In and Out: The Roster

[dnbman]

This is meant to be a tally of who is under contract and where they will likely play for us, not a potential trade thread. I'm using at HoopsHype.com just for the contract status, not the value. I'm also including Weaver, even though his contract isn't guaranteed.


PG: Felton, Augustine
SG: Richardson, Carroll
Combo: Weaver
SF: Wallace, Dudley, Morrison
PF: May, Davidson
C: Okafor*, Nazr, Ajinca

*Okafor obviously needs to be resigned, but all accounts seem to suggest it will happen, as not many teams can offer him much more than we can/want to.


Out:

PG: Boykins
SG: Anderson
PF: Harrington

???
PF/C: Hollins

[Are we missing anyone?]
Right now, our backcourt is pretty intriguing with a mixture of guys who provide different things. Some analysts said Weaver could be a serious baller for a second round pick. Hopefully that's the case. Unless we move Wallace, Richardson still plays SG, giving us more superior outside shooting.

Our front court still has all kinds of issues. Davidson looked like he could be a great baller, but is still raw. Brown could be a huge help for him to transfer his skills to a productive NBA game. May is what he is. Hopefully he gives us something.

And of course, we have to figure out if Okafor is really capable of playing the 4. From an offensive standpoint, he looks limited. However, with better spacing, he might show a little more range than some of us (including myself) believe he has. Nazr should be as blue collar as ever, providing a wide range, if unspectacular, set of skills. He should actually appreciate a Larry Brown coming in to make everyone more professional.

We have to find a quality 4 in case May doesn't play and Jamario isn't ready. We can probably accomplish that through the MLE, but that player will be a far cry from the Boozer/Brand/Jamison/Odom talk that has dominated our discussion of a useful PF. Obviously, we'd love picking up a top rate PF. However, I think we have enough fire power to do with simply a solid big who can hit a little from midrange and get rebounds. Ajinca could be that guy, but estimates of him range from raw Neanderthal to the second coming of KG. The fact that we might not see him for a season or two is even more alarming. I tend to agree with the folks who believe Brown and company would not have picked him to sit him in Europe for a couple of seasons. If anything, I'm guessing he plays some in the NBDL for a brief stint before joining the team closer to mid-season, somewhat like Wright or to a lesser extend Davidson.

All in all, I feel like we have some good pieces, but we're still not a very good playoff team without a considerable amount of individual change in people's games. Brown has his work cut out for him, especially by getting his two guys in the draft that aren't exactly what we need to take the next step NOW. In a few years these picks appear to be genius. But, what does that do for ticket holders and fans in the next year or so? Brown will definitely have the opportunity to cement his legacy here. However, he could just as easily finish his career remembered as a neurotic ideologue who couldn't figure things out in an evolving NBA.

[ohara831]

Augustin is our only pure PG. Put Ray with Weaver as a Combo Guard. But they all 3 can play some point.

[dnbman]

Augustin is our only pure PG. Put Ray with Weaver as a Combo Guard. But they all 3 can play some point.

I still don't think Augustine is any more of a pure point guard than Ray. In the last couple of days, Ray and Brown have both said he's playing point guard. Rather that's for this team or another team remains to be seen. However, Ray is not a combo guard; that's just how we've been using him to mediocre results.

[swetooth9]

I still don't think Augustine is any more of a pure point guard than Ray. In the last couple of days, Ray and Brown have both said he's playing point guard. Rather that's for this team or another team remains to be seen. However, Ray is not a combo guard; that's just how we've been using him to mediocre results.

MJ said that he thinks Ray is a combo guard, which is why we didn't draft Bayless...he thinks they're too similar

[dnbman]

MJ said that he thinks Ray is a combo guard, which is why we didn't draft Bayless...he thinks they're too similar

But he's not. He's not a good enough shooter right now to be a combo guard. I don't think he was a me first point guard until he was told to score here. And having a frustrating offense to work with last year didn't help things. Brown has said he will be point guard and will bust Felton's tail to make him play like one. I think it'll be win/win for both of those guys because Brown will have a system that will make sense with our personnel. Felton has already committed to working out at the rookie camp and is organizing another workout in July with Richardson and other players. You give Felton a system, and he'll be a good point guard. You have a chaotic mess with little ball movement and inconsistent rotation, and you'll have a guy who looks like errant shooting combo guard.

[Dead_Real]

MJ said that he thinks Ray is a combo guard, which is why we didn't draft Bayless...he thinks they're too similar
Bayless is a true combo hell I think his stock rose when he started playing the two the later part of his college season he just has that take over a game ability if Felts had a consistent stroke I would agree with him. I also think Bayless could have been the eventual replacement for J-Rich in the future.

[ALong13]

PG - Raymond Felton (DJ Augistin, Kyle Weaver)
SG- JRich (Matt Carroll, Weaver)
SF - Crash (Dudley, Morrison)
PF - Okafor (May, Dudley)
C - Nazr (Ajinca, Jermareo)

That's how I see it, it leaves us at 13, with two spots up for grabs...

[dav7z]

It looks good to me except im thinking Larry Brown is looking at Ajinca as a power foward.
If May can't or don't start i can easly see us giong big.
Felton , Rich, Wallace, Ajinca, OK50.
Ajinca can guard the wing with that hudge wing span , All so he can spread the defence with his jumper. He will present a match up problem almost ever night.

[dnbman]

It looks good to me except im thinking Larry Brown is looking at Ajinca as a power foward.
If May can't or don't start i can easly see us giong big.
Felton , Rich, Wallace, Ajinca, OK50.
Ajinca can guard the wing with that hudge wing span , All so he can spread the defence with his jumper. He will present a match up problem almost ever night.

several last night said he's not ready though. He may have looked good next to three other questionable NBA bigs in a workout, but he hasn't performed especially well in Europe. I'm not knocking him, but is he ready to give us significant minutes, let along starters minutes, yet?

[Mustachio]

PG - Ray, DJ, Weaver
SG - Jrich, MC, Weaver
SF - Crash, Dudley, Ammo
PF - Davidson, May, Ajinca
C - Okafor, Nazr, Ajinca

thats 13.
Gone: Hollins, Harrington, Anderson

we just got younger, deeper and better i think

and yes with this current lineup I do see Davidson starting at PF. and if he has improved at all in the offseason... i think we might be ok.

[Mustachio]

several last night said he's not ready though. He may have looked good next to three other questionable NBA bigs in a workout, but he hasn't performed especially well in Europe. I'm not knocking him, but is he ready to give us significant minutes, let along starters minutes, yet?


no way... wont start i wouldnt even imagine really.

But LB and MJ and Higgins say they want him here in the States and that coach wants to slowly bring him along through the season. but i do think he is an NBA PF right now. His offense is more PF i would say and his defense is questionable in the paint, but with that long reach and quickness i gotta think hes decent outside the paint. He will also have one hell of an in the paint defender behind him in Okafor if someone gets past.

so i dont think he will start but i do think he will contribute

[dnbman]

and yes with this current lineup I do see Davidson starting at PF. and if he has improved at all in the offseason... i think we might be ok.

I think he was terribly undercoached last year. He showed he could rebound and shoot from mid range. He just needs to put it all together and play under control. I definitely think he's a possible starter, but he does need to grow, mentally and physically. If he develops, we could actually be in great shape.

[dav7z]

several last night said he's not ready though. He may have looked good next to three other questionable NBA bigs in a workout, but he hasn't performed especially well in Europe. I'm not knocking him, but is he ready to give us significant minutes, let along starters minutes, yet?

Brown said in the interview he was going to get mins right off the bat. Im not saying hes starting right away but by mid season i think you might see that line up. A lot depends on what May does this year. If May don't go Nazz might start the first twenty games or so but OK50 or Nazz can guard away from the basket . Depending on how well May plays will determine if Ajinca starts or not.

[Mustachio]

Brown said in the interview he was going to get mins right off the bat. Im not saying hes starting right away but by mid season i think you might see that line up. A lot depends on what May does this year. If May don't go Nazz might start the first twenty games or so but OK50 or Nazz can guard away from the basket . Depending on how well May plays will determine if Ajinca starts or not.

Nah Dav, Im as high on Ajinca as its even possible. But i dont see him starting this year. he just started playing C or PF last year... so i think its a little demanding to think he may be starting this season. Not only is he adjusting to a new position, but he will have new teammates, new coaches, new house, new food, new country.... I mean he's gotta transition and I dont see it taking any less than a year. Not to mention beefing up(not a problem apparently) and getting into NBA shape. My hope for this year is to see him contribute about as much as Davidson did last year.

I hope you are right though.

[MattD]

I still don't think Augustine is any more of a pure point guard than Ray. In the last couple of days, Ray and Brown have both said he's playing point guard. Rather that's for this team or another team remains to be seen. However, Ray is not a combo guard; that's just how we've been using him to mediocre results.

I am sorry but I'm tired of hearing this same old bullshit. This is the NBA, if ray was good enough to be a starting pg and like many of you said a "top 5 pg" in the leauge. He would have proved it by now. I've gone to most every home game and watched almost every away game for the past 2 years. I can see he cannot run an offense very well. I can see his poor decision making and his forcing of a leadership role has a unique skill set, but he has gotten a chance, and obviously didn't impress enough to warrant the full time starting job.

As much as I think Sam vincent was a terrible NBA coach, he was on a relative scale. I would bet he knows more about basketball then most anyone on this website.

[dnbman]

I am sorry but I'm tired of hearing this same old bullshit. This is the NBA, if ray was good enough to be a starting pg and like many of you said a "top 5 pg" in the leauge. He would have proved it by now. I've gone to most every home game and watched almost every away game for the past 2 years. I can see he cannot run an offense very well. I can see his poor decision making and his forcing of a leadership role has a unique skill set, but he has gotten a chance, and obviously didn't impress enough to warrant the full time starting job.

As much as I think Sam vincent was a terrible NBA coach, he was on a relative scale. I would bet he knows more about basketball then most anyone on this website.

Sam Vincent probably does know a lot more about us about basketball. However, if you watched all of those games you saw a team where every player looked fairly lost on both ends of the court, leading most of our good plays to be 1 on 1 ISOs or Felton running the pick and roll. Our team didn't have much of a plan and there was little movement.

We heard the "same old bullshit" for the last two years as Raymond's detractors compared him to Marbury because he was asked to score more than Knight, who ran a nice offense, but nothing that especially was impressive. Perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle-- that Ray is a good, if slightly limited pg, as the VAST majority of pgs in the league are-- and will finally get a chance to shine with a good coach who can get the most out of his players and run a dynamic system.

A point guard is greatly affected by the system he's in and a system is greatly affected by the point guard. Again, Felton was a pass first point guard before he came to this team. I think given a good system, he'll be a pass first point guard again.

[dav7z]

Mustashio i hope im right and you miss this one. I feel hes a lot closer than any one thinks [It takes a lot to blow away Larry Brown like this kid has] Hes going to be in the rotation from the start depending how well he does will determine when or if he starts .
I am comvinced Larry Brown sees him as a power foward and nor a center.
He automaticly helps on the defencive side of the ball. And with his size along hes going to inprove our rebounding. He will all so be great at weak side help with his size and jumping ability to block shots.
If May don't or can't go it's no way Davidson can provide that on just the defencive side of the ball.

[WarioVsMooChicken]

Meh, I hope we keep Hollins. Then lets give the last roster spot to someone from the D-League or summer training camp.

[dav7z]

I am sorry but I'm tired of hearing this same old bullshit. This is the NBA, if ray was good enough to be a starting pg and like many of you said a "top 5 pg" in the leauge. He would have proved it by now. I've gone to most every home game and watched almost every away game for the past 2 years. I can see he cannot run an offense very well. I can see his poor decision making and his forcing of a leadership role has a unique skill set, but he has gotten a chance, and obviously didn't impress enough to warrant the full time starting job.

As much as I think Sam vincent was a terrible NBA coach, he was on a relative scale. I would bet he knows more about basketball then most anyone on this website.

Ray may not be the best point guard in the the league but his numbers last year was in the upper half as far as point guards go.
Drafting a B.K clone don't mean nothing . Even the so called experts don't see D.J as more than a carer back up. I hope they work toghter Felts starting and D.J backing him up instead of that going small bullshit like BK anf Felton did.

[TheBeagle]

I am sorry but I'm tired of hearing this same old bullshit. This is the NBA, if ray was good enough to be a starting pg and like many of you said a "top 5 pg" in the leauge. He would have proved it by now. I've gone to most every home game and watched almost every away game for the past 2 years. I can see he cannot run an offense very well. I can see his poor decision making and his forcing of a leadership role has a unique skill set, but he has gotten a chance, and obviously didn't impress enough to warrant the full time starting job.

As much as I think Sam vincent was a terrible NBA coach, he was on a relative scale. I would bet he knows more about basketball then most anyone on this website.
Wow, Matt; you are so bitter. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear Raymond snubbed you for an autograph. Raymond isn't an All Star by any means, but he is among the upper half of all starting PGs in the league by most any analyst's observation. Yes, he has his brain farts now and then, but what PG doesn't? He's been jerked around six ways to Sunday since he's been in the league, and only when McInnis was cut did he get a chance to play PG fulltime, though Vincent still paired him with Boykins at times, and sometimes it actually worked.

Raymond is a PG, who can play during stretches at the 2. He isn't "pure" PG and he isn't a "combo" guard, but that doesn't mean he can't play, and it definitely doesn't mean he won't be our starting PG next season. Raymond Felton as starting PG = more wins than Smurf as starting PG, therefore, Raymond Felton is our starting PG!

[swetooth9]

I agree that barring anything major, like a trade or something, DJ will be felton's backup with Felton playing primarily as the Point guard. DJ is a better shooter than BK was, so we won't be as offensively limited with him on the floor.

Also, Davidson and Hollins. Which is which? Who is better? I keep confusing the two.

[Mustachio]

I agree that barring anything major, like a trade or something, DJ will be felton's backup with Felton playing primarily as the Point guard. DJ is a better shooter than BK was, so we won't be as offensively limited with him on the floor.

Also, Davidson and Hollins. Which is which? Who is better? I keep confusing the two.


Davidson is the tall skinny one.

[Wallace15]

Without any trades or FA pick-ups I'd say that our roster will look a little something like this.

PG-Felton, Augustine, Weaver
SG-Richardson, Carroll, Weaver
SF-Wallace, Dudley, Morrison
PF-May, Ajinca, Davidson
C-Okafor, Mohammad, Ajinca

I do agree with dav7z about Ajinca. I believe he is a lot closer to contributing or starting then most seem to think. If he wasn't, then LB wouldn't have snatched another pick just to get him. Also, if May can actually get healthy this season then I think he'll be a key player for us next year.

[davcbow]

Mustashio i hope im right and you miss this one. I feel hes a lot closer than any one thinks [It takes a lot to blow away Larry Brown like this kid has] Hes going to be in the rotation from the start depending how well he does will determine when or if he starts .
I am comvinced Larry Brown sees him as a power foward and nor a center.
He automaticly helps on the defencive side of the ball. And with his size along hes going to inprove our rebounding. He will all so be great at weak side help with his size and jumping ability to block shots.
If May don't or can't go it's no way Davidson can provide that on just the defencive side of the ball.

How did he do in his other workouts with the other teams would be my question, he looked great at our workout but how did he do in the other workouts....:cool:

[timang]

Rufus Out, Smurf In

[DirtyU11]

Would anyone want Livingston from the clippers to be a back up 1 and 2. He is an UFA now that the clippers didnt offer him a qualifying offer. He is 6-7 and might be able to help us. His knee injury scares me and he would probably want too much money to come here, just a thought.

[CMc$]

If livingston was a Bobcat you could just call us "that team with various leg problems".

[dav7z]

How did he do in his other workouts with the other teams would be my question, he looked great at our workout but how did he do in the other workouts....:cool:

From what i have read he was climbing quickly up the draft boards. On draft day it was rumors of him going as high as thirteen . I all saw hrerd Brown say he was wanting Jordan to take him at nine so he was sure he got his man . That tells me he has much bigger expections for him than Augistine. Taking Augustine left Lopez on the board for another big to get drafted making chances better we land Alexis, Rumor has it Jordon wanted Lopez hear and Alexis at 20. But didn't want to take a bigger chance Alexis would be gone.
IF you go back and read about most of his work outs he did quite well.
Personally i think Alexas beating down Jordan constantly killed Jordans stock.

[GoBobs]

I think we need to save one roster spot for the possibility that sombody does extremly well in summer leauge.

I think AA will probably contribute from the get go. I don't think he is an every day starter but can average mabye 15 min a game depending on matchups. I wouldn't have any problem throwing him out there on a guy like Yi who is probably not used to playing sombody bigger and longer.

I really also hope we can get more out of Hollins this year then last year. When the guy goes down to the D leauge he averages a double double I don't think Jordan is happy Vincent couldn't get any production out of him.

I can't wait to see the summer leauge team run with Hollins and AA that should be fun.

[davcbow]

I think we need to save one roster spot for the possibility that sombody does extremly well in summer leauge.

I think AA will probably contribute from the get go. I don't think he is an every day starter but can average mabye 15 min a game depending on matchups. I wouldn't have any problem throwing him out there on a guy like Yi who is probably not used to playing sombody bigger and longer.

I really also hope we can get more out of Hollins this year then last year. When the guy goes down to the D leauge he averages a double double I don't think Jordan is happy Vincent couldn't get any production out of him.

I can't wait to see the summer leauge team run with Hollins and AA that should be fun.

I cant wait, when does summer league start? and where is it this year?:biggrin: