Minnesota Sports Forum

lipoli390 wrote:If I were to sign 3 FAs to fill out the last 3 spots on our roster, I'd sign the following:

1. Courtney Lee. I see him as our SG for the second unit next to Dunn. He would add much-needed 3-point shooting. Although not great from behind the arc, he's good. He's a good 3-point. He's also a good ball-handler and not a bad defender either. He's still in the prime of his career. He shouldn't cost too much to sign.

2. Cole Aldrich -- Would be a nice addition to our front court depth. He's never gotten a lot of minutes, but his per-minute rebound and block numbers are excellent. He's also a decent defender and a good passer. A smart player who I think would flourish under Thibs. He's still relatively young, around 28 years old. Shouldn't cost too much to sign. Might even get a bit of a home-town discount.

3. Steve Novak or Rudez. Novak are great three-point shooters. Novak can't do anything except shoot threes. Not sure Rudez can even do the three-point thing. But he was billed as a 3-point shooter.

If we could get Pek, KG or Payne off the roster then I'd sign that D-League guy we've already invited to Summer League.

Mr. Brightside wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:If I were to sign 3 FAs to fill out the last 3 spots on our roster, I'd sign the following:

1. Courtney Lee. I see him as our SG for the second unit next to Dunn. He would add much-needed 3-point shooting. Although not great from behind the arc, he's good. He's a good 3-point. He's also a good ball-handler and not a bad defender either. He's still in the prime of his career. He shouldn't cost too much to sign.

2. Cole Aldrich -- Would be a nice addition to our front court depth. He's never gotten a lot of minutes, but his per-minute rebound and block numbers are excellent. He's also a decent defender and a good passer. A smart player who I think would flourish under Thibs. He's still relatively young, around 28 years old. Shouldn't cost too much to sign. Might even get a bit of a home-town discount.

3. Steve Novak or Rudez. Novak are great three-point shooters. Novak can't do anything except shoot threes. Not sure Rudez can even do the three-point thing. But he was billed as a 3-point shooter.

If we could get Pek, KG or Payne off the roster then I'd sign that D-League guy we've already invited to Summer League.

I would love a Courtney Lee signing but we need something better than Cole freaking Aldrich. There's a reason he hasn't gotten substantial minutes on good teams. We really want another Lou Amundson?

Give me Jordan Hill or Ian Mahinmi.

bleedspeed177 wrote:Readings this it sounds like Tony Snell's days are numbered in Chicago. I wonder if Thibs would like to add him for wing depth. I would take him over Lee at this point.

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bulls/post/_/id/23313/valentine-may-crack-rotation-quickly-as-bulls-rebuild-roster

SameOldNudityDrew wrote:Lip, those seem like pretty conservative signings. I imagine in part you're trying to save cap space.

Ideally, if the price is right, I'd try to grab two of the guys below, or at least one really good one and a more affordable FA. The two FAs should combine to fill our needs including defense, 3 point shooting, passing, efficient scoring, athleticism, and youth.

I think the group of forwards in particular is really good--Barnes (R), Deng, Batum, Marvin Williams, Dudley--I'd try to get one of those guys to start, unless Thibs thought we could get Horford.


Bigs: Horford, P. Gasol, Noah, Mahinmi, Ezeli (R), Biyombo, Zaza, Aldrich

Forwards: Barnes (R)*, Deng, Batum, Marvin Williams, Dudley

Wings: Bazemore**, Courtney Lee


*I think Barnes would be the ideal guy to get, but the only way we'd get him is if Durant chose Golden State, and if that's the case, just think of how impossible it would be to get out of the West for the next few years. If Durant goes to the Warriors, I'd definitely try to get Barnes (either because they can't match salaries after signing Durant, or through a sign-n-trade).


**I was just about to post how I would go for Bazemore before Courtney Lee when I read this: "Kent Bazemore: I am a free agent again this summer and would love to stay in Atlanta. The one thing I have learned throughout this journey is how important balance is. The game takes up a huge amount of your time, and those moments you step away from it, you want to be happy. I have grown so much in Atlanta, not only as a player but as a person, too. I am recently engaged to the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Something tells me he's not leaving Atlanta.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

SameOldNudityDrew wrote:Lip, those seem like pretty conservative signings. I imagine in part you're trying to save cap space.

Ideally, if the price is right, I'd try to grab two of the guys below, or at least one really good one and a more affordable FA. The two FAs should combine to fill our needs including defense, 3 point shooting, passing, efficient scoring, athleticism, and youth.

I think the group of forwards in particular is really good--Barnes (R), Deng, Batum, Marvin Williams, Dudley--I'd try to get one of those guys to start, unless Thibs thought we could get Horford.


Bigs: Horford, P. Gasol, Noah, Mahinmi, Ezeli (R), Biyombo, Zaza, Aldrich

Forwards: Barnes (R)*, Deng, Batum, Marvin Williams, Dudley

Wings: Bazemore**, Courtney Lee


*I think Barnes would be the ideal guy to get, but the only way we'd get him is if Durant chose Golden State, and if that's the case, just think of how impossible it would be to get out of the West for the next few years. If Durant goes to the Warriors, I'd definitely try to get Barnes (either because they can't match salaries after signing Durant, or through a sign-n-trade).


**I was just about to post how I would go for Bazemore before Courtney Lee when I read this: "Kent Bazemore: I am a free agent again this summer and would love to stay in Atlanta. The one thing I have learned throughout this journey is how important balance is. The game takes up a huge amount of your time, and those moments you step away from it, you want to be happy. I have grown so much in Atlanta, not only as a player but as a person, too. I am recently engaged to the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Something tells me he's not leaving Atlanta.

And he seems like a really well grounded young man. The kind of guy you would love to have to go along with this talent.

longstrangetrip wrote:

Mr. Brightside wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:If I were to sign 3 FAs to fill out the last 3 spots on our roster, I'd sign the following:

1. Courtney Lee. I see him as our SG for the second unit next to Dunn. He would add much-needed 3-point shooting. Although not great from behind the arc, he's good. He's a good 3-point. He's also a good ball-handler and not a bad defender either. He's still in the prime of his career. He shouldn't cost too much to sign.

2. Cole Aldrich -- Would be a nice addition to our front court depth. He's never gotten a lot of minutes, but his per-minute rebound and block numbers are excellent. He's also a decent defender and a good passer. A smart player who I think would flourish under Thibs. He's still relatively young, around 28 years old. Shouldn't cost too much to sign. Might even get a bit of a home-town discount.

3. Steve Novak or Rudez. Novak are great three-point shooters. Novak can't do anything except shoot threes. Not sure Rudez can even do the three-point thing. But he was billed as a 3-point shooter.

If we could get Pek, KG or Payne off the roster then I'd sign that D-League guy we've already invited to Summer League.

I would love a Courtney Lee signing but we need something better than Cole freaking Aldrich. There's a reason he hasn't gotten substantial minutes on good teams. We really want another Lou Amundson?

Give me Jordan Hill or Ian Mahinmi.

You've said a couple times that Aldrich hasn't gotten significant minutes with good teams, but just last season he played 13.3 MPG for the Clippers...certainly a better team than the Wolves. We're not looking for any more minutes than that from a guy backing up KAT.

I like Mahinmi and Hill too, but we aren't going to be able to afford Mahinmi if we want to also sign a more impactful free agent, and frankly, Aldrich had a better season than both of them last year. Take a look at comparative stats for the three of them.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=2016&p1=aldrico01&y2=2016&p2=mahinia01&y3=2016&p3=hilljo01&p4=&p5=&p6=

Here are the measures by which Aldrich was superior last year: FG%, FT%, rebounds per 36, assists per 36, steals per 36, blocks per 36, PER, win shares per 48, and defensive rating. Aldrich compared unfavorably to the other two in fouling rate, but I don't see that as a big drawback in a back-up shot-blocking center. I especially like Cole's 3.1 blocked shots per 36 minutes, more than double the others.

Despite the statistical superiority, Aldrich will be much cheaper than Mahinmi and even likely cheaper than Hill, because he is perceived as a career backup...i.e. exactly what we are looking for! Cole likely still has family and friends here, so joining his home town team might be a bonus. I'll take the center with the better stats and the lower price tag.