What is the solution at SF?

[GeauxPelicans]

Iguodala is due just south of 16 million dollars if he picks up his option. One would believe that if he declines his option on a playoff team, he's going to want more to play for a team like the Pelicans and his production doesn't warrant the type of contract he's possibly going to get.

Just because he's making ~16 million this year, and plans to opt out, doesn't mean he expects to make ~16 million next year. Which is better 1 year 16 million, or 3 years/37.5 million? That contract would last u til he's 32, and at 12.5 a year, his defense, getting others involved, rebounding, etc, would all drastically help the Pelicans on both sides of the ball.

Holla at AFA.... also see if Delfino and Francisco Garcia are interested.

Forgot about this guy, I even started a thread about him earlier in the off season. He'd be my target is both Iggy and Webster tell us no, or want to much $$$.

Changing my mind a little:

After watching the Pacers struggle to find offense to keep up with Miami, I have no doubt that Pacers would give up 23 and Granger for Gordon. That definitely sets the market.

Would Chicago, who also could use a SG, throw in pick 20 along with Deng? I think they would. They would potentially have a pretty explosive backcourt, and the kind of experience and coaching to get them through any injury absences, so long as everyone is healthy during the playoffs.

Deng is healthier and younger. And pick 20 is obviously better than pick 23.

If the Heat win another championship, I think we could see a bidding war between to the 2 teams that got knocked out by the Heat.

Would Pacers throw in Stevenson to top Chicago? Would Chicago throw in Teague?

Giving up expiring former All Stars, that have already been replaced in the lineup by Jimmy Butler and Paul George, for the only player available who if healthy could get you past the Heat... Makes a lot of sense for both teams.

Let the bidding war begin!

If we could get the Bulls to trade us Charlotte's 1st (top 10 protected next year, top 8 protected in '15 and then unprotected in '16) I'd like that trade alot better. Deng is an expiring next year, and I'm not sure if he's be interested in hanging around during a rebuild.

[Mr. West]

My plans A-D for the SF position.

A. Draft Porter.
B. Sign Martell Webster longterm, something like 3 years 18. Mil. (6 mil. per year)
C. Draft Dario Saric as a longterm project, resign AFA to start next year.
D. Sign Buddinger or Brewer.

If all else fails, bring back the Chief to rebound another year with the starting lineup.

[Topdawg26]

We are not in win now mode so I say go with a stop gap like Buddinger, Brewer, or somebody like that if we don't get Porter. Next year seems like the year for wing players in the draft. Ideally, I would go stop gap this year and draft CJ/Burke then get your future wing in next year's draft.

[kclaboy504]

Changing my mind a little:

After watching the Pacers struggle to find offense to keep up with Miami, I have no doubt that Pacers would give up 23 and Granger for Gordon. That definitely sets the market.

Would Chicago, who also could use a SG, throw in pick 20 along with Deng? I think they would. They would potentially have a pretty explosive backcourt, and the kind of experience and coaching to get them through any injury absences, so long as everyone is healthy during the playoffs.

Deng is healthier and younger. And pick 20 is obviously better than pick 23.

If the Heat win another championship, I think we could see a bidding war between to the 2 teams that got knocked out by the Heat.

Would Pacers throw in Stevenson to top Chicago? Would Chicago throw in Teague?

Giving up expiring former All Stars, that have already been replaced in the lineup by Jimmy Butler and Paul George, for the only player available who if healthy could get you past the Heat... Makes a lot of sense for both teams.

Let the bidding war begin!

I'm assuming u wanna trade Gordon cause of injuries right?? Well taking granger just makes no sense at all. Dude is worse off than Gordon injury wise and it's not even close. Grangers knees r about done for. That 23 pick ain't netting us nothing close to a Player of Gordon's caliber.

[kclaboy504]

I really wanna hold off at the sf position til next years draft. It is absolutely loaded with premiere sf's. Even if we are picking around 7-10 which is the range I see us in. We will be able to grab a very talented guy there. I really like the Julius randle kid. He's gonna be a beast.

[GeauxPelicans]

I really wanna hold off at the sf position til next years draft. It is absolutely loaded with premiere sf's. Even if we are picking around 7-10 which is the range I see us in. We will be able to grab a very talented guy there. I really like the Julius randle kid. He's gonna be a beast.

Julius Randle the 6'9 240 PF? He doesn't help our wing position.

[Pelican589]

This board really hates Shabazz. Not one mention. Don't be shocked if he's the pick at 6.

I'm a new poster but long time reader, and I strongly disagree about the hate for Shabazz. I've seen too much love for him over the months.

[NMThreeMVP]

I'm assuming u wanna trade Gordon cause of injuries right?? Well taking granger just makes no sense at all. Dude is worse off than Gordon injury wise and it's not even close. Grangers knees r about done for. That 23 pick ain't netting us nothing close to a Player of Gordon's caliber.

Trade him because he's unreliable... and has not one ounce of leadership in his body.

But if I did this trade I'd really be looking to bring in a vet locker room guy and clear salary going into 2014.

I think Indy would offer 23/Granger -it makes complete sense for their team -and I think Bulls and Celtics for that matter could and would top their offer if Gordon passes a physical.

Last year the Hornets could've (should've) let Gordon walk to Phoenix for nothing. If this year they get a vet SF and a pick out of him, I think that's a win, unless Phoenix offered something better last year to sign and trade Gordon.

[Snarly]

I'm a new poster but long time reader, and I strongly disagree about the hate for Shabazz. I've seen too much love for him over the months.

Oh really? Too much love huh?

[GeauxPelicans]

Trade him because he's unreliable... and has not one ounce of leadership in his body.

But if I did this trade I'd really be looking to bring in a vet locker room guy and clear salary going into 2014.

I think Indy would offer 23/Granger -it makes complete sense for their team -and I think Bulls and Celtics for that matter could and would top their offer if Gordon passes a physical.

Last year the Hornets could've (should've) let Gordon walk to Phoenix for nothing. If this year they get a vet SF and a pick out of him, I think that's a win, unless Phoenix offered something better last year to sign and trade Gordon.

You never let a player of Gordon's caliber (or potential caliber) walk for nothing, if you can control it. Has it been bad so far? Yes, but if he can ever stay healthy again, he's a 20+ points per game scorer and he also plays defense at a high level, and those don't just grow on trees.

Personally I don't like Gordon. I don't think he wants to be here, and I don't think he's very tough. Even after last years disasterous season, I still think matching his contract was the right move. One thing is for sure, his value is at an all time low at the moment and trading a player when his value is lowest isn't what smart GMs do. Let him play the first half of next year, and hopefully he's playin great ball and staying healthy. If so, his value would be considerably higher, then and only then do you trade him. If he continues to have injury problems through next season, then you can dump him for whatever scraps you can get but I don't think trading him right now is the right move unless it brings us a solid core piece which he prob can't.

[donato]

Oh really? Too much love huh?

yourself. He has over 40% of the vote in this poll which is twice as much as the second-place vote getter.

http://www.pelicansreport.com/showth...us-5-are-taken

[Snarly]

yourself. He has over 40% of the vote in this poll which is twice as much as the second-place vote getter.

http://www.pelicansreport.com/showth...us-5-are-taken

And that's too much love? Oh Please. That thread was more about settling for the next prospect once the top 5 are gone. You act like people are going around lobbying for Muhammad the way they lobby for Burke. Give me a break. He gets no more love than anyone else outside of the top 5.

[PelsFan2313]

And that's too much love? Oh Please. That thread was more about settling for the next prospect once the top 5 are gone. You act like people are going around lobbying for Muhammad the way they lobby for Burke. Give me a break. He gets no more love than anyone else outside of the top 5.

Lolz this. Saying he gets too much love is absurd.

[donato]

He does get too much love. He gets more love than anyone on this board outside of Porter, Burke, McLemore and Oladipo even though he is slated to go much later than those guys.

[Snarly]

He does get too much love. He gets more love than anyone on this board outside of Porter, Burke, McLemore and Oladipo even though he is slated to go much later than those guys.

Let me know when people start saying things like we should take Muhammad over any of those guys and your point will be valid.

[tdcreator]

I would like to get CJ Leslie late and see what comes up next year (of course resign Aminu). I like 3 late picks in Hardaway, Lesli, and Kabongo. All these players just need to mature a little and I think they'll be really good players and if Hardaway is 6'6 then he can play SF in some situations.

[ScoutWithoutClout]

Iggy, second best perimeter defender in the league and he can be the veteran presence this team will need while it grows.

yea but whats the price tag? he was due for 16 mil, but i wouldn't want us to pay more than 8

[ScoutWithoutClout]

most ideal options at small forward:

. michael kidd gilchrist - don't expect he's attainable, but the familiarity with a.d. would be perfect
. thadeus young - from nola, one of the best young 3's in the game
. khawi leonard - 3 and d with a lot of upside
. jimmy butler - gritty and tough, would fit our mold
. tobias harris - where did this guy come from?
. nicolas batum - too much salary, but id take him over gordon
. al farouq aminu - gets way too bad of a rap from the media. he's the best rebounding 3 in the game and his defense is great
. chandler parsons - more athletic than you'd think
. evan turner - maybe a change of scenery would up his game
. danillo gallinari - great player who can stretch the court
. danny granger - maybe trade gordon for him (although id like more in return)
. josh smith - don't think hell fit our team, but the athleticism and production can't be ignored
. wesley johnson - will be a free agent, never lived up to potential but still young
. jordan hamilton - did well in limited minutes
. khris middleton - 21, showed potential
. iman shumpert - 3 and D type
. martell webster - shooter only
. earl clark - lengthy, matchup guy
. moe harkless - don't think orlando would trade him
. perry jones III - untapped potential, could get him cheap
. jeremy evans - athletic with lots of upside
. paul pierce - still a premiere player, great mentor for one year

[luckyman]

People need to stop saying Aminu's defense is great. He's tight in the hips and has trouble rotating to the right spot. Lots of wide open 3s when he's out there. His strengths are rebounding and running the floor and that's it.

There are far more options at SF than PG in free agency, so sign one of those options for now that can be a better team defender and can also help stretch the floor.

[DefensiveMind]

Three and D.. is the name of the game at the SF position.

Find me a SF with good size, who's durable, shoots a high % from 3 and the free thow line and who, and this is most important, statisically improves his teams defense. Either that or blackmail Miami and OKC for LeBron or Kevin Durant. There is no in between. You either need a true point forward or a three and D guy. The Rudy Gay, Andre Iguodala, Danny Granger, Loul Deng, 2nd tier SFs aren't gonna get it done in the new NBA.

[BallSoHard]

most ideal options at small forward:

. michael kidd gilchrist - don't expect he's attainable, but the familiarity with a.d. would be perfect
. thadeus young - from nola, one of the best young 3's in the game
. khawi leonard - 3 and d with a lot of upside
. jimmy butler - gritty and tough, would fit our mold
. tobias harris - where did this guy come from?
. nicolas batum - too much salary, but id take him over gordon
. al farouq aminu - gets way too bad of a rap from the media. he's the best rebounding 3 in the game and his defense is great
. chandler parsons - more athletic than you'd think
. evan turner - maybe a change of scenery would up his game
. danillo gallinari - great player who can stretch the court
. danny granger - maybe trade gordon for him (although id like more in return)
. josh smith - don't think hell fit our team, but the athleticism and production can't be ignored
. wesley johnson - will be a free agent, never lived up to potential but still young
. jordan hamilton - did well in limited minutes
. khris middleton - 21, showed potential
. iman shumpert - 3 and D type
. martell webster - shooter only
. earl clark - lengthy, matchup guy
. moe harkless - don't think orlando would trade him
. perry jones III - untapped potential, could get him cheap
. jeremy evans - athletic with lots of upside
. paul pierce - still a premiere player, great mentor for one year

I think all in bold you can remove since they're either a tweener or probably unattainable (which you stated in a few of them). The guy that really intrigues me on that list is Tobias Harris. He's one of those guys that the per 36 was right about. I think if he's on another team that has scoring options (Orlando didn't), he's more of a 12-15 PPG guy, but he rebounds well, doesn't turn it over too much.

[Purple Haze]

You can sure as heck take Butler off of that list too, he's the future in Chicago at the 3. Deng is a more realistic option than Butler.

[MonsterMash]

Not reaching for Otto Porter, find someone in FA, wait for next year's crazy SF class.

Porter may or may not be a great pick, but he's no "reach." He's a projected top 3 pick.

[MonsterMash]

Three and D.. is the name of the game at the SF position.

Find me a SF with good size, who's durable, shoots a high % from 3 and the free thow line and who, and this is most important, statisically improves his teams defense. Either that or blackmail Miami and OKC for LeBron or Kevin Durant. There is no in between. You either need a true point forward or a three and D guy. The Rudy Gay, Andre Iguodala, Danny Granger, Loul Deng, 2nd tier SFs aren't gonna get it done in the new NBA.

I disagree on Iggy and Deng, unless you mean "for the contract they command". Neither is a great shooter but both are passable and both are elite, elite defenders. Agree on Rudy Gay. Not sure on Granger, especially after the injury.

But yeah, on your overall point ... just try and find a Matt Barnes type if all else fails to come in and be a stop gap. Good 3 and D guys are extremely valuable and some of the veteran guys can be had for relatively cheap.

[aas3452]

I have a gut feeling we'll resign either aminu or ariza...