My Kingdom for a Four?

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Published: October 8, 2010

 

Now is the Winter of Our Discontent Made Glorious?

Looking back over the recent NOLA stint, which is about to become the second longest stable period in terms of location in franchise history at a whopping 3 seasons and 1 game, we’ve seen quite a few incarnations of this team. There have been come constants (CP, D) and some changes (Bobby Jackson, Tyson, Emeka).

One constant had been that our bench was closer to 3rd-best-group-of-5 than a 2nd-best-group-of-5 when looking at the best in the NBA. We’ve had bright spots, but as a whole we’ve yet to have a decent big man on the bench. If you are stocked up on anti-depressants, try figuring out who the best backup big we’ve had is. Ely? Bowen? Hilton did have that one game in Denver. Marks was likable. Step back in from the ledge . . .

Pick on Pargo and Mo all you want, and their shortcomings are well-documented, but we’ve been able to get something from the guards and the 3. Posey had his day. Rasual. Even Devin. Yes. Devin Brown. Daniels handed Chris and a not-larger-deficit or larger-lead compared to when Chris handed him the Paul on a few occasions. The ceiling on our backup bigs has been below the typical Devin Brown night as far as I can tell.

 

Since Every Jack Became a Gentleman, There’s Many a Gentle Person Made a Jack?

Now, however, we finally have a brand new crop of bigs, and with upon them hinges our real hope for hope. One of these dudes needs to work out, in my mind, for us to really be viewed as a team complete enough to really compete in the playoffs.

The odd are that one of these jokers has to work out, right? Gray, Alexander, Smith, Pops, Watkins. Figuring Watkins draws the short straw, we have a group of veritable last-chances. Gray, last-chance or not, is in the league for 2 years unless the CBA says otherwise, so work out or not, he’s probably staying (who’d take him if he didn’t unless it was in the Peja deal), so we really need to get value from him. At least he’s cheap, especially by the foot. Same for Smith, but he’s on a 1 year deal for $2, double Gray’s salary, and could be moved more easily.

That leaves Alexander and Pops as our wild cards, both at the 4. Poor D West. It’s been noted that the Songaila-Brackins trade may have traded uncertainty at the 1 for uncertainly at the 4, and, relative merits aside, this is qualitatively true. Hopefully Willie-at-the-1 is better than Songaila-at-the-4 and that Smith develops now and not later or never, which is the fear. But poor D West. Without a trade, our playoff hopes, real hopes of advancing, lie in these two unknowns. Yeah?

 

Off with His Head?

That being said, I’m looking for that Peja trade to target a 4 or 4/5 Duncan-light-to-skim type, provided it’s not used on Carmelo, maybe with a player or two, and cap relief (I’d rather a 4 and some guys to try in place of our camp guys who don’t pan out come January). Emeka is here for the next couple of years, so going after a 4 makes more sense with D potentially walking.

It’s also possible to see D West shipped out for a longer term 4, yeah? Depending on if they get a sense if he’s resign or not and how he plays under the new regime. He has a player option next year, but couldn’t they have offered him an extension already? Like Denver and Carmelo? But they didn’t.

A Peja and D package is looking more realistic to me. Get back a 3 and a 4 with a couple years on the contracts?

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