Re: Spurs nets trade Jefferson to spurs
I agree he is not near my #1 choice, but lets rule out a ton of people on your list, and come up with a realistic one:
Players who will demand too much money for a backup PF:
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Early Termination Option)
Rasheed Wallace
Anderson Varejao (Player Option)
Drew Gooden
Carlos Boozer (Player Option)
Mehmet Okur (Early Termination Option
Lamar Odom
I'd love to have Varejao - great motor, decent rebounder, excellent defender, still young. Not sure why you ruled him out. He's basically been a career back-up and it's a role he's well suited to. We llikely have the cap space to get him - if that's how we want to spend our cap space.
Players who probably don't want to come to Portland, bad character, or we've already tried out:[/U]
Brian Skinner (Player Option)
Antonio McDyess
Juwan Howard
Michael Ruffin
Chris Andersen
I'm not sure why you ruled out McDyess and Howard. McDyess would actually be at the top of my list as a veteran back-up power forward. Even though he'll be 35 before the start of training camp, he was VERY productive in Detroit last season. He had a PER of 16.6 and an outstanding TRB% of 19.3. I'd love to get this guy on a 2-year guarannteed contract with a 3rd year team option. Depending on what happens with the draft and the PG situation, I would even use a large portion of our cap space to do so.
I'd rate Howard about equal to Oberto in terms of value/production. I'm not thrilled with either.
Remaining list in order (talent, experience, fit, and desired salary):[/U]
Brandon Bass
Fabricio Oberto
Shelden Williams
Mikki Moore
Chris Wilcox
Stromile Swift
Melvin Ely
Sean Marks
Shavlik Randolph
Zaza Pachulia (Not a PF)
Rasho Nesterovic (Not a PF)
Wow, you rate Oberto amazingly high. I'm not sure why. Have you looked at his stats? His production was abyssmal last season - a very low PER and an unimpressive TRB%. I'd honestly rank Shavlik Randolph ahead of Oberto. He's younger, likely cheaper, and will produce just as well, if not better. I'd also definitely rate Shelden Williams and Chris Wilcox above Oberto. I'd rate Swift and Marks about equal to Oberto - and wouldnt be thrilled with any of them.
I know he had a down year, but I'd rather have Channing Frye than Oberto (or Swift or Marks). His production last season was about equal to Oberto's, he's 8 years younger, and if the pattern continues, he's due to have a good season. He actually produced pretty well his first season in Portland (14.8 PER, 15.5 TRB% - pretty good numbers for a back-up 4). He also knows the system and is well liked.
Of course, I want somebody better than Channing Frye as our back-up power forward - which is EXACTLY why I don't want Fabricio Oberto. He's an older version of Channing Frye with greasy hair and an accent. I don't see that as an upgrade.
BNM