Late Wednesday Night....

[Thiazi]

Amare would definitely fit the style of offense that we are going for, but he's had knee issues and I worry that he wouldn't be worth the max contract that he signed 2 or 3 years down the road. He'd certainly help to put us back on the map, but he can get max money elsewhere and I suspect that he wants to go somewhere he can get paid and feel like he has a shot at winning now.

Still though, I want to see some athleticism added at the 4, but I'm not sure who would fit that role. Lee might work in an uptempo offense a little better than Jefferson, but he's not a great defender either and I don't think he'll be worth whatever contract he signs this summer. There must be some cheaper options that can add some athleticism to the frontcourt without breaking the bank.

Gay is our best chance of landing a "big" FA. He's only 23, which fits Kahn's goal of acquiring young veterans, he's done a great job of scoring without getting a lot of opportunities in Memphis, and there at least seems to be some level of mutual interest between the Wolves and Rudy Gay. How likely it is, I don't know, but I suspect that Kahn wants to have big and athletic wings at the 2 and 3 and eschew the traditional SG role in our offense. It would make sense for an uptempo offense run by Flynn and eventually Rubio, but whether we can pull of a sign and trade for Gay or sign him in FA without Memphis matching the offer remains to be seen.

I'm really not sure what plan B would be if we can't acquire Gay, it may just be to wait out the PF market and deal Jefferson for someone better than Webster. Though maybe there isn't a plan B and they just forge ahead with what they have for now?

One player that I have high hopes for next season is Johnny Flynn, when I got the opportunity to watch him last year, it seemed like he would set players up with shots only to watch our shooters squander those opportunities. I am hoping that with better shooting options and a more uptempo offense, that he could come alive as a passer. He certainly wouldn't be the type of passer that I think Rubio can be in that offense, but I think he should be a lot more productive than he was last year.

I still feel that the Wolves have a long way to go before they are a legitimate playoff team, but at least we are starting to see some sort of direction. I just wonder how they plan on adding athleticism to the front court and adding someone who would be a first or second option on a contending team?

[Foye]

yea, if they do not see Brand as a starter-level PF anymore why not bring in Jefferson and let Brand play off the bench. Then the small-court Eastern conf play of letting them go together is also plausible.

Because you don't pay 30 mil./year for 2 PF's.

[MN Die Hard]

I think Gay will have only one thing in mind if he's even contemplating Minnesota. Max $.

Completely correct, looks like Bosh & Amare are on to other teams, Rudy may be the last option for MN, and I think that we give him the money.

Do we have the money anymore if we sign Pek and Darko?

[51X3RF4N]

Philly doesn't have Outlaw. Portland does.

IMO Philly would trade Iggy for Al Jeff, but only if some other pieces were included. Let me ask the Wolves fans this...can Al play any Center in the East?? Or is he strictly a PF?

If he could play some Center, I could see Philly looking good.

Jrue/Lou
Turner/Meeks
Thad/Nocioni/Kapono
Brand/Speights
Al Jeff/Hawes

With Jrue/Turner/Thad/Al Jeff/Hawes/Meeks/Speights/Lou they have a pretty good 8 man roster built for the future.

[cpfsf]

Blah, prepare to be underwhelmed.

It will be just our luck that the two players he's going to invite to Minnesota are Pekovic and Milicic.

[prefuse73]

Al has a low post game, which can be whatever position you want it to be. It all depends on who he plays with. The Ideal compliment is an Athletic big man that can guard stretch fours and operate out of the high post on offense. Those guys are rare, so the primary goal is to pair him with a rim-protector. Brand, with his length is a great defensive compliment and Hawes is a great offensive compliment so It could work with philly.

The other option would be to trade him for say Tyson Chandler (expiring) and a Pick from Charlotte and then we move Chandler and Brewer to Philly for Iggy.

Darko - Pek
Love - Hollins.
Wes - Webster - Bjelica
Iggy - Webster - Ellington
Flynn - Sessions

That said, I think I prefer Gay, but if we sign Darko / Pek, we don't have the money to sign a max contract... or do we? I thnk it would have to be a sign an trade and I am sure Memphis would probably then move zach randolph for SF replacement and/or PG.

[TrentTuckerForever]

. Let me ask the Wolves fans this...can Al play any Center in the East?? Or is he strictly a PF?

I think most Wolves fans would do an Iggy for Al deal, but honestly he's not a center. Maybe if he played with an athletic, shot-blocking PF type. Al is undersized (shorter than his listed 6'10") and not a particularly good athlete. He's a great rebounder, but if you're expecting him to anchor your defense you'll be disappointed.

It's a team game so other positions could compensate, but it's a stretch, even in the East. If Jefferson could play center full-time he wouldn't be on the block (he and Kevin Love are both, in the eyes of the coaches, natural PFs.)

[Foye]

. Let me ask the Wolves fans this...can Al play any Center in the East?? Or is he strictly a PF?

Offensively, he can play Center due to having great low-post moves. He can score on anyone. Defensively, lets be honest he is not able to play C.

[Krapinsky]

It's worth noting that the "max" deal Rudy Gay can get from ANY TEAM starts at $13.5M or so, not the $16.6M that more seasoned veterans can get.

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q11

[Breakdown777]

I thought Outlaw was traded to the Clippers in the Camby deal???

Something doesn't seem right. We are going to spend at least 75% of our cap space on Darko and Pek, and still haven't traded Al. IF they even slightly believe they have a chance at a bigger name guy, how do they compete with other teams money wise?
I agree with others who believe that Kahn must have some sort of plan worked out, where we can move Al and get something in return. Unfortunately, I don't think the move is going to make very many happy, and we aren't going to get back a legit 2nd (or maybe even 3rd) option.
At this point, if it's not Favors, Iggy, Harden, Granger, or Gay (ruling out the super big names), I'll be disappointed. If we get cap space AND a high pick (like at least top 10 protected), then I'll be understanding but still disappointed.