The Sixers free agency thread.

[rickortreat]

Since Miller can leave and the Sixers are against the salary cap, they will be involved with free agency whether they want to or not.

IMO, this Sixers also need to find a big man to replace Ratliff if not Dalmbert.

Since I think the Sixers are determined to play Iguodala at the 2, Thad at the 3 and Brand at the 4 spot, we will need to determine who our point guard will be and who we can get to help at the 5 spot.

I actually think that the Sixers need to be concerned with rebounding and inside scoring, although I think having Brand instead of Evans will help.  I just don't see the Sixers competing against the Celtics or Cleveland or Orlando without more than Dalembert, Speights and Smith at the 5.

I would rather loose Miller in a sign and trade if I could add a player like Millsap or Boozer. IMO, we have enough decent passers that if Lou Williams can keep his turnovers down, we could get by with him as our point along with Jrue or some inexpensive free agent.

Ultimately this is about the Sixers direction as a team.  Miller was a big part of last season's success such as it was, so dropping him is a big decision.  I think that Miller is a fine pg, but a serious liability on defense. I think our lack of strong defensive stoppers in the back-court hurt the Sixers more than anything this past season. I don't think the Sixers can win a championship with Miller as their 1, so it makes little sense to try and keep him. But it is important that they try to get some value from him in a sign and trade.

The sooner Miller leaves the sooner the Sixers will be forced to solve their point guard situation, and the faster they can get inside help the less important a scoring point guard will be. Free agency could work very well for the Sixers and I would say that this is the biggest challenge Ed Stefanski is facing since it will determine how competitive the Sixers are this season.

[DuckyNinja]

Andre Miller is talking about 3/30 as the minimum he will accept.  If we sign him to that, I will choose a different team to follow and root for for the next three years.

[rickortreat]

Andre Miller is talking about 3/30 as the minimum he will accept.  If we sign him to that, I will choose a different team to follow and root for for the next three years.

I concur.  There's no way Ed does that deal unless it is in a sign and trade.

[Skates]

We need to add more shooting, athleticism and a PG in FA.  Miller is as good as gone, and we can't use more than the MLE and other exceptions unless we use him in a S&T deal.  The proposed S&T of Miller for Blake and Outlaw, which popped up at the deadline earlier this year, makes so much sense that it hurts.

No contracts for anyone longer than two years.  Try to move Sammy and/or WG for anything more useful or more tradable down the road.  A couple of vet FA signings and maybe a rookie FA.  Not exciting, but that plus already adding Kapono and Holiday would be a success in my opinion, and we essentially get two nig men back taht we didn't have for most or all of last year in Jason Smith and Brand.

[Sub]

I would rather loose Miller in a sign and trade if I could add a player like Millsap or Boozer.

Unless they get rid of Sam somehow, I don't see them even sniffing another significant big man. Their money's better spent on a stopgap PG (Blake, Anthony Carter, Ronnie Price) and a two who can either defend or shoot(Dahntay Jones, Keith Bogans, Anthony Parker).

[tk76-]

I like the Blazers deal... but I'm not sure Outlaw is well suited to the P.O.

[Skates]

I like the Blazers deal... but I'm not sure Outlaw is well suited to the P.O.

Hollinger from last year on Outlaw, note he did more than double his three point shooting output this year as Hollinger suggested he should (89 three's hit at a 38% clip):

2007-08 season: It was a breakout year for Outlaw, who established himself as one of the league's top bench scorers by showcasing a deadly midrange jumper and hit several clutch shots for Portland; the only reason his PER didn't rise more was because of a big drop in his rates of blocks and steals, which obviously is unrelated to his offensive breakout.

Outlaw relied on the J as much as any player in basketball, with nearly half his attempts on the season being long two-pointers. In fact, the only players to attempt more midrange jumpers than Outlaw were Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady (see Marvin Williams' comment). That's the entire list. And as a proportion of total shot attempts, Outlaw blew those two guys away.

The benefit to this approach was it allowed Outlaw to create shots without turning the ball over -- he was sixth among small forwards in usage rate and 14th in turnover ratio. The drawbacks, however, were twofold. First, those aren't high-percentage looks, as his TS% of 49.9 reveals. Second, he wasn't creating shots for anybody else, finishing with the fifth worst assist ratio at his position.

One other positive for Outlaw was an increase in rebound rate; with his hops he should have been doing better on the glass and finally blossomed last year, moving into the top third of small forwards.

Scouting report: Defensively Outlaw's length is an advantage, but he isn't terribly coordinated and lacks strength. Part of the reason his blocks and steals went down last year was because he gambled less and made defenders shoot over him; that's why his fouls went down, too. He still has a way to go at this end, but he was definitely an improved product.

Offensively, Outlaw likes to get the ball out high and shoot a 3-point jumper off the dribble. Off the catch, he'll often shoot with one foot just over the 3-point line, a shot he should probably convert into a 3-pointer in future seasons. When he drives he'll usually start out right, and then either spin back left for a jumper, cross to his left for a step-back jumper, or just rise up and shoot the thing right where he is.

Because Outlaw is 6-foot-9 and can leap he can get his jumper off against anyone, so it really just becomes a make-or-miss proposition -- this is why he's so deadly in late-clock situations, because he can always get a decent shot away. His stroke has a line-drive trajectory, however, and he tends to run hot and cold.

2008-09 outlook: Outlaw will again be the go-to guy for the second unit, which is a bit odd since he's clearly better than the guy starting ahead of him. But he also seems to be clamoring for more touches and shots, and that would create some bad feng shui if he was sharing the court with Brandon Roy and Greg Oden all the time.

As a result his playing time is unlikely to change much from a year ago, and he might get fewer shots. The challenge will be to either improve his midrange J or get to the basket more, so that his TS% can finally get into the mid-50s range where most good scorers reside.

He actually sounds like a decent fit for the PO with his jumper working and three point range now.  More of a finisher/shooter than passer.

[tk76-]

I'm worried that he is not the right guy for the type of 2 and 3 man plays and is better in an isolation or off the ball situation.

Then again, I don't know much about the P.O. or Outlaw.  Maybe he'd be a good fit o the weak side taking advantage of other players driving or using his athleticism- which is off the charts.

I would be interested in watching him on the Sixers next year.  they would make time for him (at the expense of players like Green by moving Iguodala more to SG.)  That is a good thing.

[DuckyNinja]

Boozer chose to stay with Utah.  Interesting.  Any offer over 8 mil to pretty much anybody in this FA is just a really, really bad move.

[tk76-]

Will someone pull a Phillies (the Ibanez signing) and overpay for a role player before the market is set?  I doubt it.  The NBA is much better at collusion.

[Skates]

Will someone pull a Phillies (the Ibanez signing) and overpay for a role player before the market is set?  I doubt it.  The NBA is much better at collusion.

Gortat and Villanueva are your best candidates for this.  I think what you will see a lot of is overuse of the MLE by contending teams.  If the Sixers do not S&T Miller or re-sign him for two years or less at the right number, then they should be patient. I think there will be a lot of decent players looking for jobs/deals for a while.  We might be able to get two guys with the MLE, since I believe you can split it.

BTW, RealGM has some scary stupid people on it right now.

[DuckyNinja]

NBA Rumors on ESPN Insider says that both Philly and Portland denied any kind of S+T deal.

If we give Miller more than 2/15 in this market...

And yes, you can split the MLE.

[tk76-]

I agree with you both.  I don't think Miller really wants to come back- but I'm doubting anyone will knock down his door either.  But I could see him turning down more money here to play somewhere else.  Either for a winner or to get a tan. 

[anklebreaker]

SF, just poured water on the Blazer rumor.  According to his source it's still alive, but Outlaw is off the table, and we don't want Webster.  Not sure who else there is that we would want... except of course for Rudy. 

[DuckyNinja]

Whatever we do in FA, just be glad we're not the Pistons.  I'm pretty sure they have no PGs on that roster and their only C is Kwame Brown, who makes Sammy D look positively terrific in comparison.  I can't imagine having 4 ballhogs, none of who can really play defense, is going to turn out well for them.