It looks, more and more like Vonleh and Gordon are our choices. Whether we are at 6, or 7. So which one we take, depends on how you view what’s coming.
Can Vonleh play the Center position, with Love at the PF?
Can Gordon play the SF position, with Love at the PF?
You can insert LMA for Love, if you believe Love will go elsewhere. Either way, PF has 2 of the top players in the 2015 Free Agent class.
If we are going to try and keep D’Antoni, and build the roster for him, Gordon seems to be the better fit. A super athletic, 150 miles per hour motor guy that can fill the stat sheet, even without a jumper. Same as Shawn Marion worked well and developed a shot (even if one of the ugliest the NBA has ever seen) Gordon could be a monster on the offensive boards, and defend 2-3 different positions which gives Mike some flexibility. If you have 3-4 shooters on the floor, a guy like Gordon could be great setting screens, and still having the ability to get in and get rebounds with crazy athleticism. (I imagine Kobe would love having Gordon rebounding his misses for him
)
If they can MDA, and want a more traditional big, Vonleh could be the guy. If he has good measurements with arm length, he might just work out at Center just fine, or, if we swing and miss on Love, he could be our PF of the future. He’s more polished, and refined than Gordon, and could be a lesser Bosh perhaps. I imagine he could play with Pau if Mitch decides to ruin us further, or he could replace Pau and maybe Kobe will like what the kid can do. I don’t want him shooting 3’s like Bosh does nowadays, but he’s shown he can hit from 18 feet or so, that could be useful to us, especially if Kobe does get back next year, and decides to work in the post more.
If we aren’t getting Exum, I’m fine with having Marshall and Farmar as our PG’s.
Kobe, and maybe Meeks as our SG’s, perhaps Bazemore as a #3, and possible defender of PG’s late in games, sliding Kobe over to the point.
Xavier Henry, and Wes could come back (cheap) and play some SF for us, athletic guys, X still developing, Wes kind of a do everything decent glue guy. (funny, Wes would be absolutely PERFECT for Phil Jackson team. Phil would limit Wes’s bad shots and keep him reigned in, yet want and allow him to do all the other things, like finish in transition, rebound a little, pass a few dimes now and then, take wide open corner 3 (Ron specials) and defend anyone from the 1 thru the 4. A way broke man’s Lamar Odom.)
Vonleh, Gordon, or Pau, with Kelly as backup, and Wes in a small ball lineup.
Vonleh or Pau at Center, with Sacre showing he can play 20+ minutes a night and help out.
That’s if everyone stays, minus Kaman, Hill, Marshon, and Nick Young. If some of the other 1 year guys don’t want to come back for this, then we’ll have more turnover, otherwise, it could look a lot like this year’s team, only with Kobe back healthier, the rook, and a couple role guys gone. Still enough to have a 10 man rotation, but still not likely a playoff team, unless Kobe really, really comes back, and the rookie is better than we could expect.
Now, we still have 15-20+ mil we could spend, or more if Pau bails, but I’m going less possible movement case here.
I’ve already spoken on my hopes that a Lance, Bledsoe, Monroe type offseason could come about, on top of the 6-7 pick and a returning Kobe. Still not a title team, but one with a brighter future, much more youth/talent on the roster, and more viable for Love/LMA/Rondo/Marc Gasol etc to come in 2015 and Durant the year after Kobe leaves.
Can Vonleh play the Center position, with Love at the PF?
Can Gordon play the SF position, with Love at the PF?
You can insert LMA for Love, if you believe Love will go elsewhere. Either way, PF has 2 of the top players in the 2015 Free Agent class.
If we are going to try and keep D’Antoni, and build the roster for him, Gordon seems to be the better fit. A super athletic, 150 miles per hour motor guy that can fill the stat sheet, even without a jumper. Same as Shawn Marion worked well and developed a shot (even if one of the ugliest the NBA has ever seen) Gordon could be a monster on the offensive boards, and defend 2-3 different positions which gives Mike some flexibility. If you have 3-4 shooters on the floor, a guy like Gordon could be great setting screens, and still having the ability to get in and get rebounds with crazy athleticism. (I imagine Kobe would love having Gordon rebounding his misses for him
)If they can MDA, and want a more traditional big, Vonleh could be the guy. If he has good measurements with arm length, he might just work out at Center just fine, or, if we swing and miss on Love, he could be our PF of the future. He’s more polished, and refined than Gordon, and could be a lesser Bosh perhaps. I imagine he could play with Pau if Mitch decides to ruin us further, or he could replace Pau and maybe Kobe will like what the kid can do. I don’t want him shooting 3’s like Bosh does nowadays, but he’s shown he can hit from 18 feet or so, that could be useful to us, especially if Kobe does get back next year, and decides to work in the post more.
If we aren’t getting Exum, I’m fine with having Marshall and Farmar as our PG’s.
Kobe, and maybe Meeks as our SG’s, perhaps Bazemore as a #3, and possible defender of PG’s late in games, sliding Kobe over to the point.
Xavier Henry, and Wes could come back (cheap) and play some SF for us, athletic guys, X still developing, Wes kind of a do everything decent glue guy. (funny, Wes would be absolutely PERFECT for Phil Jackson team. Phil would limit Wes’s bad shots and keep him reigned in, yet want and allow him to do all the other things, like finish in transition, rebound a little, pass a few dimes now and then, take wide open corner 3 (Ron specials) and defend anyone from the 1 thru the 4. A way broke man’s Lamar Odom.)
Vonleh, Gordon, or Pau, with Kelly as backup, and Wes in a small ball lineup.
Vonleh or Pau at Center, with Sacre showing he can play 20+ minutes a night and help out.
That’s if everyone stays, minus Kaman, Hill, Marshon, and Nick Young. If some of the other 1 year guys don’t want to come back for this, then we’ll have more turnover, otherwise, it could look a lot like this year’s team, only with Kobe back healthier, the rook, and a couple role guys gone. Still enough to have a 10 man rotation, but still not likely a playoff team, unless Kobe really, really comes back, and the rookie is better than we could expect.
Now, we still have 15-20+ mil we could spend, or more if Pau bails, but I’m going less possible movement case here.
I’ve already spoken on my hopes that a Lance, Bledsoe, Monroe type offseason could come about, on top of the 6-7 pick and a returning Kobe. Still not a title team, but one with a brighter future, much more youth/talent on the roster, and more viable for Love/LMA/Rondo/Marc Gasol etc to come in 2015 and Durant the year after Kobe leaves.
