Big Al's Paint: The Al Jefferson Thread

[Eoghan]

i bet he hoping and praying something better comes along but thats not happening til Howard makes up his mind.

We can only hope, I'd much rather have one of Wiggins, Randle, Parker, or Gordon to Jefferson.

Why would signing Jefferson automatically preclude us from landing one of those players?

Jefferson is a fantastic player, but he's not LeBron. He's not going to push us to 41+ wins by himself. He's just a vital piece moving forward.

How vital a piece exactly? I can't envision any scenario where a team with Al Jefferson as its centerpiece is a serious threat in the playoffs. Any team that is going to make noise in the playoffs is going to do so with Al Jeff as a complementary piece only and probably in spite of him since he's such a defensive liability. Jefferson getting spot minutes on a team like the Spurs makes sense, him getting major minutes on a rebuilding team like the Bobcats does not.

[BigSlam]

We can only hope, I'd much rather have one of Wiggins, Randle, Parker, or Gordon to Jefferson.

Why would signing Jefferson automatically preclude us from landing one of those players?

Jefferson is a fantastic player, but he's not LeBron. He's not going to push us to 41+ wins by himself. He's just a vital piece moving forward.

How vital a piece exactly?

Efficient, effective post scoring. Someone you can dump the ball down to and create easy baskets when the half court offense craps its pants and the shot clock is running down. Got to have that. He also rebounds very well.

I can't envision any scenario where a team with Al Jefferson as its centerpiece is a serious threat in the playoffs. Any team that is going to make noise in the playoffs is going to do so with Al Jeff as a complementary piece only and probably in spite of him since he's such a defensive liability.

Not sure he is THE centrepiece, I have high hopes for Kemba and MKG. I think one of them or even both of them are the centrepiece/s.

Jefferson would be a hell of an addition though.

Answer me this:

How many players today can do what Jefferson does?

[countryboi]

you guys are kidding yourself if you dont think zeller and big al are going to make us a boarderline playoff team...he is going to put us right on the treadmill again

[Logander]

We are not going to be that good and even if we were all we have to do is shut a key starter down when ever we get close to loosing our pick. You know like Portland did this year.

Maybe.. I mean there apparently is a lot of teams rebuilding now and tanking. **** Boston is going to tank the hell out of there season, it was made abundantly clear today when they hired Brad Stevens as HC. So its going to be a lot harder to do that than you think.

[RichBoy923]

What I don't understand is that people seem to think you can't progress from a 7-8 seed in the playoffs to a top 4 seed (just look at the Pacers).

It's not like the first time we make playoffs under our new regime has to be in the top 4 seeds. If we were to sign Al Jefferson and he somehow gets us to the 8th seed in the playoffs, doesn't mean we are doomed. Especially considering two of our draft picks in the near future are dependent on other teams' results. I don't think our situation (if we signed Big Al) is at all like the one in 2010.

[Kembastockton]

We were the second worst team in the league. Zeller would have to be a run away rookie of the year for that to happen.

[Bassman]

I can't believe some of you! Sorenson is on the "let's suck again and maybe our lottery luck will deliver our Saviour" wagon and many of you are right there with him. Listen, the TANK is not a proven strategy. No matter what....we cannot be guaranteed of getting any of the so-called franchise players.

Another season of sucking is not going to help anything. It is time to add a quality player like Al. Our young guys need some quality vets to build with. Our bigs were absolutely horrible last year. We will still be in the lottery with AJ, but with a much better chance of breaking open the following season. We need a super big, and AJ is as close as we can get now or in the forseeable future.

[Logander]

I can't believe some of you! Sorenson is on the "let's suck again and maybe our lottery luck will deliver our Saviour" wagon and many of you are right there with him. Listen, the TANK is not a proven strategy. No matter what....we cannot be guaranteed of getting any of the so-called franchise players.

Another season of sucking is not going to help anything. It is time to add a quality player like Al. Our young guys need some quality vets to build with. Our bigs were absolutely horrible last year. We will still be in the lottery with AJ, but with a much better chance of breaking open the following season. We need a super big, and AJ is as close as we can get now or in the forseeable future.

Because the 2014 draft is the best class in the last 5 years. Andrew Wiggins has been scouted since he was 13 years old. Hes compared to Lebron James. Jabari Parker is scouted to be like Carmelo Anthony. You also have Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon who are all projected to be All-Stars. I would take a chance on any "so-called franchise players" as you put it over Al Jefferson any day of the week. I like how you say tanking isn't a proven strategy but neither is getting a lottery pick next year, with the addition of Al Jefferson. As you probably have read if we get the 10th pick it goes to the Bulls. The Pistons have to fall out of the top 8 for us to get their pick, and the T blazers have to fall out of the top 12. So then we have no draft pick what-so-ever next year just so we can feel better about ourselves? No thanks.

[BigSlam]

I can't believe some of you! Sorenson is on the "let's suck again and maybe our lottery luck will deliver our Saviour" wagon and many of you are right there with him. Listen, the TANK is not a proven strategy. No matter what....we cannot be guaranteed of getting any of the so-called franchise players.

Another season of sucking is not going to help anything. It is time to add a quality player like Al. Our young guys need some quality vets to build with. Our bigs were absolutely horrible last year. We will still be in the lottery with AJ, but with a much better chance of breaking open the following season. We need a super big, and AJ is as close as we can get now or in the forseeable future.

Because the 2014 draft is the best class in the last 5 years. Andrew Wiggins has been scouted since he was 13 years old. Hes compared to Lebron James. Jabari Parker is scouted to be like Carmelo Anthony. You also have Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon who are all projected to be All-Stars. I would take a chance on any "so-called franchise players" as you put it over Al Jefferson any day of the week. I like how you say tanking isn't a proven strategy but neither is getting a lottery pick next year, with the addition of Al Jefferson. As you probably have read if we get the 10th pick it goes to the Bulls. The Pistons have to fall out of the top 8 for us to get their pick, and the T blazers have to fall out of the top 12. So then we have no draft pick what-so-ever next year just so we can feel better about ourselves? No thanks.

We don't know how those guys are going to perform in college or in the NBA.

We don't even know if they will declare for the '14 draft or not.

We do know that Jefferson is a crazy offensive post and legit 20/10 player in the NBA who addresses a weakness we have had for 9 years now and who is still in his prime who seems to have zero character or off court issues.

[Liver_Pooty]

you guys are kidding yourself if you dont think zeller and big al are going to make us a boarderline playoff team...he is going to put us right on the treadmill again

How can we be a treadmill team if Zeller, MKG, Walker, and Biyombo have not even come close to their peak? Bring on big Al!

[Eoghan]

Answer me this:

How many players today can do what Jefferson does?

Rebound and score in the post? Pekovich, Bogut, Kanter, Kaman, Boozer, Duncan, Splitter, Blair, Hibbert, West, both Gasols, Bynum and many more!

Al Jeff isn't some elite, put a team over the top talent. He's an empty stat producing defensive liability much like Kaman.

I think a lot of you are putting too much stock in Kemba and MKG. We can't pencil in these guys as stars on the rise yet.

[Logander]

you guys are kidding yourself if you dont think zeller and big al are going to make us a boarderline playoff team...he is going to put us right on the treadmill again

Glad 1 person understands what I'm saying.

[Logander]

I can't believe some of you! Sorenson is on the "let's suck again and maybe our lottery luck will deliver our Saviour" wagon and many of you are right there with him. Listen, the TANK is not a proven strategy. No matter what....we cannot be guaranteed of getting any of the so-called franchise players.

Another season of sucking is not going to help anything. It is time to add a quality player like Al. Our young guys need some quality vets to build with. Our bigs were absolutely horrible last year. We will still be in the lottery with AJ, but with a much better chance of breaking open the following season. We need a super big, and AJ is as close as we can get now or in the forseeable future.

Because the 2014 draft is the best class in the last 5 years. Andrew Wiggins has been scouted since he was 13 years old. Hes compared to Lebron James. Jabari Parker is scouted to be like Carmelo Anthony. You also have Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon who are all projected to be All-Stars. I would take a chance on any "so-called franchise players" as you put it over Al Jefferson any day of the week. I like how you say tanking isn't a proven strategy but neither is getting a lottery pick next year, with the addition of Al Jefferson. As you probably have read if we get the 10th pick it goes to the Bulls. The Pistons have to fall out of the top 8 for us to get their pick, and the T blazers have to fall out of the top 12. So then we have no draft pick what-so-ever next year just so we can feel better about ourselves? No thanks.

We don't know how those guys are going to perform in college or in the NBA.

We don't even know if they will declare for the '14 draft or not.

We do know that Jefferson is a crazy offensive post and legit 20/10 player in the NBA who addresses a weakness we have had for 9 years now and who is still in his prime who seems to have zero character or off court issues.

We don't know if they are but I would rather take a chance on that than getting Al. I could care less about how good he is. That is the reason I don't want him. We need to secure an All-Star first before we get a good pick up like that.

[Snidely FC]

So has anybody heard anything about his visit today?

[BigSlam]

Answer me this:

How many players today can do what Jefferson does?

Rebound and score in the post? Pekovich, Bogut, Kanter, Kaman, Boozer, Duncan, Splitter, Blair, Hibbert, West, both Gasols, Bynum and many more!

Bogut is well past his prime and injury prone as hell and under contract.
Kaman is past his prime and injury prone as hell.
Duncan I love, but he is heading past his prime and is under contract.
Boozer is far from a post player - he's a face up PF and is under contract.
Blair is crazy undersized and couldn't get playing time in front of a guy like Daiw. Heck, Matt Bonner got as much burn as him. Plus Blair is not a post player. He's a grunt player. That would be like adding Hansborough to this list.
Hibbert is over paid, inconsistent and under contract.
Splitter isn't a proven 20/10 guy and is under contract.
West is about to be under contract.
Both Gasol's are under contract.
Bynum is a hack.
Kanter isn't a 20/10 guy yet and is under contract.


So of the guys you have listed, only Bogut, Duncan, Kaman and Pau fit the true 20/10 offensive post guy - and they are all way older that what we need and under contract.

I think some people understate what Jefferson does.

[vorbis]

so which is it? is jefferson an unnecessarily useful free agent who will cause the bobcats to win too much, or is he an empty stat-padding player who won't take the bobcats to the next level? he's not both. just because he's competent doesn't mean he's going to prematurely ejaculate the team's potential. c'mon guys. the top bigs in the 2014 draft have a lot of potential, but if they're lucky, they'll be as good as jefferson. no matter what your plans are for success in the coming season, you need players with talent locked up.

if you don't like his game, fine, but this talk of holding off signing players with actual NBA skill just for the hope of another player (who may suck in college, may not even declare for the 2014 draft, who may flop in the NBA, may play themselves out of the bobcats' draft range, etc) is nauseating.

[chabber]

WTF is going on? How is it that there is not been a peep about this all day.

[Liver_Pooty]

so which is it? is jefferson an unnecessarily useful free agent who will cause the bobcats to win too much, or is he an empty stat-padding player who won't take the bobcats to the next level? he's not both. just because he's competent doesn't mean he's going to prematurely ejaculate the team's potential. c'mon guys. the top bigs in the 2014 draft have a lot of potential, but if they're lucky, they'll be as good as jefferson. no matter what your plans are for success in the coming season, you need players with talent locked up.

if you don't like his game, fine, but this talk of holding off signing players with actual NBA skill just for the hope of another player (who may suck in college, may not even declare for the 2014 draft, who may flop in the NBA, may play themselves out of the bobcats' draft range, etc) is nauseating.

Good post
.

[Liver_Pooty]

WTF is going on? How is it that there is not been a peep about this all day.

They're probably getting wasted. Can see Jordan taking him for a night on the town.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

Answer me this:

How many players today can do what Jefferson does?

Rebound and score in the post? Pekovich, Bogut, Kanter, Kaman, Boozer, Duncan, Splitter, Blair, Hibbert, West, both Gasols, Bynum and many more!

Bogut is well past his prime and injury prone as hell and under contract.
Kaman is past his prime and injury prone as hell.
Duncan I love, but he is heading past his prime and is under contract.
Boozer is far from a post player - he's a face up PF and is under contract.
Blair is crazy undersized and couldn't get playing time in front of a guy like Daiw. Heck, Matt Bonner got as much burn as him. Plus Blair is not a post player. He's a grunt player. That would be like adding Hansborough to this list.
Hibbert is over paid, inconsistent and under contract.
Splitter isn't a proven 20/10 guy and is under contract.
West is about to be under contract.
Both Gasol's are under contract.
Bynum is a hack.
Kanter isn't a 20/10 guy yet and is under contract.


So of the guys you have listed, only Bogut, Duncan, Kaman and Pau fit the true 20/10 offensive post guy - and they are all way older that what we need and under contract.

I think some people understate what Jefferson does.

I agree with Slam and was starting to make a similar post when I saw his. I'll just add that Jefferson was in the top 25 in the league in both PER & WS. He is a very very good player. He is also a center, a position that usually ages well, and would be playing on a team that could potentially limit his minutes a bit to keep him fresh all season. Jefferson would have a huge impact on the Bobcats.

The real issue is the argument about short term gain vs long term building. All I'll say is that I see both sides here. I agree that next year would be a better year to sign a strong free agent or two ... but the reality is that the opportunity may not be there next year. Who knows, the team could end up with a top 3 pick but still not be able to sign anyone near Jefferson's level. The team is having to try to balance both the short and long term goals. I don't imagine that it's easy.