Plan B

[tallpaul]

Wow... Darius Miles. Ruben Patterson. Ron Artest. Even Bozi Wells. I guess people figure the vets will keep them in line? But why even bother? Because you might get them dirt cheap?   

[tallpaul]

Well after thinking out loud I know Ainge is one for surprises just look at the O'Blount I mean O'Bryant signing that was completely off the radar.

On that - PO'B is from a city that a certain tall Celtic called home for many years. I wonder if there is a connection there.

[celticpride07]

Ricky Davis is/was a good 6th man...instant offense of the bench

[dmar123]

look at the market there are alot of free agents not like posey but can do some things like him. luol deng is the best choice in my opinion i know its a lot of money but after being in chicago don't you think he would want to be on a contender. RYAN GOMES  who we all love who has a pretty good sshot now could comeback. matt barnes who i think is really underrated could too. and bonzi wells who i think is just like posey would be a great fit. And for all you marbury haters he average 20 ppg for a couple and seasons and trust me youd do the same if isiah thomas was coachin and if he's our backup..........look at randy moss p--- and moaned........23 tds on a good team........wait till marbury comes

[Big Ticket]

Marbury has had chances to shut up and perform on 3 teams besides the Knicks, and couldn't do it at any of those.  None of those players you mentioned (or any viable free agents out there) are as good defensively or as versatile as Posey, nor do they have the big game, 4th quarter 3 point ice in their veins resume that Pose does.  Yes, this team CAN still perform at the highest level of any in the league, but Posey is a tough guy to replace on the bench.

[Roy Hobbs]

There's no way we can get Deng.  As a restricted free agent, Chicago can match any offer sheet he gets.  Certainly, they'd match one for the $5.8 million MLE, which is the most we can offer.

Gomes is in the same boat as a restricted free agent.  I'm not sure how much Minnesota wants to spend, but it's likely that they'd match any offer.

Barnes is a possibility.

Starbury...  no thank you.  He's a shoot-first "point guard" who plays absolutely no defense.  He was also at the center of several chemistry issues with the Knicks last year, and was specifically linked to the sexual harassment suit there.  He's had issues with his teammates and coach.  Finally, he's shown increasingly erratic behavior lately that leads me to question if he's all there mentally.  No, I'll pass, even at the minimum.

[zerophase]

i'm okay with bonzi wells.

[ACF]

[Silas]

Free agent backup 6' 5" shooting guard. Bigger and better 3pt shooter than TA but has some similarities (read below).  Interesting comparison to Posey's stats last year. 
       mpg   fg%   3pt%   rpg
Posey   24    42    38    4.4
Evans   24    47    40    3.1

Posey for 2 years was plan A, Posey for 3 years was plan B....

Informative writeup on Evans by Ben Q. Rock last month on a Magic blog site:

When Maurice Evans joined the Magic in November, his teammates nicknamed him "Mogans" for his resemblance to Keith Bogans, his new teammate. It's true that the players are alike physically, but their games are similar as well. They're both two-guards who are known for their defense and who prefer to shoot three-pointers from the corners.

Where Evans differs most from Bogans is his aggressiveness. He moves well without the ball, but not in the traditional way. When we apply that phrase to shooting guards, we typically think of players like Reggie Miller and Richard Hamilton who cut around screens to elude defenders and to get open for jumpers. In contrast, Evans finds ways to get free directly under the basket for dunks and layups. It also helps him rack-up offensive rebounds at an impressive rate for a player his size.

But that aggressiveness is not without its drawbacks. Unless he has a wide-open -- and I really mean wide-open -- look under the basket, he's liable to get his shot blocked. Opponents swatted a staggering 25% of Evans' "close" shot attempts this season, according to 82games. At 6'5", he shouldn't have that much trouble finishing at the basket. Additionally, Evans tends to overestimate his own ballhandling skills, pushing the ball upcourt when he should instead wait for the offense to set up. And although I don't have statistical evidence to back this claim up, I suspect he lead the team in "turnovers caused by stepping on the sideline with the ball." But he turned the ball over less that one time a game, so I suppose we can forgive him for that.

Defensively, Evans is like Bogans in that he simply has a knack for staying with his man. But Evans tends to "gamble" for steals more than Bogans does, which makes him a liability at times. He's also less physical.

Overall, his efficiency makes Evans the sort of backup two-guard the Magic need. He's deadly from three-point range and hardly makes mistakes. Two major factors hurt the team's chances of re-signing him, though: first, Bogans has a player option for next season, and Magic GM Otis Smith has said he'd "be shocked" if he didn't use it. Although Evans is the better player, the Magic only have 15 roster spots, and can't devote two of them to like-skilled, backup-quality shooting guards. Second, Evans will want a raise from the $1.5 million he earned last year. The Magic figure to make re-signing Keyon Dooling their top priority, and they might not have enough money leftover to keep Evans. It's too bad. The second-best trade Smith ever made -- getting Evans and Brian Cook from the Lakers for Trevor Ariza -- may soon go for naught.
Grade: B+

[timepiece33]

Evans isn't a bad option.  He can't drive or distribute, but he can hang out around the perimeter and make a shot ... and unlike some of the other options, he can defend. 

[Fan from VT]

Reposted from the "Hollinger" thread:

Some options:
1. -Offer the full MLE to Childress, hope Atlanta doesn't match. Very solid underrated bench at the 2/3, only 25 right now. Long, rebounds, better career 3-ball shooter than Posey.
-Try to get a big like David Harrison, earl barron, Elson or Kwame brown as big insurance for the vet min
-go after a backup point that would play for the min, e.g. salim stoudemire, Juan Dixon, Telfair, etc.

2. -Offer the full MLE to Louis Williams, hope Philly doesn't match because of the huge money tied up in Iggy, Brand, Dalembert, Andre Miller. He's 21 and would be a great 6th man who could comfortably slide to the point when rondo sits or play the 2 beside RR. More than takes care of bench scoring and backup point.
-Try to get a big like David Harrison, earl barron, Elson or Kwame brown as big insurance for the vet min
-Try to get T.A. or Quinton Ross to sign for the min

3. -Offer the full MLE to Ben Gordon, hope that Chicago won't match because they're working on an extension with Deng and don't really have any fit for Gordon in their plan. Huge upgrade over house, can play the point for stretches, very good shooting and bench scoring. Not as high a ceiling as Williams, less of a point guard.
-Try to get a big like David Harrison, earl barron, Elson or Kwame brown as big insurance for the vet min
-Try to get T.A. or Quinton Ross to sign for the min

4. -Split the MLE:
-Dooling would be a good backup point, but rejected a 2 yr 4 mil contract from the magic. If nothig else develops for him, offer 4 yrs 9 mil, starting at 1.8 or so.
-Offer a lesser deal to Kirk Snyder at the 2/3 position, say 3 yrs 6 mil starting at 1.5 or so. Failing that, go after barnes or mo eavans with an offer similar to the above for Dooling.
-Take a flyer on a big man. Assuming the 2 mil or so leftover isn't enough to convince Kurt thomas to leave San Antonio (probably around a 2yr/$6mil or 3yr/9mil offer), try to get Chris Andersen for 2-3 yrs 4-6 mil or a little less than that for kwame if kwame refused to play for a 1 yr. minimum contract. Assuming, of course, Andersen or kwame want more than the vet min. if not, get Andersen for the vet min.

Other possibly viable names for very small contracts:
Walter Herrmann (3/4 tweener can rebound and hit the 3)
Austin Croshere (repetitive as a PF, but has some range and experience)
Randolph Morris (good size and talent, but hasn't put it together. worth a small risk?)
Jackie Butler (big, good offensive natural talent, hasn't put it together)
Jannero Pargo (tweener 1/2, can play point, a lot like house off the bench)

[winsomme]

Gomes is in the same boat as a restricted free agent.  I'm not sure how much Minnesota wants to spend, but it's likely that they'd match any offer.

just out of curiosity, what is the reasoning for Minny matching an offer like the full MLE for three years like we offered Posey to Gomes....

they aren't close to making the playoffs, much less the Finals....why would they want to spend so much on a role player when they are still trying to rebuild...?

[BrickJames]

As I've been clamoring for on here since 6/11, Evans is Tony Allen with a brain.  Please sign him.

[timepiece33]

Childress would be a great acquisition.  He's steadily improved each year, but it would be a projection and my guess is you'd have to offer him 5 years to make Atlanta blink.  Just don't view it as that realistic.

Louis Williams?  Probably not at the MLE. 

Ryan Gomes?  Like his attitude and offensive game, but his defense lacks some. 

Ben Gordon? Good offensive talent, but his defense.  Yuck.

IMO, Kenyon Dooling is probably the best of the available unrestricted guys for this system.

[Chief]

look at the market there are alot of free agents not like posey but can do some things like him. luol deng is the best choice in my opinion i know its a lot of money but after being in chicago don't you think he would want to be on a contender. RYAN GOMES  who we all love who has a pretty good sshot now could comeback. matt barnes who i think is really underrated could too. and bonzi wells who i think is just like posey would be a great fit. And for all you marbury haters he average 20 ppg for a couple and seasons and trust me youd do the same if isiah thomas was coachin and if he's our backup..........look at randy moss **** and moaned........23 tds on a good team........wait till marbury comes

  Not me!!!!