Free Agent C.... if/when Mo Bamba doesn't stay

[MartinsIzAfraud]

Here's an interesting topic that I think should be discussed & will rear its head pretty soon. Bamba had a solid campaign last year, he looked like he can be a solid backup C or even a starting C in the right spots. The biggest issue is FO clearly see WCJ as a piece moving forward and I'd expect we see him starting in the frontcourt. Whether that's at the 4/5 I don't really see it being a big ordeal, he's penciled in regardless.

Let's now talk about the the minutes/role because that's where I think this decision will be made for the FO & Bamba. This last year with a very unhealthy frontcourt Bamba was at 25-26ish a night. WCJ only played in 62 games which obviously helped & the fact that Isaac still wasn't ready. The only other big we had to compete was Mo Wagner (who looked solid) & good ole Rolo and let's be honest that's nothing to be worried about. This year that's going to change regardless who we pick. 3-5 are basically penciled in the day after the draft, you've then got Mo Wagner who I would expect gets his last year picked up & if Isaac can stay healthy there's more minutes taken up.

So right now Bamba is looking at what another 12-20 minutes a night & I have a hard time believing he'd be thrilled with that idea. It's also pretty obvious that he is very interested in what NY Knicks have to offer knowing Mitchell Robinson is on his way out. There's a few other spots that he could slide in but some of those could depend on other bigger FA to fall first. I really don't see this FO offering Bamba another 4 year deal & if I'm Mo I am absolutely looking at getting guaranteed years over total money due to his age/career path. There also are not a whole lot of FA C's who are attainable.

So with that all being said I thought hmm let's take a look at what FA C could be had and would fit in the 10-15 minutes a night role and not really cost a fine penny or 4 year deal.


Isaiah Hartenstein - Feel like he is probably one of the top FA C's who is not restricted and likely is looking for a bigger role than what he had in LAC. Dude can play and it really looks like he needs to find a spot that will let him get minutes and work with it. Hartenstein's assist percentage was in the 92nd percentile at his position, and the only player 7'0" or taller with a higher assist percentage was Joel Embiid. This past year he also started shooting the 3 and was able to go 14-30 on the year, yeah that's a small sample but it shows something.

Thomas Bryant yeah he is coming off an ACL but he started RED HOT and is still super young with room to grow. He came back late in the year and had some solid games but I don't see Washington needing him since they got Porzingis. Bryant can shoot, plays real hard and wouldn't be looking for a lot of minutes.

Hassan Whiteside have no clue how he would fit, he seems like a diva back to his HEAT days. He's a solid defensive C who can protect the paint, rebound block shots and do the dirty dirty stuff. Maybe we ink a 1 year deal but I don't see it

Damian Jones is an interesting one that's for sure. He's 27 looks to be a solid backup who can finish at the rim and not be a net negative. He really looked solid late in the year when he was given starter minutes but it's always tough to judge late year pushes if they're fluke or not.

[tiderulz]

why regurgitate? why not pull up one the better Gleague centers and see what they can do. i dont expect us to be fighting for a playoff spot. maybe we find the next Gortat, Birch or Kyle O'Quinn

[Xatticus]

We have Isaac. He can play some minutes when WCJ is on the bench. I'd draft a center at 32 or 35 regardless. There is a lot of talent at center in this year's draft. I'd take advantage of having Mosley and I would always use a roster spot on a developmental five. Koloko, Kamagate, and Kessler all fit the bill this year. At least one of them should drop to the second round. Minott has a lot of upside, but he is pretty far away. Trevion Williams is a two-way candidate. They all have flaws, but they all have some upside as well. I wouldn't spend to replace Bamba if he walks. We don't need a veteran five. WCJ and Isaac are veterans at this point.

[Optimus_Steel]

Get a G league, Euro league, or 2nd rounder. We've found Gortat, Dedmon, Birch like this.

[jonbob17]

Here's an interesting topic that I think should be discussed & will rear its head pretty soon. Bamba had a solid campaign last year, he looked like he can be a solid backup C or even a starting C in the right spots. The biggest issue is FO clearly see WCJ as a piece moving forward and I'd expect we see him starting in the frontcourt. Whether that's at the 4/5 I don't really see it being a big ordeal, he's penciled in regardless.

Let's now talk about the the minutes/role because that's where I think this decision will be made for the FO & Bamba. This last year with a very unhealthy frontcourt Bamba was at 25-26ish a night. WCJ only played in 62 games which obviously helped & the fact that Isaac still wasn't ready. The only other big we had to compete was Mo Wagner (who looked solid) & good ole Rolo and let's be honest that's nothing to be worried about. This year that's going to change regardless who we pick. 3-5 are basically penciled in the day after the draft, you've then got Mo Wagner who I would expect gets his last year picked up & if Isaac can stay healthy there's more minutes taken up.

So right now Bamba is looking at what another 12-20 minutes a night & I have a hard time believing he'd be thrilled with that idea. It's also pretty obvious that he is very interested in what NY Knicks have to offer knowing Mitchell Robinson is on his way out. There's a few other spots that he could slide in but some of those could depend on other bigger FA to fall first. I really don't see this FO offering Bamba another 4 year deal & if I'm Mo I am absolutely looking at getting guaranteed years over total money due to his age/career path. There also are not a whole lot of FA C's who are attainable.

So with that all being said I thought hmm let's take a look at what FA C could be had and would fit in the 10-15 minutes a night role and not really cost a fine penny or 4 year deal.


Isaiah Hartenstein - Feel like he is probably one of the top FA C's who is not restricted and likely is looking for a bigger role than what he had in LAC. Dude can play and it really looks like he needs to find a spot that will let him get minutes and work with it. Hartenstein's assist percentage was in the 92nd percentile at his position, and the only player 7'0" or taller with a higher assist percentage was Joel Embiid. This past year he also started shooting the 3 and was able to go 14-30 on the year, yeah that's a small sample but it shows something.

Thomas Bryant yeah he is coming off an ACL but he started RED HOT and is still super young with room to grow. He came back late in the year and had some solid games but I don't see Washington needing him since they got Porzingis. Bryant can shoot, plays real hard and wouldn't be looking for a lot of minutes.

Hassan Whiteside have no clue how he would fit, he seems like a diva back to his HEAT days. He's a solid defensive C who can protect the paint, rebound block shots and do the dirty dirty stuff. Maybe we ink a 1 year deal but I don't see it

Damian Jones is an interesting one that's for sure. He's 27 looks to be a solid backup who can finish at the rim and not be a net negative. He really looked solid late in the year when he was given starter minutes but it's always tough to judge late year pushes if they're fluke or not.

I like the guys you mentioned (except whiteside), but also sort of agree with Xatticus. I'd like to see a healthy JI playing 8 minutes or so a game at the 5. So not sure how much would be left over for a back up. I could see the FO try to sign a veteran, maybe like a Bryant that they might be able to sign cheap and move at the deadline. We can't forget about MWagner either.

The other FA i would be interested in if there is enough worry about JI's availability, and they actually wanted to spend some money on potential would be Nick Claxton. He's restricted, but who knows how much Brooklyn would match

Other FA options Moses Brown or Nate Knight as pure rolls of the dice. we should looks for high hustle centers in the 2nd round. Would have loved Tshwiebe before he said he was returning to KY. Not sure there are any good candidates as a hustle 5 in this draft, but don't hate the idea of another PF and just try to play small more often, Xatticus mentioned him, but Minott seems really interesting.

[RookieStar]

Yeah.. when there are teams like GS and BOS rolling out 6'8 Green or 6'9 Rob Williams as their starting C, Im sure we can use JI for 5-10mins at C to spell WCJ/MoW

If not, use our SRP to get one.

[RookieStar]

However, if we do want to invest ina FA-C with our cap, then the guy I want us to go after is Hartenstein. The guy as a rookie was projected to us in the draft boards before that's why I remember that name. LOL

But yeah he is a great insurance policy in case anything happens to WCJ.

[Ralof]

Wcj 30-33 min / Mo Wagner 15-18 min

J.Smith 30 min / Okeke 18 min

+

A veteran(as R.Lopez was)for the minimum +(maybe)a two way guy

+

maybe maybe maybe Isaac(if he could get minutes for a stretch of games before getting injured again)

[MartinsIzAfraud]

Wcj 30-33 min / Mo Wagner 15-18 min

J.Smith 30 min / Okeke 18 min

+

A veteran(as R.Lopez was)for the minimum +(maybe)a two way guy

+

maybe maybe maybe Isaac(if he could get minutes for a stretch of games before getting injured again)

I think Mo Wagner is that vetish C on the minimum and FO goes and grabs a dude capable of starting if/when WCJ has his multi week injury flare up. Isaac can’t be trusted for anything last 15-20 minutes for me. I also think this FO goes Wing with late 1st or 32 considering our depth.

If I could pick my guy it’d be Bryant and then Wendell Moore or Nikola Jovic or David Roddy at 23 when we trade with 76ers.

[VFX]

We have Wagner and can draft a C if absolutely necessary. I think Isaac can also fill in.

[RookieStar]

I think.. if we anticipate an injury which is a given to ALL teams nowadays, we should have someone capable of taking over the starting C. I mean say *knock on wood* wcj plays only 65 games this season due to injury, the near 20games without a starting C would leave us wanting no?

I think we do need a capable backup C that can be a starting C for most teams. A guy like Zubac before was just vieqed as a backup but is now capable to be a starting C

[Nyce_1]

Give me Isaiah Hartenstein please.

[CZ Eddie]

There are some interesting Center options in the draft.
If we're looking for a backup then let's go with someone young, cheap and with possible upside.

[Skybox]

I don't want to spend for a Hartenstein/Zubac level guy when we don't even have PT for him (hopefully)...I'd just as soon pay Bamba $8-10, assuming no stupid bidding wars occur to back up and, ultimately, be traded. I expect WCJ & Isaac to be the Centers. If Isaac is healthy, we really don't need another RoLo type-MoWag can be third in line at both 4 & 5.

If, by some miracle, we use our 2nd's - I agree with Xatticus that we could draft a prospect and let Mosley develop him. Worst scenario, wasted pick. I supported Vuc, but I hope we are done with leading-man Centers. I love Isaac in the role as defensive QB, like a slighter but quicker Gobert...backing up long guys like Jabari & Franz, with a missile like Suggs on ball. Offense from C is just gravy.

[Max Power]

I’d like to see the Magic take a chance on a G-League guy or draft someone who’s trying to get into the league. Let’s find us another Marcin Gortat, who I wish we’d never traded. No need to go after an assembly line journeyman.

[tiderulz]

I’d like to see the Magic take a chance on a G-League guy or draft someone who’s trying to get into the league. Let’s find us another Marcin Gortat, who I wish we’d never traded. No need to go after an assembly line journeyman.

sounds familiar

[Skybox]

We can grab a guy like Koloko from Arizona with #35 and bring him in with no obligation to sign him...or just stash him in the G-league. I think given our depth (hopefully) of bigs, we will have limited minutes available for Bamba (or whoever), so let's just find a cheap hungry Birch-type who wants to fight for a job...maybe we'll uncover something exciting. Somebody with an NBA body who is willing to do the unglamorous stuff like setting picks and boxing out so our Guards can rack up their rebound #'s.

[Skybox]

Maybe Bo Cruz?

[Mauro Pedrosa]

Trade for Neemias Queta so I can root for my countryman

[Tarheel]

Interestingly on the Mismatch podcast K'OC dropped a throwaway comment in when talking about what the Suns should do with Ayton - 'it's Detroit and Orlando that seem to be the most connected to DA'.