Rastapopoulos
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Here's what Hedo would've brought:
* The ability to break down a defense from somebody other than Roy
* Actual advanced basketball skills: basketball as a team game, rather than simple jumping and shooting
* A height mis-match
* The ability to get Oden more involved
* Advanced pick&roll ability
* Veteran coolth under pressure
All of this without demanding too many shots or necessarily hogging the ball. At least, that's what I told myself when I thought we were getting him. We need those things. We are short on basketball skills, which is one reason it makes sense for Nate to play such a conservative offensive style. I was really hoping with Hedo that we could have opened up more and played more flowing BBall.
Gone are those happy dreams.
BUT: if we are to sign a FA, he must at a minimum have most of those. That's why Lamar Odom would be my next choice. It's also why I am depressed to hear the following names being floated around:
Shawn Marion - very limited basketball skills, at least on offense, and far from a leader
David Lee - again, not somebody who's going to help get Oden involved or make the offense run smoother
Andre Miller - at one time I was leading the charge for him, but I think he's a bit of a ball-stopper. The only good thing about him is that he's useless unless you run, so getting him would FORCE Nate to run.
Marvin Williams - very Outlaw-esque. PF ballhandling in a SF body.
I'm wracking my brains for who would be a guy who would bring most of what I thought Hedo would bring but (unlike Odom, who is not going to leave LA unless they kick him out, and they won't) might actually come here. Josh Childress? Is he any better than Batum?
The answer might simply be to give players like Batum and Rudy more free rein. Let them create a bit. I think Batum has latent Hedo-esque skills, almost certainly as much as a 20-year-old Hedo did. (And maybe Claver too.)
I also wonder about some Euro guys. Big multi-skilled players are popular over there. Theo Papoloukas is a giant of international ball, and a major reason the Greeks beat the pre-Redeem Team USA team. He's basically a 6'7" PG and a real leader everywhere he's gone. Not a scorer really, but can when necessary. But he's 32 and may not be interested, even for the money we've got (and spending it on him would be a huge risk). I also like Pablo Prigioni, as I've said, who is a 6'2" version of same, the starting PG on the Argentine national team. But also 32, and I've heard nothing to suggest he'd come over.
Anybody got any outside the box ideas? I'd much rather do nothing than sign Shawn fucking Marion...
* The ability to break down a defense from somebody other than Roy
* Actual advanced basketball skills: basketball as a team game, rather than simple jumping and shooting
* A height mis-match
* The ability to get Oden more involved
* Advanced pick&roll ability
* Veteran coolth under pressure
All of this without demanding too many shots or necessarily hogging the ball. At least, that's what I told myself when I thought we were getting him. We need those things. We are short on basketball skills, which is one reason it makes sense for Nate to play such a conservative offensive style. I was really hoping with Hedo that we could have opened up more and played more flowing BBall.
Gone are those happy dreams.
BUT: if we are to sign a FA, he must at a minimum have most of those. That's why Lamar Odom would be my next choice. It's also why I am depressed to hear the following names being floated around:
Shawn Marion - very limited basketball skills, at least on offense, and far from a leader
David Lee - again, not somebody who's going to help get Oden involved or make the offense run smoother
Andre Miller - at one time I was leading the charge for him, but I think he's a bit of a ball-stopper. The only good thing about him is that he's useless unless you run, so getting him would FORCE Nate to run.
Marvin Williams - very Outlaw-esque. PF ballhandling in a SF body.
I'm wracking my brains for who would be a guy who would bring most of what I thought Hedo would bring but (unlike Odom, who is not going to leave LA unless they kick him out, and they won't) might actually come here. Josh Childress? Is he any better than Batum?
The answer might simply be to give players like Batum and Rudy more free rein. Let them create a bit. I think Batum has latent Hedo-esque skills, almost certainly as much as a 20-year-old Hedo did. (And maybe Claver too.)
I also wonder about some Euro guys. Big multi-skilled players are popular over there. Theo Papoloukas is a giant of international ball, and a major reason the Greeks beat the pre-Redeem Team USA team. He's basically a 6'7" PG and a real leader everywhere he's gone. Not a scorer really, but can when necessary. But he's 32 and may not be interested, even for the money we've got (and spending it on him would be a huge risk). I also like Pablo Prigioni, as I've said, who is a 6'2" version of same, the starting PG on the Argentine national team. But also 32, and I've heard nothing to suggest he'd come over.
Anybody got any outside the box ideas? I'd much rather do nothing than sign Shawn fucking Marion...
