Re: Nazr

[Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu (Kestutis Kveraga)]

--- You wrote:
I actually prefer we send away Bat Girl for Nazr. I'm going to sound like a 
hopeless Celtics fan nutcase here, but I actually think having Potapenko's 
backup minutes is going to pay huge dividends down the road if we reach the 
Finals in a few years. 
--- end of quote ---

Assuming the Hawks even want to part with Nazr (he's their only "true" center),
we'd be losing our best shotblocker in Battie, who was our best big man last
season before his injury.  Blount is billed as one, but it's only because he
doesn't have any other identifiable skill at the NBA level. Neither Blount nor
Nazr, at ~1 bpg, are exactly the second coming of Mutombo. 

--- You wrote:
Let me say this though. SIGN Randy Brown as an assistant coach before the 
Bulls or someone else does. His knowledge of defense, ability to 
communicate, and great influence on conditioning and weight training will 
be missed if he isn't retained in some capacity. I actually think he WANTS 
to retire, but will miss the money. Buy him out by offering him a longer 
coaching contract. I hope Obiewon is seriously considering this idea. 
Please do this. The team is short one assistant coach anyway, isn't it?
--- end of quote ---

Not really, as they signed Dick Harter recently. But the problem with the
Randy-as-the-assistant-coach scenario (which I heartily endorse, btw), is that
assistant coaches don't make anywhere near 2.25M per that Brown is making. I
believe half a mil is pretty high for an assistant. And it's not like they're
gonna sign him to a 10 year contract. On the other hand, they won't have to
invent injuries to stash him on the IL.
As for the soon-to-be jetsam, Stith/Carr/Herren/Griffin are all gone, and
McCarty might get sent to some team in cap-clearing mode, as he's in the last
year of his contract. Stith strikes me as a good fit to take Harper's spot on
the Lakers, Carr should find a job with some team, being an athletic 6-6
shooter, and Griffin and Herren may need  luck to stay in the NBA. And the
Poodle? I have no idea, but if they think he's a lost cause, he should be
fairly easy to trade, given his rookie contract and physical UPPPside. 
So, barring major moves, I think our lineup will be:

Starters:
Battie
Walker
JJ
PP
Palacio

Second unit:
Blount
VP
Kedrick
Forte
Kenny

Third string, IL or gone:
Williams
Moiso
Randy
McCarty


Kestas