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The Final Roster Slot: West, Miles or Belinelli? Birdman, Darko?


Assuming we still have a room exception after the Mayo signing and considering we have generous depth and quality at just about every position now (four combo guards in Mayo, Roddy, DoJo and Cunningham, two SG-SF wings in Carter and Dahntay Jones and two PF-C crossovers in Wright and Brand), what should we do with our last $2.5M dollars?

We will discuss our four three best options: Anthony Randolph, C.J. Miles, Delonte West and Marco Belinelli. No guarantee any of these guys would take the room exception, of course...

Anthony Randolph (Signed with Denver)
PF/C, 23 yo, 6'11"
7.4 pts, 3.6 rebounds in 15.2 minutes with the Timberwolves last year, 17.60 PER

Adds further size, athleticism and depth at PF and C. Most efficient player on this list. Hometown kid. Could combine with Wright if we're trying for a younger, more athletic garbage time frontcourt. With Brand and Kaman's injury histories this might be a wise investment. Young and raw, however.

C.J. Miles
SF, 25 yo, 6'6"
9 pts, 2.1 rebs in 20.4 minutes for the Jazz, 12.46 PER

Another hometown kid, adds depth at SF. Probably would be 3rd or 4th option at that position behind Marion, Carter and Dahntay Jones.

Delonte West
PG/SG, 28 yo, 6'3"
9.6 pts, 3.2 assists, 2.1 rebounds in 24.1 minutes for the Mavs. 15.35 PER

Fan favorite, Wet Willie distributor and real hustle guy. Would likely be the first guy off the bench to back up Collison at PG. Downside is that we already have a crowded backcourt with plenty of talented combo guards just like him. Upside is that he already knows the system and we know what he can do.

Marco Belinelli
SG, 26 yo, 6'5"
11.8 PPG, 37.7 3PT% 12.00 PER

Would be our best three point shooter. With Mayo switching over to PG, would be very useful at the end of close games where we need quick points. Of the four, probably the least likely to take the room exception though. Also the least efficient of the four.

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Update: Anthony Randolph has been signed to Denver, who amnestied Chris "Birdman" Andersen to make room. Andersen is a rugged, tough veteran defender who gave Dirk fits in our 2009 series. If he clears waivers, should we make a go? The recent raid of his house by the Internet Crimes Against Children unit and subsequent suspension by Denver until the investigation is complete would complicate everything about this pick up, but as a player he'd be exactly what we need. He was also a beloved fan favorite in Denver, at least before this went down.

Another option is the infamous disappointment Darko Milicic, who cleared waivers and may now be looking for a minimum deal. Indications are he'll go to Boston or the Clippers, but he wouldn't be the worst option to fill our last slot either.

Honestly, I'm thinking Delonte would be ideal but he deserves more than we can offer. If he comes back, we can be eternally grateful for his loyalty, but I wouldn't blame him for taking more money and a multi-year contract either.

Reader submitted. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of our editorial staff.