Free agency: starts on Dec 9th

[Fred Williamson]

I don't get the Boki hate. great guy and a good player as far as I can remember. I take him over moon or cunningham on any of the week

[Bassman]

Are these guys really the best 2 options left in the whole basketball universe?

Please share an alternative player you would sign, and let's see if we can help this front office out.

I get the tanking deal...I mean, even Bonnell wrote about the top 5 prospects for the draft on opening day of the season

[doc.end]

Right now I am for streaming players through Uzoh spot till we struck gold. I don´t have anything against the two, but they are future neutral, I would rather have someone who has potential to help us in future if only as a trade chip. Would preferred Dante but that ship sailed.

[hotrod]

wiretap says we are holding auditions today for nachbar and moon.

If these are my only two choices, I'd take Nachbar. Moon is a better athlete, but Nach is more skilled, or was a few years ago. He has or had skills we need. Moon is a duplicate IMO.

[fatlever]

bonnell takes a look at free agents for the bobcats in 2012 and 2013

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/1 ... re-of.html

he excludes howard and deron from the list

Dreaming big
Kevin Love, forward-center, Minnesota Timberwolves (restricted free agent 2012): This would likely be a long shot. The Timberwolves would probably match any offer for their All-Star, and Love might want to get back to Los Angeles, where he starred for UCLA. But his old-school approach to rebounding and the fundamental strength of his passing and shooting would be most attractive to coach Paul Silas' approach to the game.

Russell Westbrook, combo guard, Oklahoma City Thunder (restricted free agent in 2012): A big guard who can both score and run an offense. He needs to get better at distributing the ball, but he's a top-50 NBA talent. Does he want to commit his career to playing with Kevin Durant, or would Westbrook want to be the top player on another franchise?

Andrew Bynum, center, Los Angeles Lakers (unrestricted in 2013): He gets hurt a lot, so you'd be spending generously on a player who might be fragile. But accomplished players with true center size are rare, and the Bobcats have an obvious need at that position.

Eric Gordon, New Orleans Hornets, (unrestricted in 2012): The Bobcats likely want to explore Gerald Henderson's potential at shooting guard before spending big on another shooting guard. But Gordon is a big-time scorer.

Rising Stars
Stephen Curry, guard, Golden State Warriors (restricted free agent 2013): The Warriors figure to pay whatever the market bears to retain Curry, a former Davidson star. But if anyone might be attracted to a Jordan sales pitch to be a Charlotte fixture, wouldn't it be the kid who grew up here, and is establishing his off-season home in Union County?

JaVale McGee, center-forward, Washington Wizards (restricted 2012): Silas is a great believer in the effect - both direct and intimidation-wise - of shotblocking. McGee is one of the better young post defenders in the NBA. He'd quickly restore, and then some, what the Bobcats lost when Kwame Brown signed with Golden State.

Danilo Gallinari, forward, Denver Nuggets (restricted free agent 2012): Athletic, 6-foot-10 guys aren't typically 38 percent career 3-point shooters at the NBA level. Perhaps the Bobcats have already addressed Silas' 3-point concerns by signing Reggie Williams, but Gallinari's length and striking shooting range can be game-changers.

Roy Hibbert, center, Indiana Pacers (restricted free agent in 2012): Hibbert was known for a great work ethic at Georgetown, and that's carried over to the NBA.

Brandon Jennings, point guard, Milwaukee Bucks (restricted free agent in 2013): Scoring looks like a Bobcats flaw. However, much of what Jennings does could be the player Kemba Walker will develop into as a Bobcat.

Immediate Help
Chris Kaman, center, New Orleans Hornets (unrestricted in 2012): He's hitting 30, but centers typically play longer than players at other positions. It's questionable if he and Emeka Okafor can play together. He'd immediately impact a team that struggles to score.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/1 ... rylink=cpy

[Elden Payton]

The only player on that list who is realistic is Kaman imo, I'd be down for signing him next offseason on a cheap deal.

The other players would want too much & are restricted..

[fatlever]

bobcats should give jeremy lin a phone call. could be the 3rd pg on the roster.

[Snidely FC]

You were all over that Fats. Good call. Meanwhile, if Lin continues to be half this good imagine the marketing opportunities overseas? How did MJ miss this?

[SWedd523]

You guys can't be serious?

[Snidely FC]

Fats advocated picking up Lin when he was available a month ago ... it looks like it would have been a good idea . . . notice he said as a 3rd pg. Obviously kid has handles and passing ability Higgins lacks in that spot.

and i am kidding about jersey sales, unless he continues to score 25 a game in NY.

[fatlever]

i would have thought that higgins and silas jr with their GS connections would have known enough about lin to realize he was at least worth looking at. who knows, maybe they tried and lin wasnt interested. or maybe silas jr saw something in him last year to make him think lin couldnt play.

and of course, all this lin hype is way premature right now. he is getting mullens hype (had mully been asian and playing in NYC). like with mully, i suspect scouting will catch up with lin really quick. teams will sit on his right hand and force him left. they will back off and force him to shoot or they will zone more. you never can take a players immediate success too seriously. they have to prove they can do it once teams start gameplanning to stop them.

however, lin has shown he is at the very least a backup level pg in this league. certainly lightyears better than higgins.

[Benjamin Linus]

I couldn't find the thread where you guys were talking about potentially going after Nicolas Batum, so I figured this one would be appropriate.

What do you guys think the chances are of landing him this offseason? How much do you think teams are going to offer him?

I would be totally fine with amnestying Tyrus and even going as far as offering Batum a similar contract, especially if we're going after a big in this draft. He might not be the answer, but in the very least he would make a much better backup than Tyrus, at a more needed position, and as someone who can play defense and spread the floor, not to mention the potential he has. I could dig this lineup going forward....

PG: Kemba
SG: Reggie / Henderson
SF: Batum
PF: Davis / White
C: Bismack / Mullens

Alternatively, we could start Henderson and Reggie, bringing Batum off the bench (or you could plug any draft pick in besides Davis). Point is, we would have more options, more youth, and defense at every position.

[Snidely FC]

Batum is great. But I see two problems. If we don't get the #1 pick, then we will pick a SF, most likely Harrison Barnes, because he is a UNC alum, and MJ can not help himself. If we do get the #1 pick and choose Davis, there is still the problem of Batum being a restricted free agent http://espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgents-11-12. POR seems to see him as a key player. I can't imagine them letting him sign elsewhere.