[Official - trade complete] Hornets Trying to Land RFA Lopez from the Suns {merged}

I'm like meh. Lopez is good depth for us and 5 million a season is more than he's worth IMO, but far from God awful. I'm never a fan of over paying however as long as it's not anything grossly I won't complain. Not sure where/how Warrick factors in.

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The Inbounds: A Hive In Construction; How to Protect Anthony Davis With Robin Lopez
Matt Moore

Jul 25, 2012, 10:18 AM EDT

Hang on to your monitors, I’m going to get through the rest of this column without mentioning the busted CP3-to-the-Lakers trade. You ready? Break!

When the Hornets agreed to terms with the Suns and Wolves in a three-way trade Sunday night, it wasn’t anything that was going to be bust over Ichiro Hamel’s new deal A-Rod breaking his hand. It was a minor deal. But it was yet another example of what has become the modus operandi of Dell Demps this offseason. It’s an understated move with positional variability which sacrifices neither cap space or crucial assets.

Here’s how quickly these things shift. Had the Suns just recommitted the money to Robin Lopez, who has never established himself as the center Phoenix needs, but has consistently scraped the ceiling of legitimacy enough to keep people interested, it probably would have been panned. Now, the Hornets reached good value on Lopez at three-years, $15 million according to Yahoo Sports, but part of that value is inherently due to what a legit center means for New Orleans, versus what it means for Phoenix.

The Suns, with Marcin Gortat, didn’t need to overpay for Lopez. (After all, they’d already overpaid for Michael Beasley, badum-ching.) They needed a little extra money going forward and to dump Hakim Warrick‘s deal. It would have been a better move had they not already gone on a spending spree to try and remake the team immediately after Steve Nash‘s departure and been more patient, but moving dead money long-term for short-term dead money (Brad Miller‘s retired contract) isn’t a bad thing. It’s a good thing.

But the Hornets? They needed Lopez. They needed a center, and they needed to not overpay for a center. Lopez gives them everything they need. He’s a fill-in, a decent starter for a lottery team, a player who could surprise everyone and make the leap but if he doesn’t, you’re not drowning at that position. Long-term, there have to be upgrades at every spot but shooting guard and power forward for the Hornets. And that’s fine. They’ve got time. But the biggest key to next season for the Hornets is cohesiveness and the development of Anthony Davis.

Since the Hornets liquidated Emeka Okafor along with Trevor Ariza in the deal to clear cap space in a move for buyout-able Rashard Lewis, there has been talk about what it means for Davis’ positional future. Even in an NBA that is hurtling towards positional liquidity like the big-boned kid off the diving board, you can’t simply expect any player to be any position. They still have to have the ability to succeed at any given position’s set of requirements. In the case of center, Davis fails several smell tests. He’s incredibly long, but razor thin, it’s going to take years for his frame to catch up with his length, and there’s no guarantee that will happen at all, though muscle training will only make him more versatile and dangerous. I like to put this in perspective by saying that Michael Kidd Gilchrist has a substantial weight advantage on Davis. Think about that.

This isn’t to question Davis’ ability to succeed, far from it. We’re on the verge of seeing one of the truly most unique and impactful defensive players of the past ten years make his debut, I believe, and Davis’ talents can make up fora great many physical mass issues. But it’s crucial that the Hornets put him in a position to succeed right away, and depending on him to handle guys with considerably more muscle weight. It’s fine to speak to the lack of talent at the center position, but if you give a big guy the ball in the post with someone he can slam his shoulder into and create separation, there’s going to be scoring. More importantly, though, there’s going to be damage to the smaller player as the impact alone will wear on and injure a player like Davis having to play down in position to that degree.

It’s best put this way. The Lopez move, along with re-signing Jason Smith, adding Ryan Anderson and throwing in Hakim Warrick means that Davis won’t be slotted at the five, and will be best placed in a position to use his singular talents, as I always felt were best expressed here:

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{Mod edit- Please do not post full articles}


http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...h-robin-lopez/

^^^^ that article is written like the deal is already done. i havent seen anything concrete except the three teams are "working on"

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

I'm like meh. Lopez is good depth for us and 5 million a season is more than he's worth IMO, but far from God awful. I'm never a fan of over paying however as long as it's not anything grossly I won't complain. Not sure where/how Warrick factors in.

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Totally agree. It's more than he's worth, but it's not an awful deal. Interesting to see how it affects next year's cap---the flexibility after that doesn't matter, as we'll then be operating over the cap.

If Warrick's deal didn't have a team option, I'd be livid.

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Originally Posted by RaisingTheBrow

im tired of talking to people with reading comprehension problems. in the second sentence of my post i said "i would not be upset if that is the case", referring to anderson starting. and i never said i expect lopez to start 82 games a season. but he is more than capable of being a "spot starter" based on match-ups and injures. i havent taken anything you said seriously since i started posting here. have a good one.

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Reading comprehension problems? Ha!

You said in your post clear as day, you think the best starting lineup is Davis\Lopez. Now you are saying "spot starter" due to injuries or matchups. Sounds like to me that you are backtracking a bit.

I'm just saying that I think your crazy if you think Lopez should start over Anderson. Hell, he probably wouldn't start over Smith. He's a project at this point in time.

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Originally Posted by HoustonRox

Asik as an awful offensive player as of right now...agreed. But he is MILES better than Lopez defensively and rebounding wise.

And Asik at least had offers from other teams, no other team other than the Hornets wanted Lopez

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Who else offered Asik that kind of ridiculous contract? He is certainly better defensively, but is he $10 million better? He signed for 3 years/$25 million compared to Lopez 3 years/$15 million (rumored). Houston could have kept Dragic and instead blew a ton of money on a guy they flat out cut last year.

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Originally Posted by GameBreaker

Reading comprehension problems? Ha!

You said in your post clear as day, you think the best starting lineup is Davis\Lopez. Now you are saying "spot starter" due to injuries or matchups. Sounds like to me that you are backtracking a bit.

I'm just saying that I think your crazy if you think Lopez should start over Anderson. Hell, he probably wouldn't start over Smith. He's a project at this point in time.

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yes reading comprehension problems, because in that post i didnt say those two would start together. i said my belief was that our best lineup is rivers, gordon, anderson, davis and lopez. best lineup, as in people on the floor together at the same time. your best 5 players that work best together do not always start. would manu not be in the spurs best lineup? i didnt say starting because i dont think rivers is going to start for us day 1. no didnt backtrack you just suck a reading.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

I'm like meh. Lopez is good depth for us and 5 million a season is more than he's worth IMO, but far from God awful. I'm never a fan of over paying however as long as it's not anything grossly I won't complain. Not sure where/how Warrick factors in.

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I think Warrick is just a throw in since it does not appear that we are giving up anything (Miller and 2 2nds is the rumor).

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Originally Posted by HORNETSFAN

I think Warrick is just a throw in since it does not appear that we are giving up anything (Miller and 2 2nds is the rumor).

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I meant more or less fitting on the roster. I guess Hakim can play the 3 some. Right now we are super deep at the 4 Davis/Anderson/Smith/Warrick.

Funny, look who Draft Express had as his "worst case scenario" when evaluating Lopez-

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Robin-Lopez-1073/

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

I meant more or less fitting on the roster. I guess Hakim can play the 3 some. Right now we are super deep at the 4Davis/Anderson/Smith/Warrick.

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Yeah, maybe he can be an offensive 3 off the bench for limited minutes.

Ian Mahimi could have been a cheaper, better option for you guys imo. Having watched him in Dallas

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Originally Posted by GameBreaker

Reading comprehension problems? Ha!

You said in your post clear as day, you think the best starting lineup is Davis\Lopez. Now you are saying "spot starter" due to injuries or matchups. Sounds like to me that you are backtracking a bit.

I'm just saying that I think your crazy if you think Lopez should start over Anderson. Hell, he probably wouldn't start over Smith. He's a project at this point in time.

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Why wouldnt Lopez, AD & Anderson start ! I find it whimsical that everyone has INKED Aminu as an AUTOMATIC starter ! He may not even be a Hornet for season opener !

Vasquez--Gordon---Anderson---Lopez & AD !

Rivers--Roberts--Miller---J.Smith & 2-3 more FA's (Aminu & Henry) May or may not still be here !

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Originally Posted by HoustonRox

Ian Mahimi could have been a cheaper, better option for you guys imo. Having watched him in Dallas

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The guy Dallas traded weeks ago? You think that's an option?

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Originally Posted by HoustonRox

Ian Mahimi could have been a cheaper, better option for you guys imo. Having watched him in Dallas

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What? Mahimi got a $16 million contract over 4 years but cost the Pacers Collison and Jones in the process. He is no better than Lopez and we are not giving up anywhere near the assets the Pacers gave up.

So, is the deal official? Or are they waiting for Lopez to pass a physical?

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Originally Posted by Adam the Legend

So, is the deal official? Or are they waiting for Lopez to pass a physical?

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Not official.

I agree with Matt Moore entirely on this. You need a big body in there so you don't stunt Davis' development.

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But it’s important that Davis not be faced with covering for the roster issues of a team in a rebuild. The Hornets will have positional weakness, but they have to protect Davis from those. Some tough love is good for him. Breaking his spirit and body with a set of positional demands that put too much physical and emotional strain on him is not a good plan for development.

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http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...h-robin-lopez/

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Originally Posted by Adam the Legend

So, is the deal official? Or are they waiting for Lopez to pass a physical?

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yeah he's on vacay and needs to come in and take the physical... THEN it'll be official.

The roster is shaping up nicely. Plus the money we'll have next offseason... great time to be a Hornets fan.

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Originally Posted by 42

The guy Dallas traded weeks ago? You think that's an option?

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If the Hornets had offered him a contract before he got traded then I think he would have been an option.

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Originally Posted by HORNETSFAN

What? Mahimi got a $16 million contract over 4 years but cost the Pacers Collison and Jones in the process. He is no better than Lopez and we are not giving up anywhere near the assets the Pacers gave up.

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I think NOH could have had Mahimi if they traded Jack and Henry for him.

Damn good time to be a hornets fan, the bandwagon will be full after this year do get on board now. The roster is looking much better than the last few years.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by HoustonRox

If the Hornets had offered him a contract before he got traded then I think he would have been an option.


I think NOH could have had Mahimi if they traded Jack and Henry for him.

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Not sure this is better. We basically got Lopez and an expiring for Jack. We'll see what happens with Henry.

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Originally Posted by HoustonRox

If the Hornets had offered him a contract before he got traded then I think he would have been an option.


I think NOH could have had Mahimi if they traded Jack and Henry for him.

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Why didn't the Rockets go after Mahinmi?

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Originally Posted by nosfan1019

I agree with Matt Moore entirely on this. You need a big body in there so you don't stunt Davis' development.



http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...h-robin-lopez/

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Testify.

Davis is a rare bird, to be handled with kid gloves- no competent team would allow their future star to get beaten to a pulp inside whilst he's still a teenager.

Hopefully he has 12-15 years with us, we're not competing this year. Giving Lopez 4-5 million for a couple of seasons to take the beatings in his stead is a form of short-term protection for a long-term investment.

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Originally Posted by HoustonRox

If the Hornets had offered him a contract before he got traded then I think he would have been an option.


I think NOH could have had Mahimi if they traded Jack and Henry for him.

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Pure speculation and we are giving up less assets for Lopez. I am not convinced Mahimi is better than Lopez anyway.

Guys this is a solid move for us. Lopez fills the "young vet" route that DD and MW talked about. 5 million a year for a backup big is not terrible, think about the ridiculous contracts floating around the league (Okafor anyone?). He doesn't do anything to eliminate cap flexibility going forward. Nothing. We still have 13 mill coming off the books, and AFA, Vasquez, & Henry can all be wiped clean to make more cap room. That is called flexibility. Is it best case scenario that we have to not tender those guys and/or renounce them? No, I think they are good players that can fit in here. However, the fact is we are flexible enough to make those moves if necessary. I also think our frontcourt is pretty much complete for the next 3-4 years going forward. The position I think they are set on upgrading, based on the recent moves, are at the SF position. If they go for a big time contract, I think the move ends up being renouncing/Trading X and AFA and throwing money at an Iguadala/rudy gay type player. What if AFA goes nuts and plays great this year? Well, that changes the plan - and that's the beauty of it - the plan can change based on what happens this year. This dude just flipped a top 55 protected 2nd round pick a week ago and turned it into Robin Lopez & Hakim Warrick. Tough to argue that logic.

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Originally Posted by Attila The Hun

Hopefully he has 12-15 years with us, we're not competing this year. Giving Lopez 4-5 million for a couple of seasons to take the beatings in his stead is a form of short-term protection for a long-term investment.

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Oddly enough, after reading that, I became concerned for Lopez's injury history again. I hope we have another big-bodied backup.


@DavidA
Well written good sir, I wholeheartedly agree.

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Originally Posted by Attila The Hun

Testify.

Davis is a rare bird, to be handled with kid gloves- no competent team would allow their future star to get beaten to a pulp inside whilst he's still a teenager.

Hopefully he has 12-15 years with us, we're not competing this year. Giving Lopez 4-5 million for a couple of seasons to take the beatings in his stead is a form of short-term protection for a long-term investment.

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Great post.

Then on top of that, we get to take a flyer on Lopez's potential. If he can get back on the career track he was on during his rookie year in the process, then we get either another strong trade asset (think Ayon) or a future piece for ourselves.

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Originally Posted by DavidA

Guys this is a solid move for us. Lopez fills the "young vet" route that DD and MW talked about. 5 million a year for a backup big is not terrible, think about the ridiculous contracts floating around the league (Okafor anyone?). He doesn't do anything to eliminate cap flexibility going forward. Nothing. We still have 13 mill coming off the books, and AFA, Vasquez, & Henry can all be wiped clean to make more cap room. That is called flexibility. Is it best case scenario that we have to not tender those guys and/or renounce them? No, I think they are good players that can fit in here. However, the fact is we are flexible enough to make those moves if necessary. I also think our frontcourt is pretty much complete for the next 3-4 years going forward. The position I think they are set on upgrading, based on the recent moves, are at the SF position. If they go for a big time contract, I think the move ends up being renouncing/Trading X and AFA and throwing money at an Iguadala/rudy gay type player. What if AFA goes nuts and plays great this year? Well, that changes the plan - and that's the beauty of it - the plan can change based on what happens this year. This dude just flipped a top 55 protected 2nd round pick a week ago and turned it into Robin Lopez & Hakim Warrick. Tough to argue that logic.

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excellent post, davida.

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Originally Posted by Smow-

Oddly enough, after reading that, I became concerned for Lopez's injury history again. I hope we have another big-bodied backup.


@DavidA
Well written good sir, I wholeheartedly agree.

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Assuming Lopez and Smitty will split the minutes at center, I'm guessing we'll stick a young un-drafted big guy on our roster and play him in the D-League as insurance.

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Originally Posted by DavidA

Guys this is a solid move for us. Lopez fills the "young vet" route that DD and MW talked about. 5 million a year for a backup big is not terrible, think about the ridiculous contracts floating around the league (Okafor anyone?). He doesn't do anything to eliminate cap flexibility going forward. Nothing. We still have 13 mill coming off the books, and AFA, Vasquez, & Henry can all be wiped clean to make more cap room. That is called flexibility. Is it best case scenario that we have to not tender those guys and/or renounce them? No, I think they are good players that can fit in here. However, the fact is we are flexible enough to make those moves if necessary. I also think our frontcourt is pretty much complete for the next 3-4 years going forward. The position I think they are set on upgrading, based on the recent moves, are at the SF position. If they go for a big time contract, I think the move ends up being renouncing/Trading X and AFA and throwing money at an Iguadala/rudy gay type player. What if AFA goes nuts and plays great this year? Well, that changes the plan - and that's the beauty of it - the plan can change based on what happens this year. This dude just flipped a top 55 protected 2nd round pick a week ago and turned it into Robin Lopez & Hakim Warrick. Tough to argue that logic.

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http://assets0.ordienetworks.com/ima...apping/hp2.gif

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Originally Posted by djpaul89

Great post.

Then on top of that, we get to take a flyer on Lopez's potential. If he can get back on the career track he was on during his rookie year in the process, then we get either another strong trade asset (think Ayon) or a future piece for ourselves.

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Bingo! Demps essentially did the same thing with Vasquez last season too- filled a positional need, young, low cost, high potential.

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Originally Posted by HORNETSFAN

What? Mahimi got a $16 million contract over 4 years but cost the Pacers Collison and Jones in the process. He is no better than Lopez and we are not giving up anywhere near the assets the Pacers gave up.

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Mahinmi was unrestricted...

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Originally Posted by DavidA

Guys this is a solid move for us. Lopez fills the "young vet" route that DD and MW talked about. 5 million a year for a backup big is not terrible, think about the ridiculous contracts floating around the league (Okafor anyone?). He doesn't do anything to eliminate cap flexibility going forward. Nothing. We still have 13 mill coming off the books, and AFA, Vasquez, & Henry can all be wiped clean to make more cap room. That is called flexibility. Is it best case scenario that we have to not tender those guys and/or renounce them? No, I think they are good players that can fit in here. However, the fact is we are flexible enough to make those moves if necessary. I also think our frontcourt is pretty much complete for the next 3-4 years going forward. The position I think they are set on upgrading, based on the recent moves, are at the SF position. If they go for a big time contract, I think the move ends up being renouncing/Trading X and AFA and throwing money at an Iguadala/rudy gay type player. What if AFA goes nuts and plays great this year? Well, that changes the plan - and that's the beauty of it - the plan can change based on what happens this year. This dude just flipped a top 55 protected 2nd round pick a week ago and turned it into Robin Lopez & Hakim Warrick. Tough to argue that logic.

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agree with all of this. i'm very pleased with the deal, if it happens.

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Originally Posted by Tinman

Why wouldnt Lopez, AD & Anderson start ! I find it whimsical that everyone has INKED Aminu as an AUTOMATIC starter ! He may not even be a Hornet for season opener !

Vasquez--Gordon---Anderson---Lopez & AD !

Rivers--Roberts--Miller---J.Smith & 2-3 more FA's (Aminu & Henry) May or may not still be here !

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Ryan Anderson is not athletic/quick enough to guard most SF's in this league (and Davis isn't going to guard SF's... he's a paint protector). He's better suited as a PF that opens up the lane offensively.

Plus, if you move Anderson to the 3, your depth in the front court becomes much weaker. Jason Smith & Robin Lopez are both most likely best suited as 12-20 minutes a game players while Anderson is 30-35 and Davis is 34-38.

I don't see Aminu going anywhere unless it's a package deal for a high priced SF (which I don't see happening anytime soon). Aminu still has a long way to go offensively, but he's a legit defensive player already. Bruce Bowen made a career out of that.

Hypothetically, we could start Lopez, Davis, and Anderson and play a zone because we have Davis, but I prefer man defense.

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Originally Posted by geauxbama

Hypothetically, we could start Lopez, Davis, and Anderson and play a zone because we have Davis, but I prefer man defense.

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i generally agree with you, but that was before we got anthony davis LOL. it all depends on who we are playing and the personnel, monty has his guys playing lot of zone out there last year, dont know if he plans on changing philosophy this year or not.

I love the roster philosophy of the new regime compared to the old regime.

getting a true center does wonders for Davis. We basically sent out Oakafor, Ariza, Jack and Ayon for Anderson, Lopez and Warrick. Where do I sign? If we renounce X, we should still have enough space to make a good addition next year. The core is Davis and Gordon, we've surrounded them with moveable assets, Warrick will be an expiring next year, Anderson was cheap, Lopez is a 7fter. Lopez and Anderson are young guys with potential to get better to add to the young guys we've already got.

MAYBE YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN DELL, BUT FOR GOD'S SAKE, BELIEVE IN THE SPURS MODEL.

whose with me?!
now let's go draft some Euros

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The New Orleans Hornets are on the verge of filling an obvious hole on their roster, working toward acquiring center Robin Lopez from the Phoenix Suns in a reported three-team trade.

A league source confirms the Hornets' interest in Lopez, but indicated it may be a day or so before any swap could be officially consummated.

Various media outlets have reported the pending sign-and-trade transaction, which may send Lopez and power forward Hakim Warrick to New Orleans from Phoenix while the Suns would acquire swingman Wesley Johnson and a first-round draft choice from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T-Wolves would receive the contract of Brad Miller, which the Hornets recently obtained along with point guard Jerome Dyson and draft picks from New Orleans.

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http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ss..._river_default

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Originally Posted by djpaul89

I love the roster philosophy of the new regime compared to the old regime.

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I've been about as out spoken about the negative moves Demps have made since becoming our GM and even I can't stress how much of an an understatements your post is.

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Originally Posted by BeeBall Reasons

getting a true center does wonders for Davis. We basically sent out Oakafor, Ariza, Jack and Ayon for Anderson, Lopez and Warrick. Where do I sign? If we renounce X, we should still have enough space to make a good addition next year. The core is Davis and Gordon, we've surrounded them with moveable assets, Warrick will be an expiring next year, Anderson was cheap, Lopez is a 7fter. Lopez and Anderson are young guys with potential to get better to add to the young guys we've already got.

MAYBE YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN DELL, BUT FOR GOD'S SAKE, BELIEVE IN THE SPURS MODEL.

whose with me?!
now let's go draft some Euros

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I agree. I dont mind any of his moves so far.

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Originally Posted by HunnyB

http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ss..._river_default

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How can Minnesota recieve Miller's contract back when they just traded him last week?

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Originally Posted by QPon20

How can Minnesota recieve Miller's contract back when they just traded him last week?

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They won't, Phoenix will.

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Originally Posted by BeeBall Reasons

getting a true center does wonders for Davis. We basically sent out Oakafor, Ariza, Jack and Ayon for Anderson, Lopez and Warrick. Where do I sign? If we renounce X, we should still have enough space to make a good addition next year. The core is Davis and Gordon, we've surrounded them with moveable assets, Warrick will be an expiring next year, Anderson was cheap, Lopez is a 7fter. Lopez and Anderson are young guys with potential to get better to add to the young guys we've already got.

MAYBE YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN DELL, BUT FOR GOD'S SAKE, BELIEVE IN THE SPURS MODEL.

whose with me?!
now let's go draft some Euros

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I really like what they've done. They are setting themselves to be able to pick up a third star next year. It's all going to hinge on how Gordon and Davis do this year, whether they play well enough to make this a "destination" in free agency next year.

I keep trying to compare the development of this team to that of Okc:

Durant = Davis (the big star)
Westbrook = Gordon
Harden = Rivers? (big unknown, but I'm crossing my fingers)
Collison = Lopez?
Perkins = ???? Don't think we have this player on our roster yet, but god I hope we can do better than Perkins
Ibaka = Maybe Aminu? Could Aminu develop into that much a defense presence? A guy who can lock down Lebron, Melo and Durant?


See if you look at it this way, our young roster doesn't seem that far away. Just need to add time to bake and maybe a dash of seasoning here or there. An NBA championship may be calling our names in 3-5 years!

So is this going to happen or not?

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Originally Posted by goat gorilla

So is this going to happen or not?

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The only thing holding up the deal is Lopez. I assume his agent has come to terms with New Orleans. Now it's all up to Lopez. He has to take a physical before the deal can be finalized.

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Originally Posted by sfernald

I really like what they've done. They are setting themselves to be able to pick up a third star next year. It's all going to hinge on how Gordon and Davis do this year, whether they play well enough to make this a "destination" in free agency next year.

I keep trying to compare the development of this team to that of Okc:

Durant = Davis (the big star)
Westbrook = Gordon
Harden = Rivers? (big unknown, but I'm crossing my fingers)
Collison = Lopez?
Perkins = ???? Don't think we have this player on our roster yet, but god I hope we can do better than Perkins
Ibaka = Maybe Aminu? Could Aminu develop into that much a defense presence? A guy who can lock down Lebron, Melo and Durant?


See if you look at it this way, our young roster doesn't seem that far away. Just need to add time to bake and maybe a dash of seasoning here or there. An NBA championship may be calling our names in 3-5 years!

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http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4...39ewo1_500.gif

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Originally Posted by goat gorilla

So is this going to happen or not?

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Based on the reports I think it will happen

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Originally Posted by sfernald

I really like what they've done. They are setting themselves to be able to pick up a third star next year. It's all going to hinge on how Gordon and Davis do this year, whether they play well enough to make this a "destination" in free agency next year.

I keep trying to compare the development of this team to that of Okc:

Durant = Davis (the big star)
Westbrook = Gordon
Harden = Rivers? (big unknown, but I'm crossing my fingers)
Collison = Lopez?
Perkins = ???? Don't think we have this player on our roster yet, but god I hope we can do better than Perkins
Ibaka = Maybe Aminu? Could Aminu develop into that much a defense presence? A guy who can lock down Lebron, Melo and Durant?


See if you look at it this way, our young roster doesn't seem that far away. Just need to add time to bake and maybe a dash of seasoning here or there. An NBA championship may be calling our names in 3-5 years!

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What about Anderson? And you left out PJIII for them who I believe will turn into a very strong player for them.