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July 01, 2008
Bobcats interested in Diop?
I've heard from several sources the Bobcats are more active than in the past, exploring free-agent opportunities. One possibility: Former Nets center DeSagana Diop. Don't know how serious their interest is in Diop, but certainly another big man "at an affordable price" is worth considering.
Posted by Observer Sports on July 1, 2008 at 11:00 PM | Permalink
Comments
Diop would be a great move IF we don't spend any more than we were paying Harington. That might be really do-able, I don't know the market for Diop, but if he were offered more than $2.5 million I would be surprised. If we could sign him for two years, he would be a great player to backup Okafor and would give us some rim-defense if and when Okafor were to leave via free-agency.
What I'm worried about is that the Bobcats still don't really have a 4 or 5 that is suited to cover more perimeter oriented bigs (M. Okur, R. Wallace, A. Bargnani, etc). Maybe they're hoping to get some of that out of A. Ajinca. I think that would be the best case scenario.
Posted by: BustaCat | Jul 1, 2008 11:19:30 PM
Great, can you imagine Oak and Diop on the floor at the same time? Scarecrows would catch more post entry passes and loose balls than those two. Other than that, solid pickup.
Posted by: BroD | Jul 1, 2008 11:47:11 PM
I played blackjack beside Diop at Palm in Vegas last year. Diop may need more than 2 million if he plays like he was that day. He was playing between 2-5K per hand. He was funny as hell getting mad at some summer league guys betting 25 a hand messing up and hitting on 16s.
I do like Diop and he's still young but I would rather have a power forward who can guard the guys Bustacat listed. Diop is too much like Nazr.
Posted by: Diopistheman | Jul 2, 2008 12:09:57 AM
Diop's value's probably going to be inflated because of the dearth of true centers in the market and the fact that Cuban really wants him back. There's no way we get him for the same price as Harrington.
I agree that our biggest need is a 4 that can defend out on the perimeter.
Posted by: Jared | Jul 2, 2008 8:02:00 AM
I've heard that Dallas might be using the MLE on him which would be in the $6MM range. However, they might decide to act more fiscally prudent, either way I think he gets at least $4MM and will be going for the MLE.
Posted by: Mason | Jul 2, 2008 8:40:25 AM
Diop is a good pick to help with rebounds and is a good defender at a reasonable price.
BUT, I agree w/Jared & BustaCats that we don't have an athleticn 4-5 that can guard those perimeter oriented big guys or that can shoot a consistent 15-17 footer and spread the floor.
That being said, I beleive we should consider James Jones, former Portland PF. He will cost a little more than Diop but Nazr & Diop are pretty much alike. Jones would fulfill two needs. Here is why:
1.) 8ppg-3rpg-44%FG-44%3P-88%FT-20mpg is very helpfull. He is a great shooter, better than Hermann and a lot more athletic.
2.) He can guard this athletic PF like J.Smith, R.Lewis, D.West, L.Odom, etc. And he's a big that can make Free Throws (IMPORTANT in this team).
3.) He's a great shooter that will spread the floor and open the perimeter so: Okafor, Felton and Wallace can play more 1 on 1 close to the basket and be more effective and STOP settling for those jump shots that killed us last season. Plus Richardson and Carrol will not get double and will have more open shots.
4.) Nazr can do Diops job maybe better; after all he has been a consistent 10ppg & 8rpg (per 20+mpg)during his career. With the new coach and a full season in the Bobcats system he could be a 12ppg-10rpg in 25mpg. Plus he still 30 yrs. that's young enough to complete the 2 yrs left in his contract sucessfully.
Posted by: RobC | Jul 2, 2008 8:40:30 AM
Does anyone know how many roster spots the Bobcats have available? It seems like the team has more than 15 players. I think 12 can be on the active roster. They may have to send Davidson and Weaver to the D-League or place someone on the injured reserve list.
Posted by: Token | Jul 2, 2008 8:47:40 AM
We also need a 3rd PG. Telfair is one of the best fit after Duhon, but they're both too expensive for a 3rd backup. The best way here is to go with Tyronn Lue or Damon Stoudamire.
Both are veterans over 10 yrs. that will agree to an affordable deal (1yr/$500K) and to be a 3rd backup since they have nothing better in the market. Plus they know they will get more playing time in the Bobcats than anywhere else.
I will prefer Damon Stoudamire, he has more experience he was an All Star and has a lot to teach Felton and Augustine, plus he have better stats and he is only 34. He can play 1 more year as 3rd PG very easy.
Posted by: RobC | Jul 2, 2008 9:00:32 AM
The Bobcats currently have 14 players:
1.Felton
2.Augustine
3.Richardson
4.Carroll
5.Morrison
6.Weaver
7.Wallace
8.Dudley
9.May
10.Davidson
11.Okafor
12.Mohamed
13.Hollins
14.Ajinca
If they get 1 more Big Guy and 1 more PG, they will have to send somebody (1 guy) to the D-League (Davidson, Ajinca or Weaver). The roster can have up to 15 players with 12 active players each night.
Posted by: RobC | Jul 2, 2008 9:09:09 AM
Can we send May to the D-league?
Posted by: apauldds | Jul 2, 2008 9:22:41 AM
Interesting that we have 4 centers, 2 of which are the same guy:
Ajinca=Hollins-conversational English
Posted by: apauldds | Jul 2, 2008 9:26:35 AM
I think we need to stop comparing Ajinca to Hollins. True, they are both lanky 7 footers, but from what it appears, Ajinca has more skill than Hollins. Hollins is in the league simply because he is tall w/ freakish athleticism. At times, it appears he has no skills whatsoever and is just out there jumping around. Sometimes you would think the guy has never even played basketball. Give Ajinca a chance before we compare him to Hollins.
Posted by: Bobcat Matt | Jul 2, 2008 9:46:30 AM
Alexis will not be in uniform opening night. I am not saying he won't pan out down the road, but this wasn't - I hope, given his stats in France - a pick to help now. He will be in a suit, at best, particpating in practice. The Bobcats need NBA ready players, Diop included.
Posted by: HJ | Jul 2, 2008 10:04:40 AM
scary trend forming with the draft and free agency for the bobcats. i believe every team needs balance on offense and defense and no matter how good you are at one if your roster is made up of defensive standouts and no offense you are doomed to fail at the most important time. boston played great defense all year, but never forgot to get shooters the ball like pierce and allen. garnett would get his points because he is a great player, but the point is that they REMEMBERED every game somebody has to score consistantly. with the draft we have playmaker(augustin) first offense second on this team. defense and boards first (ajinca) and maybe no scoring at all. then the free agents mentions so far(diop, turiaf, najarea, duhon) are all team players who play well but would not score much. i know richardson is our go to scorer and wallace will get his points, but the other "so-far" starters are not consistant scorers enough to leave those two as you standouts. fingers crossed morrison has a breakout year, and maybe MJLB is counting on just that, but points need to be just as important as defense. look to the reily-led knick teams of the early 90's. it only goes so far. then the other end of the spectrum would be the nash-led suns of recent. as long as we hear about some scorers mentioned as pick ups then i would feel better about the brown influence.
Posted by: brendan | Jul 2, 2008 10:10:14 AM
Diop would be a great sign. He's a big man who can add some toughness. I've always been a fan of Diop even though he's another offensively challenged player.
Dikembe Mutombo v2.0!
Posted by: Grant | Jul 2, 2008 10:25:42 AM
I kinda wish we could do a sign and trade for Maggette, Wallace for Maggette straight up. He and Richardson would be dyanmic on the wings and open up the floor for Felton and Augustin. Wouldn't solve the need for an athletic 4 who can shoot but Bobcats played much better last season when they had Richardson and Carrol spreading the floor and Maggette would be a significant upgrade over that line-up. I heard the Spurs are trying to sign him though.
Posted by: Mason | Jul 2, 2008 10:28:27 AM
Brendan, you're forgetting Caroll. Let's hope last season was a fluke and we get solid bench scorring with Morrison, Caroll and Dudley.
Posted by: apauldds | Jul 2, 2008 10:29:48 AM
Is Diop any different than Nazr Mohammed? They are both offensively limited players, known mostly for being decent defenders who can protect the rim. Personally, I'd rather have Diop, but I certainly don't want both on the same roster.
Posted by: PMK | Jul 2, 2008 11:21:12 AM
Solid point about James Jones RobC, though I don't know much about him his game kind of resembles Walter's. If he does play bigger than Walter and can improve his rebounding he'd be a decent pick up.
If we keep both Felton and DJ I really don't see a PG like Lue or Damon Stoudamire coming to us. If they're going to settle for 3rd string it'll probably be for a contender.
I hear everyone's going after Maggette so it probably leaves us out. Wallace would probably love to play w/ the Clip though. A front line of Kaman, Brand, and Wallace with the possibility of Baron at the point looks pretty good.
Posted by: Jared | Jul 2, 2008 11:22:01 AM
Rob, James Jones is NOT a PF. He'd get destroyed every time any of those PFs you list posted him up.
Further, Mohammed cannot play enough minutes to be as productive as you want. Throughout the course of his ENTIRE career, he's never been able to play more than 26 MPG. He was 24 then; he's 31 now. Between his propensity for dumb fouls and his lack of stamina, he'll never be a consistent double-double threat.
Finally, NO, sending a player to the D-league is not an option if we sign more than 15 players. You only get 15 total players under contract once the season starts.
app, sadly, May cannot be sent down. He's got more than two years of NBA "experience."
Brendan, we'll get help if Augustin actually has the ability to get Okafor shots. Your top FG% man should be better than 4th on the team in shots, particularly if the guy in 3rd (Felton) makes shoots 12% worse.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Jul 2, 2008 11:38:14 AM
The only way trading Wallace will make sense, is by getting Maggette. He is an upgrade to Wallace, not a huge one but a good one.
Still I don't think he will be interested in coming to the Bobcats when he has received interest from the Spurs, Celtics & Dallas.
How will the Bobcats Look:
Starters:
Felton > 14ppg-3rpg-8apg
Richardson > 22ppg-5rpg-3apg
Maggette > 22ppg-6rpg-3apg
Okafor > 15ppg-12ppg-2bpg (LB effect,I hope)
Mohamed > 10ppg-8rpg-1bpg
Wow, good stats for a starting 5:
83ppg-32rpg-(16apg-5bpg)
BTW, Maggette & Wallace's stats are very similar, so, this is possible with Wallace instead of Maggette. (But under L.Brown not S.Vincent)
If we can get 25ppg-10rpg-6apg from the bench it would be a dream come true.
We're talking about:
105-110ppg,40-45rpg & 20-25apg
Reserves:
Augustin/(Telfair? or Lue?)
Carroll/Weaver
Dudley/Morrison
May/Davidson
Hollins/Ajinca
Under Larry Brown I will expect to see an improvement on defense & teamwork. So, if we keep opponents to 101ppg-40rpg-20apg (same as last season)or better.
YEAH!!! We are actually a Winning team an a contender.
I hope this is not too good to be true. The stats I used are very realistic and more than possible, expected.
Posted by: RobC | Jul 2, 2008 11:51:46 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4006
who is this guy, he is listed as a charlotte bobcat team member?
Posted by: brendan | Jul 2, 2008 12:17:25 PM
Procton, about James Jones I havent seen too much from him, but what I've seen so far is descent enough. I've seen him as a PF in Portland plus he is listed as a PF.
No he is not the best in the market, but good enouhg to help.
As for Nazr, even if his stats remain as they have: 10ppg-8rpg-20mpg along his career, he is same or better than most of the starting Centers in the league.
Posted by: RobC | Jul 2, 2008 12:18:45 PM
Brendan,
I'm not sure but I think he played for the D-League at the team supported by the Bobcats. I also think he played in last season's Summer league with the Bobcats.
Posted by: RobC | Jul 2, 2008 12:22:48 PM
Rob, when you start throwing all those hypothetical numbers around then it is most likely too good to be true.
You are also overestimating the value of Nazr. He is not a 10ppg and 8rpg guy. He's a 7ppg and 5rpg guy. He's an upgrade to what we had before but still not worth his contract. If we pick up any servicable front court player with a reasonable contract the first thing we need to do is look at getting rid of Nazr.
Posted by: Jared | Jul 2, 2008 1:34:55 PM
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