Filling out the Roster: Needs at SF, PF, & C

Well...now that we have a pretty good idea that CP3 and Billups will work together as a back court, and that Mo has appeared to accept his role as 1st off the bench, our attention turns to the weaknesses on what is already one of the highest upside rosters in the NBA. I say highest upside, because if all of the guys in our starting five were iron men, i'm not sure there's a much better roster out there. So, let's talk about contingency plans.

PG/SG: It's pretty well established that this is the greatest strength of our roster. With CP3 we easily have a top 3 point guard in the NBA (and more likely a top 5 player in the NBA), and we also bring in Billups, who not only has enormous playoff and even championship experience, but he alreadly looks as good or better than our old friend Sam Cassell. Billups 3 ball is deadly, and his size and adaptability allows him to play the off guard position as a hybrid PG/SG. Plenty of us have already commented on what a great luxury it is to have Mo Williams coming off the bench and adding an excellent backup option if one of the top two miss any time. As far as a true SG backup, that's looking like Foye, and hopefully Leslie will be able to add some defensive punch for us off the bench down the line. Right now, Bledsoe appears to be the surplus, but if the team can't get fair value for him, he might be a guy we groom to replace Mo Williams going forward (if he proves to expensive too extend).

SF/PF: The starters here obviously have rock solid ability, but they have a checkered past when it comes to injury. Depth at these positions is a big need for us that I don't believe has been talked about enough. Yes, we are ok if there are no injuries, as Gomes can be a nice asset for us coming off the bench and backing up either position, though our preference is for him to remain at SF, and for Trey to step up and be the 4 coming off the bench. However, defensively, and as contingency plans, these guys leave a lot to be desired. Whether we can or can't find a good center to put behind DJ, I think we need to seriously explore the possibility of looking for a lower usage guy who can play SF/PF, defend well, and allow Griffin to slide over to the 5 and backup DJ when matchups allow in this smaller trending NBA.

C: Understandably, with Brian Cook as our main backup to DeAndre Jordan, Neil Olshey has already flagged this as our pressing need, and I know many of us are having trouble sleeping at night without a legit backup. Giving Diogu (or someone like him) the vet minimum or something close, should be the floor. Samuel Dalembert would be a home run. Exploring a trade involving Bledsoe has to be another consideration, though i'd like to see a decent future pick or an additional SF/PF coming back our way if we give up Bledsoe for just a serviceable big coming back.