re: Official Pelicans Free Agency Thread(Updated with transactions)

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if we go into the season with Southerland as our starter

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We'll have some veteran like Jefferson or Sefolosha IMO.

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then this offseason has been a failure, IMO

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I couldn't disagree more. Asik is a huge get and he's made moving Gordon irrelevant rather than something Demps job depended on.

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While I love Asik on this team, SF has always been a bigger hole than Center on this team.

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I agree that SF is the bigger hole, but the current distribution of salary not considering Gordon says we're looking at an MLE level SF. You just can't have $10+ million across the starting 5. Whether we get an MLE level SF this year or next year doesn't matter. I wonder if Demps had to make a deal with Benson, he'll pay Asik's $7 million balloon payment but we can't use the MLE this year.

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SF has always been a bigger hole than Center on this team

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True. If it was spend money this summer on C or SF, I would have said SF because I didn't expect a guy a defensive stopper like Asik to be realistic. Even if they had pulled off a Monroe deal, I still would have said a good 2 way SF is needed. Asik changes that alchemy. He is elite at anchoring a defense.

A guy that can shoot 3s and play within the system v SFs is good enough. Space for Mike Dunleavy in a Chicago salary dump would be a home run. Miller or Hamilton types on minimums are serviceable until the salary logjam in the backcourt is figured out. They're still going to try to play the 3 headed guard monster each about 30MPG. Not too much time for any SF. Once they move a guard, then you see about a legitimate SF.

We just saw PHX ride PJ Tucker, Marcus Morris, and Gerald Green at SF to 48 wins out of nowhere. Can't have studs at every spot. It's on the coaching staff and players to figure out how to squeeze the most out of every guy on the roster.

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Tucker or Green would be a massive upgrade to what we've been rolling out at the SF for the last few years.

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But that's the point. I imagine no one in Phoenix was fired up about Tucker, Green, Morris manning that spot. System matters. Alchemy matters.

Saw this...


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Brett Poirier NBA @BrettNBA · 18h

Bosh wants a five-year deal worth between $80M and $90M. Wade is looking for $55M-$60M over four years, reports @Chris_Broussard.

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Don't know if anyone has posted this yet, but I figured I'd post it.

7 best value deals in free agency
(It's an Insider Link FYI)

In summary:
1. Aminu

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2013-14 Team: New Orleans Pelicans
2013-14 Salary: $3.7 million
Suggested AAV: $2.0 million/year, 3 years,
nonguarantee on third year
Aminu had an under-the-radar season playing in New Orleans, but he showed marked signs of improvement this year, playing on a one-year deal after he originally had the fourth-year option of his rookie scale contract declined. While he hasn't fulfilled the promise that so many had for him out of Wake Forest as a versatile wing, he has carved out something of a niche as an athletic, defensive combo forward. His length and quickness allow him to act as a disruption in pick and roll coverage, and his size helps him in defending some of the bigger face-up players in the league. Best of all, he's a high-level defensive rebounder, which can give a team some lineup flexibility. His perimeter shot is abysmal, but that's part of why he comes for cheap.

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2. Gustavo Ayon
3. Leandro Barbosa
4. Emeka Okafor
5. Brandon Rush
6. Jason Smiht

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2013-14 Team: New Orleans Pelicans
2013-14 Salary: $2.5 million
Suggested AAV: $2.8 million/year, 3 years,
partial guarantee on third year
Smith is an example of how an evolving game changes how we define players. Ten years ago, Smith would be recognized as an excellent jump-shooting big. Because of the evolution of the stretch big and the added importance to the 3-pointer, Smith probably doesn't make most top 25 lists of jump-shooting bigs. He's only taken just 13 3-point attempts in the last three seasons (connecting on only one), but he's shot 241-of-504 (48 percent) on long 2-point attempts (16 feet or greater), a phenomenal percentage. With a little player development, there's no reason to believe he can't extend his range to at least corner 3-point range, which greatly improves the kind of space he can create on the floor. For that reason alone, he's worth the investment at bargain-basement pricing in the hopes he can turn into something more valuable, as we've seen recently that shooting is going at a premium.

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7. Ekpe Udoh

Aminu, Ayon, Oak, Jason Smith...

We have, or had, 4 of these guys at one time and would have gotten Rush if the league hadn't owned the team and caused the deal to go past the trade deadline.

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Alchemy matters.

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Who said anything about making gold? If we can make our own gold, screw a salary cap

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We may not find out we aren't doing anything else until Monday.

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My money is on Lala leaning hard on Melo to remain in NYC.

Ms. Honey Nut Cheerios is apparently very happy there and doesn't want to leave.

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Sefolosha to Atlanta - 3yr $12mil

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Someone take Eric