Rastapopoulos
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I am, in general, not a huge Neil Olshey fan. But I have to concede that he (or someone he employs that he listens to) has shown a talent for finding players that are castoffs from other teams but that play a bigger role for us. Players like Mason Plumlee, Aminu (although he was coming off a great playoff performance), Moe Harkless... and actually, come to think of it, there aren't that many. But be that as it may, are there any players out there that could be more useful for us than the team they're currently playing for, and might be available cheap?
Here are a couple of suggestions:
Kyle "Slo-Mo" Anderson. I have always liked his game and thought he could be useful, but has he found a home in Memphis? The thing is, Memphis have a slew of young players and might think that he stands in the way of development.
Frank Ntilikina. A very similar player to KA: big guard, not especially athletic, very cerebral, good defender. As with KA, his stats look anemic but his +/- numbers tend to be good. I see both of them as better (and a fuck-ton cheaper) versions of Evan Turner. A lot depends on whether Thibodeau likes him.
Tyus Jones. Could be the perfect backup PG, and another member of the crowded Memphis backcourt, although they might lose De'Anthony Melton, which might make them more likely to hang on to him.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. Another player I have long wanted - I wanted us to draft him, in fact. To be honest he has looked pretty much useless in the NBA so far... UNTIL THE BUBBLE, when suddenly he looked like the player I always thought he could be - a prototypical NBA small forward. But with Joe Harris, Caris Levert, Taurean Prince and Kevin Durant, is he surplus to requirements in Brooklyn? He's the closest thing to a Harkless-type, only a better 3-point shooter.
Dante Exum. He's probably the biggest name on this list, and has a $9M/yr contract, so probably doesn't qualify as a "bargain". Like the others, he hasn't shown that much, and indeed might be looked on as a bust. But I hold out hope that, like similar player Shaun Livingston, he could have a late-career renaissance, now that he has finally got over his slew of injuries. He also fits the "better Evan Turner" mold. We need ball-handling and defense, and those are two strengths. He also shot 35% on threes on a respectable volume, so he's not like fellow Aussie "next big thing" Ben Simmons from distance that he used to be.
Nicolas Batum. Just checking to see if you were paying attention.
Here are a couple of suggestions:
Kyle "Slo-Mo" Anderson. I have always liked his game and thought he could be useful, but has he found a home in Memphis? The thing is, Memphis have a slew of young players and might think that he stands in the way of development.
Frank Ntilikina. A very similar player to KA: big guard, not especially athletic, very cerebral, good defender. As with KA, his stats look anemic but his +/- numbers tend to be good. I see both of them as better (and a fuck-ton cheaper) versions of Evan Turner. A lot depends on whether Thibodeau likes him.
Tyus Jones. Could be the perfect backup PG, and another member of the crowded Memphis backcourt, although they might lose De'Anthony Melton, which might make them more likely to hang on to him.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. Another player I have long wanted - I wanted us to draft him, in fact. To be honest he has looked pretty much useless in the NBA so far... UNTIL THE BUBBLE, when suddenly he looked like the player I always thought he could be - a prototypical NBA small forward. But with Joe Harris, Caris Levert, Taurean Prince and Kevin Durant, is he surplus to requirements in Brooklyn? He's the closest thing to a Harkless-type, only a better 3-point shooter.
Dante Exum. He's probably the biggest name on this list, and has a $9M/yr contract, so probably doesn't qualify as a "bargain". Like the others, he hasn't shown that much, and indeed might be looked on as a bust. But I hold out hope that, like similar player Shaun Livingston, he could have a late-career renaissance, now that he has finally got over his slew of injuries. He also fits the "better Evan Turner" mold. We need ball-handling and defense, and those are two strengths. He also shot 35% on threes on a respectable volume, so he's not like fellow Aussie "next big thing" Ben Simmons from distance that he used to be.
Nicolas Batum. Just checking to see if you were paying attention.
