Currently we have no young legs to backup KG and Pierce. We still have to resign Green, and behind KG we have no one but an unproven, late first round pick rookie, who did not have any summerleague, or extended preseason.
Throw me a bone and assume that Green accepts the 5.9M QO, because this discussion otherwise becomes super-depressing and you've already spent all of your Depression Points on the lockout.
JJ is probably going to be backing up KG whether he, Doc, or Danny likes it or not, because there are no other options. He is at least not as raw as Bradley, since he actually played out college. If he can manage to not cause the roof to cave in for 15-20 minutes a game, that might be good enough for arts and crafts. Semih did alright during our center-by-committee phase last season, so hope springs eternal for me.
No problem. I will give you Green. I think he will end up being kept, whether it is via QO, or on a longterm deal. He also can help cover some of the PF minutes as well...although thats not an ideal solution.
I can't give you JJ though. I think the best thing we can hope for him is that he can make it into the rotation by the middle to late in the year, but that isn't going to save KG's legs early in the season. They absolutely need a reasonable backup for that position, and to count on JJ as only a bonus.
Bottom line is I think they are going to need to either resign Davis, get lucky in free agency (which is possible, because teams might be hesitant to jump in with both feet, and players might jump at the first offer from a contender like the C's), and/or get creative with trades/sign and trades.
Basically, in the two weeks before the season, Danny will need to fill the following holes (assuming Green stays):
Backup center (assuming they keep Oneal)
Backup PF
Backup SG
Backup PG
Third string center
third string wing
Again, the market will probably be in their favor to sign decent players to a short-term deal, but they are not going to have much room for error, considering how much more they will be asking from these backups than they have in the past.
Just Read the following on Hoopshype.com:
[ R U M O R S ]
No deal?
A source on the players' side source tells ESPN.com the revised offer will likely be rejected.
I don't put a lot of stock in this - I expect the power agents and some of the hardline players to put a lot out there about rejecting the deal in the next few days. We might even see the decert cards filed too.
But I think when push comes to shove the rank-and-file players are generally going to want the season and the paychecks back. If there is in fact an opt-out after 6 years, they're dealing with 4 years under the new cap (the next 2 stay at the current level). I can't see them risking it all to maybe gain back a fraction of the salary they'd be losing.
I agree with this. We are going to be hearing a lot of stuff spun through the agents over the next few days, but it does not necessarily represent the reality of most of the players.
Another thing that was mentioned by one of the writers (I forget which one) that needs to be taken into account is that a lot of these players might tell their agents that they are willing to stay strong, that they are going to vote no, and they will even sign the petition for a decertification vote (which really is not binding to anything). However, once they get their ballot (which I have heard would be a secret ballot), many of them who are saying they are going to stand with the union and vote no publically, will realize that it is better for them, and their own life, to vote yes, and get the checks flowing as soon as possible.
Topic: What a 72 game season would look like (Read 4418 times)