What Is Our PF Solution?

[Bassman]

Attention all: Larry Brown is not happy with Diaw. Gee, join my club Larry. I never felt Diaw was the answer here at the 4. So, what should we do relative to this critical position?

Trades? Not sure who we could get based on the way Boris is playing. Only the Warriors and Knicks can best appreciate Boris at his best. For some other team he's a 6th man. Warriors have Jackson and (maybe) Turiaf but no clarity on their willingness to deal Ronnie. The Knicks?? Short of David Lee no options there (and Lee is not an option).

Shame we either could not or were not able to trade for Boozer. He devistated San Antonio last night with 27 pts and 14 rebounds.

So, any ideas? I'm sure some will say keep Diaw, and that's the most likely scenario for a variety of reasons.

[thruthefire]

Don't you need a problem to have a solution? I don't think Diaw being our starting power forward needs fixing. If we have a chance to upgrade him, then sure, I would trade him. But right now, I think getting Flip back, Raja healthy, and teaching Tyson Chandler how to play basketball are our primary objectives. DEFINITELY ahead of finding a solution to power forward on the "to do list".

[Battery]

Don't you have to have a problem to have a solution? I don't think Diaw being our starting power forward needs fixing. If we have a chance to upgrade him, then sure, I would trade him. But right now, I think getting Flip back, Raja healthy, and teaching Tyson Chandler how to play basketball are our primary tasks. DEFINITELY ahead of finding a solution to power forward on the "to do list".

[thruthefire]

Battery, please. I said all along we should trade Diaw for Boozer, but you were adamant that we didn't need to do that. Now you're throwing Diaw under the bus? Just like you're doing with Ray? And you were talking about moving Wallace not too long ago. Gosh.

[dmutombo321]

Make everyone on our roster available for trades provided we get value in the form of draft picks and/or young prospects in return. In doing so, try to include players like Diop, Rad in packages in attempt to rid ourselves of their ecumbering contracts.

Play any young prospects we acquire along with players like UPS, Ajinca, Hendo, DJ heavy minutes in an effort to develop them. We'd likely post a win total in the low 20s.

We'll have our own selection in the top 10 and will likely be able to land a Davis, Favors or Brackins to groom as the future of our 4 spot. If we land another selection through one of the deals, we may also be able to add a scoring wing like an evan turner.

We'd probably post around 30 wins the following season, get one final top-10 lotto pick (before we'd forfit it the following year when it loses ots protection from the ajinca deal), and have cap room to sign a young FA with Chandler's salary coming off the books.

In a nutshell, this is the general approach I would take. Dealing Diaw for a player like Boozer would certainly make us better and possibly even get us that 8th playoff shot. But its only an expensive short-term bandaid so to speak and is not conducive to building a team that could eventually go deep into the post season, or even win a first round series for that matter.

[Battery]

Battery, please. I said all along we should trade Diaw for Boozer, but you were adamant that we didn't need to do that. Now you're throwing Diaw under the bus? Just like you're doing with Ray? And you were talking about moving Wallace not too long ago. Gosh.

When did I say I wouldn't trade Diaw for Boozer??? Please do not put words in my mouth. The only thing I ever said about Boozer is that I think he's a bit of a puzzle. I never said I wouldn't bring him here.

And how could you not throw Diaw under the bus??? HE threw himself under the bus when he showed up to camp looking like Eddy Curry's twin!!! Why are YOU giving a pass to Diaw??? Also Ray has been terrible and we have a young point guard on the roster that needs to PLAY!

Yes I wanted to move Wallace but that was before Diaw came to camp out of shape. Things change, thats why you need a flexible roster to be able to make the necessary changes going forward.

[doc.end]

Don't you need a problem to have a solution? I

Golden words. But really some people don't.

[doc.end]

What Is Our PF Solution?

Solutuion to this thread is - WTF! Not again. Pass.

[Rich4114]

Personally, I've always been a fan of Wallace for Boozer. Diaw can play any position but ideally 2/3/4. We could easily swing him to the 3 and trade Wallace for Boozer. I know everyone is attached to Wallace, but we would be a better rebounding team with more scoring. Don't we sort of need that?

[SWedd523]

Mutombo has it right. Follow his path to enlightenment (or in this case, a great young team)

[doc.end]

No.

Among other things we would apparently lose a lot of rebounding. Precisely 4rpg. .)

[SWedd523]

Personally, I've always been a fan of Wallace for Boozer. Diaw can play any position but ideally 2/3/4. We could easily swing him to the 3 and trade Wallace for Boozer. I know everyone is attached to Wallace, but we would be a better rebounding team with more scoring. Don't we sort of need that?

Scoring? Yes. Rebounding? No.

[doc.end]

You slow.

[Bassman]

Make everyone on our roster available for trades provided we get value in the form of draft picks and/or young prospects in return. In doing so, try to include players like Diop, Rad in packages in attempt to rid ourselves of their ecumbering contracts.

Play any young prospects we acquire along with players like UPS, Ajinca, Hendo, DJ heavy minutes in an effort to develop them. We'd likely post a win total in the low 20s.

We'll have our own selection in the top 10 and will likely be able to land a Davis, Favors or Brackins to groom as the future of our 4 spot. If we land another selection through one of the deals, we may also be able to add a scoring wing like an evan turner.

We'd probably post around 30 wins the following season, get one final top-10 lotto pick (before we'd forfit it the following year when it loses ots protection from the ajinca deal), and have cap room to sign a young FA with Chandler's salary coming off the books.

In a nutshell, this is the general approach I would take. Dealing Diaw for a player like Boozer would certainly make us better and possibly even get us that 8th playoff shot. But its only an expensive short-term bandaid so to speak and is not conducive to building a team that could eventually go deep into the post season, or even win a first round series for that matter.

As usual dmutombo, we are like minded on the course for our future. The scenario you describe would be difficult to pull off, especially with Larry Brown as coach. Larry would have to show up one day, say "I quit...I'm gonna hang out in France for a while..." to get that kind of radical use of young players. But I'd like to see them get more minutes, get groomed and educated, while we make trades for the future, accepting a poorer record to get decent draft position for one more shot at success. The Boozer scenario was part of the "win now" option, if we were to adopt that. Essentially our off-season was status quo, so forget mediocre efforts. Hard to see how we could deal the junk (Diop, Vlad) without gettng junk in return. Crash & Diaw have big contracts, so odds are only 1 can get dealt. I'd love to deal Diaw to a team that has a glut of 4's and a young one we could start (Hickson would be great). Bell w/Diop later for a prime SG would be sweet.

[Fred Williamson]

Wrong. Diaw can't play "any" position. He's too fat and too slow to play the 2/3.

and for the 346426246426234th time. NO to Wallace for Boozer, regarding our current roster, which consists of a bunch of pussies who can't rebound or play with effort and energy.
As long as LB is our coach, we won't trade Wallace, quote me on that.

[dmutombo321]

Bass, you're right about Larry Brown. Whenever the time comes for the rebuilding ball to start rolling, MJ, Bob Johnson and Higgens are going to have to make the decision unilaterally because Brown will never consent.

I love LB as a coach and think he's one of the best teachers in the game. I don't care for him at all as a de facto GM. And from a talent evaluation perspective, I think that he often times values "playing the right way" type players over others with raw talent and potential -- to the detriment of the team in the long run.

This segues into a whole other discussion about the importance segregating coaching and GM duties from each other to avoid an obvious conflict of interest: a coach's job is to win individual games in the immediate term. A GM's job is to make sure a team is well positioned to win progressively more games in the upcoming years, eventually culminating in a chamionship. If a coach doubles as the GM or even has behind the scenes influence over the front office, there's an irresistable temptation for them to mortgage the future in an effort to get better in the immediate term.

With a coach like LB, things always work best when you have a firm GM/FO that more or less says here's the players you have to work with, now do what you do best. We dont have that at all.

If they do rebuild, it will be a shame for LB's twilight years to go to waste on a lotto team instead of a championship contender. However, we're hardly a top 10 team right now and neither LB's HOF coaching nor the most impetuous of concievable bandaid trades will never make us one.

On the other hand, if we do assemble young talent via rebuilding, they will be learning fundementals and precision from the get-go from one of the best basketball coaching minds. LB can impart all the knowledge he can for his last years and then hand the reigns to a young LB disciple-type (Raja will make a phenominal coach once his playing days are over. He's as heady and articulate as they come and cut his teeth on coachs like Brown, Sloan, Dantoni)

[thruthefire]

When did I say I wouldn't trade Diaw for Boozer??? Please do not put words in my mouth. The only thing I ever said about Boozer is that I think he's a bit of a puzzle. I never said I wouldn't bring him here.

Anyone trying to justify Chandler over Boozer is outta their mind.

NBA is a team game, this ain't the playground.

Anyway, even though I would MUCH rather trade Diaw for Boozer, I'm still on board for a Wallace/Boozer swap. Boozer comes off the books this season, too, so we could make a play in free agency this upcoming offseason. Between Boozer, Bell, and Felton, we'd have $23 million in cap space. Or maybe we could move TC for Boozer? I know, that would be too good to be true.

Our team is second in Rebound Rate, BTW, GWall.

[fatlever]

great post dm123. you said it perfectly.

random LB comment... i was bored, so i just read bill simmons nba preview (from oct 23rd). decent read. anyway, there is a comment in there about how lb was recently on the phone with one of mj's friends (during the time mj was off at the president's cup golf tourney during preseason) and larry asked mj's friend that if he talks to mj please tell mj to call him (LB) because he's been trying to get in touch with him. it was just another one of those things that made me shake my head.

[BobsBuddy]

Dotumbo is right in theory, but Bassman's anology is what the truth is with Brown as coach. As he posted earlier... But maybe if we wait we can have both?
I think we can wait until Feltons Dec 22 trade restriction deadline and get Jackson/Turiaf/Azubuki for Wallace/ Diop or Diaw and Diop and throw in Felton and Graham to sweeten the deal for adding Law, Claxton and a 1st round pick. GSW are heavy in point guards and need to get rid of 2 for 1.
That way we get something for Felton , have three point guards in Claxton DJ and Acie and get our 2010 pick back. GSW gets a Baron type point back in Felton , Fills Azbuki with Graham, gets a defense monster shoot blocking center and dumps an extra point guard from roster. their 2010 first round pick is in the late teens which really would not be missed because they would finish higher in the west in top 5. We have an easier schedule until Christmas and then after that our starting lineup looks like:
DJ Acie Claxton
Bell Azubuki Flip Hendo
Jackson (or Wallace) Radomonvic and Brown
Diaw or (Jackson), Turiaff, Ajinicia
TC and Nazr
We make top 6 in the east
in 2009.. see there is light at the end of the tunnel and its not a train coming at us?

[doc.end]

Why downgrade?