As of 3/3 our top free agent focus is

Michael Finley and Larry Hughes. This is based upon every report/twitter/blog I've been able to find.

Michael Finley is a shooter off the bench, but he isn't the Finley of old. I'm afraid age has caught him. His production is off in virtually every category/36 minutes per basketball-reference.com. Per 82games.com, Finley shoots 41% in the clutch (vs 44% career), 47% from 3 (vs 37% career) 77% ft% (vs 81% career), 6.4 rebounds (vs 4.4 career). Let's keep in mind the clutch stats are per 48 minutes of clutch time and are for his career, NOT what he's like this season. If he's lost it THIS season, then the clutch numbers are going to be inflated. If they're still reasonable, however, it shows a player that hits clutch 3s at a much higher rate than normal and is steady in every category. He even shows clear improvement in rebounds in the clutch. That is the profile of a veteran I'd be interested in seeing in green (short-term rental only).

Larry Hughes is very athletic 2 guard (6'5", just turned 31) who can defend when he puts his mind to it but settles for too many jump shots and he's not a great jumpshooter. He does shoot 82% from the line though. Despite being in his 12th season, I cannot find clutch stats for Larry Hughes on 82games.com. What does that say? For what it's worth, Hollinger gives him a PER of 18.4 as a SG and the players he plays against at SG a 16.8. This means that Hughes outplays his man at that position. As someone who watched Larry Hughes play for GSW when he was younger, I always hated his shooting and his overall judgment. Not, what I would call, a smart player. I wouldn't even consider him a suitable replacement for Tony Allen.

Unfortunately, Tony Battie DID NOT get released by NJ. I'd like to see some length added to our roster, but I see no suitable candidates.

bob

swedeinestonia wrote:Finley should be OK with defense since he played for the spurs right?

swede,

I would hope so but, once again, age age age.

bob

swedeinestonia wrote:True that.

Matter of cost I guess. If it is cheap I would say go for it.

I guess 2 might not be our biggest problem though? What we got for "range", Ray and Robinson? Might be nice to add a guy who can just spot up for a corner 3?

swede,

I agree. We need some effective bombers. Of course, nobody can have too many effective bombers, so there aren't going to be too many coming off the waiver wire.

bob

babyskyhook wrote:I think Finley will be a nice, no-risk pickup for you guys.

HE fills a need with his shooting range, as he's always been able to hit the three (and has hit a lot of clutch 3s in the playoffs over the years). And neither Daniels nor T Allen has much shooting range, so Finley can definitely play a role where he's spacing the floor for 10 min a night, and that's 10 min less that Pierce or Allen has to play.

And it's not like there's any downside, given that he's an experienced, high-character vet who's been in the no-nonsense Spurs culture for years. He'll fit in well in Boston.

babyskyhook,

I agree. Low-risk, fits a need.

bob

swedeinestonia wrote:Speaking of free agents, what are the Jazz thinking picking up Mikki Moore?

swede,

I'm thinking Jerry Sloan's gone soft in the head.

bob