Free Agents

[Mr October]

Any chance we can coax Bowen out of retirement, a la P.J. Brown?  I don't love him as a rotation player, but if he was essentially the Giddens/Walker replacement and was really only called upon to play if TA or Quis went down, it'd work out pretty nicely. 

Bowen was looking rather "thick" on NBATV last time I saw him.  I think he's done.

They'll look for a wing, but most likely won't sign one unless he could either 1) beat out TA straight up, or 2) is as good as TA but offers 3pt shooting (nobody behind Ray/PP shoots at the 2/3, unless you count Scal at the 3).

I think Wyc is closing the checkbook unless there's real value out there.

Ya never know who will get bought out. and the C's would only have to pay for about 1/3 of a minimum contract (as that's all that's left on the season).

TA has been a pleasant surprise this year for sure. It would be tough to find someone to beat him out.

[snively]

Here are my top targets as far as possible buyouts right now:

1. Bobby Simmons
2. Raja Bell (if he is healthy)
3. Larry Hughes

With Nate in the fold, I wouldn't even bother with Hughes, but the 1st 2 options would be great.  We need someone who can defend and shoot a high % to spell Ray Allen.  Nate's too small, and TA/Daniels can't shoot.

[MVP]

I don't see anyone potentially being bought out who's better then our top 10 players. The only buyout candidate who might have been an impact player was McGrady, but he isn't getting bought out now.

[csfansince60s]

Any chance we can coax Bowen out of retirement, a la P.J. Brown?  I don't love him as a rotation player, but if he was essentially the Giddens/Walker replacement and was really only called upon to play if TA or Quis went down, it'd work out pretty nicely. 

Bowen was looking rather "thick" on NBATV last time I saw him.  I think he's done.

They'll look for a wing, but most likely won't sign one unless he could either 1) beat out TA straight up, or 2) is as good as TA but offers 3pt shooting (nobody behind Ray/PP shoots at the 2/3, unless you count Scal at the 3).

I think Wyc is closing the checkbook unless there's real value out there.

He closed the whole checking account and threw away the checkbook u]before[/u]the trade deadline discussions even began. Now we're trash pickers in the NBA garbage bin. I like Simmons, Pargo and Hughes, though. I think Hughes would like to prove something to the Cavs. What scares me though is the potential image of him skipping down the court (a la Blount)after a good play against them.

[snively]

I don't see anyone potentially being bought out who's better then our top 10 players. The only buyout candidate who might have been an impact player was McGrady, but he isn't getting bought out now.

I think Simmons or Bell are much more dependable offensive players than TA.

[rav123]

Any chance Mike Miller gets bought out by Washington? They've obviously blown it up and could save a few bucks by buying him out and letting him sign with a playoff team. He'd probably top my list for buyout guys if that happens. Miller could fill House's shooting void, he could handle the ball well for the 2nd unit (allowing Robinson to play off the ball sometimes) and he's a Rivers' favorite from his Orlando days. Plus he's a very efficient, smart player. This 10-man rotation would be pretty solid:

Rondo/Robinson
R.Allen/T.Allen
Pierce/Miller
Garnett/Wallace
Perkins/Davis

If somebody as good as Miller comes up, the Lakers or Hawks may offer him the MLE. The Lakers seem to have a greater chance of winning at this point (hence their appeal to the ring-seeking veteran), while at a pseudo-contender like the Hawks or Nuggets (actually, Nuggets are probably a bit more than that) could offer more playing time. The Hawks and Nuggets especially need big men, so they would not be averse to using part of their MLE to entice them from somewhere else.