FanPost

An Assessment - part 4

If you have read the previous parts, then you know how this works. So if we jump straight into the lists without me commenting much, then hopefully we can get both the PF and the SF into this post.

Power Forwards - criteria = .93 or better Offensive ppp/ .88 Defensive ppp.

Arnett Moultrie 1.06/ .74 impressive rookie in limited action (542 minutes)

Jared Sullinger .96/ .74 should be know doubt about keeping him

David West .96/ .78 unrestricted free agent (doubtful Indiana let's him get away)

David Lee .96/ .80 regarded as a poor defender, yet here he is

Dirk Nowitzki 1.03/ .80

Brandon Bass .96/ .81 probably a surprise to some

Jeff Green .98/ .81

Shawn Marion .96/ .82 9.3M with an ETO but is 34 years old

Matt Bonner 1.15/ .83 3.9M non-guaranteed

Blake Griffin .99/ .83

Quincy Acy 1.06/ .84 only 342 minutes played

LeBron James 1.12/ .85

LaMarcus Aldridge .96/ .86

Thaddeus Young .99/ .86

Carmelo Anthony .99/ .87

Paul Millsap .96/ .87 unrestricted free agent

Serge Ibaka 1.06/ .88 with the hype about his shot blocking, you would think he would rank higher

Amir Johnson 1.01/ .88

Ivan Johnson .93/ .88 1.2M qualifying offer

Luis Scola .93/ .88

Jason Thompson .95/ .88

Top 100 - Moultrie 22 offensive rank/ 21 defensive rank, Nowitzki 33/ 69, Jeff Green 98/ 81

The one available that might be an upgrade is West. Danny had this one right, but West shunned us. Assuming the surgery solved his health issues, when Sullinger comes back we should be fine to stand pat at the four.

This is a good place to mention Chris Wilcox. In part 3, we looked at Centers and he did not make the cut because of his .88 defense. That is below average for a Center, but is just slightly above average for a Power Forward. I don't think the intention was ever for him to the backup to KG, rather an emergency fill in. Milicic leaving changed that. In his career, Wilcox has played about equal minutes at the four and the five, but he scores more and rebounds more at the four. This season, his 1.2 ppp on offense had him ranked as number one in the league. Considering this is a team struggling to score and his contract costs less that 900K, I think we can afford to give him another shot, but only as a backup at the four. With Rondo back, he should be able to get us a bunch of easy points at the basket, also something we lack.

And for the Small Forwards - criteria = .92 offense/ .87 defense

Richard Jefferson .95/ .69 only played 568 minutes - 11M player option

Trevor Ariza .93/ .76 7.7M player option

Jimmy Butler 1.03/ .77 second season, this kid is the real deal. Only player I would trade Bradley for.

James Jones .92/ .77 small sample alert! only 221 minutes

Kevin Durant 1.09/ .79

Paul Pierce .93/ .79 still producing at a high rate

Andre Kirilenko .99/ .81 10.2M player option

Jeff Green .98/ .81 fits both positions so he is listed twice

Steve Novak 1.18/ .82

Lance Thomas 1.01/ .82 884K non-guaranteed - played only 646 minutes - zero three point attempts

Kawhi Leonard 1.07/ .83

Tobias Harris .95/ .83 looking pretty good now that he is getting floor time

Vince Carter 1.02/ .84

Matt Barnes 1.02/ .84 unrestricted free agent - has been playing for veteran minimum

Kyle Korver 1.13/ .84 unrestricted free agent - three point threat

Metta World Peace .92/ .85 7.7M player option

Nicolas Batum .94/ .86

Martell Webster 1.06/ .87 unrestricted free agent (1.7M last year) plays SG also

Shane Battier 1.12/ .87

Gordon Hayward .97/ .87

Top 100 - Butler 33 offensive rank/ 38 defensive rank, Durant 16/ 59, Kirilenko 83/ 79, Novak 2/ 91, Thomas 55/ 91 and of course Jeff Green would fit in this group also.

Looking ahead, Small Forward is as important a position to concentrate on as getting a true Center. If Pierce stays it is likely only for his final contract year, so it would be good to bring in someone now to start getting them acclimated to the system. If Pierce goes, you need a backup for Green right away.

The gold standard here is Butler. 23 years old, can guard four positions and plays two, SF & SG. Plus he can shoot threes. Prying him away from Chicago would be nearly impossible because they know what they have got.

Korver will probably get about 6-8M on the FA market. Barnes is likely to re-sign in L.A. Webster might be the best bet here. I wish he played better defense, but he can play two positions and can score. He is decent from three point land and should fit chemistry wise with the Seattle connection (Bradley, Terry, Williams). Coming off a 1.7M payday, he should be a manageable contract for a team with little to spend.

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