FanPost

2017 Free Agents - Power Forwards

Welcome to the Dirk Nowitzki replacement section of this list.

With only a few years left of Dirk in Dallas, this is an excellent opportunity for the Mavs to find someone who can slide in and ultimately replace Dirk’s role on this team (spoiler – it ain’t gonna be Dwight Powell). Fortunately for us, there are a few potential targets in the 2017 class, each of whom I feel pretty good about chasing. Note that I said chasing, and not actually acquiring.

Blake Griffin

I’m 99.9% sure this is the guy the Mavs are going all-in on.

Griffin has a player option, but there's no way he uses it. Not when he can take advantage of another bump in the salary cap. He'll test the waters, and assuming the Clippers fail again this year (they will; they're the Clippers) he'll be gone, because that team has shown its cards year after year, and all they have is a pair of eights.

So do the Mavs go after him? Yes. Yes they do.

Griffin strikes me as the Mavs PRIME target to finally replace Dirk. He’s got the offensive toolset to be the team’s best player, the athleticism to create a solid defensive team with Barnes and Wes, and the name recognition (and off-court antics) to elevate Dallas back into the NBA’s top 5 teams.

However, there’s a hitch in this plan, and it only came up in the last few days. Westbrook re-signed with the Thunder, and there are rumblings that they’ll go after Griffin to partner up with their explosive PG. Griffin, if you remember, has a lot of Oklahoma ties. He was born and raised in OKC, and he went to OU for TWO whole years instead of just one. If OKC chases after Griffin, offering up Westbrook as a potential playing partner for the next few years, how does home town boy Griffin turn that down for Dallas of all places?

I still go after him with everything the Mavs have, but given Westbrook’s decision to sign an extension, I have a hard time seeing the Mavs new Plan A actually happening. But if it did, it would lead to all sorts of comedy about how DeAndre Jordan balked in coming to the Mavs because he wanted to stay with his buddies in LA, most of whom will probably scatter across the country after this season.

Paul Millsap

Have you looked at this guy’s stats? He had a Defensive Rating last year of 96. That was the 4th best in the league. The year before was 99, which put him at 9th. He was 10th in the league last season in Value over Replacement Player at 4.90. His per-36 numbers were 18.8 pts, 10 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.6 blocks.

Holy. Crap.

How has this guy fallen under my radar? I mean, I always kinda knew he was good. But I didn’t realize just how consistently good he was. And fairly durable, too. If Griffin goes to OKC, which I’m starting to accept as fact, then Millsap would be an awesome Plan B. Or Plan 2A. Or whatever you want to call it.

My only concern? He’s 6’ 8". Just a little bit on the short side for a power forward, especially when our last one was 7’ 0". But that’s not a deal breaker, seeing as how he’s done just fine in the NBA at that height. And wasn’t Charles Barkley only like 6’ 6"?

Serge Ibaka

I have two main concerns with Ibaka coming to the Mavs:

First, he strikes me as a guy who’s trying to be something different than what he is, what his strengths tell him to be. At his peak, he’s somewhere around a 14 point, 9 rebound, 2.5 blocks a game guy. Those numbers dipped last season, but I’m sure he’ll be featured more in Orlando, and his arrow will point back up.

The problem is that my enduring memory of Ibaka from the last two seasons is of him drifting away from the paint and taking too many ill-advised 20-footers. First of all, I hate ill-advised 20-footers. Second, that’s not who Ibaka is. He’s a freakishly athletic frontcourt monster who should be grabbing rebounds, playing defense, blocking shots, and throwing down some jams. He needs to play close to the basket.

Second, even if he was still that guy, I don’t know that the Mavs need a defensive-minded power forward. Looking at their current roster, they need people who can score lots of points, and assuming Barnes and Wes won’t each be getting 25 a game, and we don’t somehow end up with a superstar point guard or center, we need to get RELIABLE offensive production from this position. And Ibaka’s not the guy to do that.

Having said all that, we COULD get Ibaka, push him closer to the basket, and probably throw out a pretty stout defensive team that will make a lot of noise. But we’d need breakout years from Wes/Barnes or a lot more production from both our point guard and our center to get very far in today’s NBA.

Pau Gasol

Nope. Too old. Best days are behind him. Maybe as a bench player, but the days of Gasol starting for anyone are probably over.

Nikola Mirotic

I haven’t seen Mirotic a ton, but even a quick Google search will reveal how polarizing he is for Bulls fans. Decent numbers for a 2nd year veteran (not counting Euroleague), but the knock on him is inconsistent shooting and terrible defense, which is kind of like adding two negative numbers together to get an even WORSE negative number. We’ve had a terrible defender at the 4 here in Dallas for almost two decades, but he made up for it by being an assassin with the ball in his hands. According to some Bulls fans, if you take away Dirk’s shooting and dedication to the game, you get Nikola Mirotic.

In other words, not super excited about this guy…

Taj Gibson

Mostly a defensive specialist with some offensive flashes. I’m just not sure he fits well with the Mavs, unless it’s as a small-ball center. The good news is thanks to the glut of young players the Bulls want to give minutes to, Gibson is gettable, and probably not super expensive. But he’s more of a role player or glue guy than a straight up replacement for Dirk. Maybe a poor man's Shawn Marion?

Amir Johnson

A) Amir Johnson is a monster rebounder.

B) I had no idea he’s been in the league 11 years.

C) He’s a good, respected player, but I can’t get excited by the idea of him as a Dirk replacement.

Patrick Patterson

Role player.

Zach Randolph

Man, this guy’s been around forever. Very consistent scorer the entire time, too. His career per-36 numbers are 19.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.3 blocks. Compare that to Tim Duncan's 20.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 blocks.

Five years ago, he’s at the top of this list. Now, he’s 35 (36 going into 2017), and I can’t see his production staying at the same high level. Or his durability. Maybe we grab him as a frontcourt backup? Or part of a two-headed monster at either PF or C? I don’t know, I’m just throwing out possibilities because I like the guy and wouldn't mind seeing him on this team at a decent number

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