Updated wish list for this offseason (draft and free agency)

finestrg

Rotation player
I'll continue to preach the idea that we can make many solid improvements to this roster going the smart, cost-conscious route. If the name of the game is improving this team ten-fold without depleting our major cap flexibility (cap flexibility I feel we should carry over one more season to the summer of 2012 for obvious reasons), these are all players I'd consider. Let's put it this way: if I worked for Donnie and he told me to go put together a list of potential impact players for reasonable/marginal money where we'd have a shot at keeping the bulk of our cap flexibility intact, these are the players I'd be prepared to talk to him about:

PG options
Kemba Walker. Either trade up a few slots to get him or take him at 17 if he slips. He's a longshot for us but top of the list if we can get him.
• Invite 6'3" Ben Hansbrough to training camp or grab him in the 2nd round. I like him better than Fredette. I personally thought Fredette was awful his last game against Florida, at least down the stretch of that game. Just because you hit one 30 footer Jimmer, doesn't mean you keep looking for it with the game on the line. Abysmal shot-selection in BYU's most important game of the year. He shot them right out of that game. Not only that, he came off selfish and displayed no PG skills down the stretch of that game whatsoever. Hansbrough's a much better get with better value much later in this draft. I think he's the better all-around player -- just as good a shooter, better athlete, with more PG tendencies.
• Immediately sign 6'3" Curtis Stinson of the Iowa Energy for training camp.
• Invite 6'1" Curtis Jerrells to training camp (very similar game to Brandon Jennings).
• Invite 6'1" Tyrese Rice to training camp. Another lefty PG similar to Jennings. Had a standout career at B.C. Signed a 1-yr deal to play in Germany last year (and played well there) but should be available now.
• Like another poster just brought up, I like Charles Jenkins too, I'm just not sure about him at 17. I like him better if I can get him lower.
• Acquire a mid 2nd rounder and target 6'3" Demetri McCamey (rich man's Chris Duhon/poor man's Chauncey Billups).
• Sign Patrick Mills if we can get him cheap.
• Invite 6'0" Sherron Collins to training camp. Cut by Charlotte, finished up the season playing in Lithuania. Should be available.
• Bring in 6'2" Pittsburgh guard Ashton Gibbs for a private workout and see if he can actually play the point. If he can, consider him with a deep 2nd round pick we acquire somehow. Kid can definitely shoot the ball. Might be a better alternative over Rautins; TD too maybe (esp. if either gets dealt). Probably goes back to school but if he stays in the draft, bring him in for a closer look.

Wings (looking for upgrades & insurance in case Shawne Williams & Bill Walker don't return and Landry Fields bolts in FA the following year a-la Wes Matthews Jr.)
• Draft 6'5" Marshon Brooks at 17. As if his stellar season wasn't enough proof, he's really starting to turn heads now in workouts. Just jumped up 30 slots in Chad Ford's top-100 list to 22. I've been talking about this kid as our 1st round pick ever since I saw him destroy Notre Dame for 52 points back in February. He'd be awesome firepower off the bench next year. I'd have no problem taking him at 17 and never looking back, even if we still didn't address size, rebounding and/or the PG position yet. That's how much I like this kid's NBA-ready talent.
• Sign 6'8" SF/PF DeShawn Sims.
• Sign 6'8" SF/PF Joe Alexander.
• Sign 6'5" SG Matt Bouldin.
• Acquire a high-mid 2nd rounder and target Florida's Chandler Parsons.
• Invite 6'6" SG Sylven Landesberg to training camp.
• Acquire 6'6" Ohio State sharpshooter Jon Diebler, either deep in the 2nd round or bring him to summer league/training camp if he goes undrafted.
• Invite 6'8" Notre Dame SF Tim Abromaitis to summer league/training camp. I'd like Donnie to come up with a lights out shooter for D'Antoni somewhere -- Diebler, Abromaitis, Ashton Gibbs maybe. I think Abromaitis is underrated. He one hell of an outside shooter, has more-than-adequate size for a SF & he can even put it on the floor and rebound a little bit. If we somehow knew about & liked Abromaitis and were looking to add this type of player (a wing that can really fill it up from the perimeter), I might just pass on going after a guy like Parsons who's rated higher and target this kid much lower or after the draft. This guy might be an even better player than Parsons, who I like btw, & right outta left field too. Bottom line is someone will take a chance on him and add him to their summer league roster and I betcha anything he impresses and turns some heads.
• Invite 6'6" SG AD Vassallo to training camp.

Bigs (in addition to 7' C Jerome Jordan)
• 6'10" Jordan Williams at 17.
Ken Faried at 17.
Tristan Thompson at 17.
Trey Thompkins at 17.
• Grab C Marcus Cousin in a nano-sec if Houston ever cuts him loose. Daryl Morey just signed him to a 3-yr deal a few weeks ago. Non-guaranteed though, so he may become available at some point. This guy was the best C in the DL this year imo.
• Sign Jeff Adrien if he doesn't return to GS. I wouldn't be as interested in drafting a guy like Faried at 17 if I knew I could grab this guy.
• Acquire a 2nd rounder and draft Nikola Vucevic. Good size at 6'10" 240+; nice offensive game that's pretty polished and he can rebound. Wouldn't surprise me if he went in the 1st round actually. Wouldn't surprise me if he turned out to be just as good a player as Jordan Williams in the NBA, a player some have rated higher at the moment, including me. Very good value late in this draft.
• Acquire a 2nd rounder and draft JaJuan Johnson.
• Acquire a 2nd rounder and draft Keith Benson. I like the upside but he needs more work than I first thought a few months ago. Tristan Thompson, a player a good 3-4" shorter, gave him a ton of problems on the block in their tournament matchup.
• Acquire a 2nd rounder and draft Rick Jackson.
• Sign Sean Williams.
• Sign Chris Johnson if he doesn't return to Portland.
• Sign FA C Dwayne Jones.
• Acquire a late 2nd rounder and draft 7'1" C Mike Tisdale or invite him to summer league/training camp if undrafted. Good shooting touch for a guy that big. Nice pick & pop option a-la Michael Doleac. Not a standout shot-blocker or rebounder but he's got a lot of size/length that could be put to use in these categories.
• Acquire a late 2nd rounder and draft 7' C Robert Sacre or invite him to summer league/training camp if undrafted. He's got size and he's a very underrated scorer down low, facing up & with his back to the basket. Even found a way to get to the line a ton this year (nearly 200 times). Like Tisdale, he's no standout shot-blocker (although quite decent actually at almost 2 blks/game two years in a row) or rebounder but he posesses the ability to contribute some in both areas.
Earl Barron most likely is one-and-done in Portland. Bring him back if all else fails.
• Sign 6'10" PF Jermareo Davidson.
• Sign C Courtney Sims. A bit of a plodder but he's got some skills, namely scoring 15' and in and rebounding. There are far worse options out there for backup 4/5 if we can't come up with anything else.
 
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KBlack25

Starter
How available will a lot of these guys be where we are picking in both rounds? I think it would be helpful to know.
 

finestrg

Rotation player
I think all of the draft prospects will be there at 17 except for Walker. But who knows man, maybe Walker slips...

The others we can go out right now and make arrangements to bring in. I think Marcus Cousin's currently property of the Rockets (details of his contract still haven't been released as of yet) and Jeff Adrien might still be under control of the Warriors---those two I'm not 100% sure about.

Also, I believe we no longer have our 2nd round pick -- I think it went to the Lakers in the Toney Douglas deal. We'll have to look into acquiring another 2nd rounder or two and deal ourselves back in for that additional pick.
 
We don't have our second round pick, I hope we pick Faried at 17. If he gets taken earlier (which I doubt he will) we should draft a pg. Maybe we can buy a second rounder and use that to draft Keith Benson?
 
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As long as we get Hansborough I dont care what happens. Like the OP said I think this kid is going to have a much better career than Ferdette. Guts and brains gets you a long way on the basketball court.

I'm thinking Kemba is a long shot. You might want to hope Utah gets the #1 selection tonight so that they can draft Irving. That may be the only way he drops to us.

This wont be poplar, but would you trade Fields to get up into the top 8-12? Come away with 2 picks in this draft. Then we're talking serious business.
 

Marek

Benchwarmer
I think the most likely best-case-scenario would be for Tobias Harris to drop to #17. He's gonna be a big time talent, and if we can have him be the 6th man backing up Melo or Amare, that would be some serious depth. I could even see Melo sliding over to the 2 sometimes to get all three on the court.

Doesn't fill a need at all, unless you consider depth a need (which I do). But drafting best available talent lets you get a trade chip, which can be parlayed into a need (like a C or PG). I got my fingers crossed for him.

I also like Biyombo if he drops (which he won't). Despite the lack of height, he's got crazy upside. And that's what the draft is all about these days...upside. *lamenting sigh*
 

finestrg

Rotation player
I'm really zeroing in on Marshon Brooks as my guy in the 1st round when we pick above anyone else, even Kemba Walker. The dude just looked like a pro player playing with/against a bunch of college kids ever time I saw him. If he's there at 17, he's a no-brainer without even reaching. I just pray he's even on the board at 17 for us to consider---his stock is already on the rise..I think he's the best SG in the draft, better than Alec Burks, and one of if not the most NBA-ready talents in the entire draft. This dude makes a major impact for whatever team picks him in year 1. So much more than just a great scorer--that's what I love about him. Dude rebounds and comes up with steals and blocks with his superior length and he can handle the ball real well too. The criticism that he doesn't share the ball is pure myth btw. Everytime I saw him play he was ready and willing to distribute the ball; his lousy teammates just couldn't do much with it when he surrendered it. As such the guy was basically a 1-man army that other teams had the luxury of focusing a majority of their defensive energy on, yet he still went out there and averaged almost 25 a game on over 48% from the field. This guy's for real! If we got him at 17 I'd be ecstatic. In my humble opinion he's surefire lottery talent, esp in this draft. Instant legit firepower 6th man off the bench that has a chance to take Fields' starting spot eventually, if Fields either doesn't improve upon his rookie season, is traded mid-season or signs an offer sheet at the end of the year that the Knicks chose not to match. As much as I love Fields, this kid's a better talent. I have to concede that.



 
I'm really zeroing in on Marshon Brooks as my guy in the 1st round when we pick above anyone else, even Kemba Walker. The dude just looked like a pro player playing with/against a bunch of college kids ever time I saw him. If he's there at 17, he's a no-brainer without even reaching. I just pray he's even on the board at 17 for us to consider---his stock is already on the rise..I think he's the best SG in the draft, better than Alec Burks, and one of if not the most NBA-ready talents in the entire draft. This dude makes a major impact for whatever team picks him in year 1. So much more than just a great scorer--that's what I love about him. Dude rebounds and comes up with steals and blocks with his superior length and he can handle the ball real well too. The criticism that he doesn't share the ball is pure myth btw. Everytime I saw him play he was ready and willing to distribute the ball; his lousy teammates just couldn't do much with it when he surrendered it. As such the guy was basically a 1-man army that other teams had the luxury of focusing a majority of their defensive energy on, yet he still went out there and averaged almost 25 a game on over 48% from the field. This guy's for real! If we got him at 17 I'd be ecstatic. In my humble opinion he's surefire lottery talent, esp in this draft. Instant legit firepower 6th man off the bench that has a chance to take Fields' starting spot eventually, if Fields either doesn't improve upon his rookie season, is traded mid-season or signs an offer sheet at the end of the year that the Knicks chose not to match. As much as I love Fields, this kid's a better talent. I have to concede that.
You seems to know a lot about the players in the draft, what do you think about Keith Benson? Is he a good defender? Will he be good center in the NBA? I also wonder of how good Kenneth Faried and Bismack Biyombo will do in the NBA.
 
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KBlack25

Starter
I would love to get Kenneth Faried...he would immediately help our biggest issue on the floor right now, a lack of urgency and ability to effectively rebound the ball.
 

Thugball

Benchwarmer
I'm hoping for Faried with 17 and buying a second and getting Hansbrough. Most mocks have us taking Faried, lets just hope they're right.
 

Marek

Benchwarmer
Suddenly, Ramon Sessions from Cleveland is a legit possibility.

What do the Cavs need Sessions for when they have two of the top 4 picks?
 

finestrg

Rotation player
I'm hoping for Faried with 17 and buying a second and getting Hansbrough. Most mocks have us taking Faried, lets just hope they're right.

That wouldn't be terrible at all, not by a longshot..I think most of us would sign up for that right now. How'd this be though:

- Marshon Brooks at 17
- Hansbrough in the 2nd round
- AND we add Jeff Adrien and Dwayne Jones on the cheap to address the rebounding issue & strengthen the frontline

I think I might prefer seeing something like that a little more. It's all relative --- if I knew I could secure the rebounding upgrade somewhere else, there wouldn't be as big a need for Faried at 17 I'm thinking. The more holes we can sure up the better. Come out of this addressing 3 areas of concern instead of just two..
 
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finestrg

Rotation player
You seems to know a lot about the players in the draft, what do you think about Keith Benson? Is he a good defender? Will he be good center in the NBA? I also wonder of how good Kenneth Faried and Bismack Biyombo will do in the NBA.

I saw Benson play a few times, the last was against Texas in the Tourney on 3/18. I gotta say, I really came away a little disappointed--I was a lot higher on him entering that game. I remember throughout he had so much trouble posting up Tristan Thompson down low. Thompson threw at least 2 or 3 shots right back in his face. Thompson made him look real small out there. The thing is Thompson only goes about 6'8" 225/230 max so we're talking a player 3-4" shorter and the same weight (it wasn't like TT was some PF with 20-30 lbs on him). Plus Thompson was only a freshman; Benson was a 4-yr player. Now my thing is, if he had this much trouble getting his offense off against Thompson in close, does that bode well for him in the NBA against even bigger/stronger guys? What will he be able to do against guys like Garnett for example? Against Elton Brand? Al Horford? If not much changes, I could even see a guy like Joel Anthony giving him problems..Refining/developing his post moves and adding strength are two major areas of concern. Benson finished with something like 15/11 & 3 that day and the final score was close but that doesn't really tell the whole story. If anyone saw that game they'll remember exactly what I'm talking about: Oakland really struggled against Texas much of the game, down big at one point, before making it close in the end. Benson wasn't much of a factor at all. Overall he can do some things, but he just doesn't play with enough energy and passion it seems. If he played like an animal and showed a killer instinct, he'd be a lottery pick. He doesn't play like that though. Still, guys that go almost 7' that can score (shoot well from 15-18' if slightly unorthodox, something he didn't show much at all in that game againt Texas--I remember 1 baseline jumpshot attempt that Thompson blocked), rebound and block a shot don't exactly grow on trees. He just needs a lot of work---even the things he does fairly well need to improve if he's to be a big factor at the next level.

Not trying to poo-poo Tristan Thompson here btw---this kid showed me a ton that game. I think he had 7 blks that afternoon, finishing with 17/10/7. I like him a lot -- plays hard, very tough, strong and very long (all those blocks against Benson weren't some fluke) ...A real no-nonsense type, maybe something similar to a young Buck Williams, probably better than that eventually. Combine Keith Benson's height/length and underdeveloped but very workable/intriguing skill-set with Tristan Thompson's toughness. Now that would really be something to see...
 
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finestrg

Rotation player
Just read that Ben Hansbrough will miss the Draft Combine in Chicago because of a badly bruised ankle he suffered last Saturday. That may hurt him as far as cracking the 1st round, but help us if we're looking at him in the 2nd round. Looks like the drill portion of the Combine will be televised May 19th and 20th around 10am both days (ESPN-U) just like it was last year. I'm pissed, I was looking forward to watching it today. LOL. Have to wait one more day..
 

finestrg

Rotation player
Just a little further on Keith Benson --- just ran through a replay of the Texas/Oakland game again just to be sure and to be fair, the Benson/Thompson matchup wasn't as one-sided as I first wrote (Benson actally strung together a few nice conversions early on in the 1st half), although TT still got the better of him. Thompson actually blocked Benson at least 5 times that game, more than the 2 or 3 that I remembered. One thing I noticed is that Benson actually uses his off-hand quite well, one more positive to add to his impressive array of skills, yet the main criticisms of his game still remain: the main thing for me is that he just looks too damn complacent out there at times. There were plenty of rebound and block opportunities where he was right there in the vicinity of the play but failed to engage and get involved. Thompson also beat him downcourt a few times for easy buckets. Stuff like that can't happen, not on the big stage when you're trying to show people you're a 1st round pick..And his deep arsenal on offense, while impressive, needs to be refined at the next level to the point where he can get his 1 or 2 go-to moves off against bigger/stronger players w/o much of a problem. Benson got him a few times throughout (and to be fair, his teammates could've done a better job of looking for him, although he could've done a better job of establishing position and demanding the ball himself) but Thompson challenged and blocked almost every type of shot Benson took -- up & under hook shots, baseline jumpers...Bottom line on Benson -- he's got some nice tools but he needs to get a lot stronger, add some weight to that frame, play harder, not take plays off, commit himself fully every min. he's on the court and learn how to not telegraph his offensive moves as much. I'd say he's about on the same level with Jerome Jordan right now. Jordan might be even further along than this guy.

Tell ya what, another off-the-radar player I really like is Oakland PF Will Hudson. 6'9" 230, great nose for the ball (solid rebounder) and very fluid and springy around the hoop with a real nice touch in close. He can really finish plays well at the rim. This guy won't get drafted but like a Tim Abromaitis, I could see some team adding him to their summer league squad and then Hudson turning some heads & making the most of it. He could wind up being a real solid surprise role player in the NBA for some club.
 
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STAT1

Starter
Bro, I really like Jordan Williams & Kenneth Faried as possible candidates for our 1st round pick. Another guy I'd seriously consider is Jajuan Johnson from Purdue. Nice post game on this kid & he has a sweet looking stroke from midrange out to college 3 pt range. It's not a stretch to think he could extend his range out to NBA 3 pt range. Dare I say this kid's got a little bit of Kevin Durant in his game? Plus he has solid shotblocking skills & doesn't shy away from playing D. Ideally a C would be ideal but this draft is not heavy on C's this season. I think this kid would be a terrific backup for STAT & Melo off the bench.



 
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