Kinda like how this has all developed for us.
D-League star
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, a defensive freak, is available immediately if Budcox decides (a) that's the player they like, (b) that Patterson is immediately ready to assume the third PG role and (c) a decent trading partner for Mack surfaces.
I've not been high on these 6-5 w/o shoes guys normally, and I wouldn't even say that I'm "high" on this one. From where I sit, you want someone who can legitimately defend the post with regularity if you can find him, and there's usually just not enough upper body to these 6-5 guys to be convinced they can give you that. What might give Antetokounmpo an edge is that he does seem to bring some explosiveness in how he jumps, and his motor from all I can tell is about as strong as anyone you could imagine--he makes me think of the Tazmanian devil out there.
Summer League star
Jonathan Holmes is probably back from his dislocated shoulder within a week or two. Seems unlikely anyone signs him until he's healthy, so if we like him, that buys us a little time to evaluate Patterson and to identify a trading partner. Some scoop on Holmes:
http://www.lakersnation.com/what-the-los-angeles-lakers-are-getting-in-jonathan-holmes/2015/08/08/Summer League star
Maurice N'Dour sounds like he could be on the shelf longer as they figure out what is said to be something less than a stress fracture, but nonetheless, significant.
Here's probably the best scoop on him...
http://knickerblogger.net/why-the-new-york-knicks-made-a-mistake-not-keeping-maurice-ndour/And
Danny Granger... he's about a month out if projections are correct. He had a couple of exceptional games in December last season for the Heat. I think if you're one of those who thought J-Rich was a good signing pre-training camp, for all of the same reasons, you have to feel good about Granger... actually, even better, b/c Granger actually fills the need for a big SF that J-Rich did not.
I hear "What ever happened to
Papanikolau?" from the balcony... well, I personally loved his offense, but it became apparent in things I read Bud said, not long after Denver released Papa, that their emphasis for that 15th slot was on defense... which made some sense, of course, given that we never actually replaced DMC with any comparable body/skill set.
It all starts with identifying a taker for Mack. Once that's checked-off, I'd want to give those last 3 a work-out before making a decision to evaluate their health, and assuming all are healthy, it becomes a question of which of the young guys you can project to help you defensively by next April... if none, then I go ahead and roll the dice on Granger, giving him limited minutes, a la Elton Brand, through the season.