Jason Thompson is someone I woould love to get on the Pacers. He is the prototypical PF 6'11" 250lbs. He averages 12.5 pts per game and 8.5 rebounds per game. Oh yea, he is only 24 years old. He is the second PF I want behind Horford, for the best fit on the team.
Players who could be dealt before trade deadline
Fran Blinebury
NBA.com
Posted Sep 8 2010 8:08AM
Though it definitely seemed like the world had stopped when LeBron James and Chris Bosh flew south back at the start of the summer, the truth is there could still be plenty more movement even after the 2010-11 season begins.
It's all about the usual, trying to keep up with the Lakers and Celtics at the top of each conference, not to mention the nouveau rich Heat. But it's also about the unusual and the unknown. With labor unrest playing the background music and a lockout looming next July that has the potential to put the league on the shelf for quite some time, there are a lot of teams that might be willing to make bold moves before the landscape of the league changes dramatically under the rules of a new collective bargaining agreement.
Here are a handful of players who may not currently be on the market, but nevertheless could find themselves changing teams before the February trading deadline:
Chauncey Billups -- Not that the veteran point guard is looking to leave his hometown. But it could simply be a move that makes sense if the front office isn't able to get Carmelo Anthony to agree to terms on a contract extension. If the linchpin of the franchise isn't going to commit himself to Denver, then it only makes sense for the Nuggets to go into a complete rebuilding mode. J.R. Smith, Nene and Kenyon Martin are also eligible to become free agents next summer and that means a 34-year-old quarterback like Billups could be most valuable as a commodity to bring in a young player or draft pick while he's still on top of his gameAndre Iguodala -- Maybe his time spent this summer with the U.S. team at the FIBA World Championship will give Iguodala the experience and the confidence to return to Philadelphia and finally drag the Sixers to the next level. They've been waiting on the gifted slasher and scorer for six seasons now to act like the top dog, but he's shown more occasional bark than consistent bite. Now it's new coach Doug Collins' job to turn the key and unlock what is still unfulfilled potential. But if he's not getting through by midseason, there is every reason to think that the Sixers would turn the future over to No. 2 draft pick Evan Turner, who plays the same position, and send Iggy off to bloom in another location. Patience is not usually a Philly virtue.
Andrei Kirilenko -- AK-47 seems to have pulled out of the funk that made him an expensive nuisance for a couple of seasons. Now he's just expensive, scheduled to make close to $18 million in the last year of his contract. The Jazz recovered shrewdly from Carlos Boozer's free agent departure to Chicago by reeling in Al Jefferson to anchor the front line. But the long-term biggest concern is getting Deron Williams to make a commitment to Utah when his option comes up in two seasons. Kirilenko is as useful as a Swiss Army knife at both ends of the floor, but he's never going to be more than a third or fourth option with the Jazz, who are stuck in the middle of the Western Conference pack. His skills could help a would-be playoff team on the bubble or solidify an elite team that's already a contender. A deal could land the Jazz a nice package that convinces Williams to stick around.
Jeff Green -- Why in the world would the up-and-coming Thunder even think about breaking up their young threesome that includes Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook? It's the usual one-word answer: money.
Oklahoma City just signed Durant to a new deal that will cost -- and be worth -- every cent of $85 million and they've got Westbrook standing in line waiting for his payday. It's just not as simple as having the ATM spit out a fortune to everyone who is next in line. The Thunder invested the No. 3 pick in the 2009 draft on James Harden and expect him to steadily take on a bigger role and minutes. Up front they now have Cole Aldrich moving into the lineup. Green would naturally be a small forward on most teams, but that's the domain of the out-of-this-world Durant. There are going to be times in the development of the Thunder as a small-market contender when some of the decisions will have to be made with an eye on the bottom line and this is one.
Jason Thompson -- He's everything you might want in a young big man -- 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game last season -- and that would seem to be a reason you'd want to make him part of the foundation on a team that's building over. Except that in just over six months, the Kings have traded for Carl Landry and Samuel Dalembert and drafted DeMarcus Cousins, making for an awfully crowded frontline. That would seem to make Thompson the odd man out or at least the one who has to prove himself all over again as worthy of significant playing time. Is he really ready to cede all those minutes to Cousins and Landry and just be happy as a backup when there are plenty of teams that could use and appreciate his inside skills?
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/feature...s=iref:nbahpt1
Players who could be dealt before trade deadline
Fran Blinebury
NBA.com
Posted Sep 8 2010 8:08AM
Though it definitely seemed like the world had stopped when LeBron James and Chris Bosh flew south back at the start of the summer, the truth is there could still be plenty more movement even after the 2010-11 season begins.
It's all about the usual, trying to keep up with the Lakers and Celtics at the top of each conference, not to mention the nouveau rich Heat. But it's also about the unusual and the unknown. With labor unrest playing the background music and a lockout looming next July that has the potential to put the league on the shelf for quite some time, there are a lot of teams that might be willing to make bold moves before the landscape of the league changes dramatically under the rules of a new collective bargaining agreement.
Here are a handful of players who may not currently be on the market, but nevertheless could find themselves changing teams before the February trading deadline:
Chauncey Billups -- Not that the veteran point guard is looking to leave his hometown. But it could simply be a move that makes sense if the front office isn't able to get Carmelo Anthony to agree to terms on a contract extension. If the linchpin of the franchise isn't going to commit himself to Denver, then it only makes sense for the Nuggets to go into a complete rebuilding mode. J.R. Smith, Nene and Kenyon Martin are also eligible to become free agents next summer and that means a 34-year-old quarterback like Billups could be most valuable as a commodity to bring in a young player or draft pick while he's still on top of his gameAndre Iguodala -- Maybe his time spent this summer with the U.S. team at the FIBA World Championship will give Iguodala the experience and the confidence to return to Philadelphia and finally drag the Sixers to the next level. They've been waiting on the gifted slasher and scorer for six seasons now to act like the top dog, but he's shown more occasional bark than consistent bite. Now it's new coach Doug Collins' job to turn the key and unlock what is still unfulfilled potential. But if he's not getting through by midseason, there is every reason to think that the Sixers would turn the future over to No. 2 draft pick Evan Turner, who plays the same position, and send Iggy off to bloom in another location. Patience is not usually a Philly virtue.
Andrei Kirilenko -- AK-47 seems to have pulled out of the funk that made him an expensive nuisance for a couple of seasons. Now he's just expensive, scheduled to make close to $18 million in the last year of his contract. The Jazz recovered shrewdly from Carlos Boozer's free agent departure to Chicago by reeling in Al Jefferson to anchor the front line. But the long-term biggest concern is getting Deron Williams to make a commitment to Utah when his option comes up in two seasons. Kirilenko is as useful as a Swiss Army knife at both ends of the floor, but he's never going to be more than a third or fourth option with the Jazz, who are stuck in the middle of the Western Conference pack. His skills could help a would-be playoff team on the bubble or solidify an elite team that's already a contender. A deal could land the Jazz a nice package that convinces Williams to stick around.
Jeff Green -- Why in the world would the up-and-coming Thunder even think about breaking up their young threesome that includes Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook? It's the usual one-word answer: money.
Oklahoma City just signed Durant to a new deal that will cost -- and be worth -- every cent of $85 million and they've got Westbrook standing in line waiting for his payday. It's just not as simple as having the ATM spit out a fortune to everyone who is next in line. The Thunder invested the No. 3 pick in the 2009 draft on James Harden and expect him to steadily take on a bigger role and minutes. Up front they now have Cole Aldrich moving into the lineup. Green would naturally be a small forward on most teams, but that's the domain of the out-of-this-world Durant. There are going to be times in the development of the Thunder as a small-market contender when some of the decisions will have to be made with an eye on the bottom line and this is one.
Jason Thompson -- He's everything you might want in a young big man -- 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game last season -- and that would seem to be a reason you'd want to make him part of the foundation on a team that's building over. Except that in just over six months, the Kings have traded for Carl Landry and Samuel Dalembert and drafted DeMarcus Cousins, making for an awfully crowded frontline. That would seem to make Thompson the odd man out or at least the one who has to prove himself all over again as worthy of significant playing time. Is he really ready to cede all those minutes to Cousins and Landry and just be happy as a backup when there are plenty of teams that could use and appreciate his inside skills?
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/feature...s=iref:nbahpt1
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