Quote:
Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky
Not many in general and even fewer when you look at this FA period. If you don't mind 30% guys, things open up a bit, though.
Wesley Mathews (38.9%)? Is he leaving? Can he get/stay healthy?
Jae Crowder - Can he play SG? Is 30% enough?
Alan Anderson - 34.8%- not great defensively, though
Mo Williams - 34.2% - not great defensively, though, and small
Jimmy Butler - 37.8% - Exactly who you want, but exactly who everyone else wants, too. Will get maxed out and is an RFA making an offer highly unlikely
Mike Miller - 32.8% - has PO, but doesn't play D and will probably stay once Love/Lebron decide to.
J.R. Smith - 38.3% - you want that headache? Also loses interest on D
Jameer Nelson - 34.5%- no D and was pretty awful here.
Reggie JAckson - 29.9% - Arrogant/huge ego and not terribly effective considering
Tayshawn Prince - 46.3% - old as dirt and no longer a defensive stalwart. Worth a look off the bench, I suppose
Patrick Beverley - 35.6% - decent at both defense and shooting
Hedo Turkoglu - 43.2% - pretty awful defensively, but a decent Peja-type off the bench
Wayne Ellington - 37.0% - worth another look?
Jeff Green - 33.3% - great, but will probably accept PO to stay in Memphis. Also plays PF/SF
Goran Dragic - 34.7% - not known for his D. Also already ruled us out according to rumors. Decent bigger PG who could play with Ellis. Will probably ask for too much and not even return our calls.
Deng - 35.5% - good 3/D guy who may explore FA or may accept PO. Can't really play guard spots, though.
Khris Middleton - 40.7% - my personal choice and may come cheaper than Mathews. Can do both 3 and D, although he is restricted.
Gary Neal - 30.5% - not really good at either
Eric Gordon - 44.8% - probably too expensive for us, but worth a look
Arron Aflallo - 35.4% - good competitor who brings 3/D - player option, though
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After looking at this list for realistic starters in the backcourt, I conclude the best option is to go with this idea (offered up in an earlier post by rimrocker):
Ellis
Parsons
Aminu
Dirk
Chandler
Parsons can play SG on offense and, depending on the opponent, either SG or SF on defense. For example:
Against the Rockets
Aminu guards Harden; Parsons gets Ariza
Against the Warriors
Aminu gets Curry; Ellis gets Thompson; Parsons gets Green/Barnes
Against the Spurs
Aminu gets Leonard; Parsons gets Green; Ellis gets Parker
Against the Clippers
Aminu gets Paul; Ellis gets Reddick; Parsons gets Barnes
On offense, Parsons can help initiate the offense and serve as the spot up shooter.
The offseason is used to shore up the bench (still a tough task). You're set at PG if you can bring back JJ (include Devin and Felton unless either gets traded), but you need back-ups at each of the other positions with an emphasis on defense and rebounding, but adding a couple of 3pt specialists for those times when everyone goes cold. I have no idea how this would work given cap constraints, but it seems to me that the best way to move forward is to keep the core together (starting five + JJ and Devin) and build around it with role players.
I have grown tired of the annual roster shake-up. It's not good for Dirk or the team over the immediate future. Dirk, Ellis, Parsons, Aminu,and Chandler should be enough to stay competitive and give us something to cheer about. When the cap takes a huge increase the following year, then you might be able to add a significant piece to the puzzle.