Free Agents Thread

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

anyone got a link to a list of FAs??

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=18192

Here's one.

About the only player on that list I'd be willing to throw a little money at is Marc Gasol.

Gasol might be the best player on that list, but there are a few diamonds in the rough and quality role players IMO.

--Marcus Thornton is IMO way better than Nick Young or Jordan Crawford. (PER 18.2 and he's 23 years old).
--Jeremy Evans (PER 18.8 also 23 years old) is a 6-9 PF/SF with springs in his feet and great defensive instincts. He's a guy that has to play behind a lot of PFs in Utah, but he's really good.
--Derrick Brown (106 NBA games/1100 minutes, PER 12.8, 23 years old). Not much of a chance to play in either Charlotte behind Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace or New York, behind Carmelo. I like this guy more than Jordan Crawford when they were teammates at Xavier. He can defend SF well.
--Jonas Jerbko (PER 13.9, 24 years old) Looked like a solid scorer/rebounder at PF prior to his injury.
--Hamed Haddadi--(PER 19.6, 25 years old, absolutely sick rebounding rate). This guy is probably the best best for a team that needs a C. Like Gortat was in Orlando, he's stuck behind a better player but he's good enough to get major minutes.

This is just my relatively quick look at that list. Any of those guys are worth adding to this team at the right price. Haddadi is a guy I'd rather see the Wizards make an offer to than a high-priced guy like Gasol. Haddadi is probably the reason Thabeet is in Houston now and no longer a Grizzly.

Derrick Brown having been Crawford's teammate would be the guy who looks like a natural fit (unless the Wizards are pleased enough with Larry Owens or Cartier to bring them back at SF).

[closg00]

Good call CCJ, Haddadi might fit the bill for true center depth for our team, he's never really cracked the rotation because of Gasol and he's unrestricted.

[Ed Wood]

While all of those guys are players I wouldn't mind bringing in as developmental players and bench contributors (a couple could even start, Thornton and Jerebko) just keep in mind that for end of the bench players who only play sparingly PER numbers can be deceptive, as in Evans' case where that sexy 18 is based mostly upon shooting 66% from the field for an unsustainable ~68% TS, the guy's shot mix should allow him to remain very efficient but not THAT efficient, and it's hard to believe he could score at the same rate (over 15 per 40) with anything close to that efficiency given real playing time. Still he's relatively young, athletic as heck, has nice peripherals and that's enough to be worth a look.

Brown is really a power forward at this point, pending demonstration of any kind of outside touch. He's big enough to be a power forward and prior to New York snatching him up I expressed interest in him, he's still vastly preferable to Yi.

With Jerebko I'll refrain from comment other than to say I'd still like to have him and he may be the free agent I realistically want the team to sign the most.

I've heard some pretty dire things about Thornton's defense, but his scoring bona fides are unimpeachable and despite being pretty mediocre at both is a better passer and rebounder than Nick. Certainly if he came cheaper he'd be worthy of strong consideration.

Haddadi is a phenomenal rebounder and a solid scorer, though he may be a case where everything else, particularly his defense and the pace at which he's capable of playing, are so problematic that he's ultimately not worth it despite his strengths. His counterpart PER and +/- this year look really good, however, (again in limited time) so compared to another Hilton Armstrong experiment I'd take the plunge. Memphis traded Thabeet because they were forced to conclude he's awful though and probably wanted more cap room for Randolph and Gasol, Hamed didn't really influence that.

Another guy who was solid in very little time this year and who physically has the goods was Ben Uzoh, who's almost literally exactly the same size as John Wall. Everything about his rookie year was solid except for his shot and even though Wall also has the freaky 6'9" wingspan it's more noticeable on Uzoh, and it's kinda creepy. It's probably a shoulder thing.

Throw together a bargain bin free agent class and the draft (and trading Blatche) and you get a roster that looks something like:

Wall/Nolan Smith/Uzoh
Thornton/Crawford
Derrick Williams/Lewis/Jordan Hamilton
Jerebko/Booker/Evans
McGee/Seraphin/Haddadi

Which would require sending two guys down to the D-League, so drafting someone like Mirotic who could remain elsewhere might make sense. That team is a little small in the frontcourt, but very athletic and pretty physical, and very good size at small forward would help to compensate for being undersized (but honestly not that undersized) at power forward. If Crawford and Thronton ever took the court together my goodness there would be some possessions used that night. Really though not that bad a team, too young but full of high energy guys and guys who'd fit in well with Wall; everybody on that team but Haddadi would do well on the break.

[closg00]

Pretty sure the Pistons are gonna keep Jerebko.

[doclinkin]

About the only player on that list I'd be willing to throw a little money at is Marc Gasol.

Gasol might be the best player on that list, but there are a few diamonds in the rough and quality role players IMO.

When it comes to free agents the question for me is not 'who is sorta good?' but instead 'does this guy represent a building block for a championship?'

You can win with Marc Gasol. He rebounds a bit, defends bigs, passes, and makes his teammates better. He's proven himself clutch at a championship level more than once (albeit in a different league) and knows how to elevate his game even in elimination situations. As a keystone center he represents a solid investment who will prove worth the money paid for him, even if (unlike others cited, where you might get players as cheaply off the d-league) he doesn't come at a bargain rate. He is the one player that, say, Miami lacks. The question is not whether he would be an upgrade over whomever we got now -- we suck now. Incremental upgrades lead to a durable mediocrity. But when buying a player on the meat market you most always overpay for quality, and the only player on the list that looks to me worth overpaying for (a little) is Baby G.

Doesn't matter though since the timing is off. Teddy won't spend yet until it looks like the team is ready to add that next-level vet.

[nate33]

Doesn't matter though since the timing is off. Teddy won't spend yet until it looks like the team is ready to add that next-level vet.

That sums it up in a nutshell. There's no sense in looking at guys like M.Gasol, M.Thorton, or Jerebko. I think CCJ was on the right track when he mentioned guys who might be available for the vet minimum or slightly more. Guys like Jeremy Evans and Hamed Haddadi are interesting. I also wonder if Josh McRoberts will be available (it depends if Indy breaks the bank to go after some big name free agents).

[BruceO]

teams to victimize are Memphis and Detroit. I like Marc gasol. had stopped liking him for a while because somewhere i got the idea he can't play uptempo. But looking at that list I want someone young. Marc Gasol and Haddadi i like. part of my reason for picking Memphis over San Antonio. Not big names but good players. Also like Jonas but I also really like stuckey. That guy will be a beast somewhere and if i was NY that's who i'd go for. Also scouting JR smith and OJ mayo who's not on that list. (is he a free agent i thought he was meant to be?). I'd also make a run at the forgotten Greg Oden, Deandre jordan, thaddeus young and Marcus Thornton and a semi run at James Jones, Jeff green and earl Clark

[Ruzious]

teams to victimize are Memphis and Detroit. I like Marc gasol. had stopped liking him for a while because somewhere i got the idea he can't play uptempo. But looking at that list I want someone young. Marc Gasol and Haddadi i like. part of my reason for picking Memphis over San Antonio. Not big names but good players. Also like Jonas but I also really like stuckey. That guy will be a beast somewhere and if i was NY that's who i'd go for. Also scouting JR smith and OJ mayo who's not on that list. (is he a free agent i thought he was meant to be?). I'd also make a run at the forgotten Greg Oden, Deandre jordan, thaddeus young and Marcus Thornton and a semi run at James Jones, Jeff green and earl Clark

Gasol is a playoffs player - the pace slows, and skill and physical play count more - whether or not you're a running team. And he's as skilled (talking big man skills) and strong as pretty much any big man. I think he'd fit in just fine. His rebound numbers aren't real impressive, but I think that's because he plays with an outstanding rebounding PF. But as was said, Ted's not going all out this offseason for any big-time free agents.

[Dat2U]

About the only player on that list I'd be willing to throw a little money at is Marc Gasol.

Gasol might be the best player on that list, but there are a few diamonds in the rough and quality role players IMO.

When it comes to free agents the question for me is not 'who is sorta good?' but instead 'does this guy represent a building block for a championship?'

You can win with Marc Gasol. He rebounds a bit, defends bigs, passes, and makes his teammates better. He's proven himself clutch at a championship level more than once (albeit in a different league) and knows how to elevate his game even in elimination situations. As a keystone center he represents a solid investment who will prove worth the money paid for him, even if (unlike others cited, where you might get players as cheaply off the d-league) he doesn't come at a bargain rate. He is the one player that, say, Miami lacks. The question is not whether he would be an upgrade over whomever we got now -- we suck now. Incremental upgrades lead to a durable mediocrity. But when buying a player on the meat market you most always overpay for quality, and the only player on the list that looks to me worth overpaying for (a little) is Baby G.

Doesn't matter though since the timing is off. Teddy won't spend yet until it looks like the team is ready to add that next-level vet.

Do we know that for certain? I seem to remember there was a long time EG favorite that we pursued in free agency last year that didn't sign for cheap. Suffice it to say we lost out on the bidding but had we signed this guy, I'm pretty sure EG wouldn't be getting all the love he is getting at the moment.

It seems to me that Teddy is playing by the book and putting trust in Ernie to make the call. If there's a relatively young player that EG likes in free agency and determines the guy can be a building block, Teddy may very well sign off on it.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Doesn't matter though since the timing is off. Teddy won't spend yet until it looks like the team is ready to add that next-level vet.

That sums it up in a nutshell. There's no sense in looking at guys like M.Gasol, M.Thorton, or Jerebko. I think CCJ was on the right track when he mentioned guys who might be available for the vet minimum or slightly more. Guys like Jeremy Evans and Hamed Haddadi are interesting. I also wonder if Josh McRoberts will be available (it depends if Indy breaks the bank to go after some big name free agents).

McRoberts would be ideal. I wonder why I didn't include him. I did leave off restricted FAs for the most part.

About Ben Uzoh, Ed, I didn't look at PGs at all but that's the kind of guy the Wizards need.

doc, I always hold out hope there is a Marc Gasol who just hasn't had the playing time. Gasol's got elite size/strength/game, so it's doubtful a C flies under the radar undiscovered. However, we saw Jordan Crawford and Marcus Thornton show much more game than the teams that traded them thought they had. (Monty wasn't coach when Marcus scored points as a rookie, and Chris Paul was injured. They didn't see Thornton or Darren Collison as future starters, or perhaps they did and traded them for value). My goal is to find a Thornton (he doesn't need to play real good defense to be an asset), Collison, or Crawford at the minimum salary.

My best bet is Haddadi's pretty darned good. Probably a better C than Javale if he doesn't foul all the time. Three years a Grizzly and he's had to practice against Z-Bo and the physically Gasol brother? Yeah, he can defend the post.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Here's what I would do as GM: Two FA targets for 2011-2012 would be Hamed Haddadi and Steve Novak.

Novak is the sickest of shooters. I would give him a long term deal to be a 15-minute coach on the floor and designated shooter at PF or SF.

Haddadi seems like a guy who MIGHT enable my master plan of McGee at PF (ala Pau Gasol) to come to fruition. So Hamed Haddadi fouls a lot? No biggie, that's not necessarily the worst thing--he's aggressive. He's also been with Memphis three years, about the same time Gortat got behind Dwight Howard. Haddadi knows English well by now and might be much better than folks think.

[Illuminaire]

Gasol can shoot out to 20 feet, and is an excellent passer.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Gasol can shoot out to 20 feet, and is an excellent passer.

Okay, that's NOT McGee.

However, it really doesn't take much to perfect a jump shot other than LOTS of practice. I know this myself. Shooting a ball is so much fun when you start to be able to literally hit nothing but net shot after shot from all over the court. A tall guy like McGee should definitely shoot jumpers, too, IMO. Nobody's going to stop that!

Passing is something McGee can do behind the back on a fast break. I have seen McGee throw an alley oop to Wall and I've seen him feed Blatche in the post. I believe the space between his ears is all that really needs cultivating in order to turn McGee into a MONSTER of a player because he's a monster of an athlete with the best of genetics. (Moms an olympian and pops a pro baller who played in the Final Four).

I foresee Javale having a money jumper from midrange. I really want to see him become a hybrid PF/C.

[Illuminaire]

I don't think any of us would argue against Javale playing PF once he has the skills necessary for the position.

He has a lot of work to put in before that's the case though. Throwing him out there now would be a complete disaster.

I do hope he puts in the work to get those skills. He has otherworldly physical skills and shows flashes of the MONSTER you see. It would be friggin' great to see him put most of that together over the offseason and come out crushing fools next season. I just don't want to put the cart before the horse, is all.

[theboomking]

Gasol can shoot out to 20 feet, and is an excellent passer.

Okay, that's NOT McGee.

However, it really doesn't take much to perfect a jump shot other than LOTS of practice. I know this myself. Shooting a ball is so much fun when you start to be able to literally hit nothing but net shot after shot from all over the court. A tall guy like McGee should definitely shoot jumpers, too, IMO. Nobody's going to stop that!

Passing is something McGee can do behind the back on a fast break. I have seen McGee throw an alley oop to Wall and I've seen him feed Blatche in the post. I believe the space between his ears is all that really needs cultivating in order to turn McGee into a MONSTER of a player because he's a monster of an athlete with the best of genetics. (Moms an olympian and pops a pro baller who played in the Final Four).

I foresee Javale having a money jumper from midrange. I really want to see him become a hybrid PF/C.

Shooting jumpers isn't just about repetition. Having large hands like JaVale does is an impediment to shooting jumpers and FT's, and many bigs lack the necessary coordination to ever excel from outside, or even the FT line. Whether JaVale can ever do it is a completely different question from whether you or I could.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Baby steps are what I'm suggesting with respect to Javale, Illuminaire.

Hypothetically, if a big C like Haddadi were signed as a FA (and Seraphin traded), then he comes in and plays 15-20 minutes at C. The PF spot that belongs right now to Blatche and Booker could theoretically be a spot where McGee starts seeing 5 minutes each game. Booker still plays his 15-18 at PF and maybe 5-7 at SF. Blatche still plays 25 minutes at PF and probably 5-10 at C! The whole idea would be to give McGee some time a PF, Booker some time at SF, and to have a real, big guy clogging the lane at all times.

Who's to say that 2-3 years from now McGee's not a competent PF and Booker a competent SF?

[Illuminaire]

Only a few people would dispute that being possible. I just don't think Javale should see a wiff of time at any position but C until *after* he puts in the out of game work to gain the basic proficiencies required to play elsewhere.

Five minutes a game will not matter at all if he can't stretch a defense or reliably face up against relatively quick players. He cannot learn to do those things from within the game itself, but rather, needs to spend many hours of work in the gym with his coaches and teammates to gain those skills.

Once he has the framework to be effective, refining them via minutes at PF would be fine. But just throwing him out there before he's developed the right foundation will only end in futility and disaster.

[Dat2U]

McGee has shown nothing to indicate that he would make a competent forward offensively. Putting McGee w/ Wall and another big center with little skill like Haddadi only makes the Wizards much worst off offensively. Wall needs driving lines. No one is going to respect McGee's game outside of 8 feet. Your taking away driving lanes for Wall, Craw or whoever by encouraging defenders to slack off McGee on the perimeter.

I think Nivek said it once, if McGee really wanted to play PF or become more of an offensive threat, he'd work non-stop on developing post moves and a reliable jumper. To this point he hasn't done that. Until he does, this idea of him being a major offensive focus or potential PF is a no go.

The Booker at SF thing needs to die as well. At some point we need to start looking at a player's skillset to see what position they are capable of playing. Booker by my count made 2 or 3 jumpers the entire year. He looked lost on the perimeter whenever he played there. There's no real versatility to his game. Yes he's athletic and moves well for his size, but he's a undersized PF through and through.

Were trying to fit a square peg in a round hole by thinking McGee & Booker are capable of playing anything other than they're natural position.

[Illuminaire]

+1 What Dat said. =P

I think that while CCJ has a point regarding McGee's physical potential. Dat and Nivek have nailed the present reality and what he has to do to actually achieve that, though.

[Liverbird]

Considering how well Memphis is playing right now with all their pieces minus R.Gay - their offseason will be very interesting. They already have 3 huge contracts out to Conley, Gay and Randolph. This offseason they have:

Haddadi - UFA
Gasol - UFA
Mayo - RFA
Battier - UFA

Those are key pieces - minus perhaps Mayo - that they will need to resign. Do they do it? They will obviously try to resign Gasol and likely Battier and ofter the QO to Mayo. That's alot of salary for a historically cheap franchise. Not a big fan of Haddadi at all but would be interested in Mayo as the second option should NY1 get an offer too high to match.