Well, maybe we should not call these guys victims.
The four players still available signed contracts above their value. Then they played so far below the value of their contract, they got waived, will still get paid their complete contract and make some more money from another team. This summer we are talking about Darko Milicic, Chris “Birdman” Andersen, Ryan Gomes and ANDRAY BLATCHE FOOL!
It is not completely these guys fault they got amnestied. No one put a gun to their owner’s head to grossly over pay them. Having said that, let us see how these four guys stack up against one another.
Ryan Gomes:
-Pros: Gomes can play both small forward and stretch power forward. Can hit a corner three, can hit a mid-range jumper. Doesn’t make a ton of mistakes. Generally known as a good guy and teammate.
-Cons: Does not do anything incredibly well. Has trouble staying in front of athletic wings. Does not make a significant impact on the game in any way.
Chris Andersen:
-Pros: Has one of the best nicknames in the league. He is good at running the floor, blocking shots and getting rebounds.
-Cons: Outside of being a good dunker, Birdman does not do particularly well on offense. He is also a bit small to be a center. He also leads the league in ink per inch of skin — you be the judge on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Darko Milicic:
-Pros: Blocks shots. Willing passer. Seven feet tall.
-Cons: As John Hollinger has pointed out, Darko has nearly decapitated dudes with some fastball passes. He is also a mess on offense.
ANDRAY BLATCHE (that’s me yelling Blatche’s name)
-Pros: Incredibly skilled offensive player with good size.
-Cons: Not incredibly mature or motivated. Not a great rebounder considering his size.
So who would you choose?
If I were a general manager, and I had a couple of offensively skilled big guys, I would probably let the Birdman fly. According to Synergy Sports, Andersen only allowed opponents to shoot 30 percent in pick and roll situations (those numbers are from a very small sample size). He also ranked 25th in defending spot up situations. Those are pretty good numbers if you are looking for a fourth big guy off the bench to play some defense and provide some energy.
I cannot believe I am about to type this, but if it is a team with some veteran leadership and a player friendly coach, I think you take a shot at Blatche, sorry BLATCHE, if you can get him for a cheap price. He can score in a couple of different ways and if you can keep him motivated he becomes a very valuable weapon most likely off the bench. And if it doesn’t work out, you cut him with minimum financial risks.
Gomes and Darko would not be bad bench guys as long as you are not expecting much out of them, especially Gomes who is a good bench guy.
