Next Years Free Agnet's

[CableKC]

Lee has a pretty good offensive game actually. He is extremely efficient, his true shooting %'s are always really high. What's the point of tossing ideas around like this if you dont think they would sign for it?

I'm sure that we wouldn't be the only team that would offer him the full MLE.....whatever....I just hope we at least try to make a run for him...whether we get him or not....I just want to try.

There are plenty of guys who could fill a role like Powe's without paying them $6+ million a year. Some of the worst contracts in the NBA are when teams throw around their entire MLE. Ask the Kings and Beno Udrih, even though he did fill a need for them.

NP....I can possibly see paying Powe the full MLE is a little too much......what other low-post scoring players are out there that we can try for that we could get for that much?

Joe Smith is old. He could help if we were contenders, but were not, so there's little incentive for him to come here.

Given his age, I can see your apprehension.......but he has experience and is still producing at a clip of 8.7/5.4 averaging 22 mpg. If we can get him for a reasonable price while expiring in 2010-2011 when Dunleavy/Murphy expire, then I wouldn't mind making a run with him. Unless we can get a young up and coming Low Post Scoring PF, then ( as far as I am concerned ), until after 2010-2011 season ( when we play the FA market )......we are going to do our best to build Playoff Experience with our core players while surrounding them with Veterans that can help us get to the Playoffs.

[count55]

Powe looked like Diogu to me...maybe a second coming of Corliss Williamson.

[Grang33r]

I'd love to be able to sign Hakim Warrick. I watched Warrick when he played for Syracuse. He was a freshman in 2003 when we won the National Championship and he was a total beast. Sure, it was Carmelo's team but anyone who watched those games, the bigger the game, the bigger Warrick played. He has a thing to play big when needed. Above average defender and he can get in the air with the best of them.

Other then Warrick, i think Pacers need to stay low-key in the market. We are not free agency players yet. We need to ride this season out and see how well we can finish. Top 6? Top 8? No playoffs? After that, focus all our attention on the draft and continue the developments of Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert. We will need big sophmore seasons from both if we want to make the next step, and that is the only way we will make the next step, is those two and a good draft pick. Not in the free agent market.

[cdash]

I just dont think any of these options are all that appetizing. I'd just as soon to try acquire a post-scoring presence via trade if these are the options.

[CableKC]

Powe looked like Diogu to me...maybe a second coming of Corliss Williamson.

I have no idea whether comparing Powe to Diogu is a good or bad thing ( skills with no BBall IQ ) ....then you follow up with comparing him to Corliss Williamson ( which I guess can be a good thing considering that he was a solid 6th Man ).

[Miller4ever]

I really liked Corliss Williamson. Powe, I think, will be more of a Davis (Dale, Antonio) because of his energy play. I don't think he's like Diogu at all.

[ludachris]

we should try and sign charlie V, he fits perfectly in what were trying to do (running game). sure he isn't a low post scoring threat but there are no option that we could get that can satisfy our need for one. he is however an amazing shooter, above average athlete, intelligent rebounder and a great guy in general. plus his childhood idol is reggie miller so u know hes gonna have that extra motivation if he comes here.

[Downtown]

Seattle fan here(not OKC). Why is Troy Murphy never thought of as a good power forward? I don't get to see many Pacers games here in the Pacific Northwest(Vancouver actually) but statwise he seems to put up solid numbers.

Does he not play in the post or paint? How does he get such good rebounding numbers? Does he not defend?

The reason I'm asking is that a team like Memphis needs a good rebounding power forward that can defend, has cap room to take on some salary, and has an expiring contract in Hakim Warrick(a very good combo forward but one that has problems defending stronger power forwards). They also have Antoine Walkers expiring contract and Darko Milicic whose deal expires after next season.

Just curious more than anything.

[count55]

Seattle fan here(not OKC). Why is Troy Murphy never thought of as a good power forward? I don't get to see many Pacers games here in the Pacific Northwest(Vancouver actually) but statwise he seems to put up solid numbers.

Does he not play in the post or paint? How does he get such good rebounding numbers? Does he not defend?

The reason I'm asking is that a team like Memphis needs a good rebounding power forward that can defend, has cap room to take on some salary, and has an expiring contract in Hakim Warrick(a very good combo forward but one that has problems defending stronger power forwards). They also have Antoine Walkers expiring contract and Darko Milicic whose deal expires after next season.

Just curious more than anything.

Two things...

He's not a traditional pF in that he struggles defensively, and he doesn't have a post game, pretty much at all.

His contract. If Murph were pulling down $6-8mm per year, people still wouldn't like his defense, but they'd be a lot happier with his production. Unfortunately, he's owed $33 million over the next three years.

Also, he went through a period of about a year-and-a-half where his production dropped way off, dropping into the 10 & 6 range, which exascerbated the complaints about his contract. He averaged almost 15 and 8 after the All-Star break last year, and this year he's averaging 9.7 pts and 11 boards in his first ten games.

I don't think he's the guy you're looking for, though, based on your description.