacement is found, I'd like him to stay, even if he doesn't play a lot
- Juwon Howard: he'll probably retire. It's about damn time.
- Eddy Curry: now that he's got a title, I'd use his roster spot to give someone else a chance to contribute
Other starter quality FA's
Tim Duncan - stays with the Spurs/retires
Diaw, Jamison, Landry, Kenyon, Billups, Andre Miller, Delonte, HInrich, even Kidd (whom I love) are bad fits. Even if they were to accept diminished roles, someone else already on the team or a skill of one of the stars makes them redundant.
And in general, pretty much every FA will either be too expensive or redundant. Or both.
Marginal FA's
There are 3 FA that I'd offer the vet's min if I still had open roster spots:
- Ryan Hollins: kind of an idiot, but he's young, big and athletic. I'd replace Pittman or Curry with him.
- Semih Erden: if Turiaf leaves/isn't kept, I'd replace him with Erden. I think he's better than his stats show.
- Gilbert Arenas: If both Mike Miller and James Jones retire, the Heat will be short on shooters (also on people with double initials), and I doubt both Ray Allen and Jason Terry would sign with the Heat, cause one of them would have to accept a really reduced role. For that reason, I'd sign Ray Allen and Gilbert Arenas. I figure Arenas is a lottery ticket, kinda like Oden, with better odds of winning but a smaller payoff.
@mods - I know there are other threads dealing with FA's in general or one FA in particular, or trades or other off-season related stuff, but I put some work into this and I think it deserves its own thread.