Leaving aside all of the will he / won't he come here views -- I am more interested in how he fits.
Could he and Melo co-exist? Could he play Shooting Guard? If so, then maybe he is the ONLY additional piece we need, if Galloway/Grant or somebody like Dellavedova can give you 3-and-D at PG and then let the offense run through our wings? If this works, then you really need only 2 players out of AA, DW and LT off the bench. This could also explain some of the supposed Knick interest in Nick Young -- he is locked in at $5M per already and could be a great defensive specialist. Plus, if you move DW for him now, then you have your bench wing locked up without adding salary -- thus removing the uncertainty of whether DW will opt-out and how much Lance might cost....
Alternatively, what if you keep AA at the 2 guard and have KD play SF? In this scenario Melo is your full time PF. You can either play KP 50/50 at PF/C
OR: You could consider making KP your full time Center and trading ROLO, to replace him with a cheaper backup for 16 - 18 min per night (maybe even a combination of KOQ, Amundson, Willie or Seraphin)? As much as I love Lopez, moving that contract creates LOTS of space to add Durant and round out the rest of the team with a very capable bench.
As a final question -- how would you compare / contrast the fit of Durant vs. Batum? Obviously Durant is a much more special player -- but in terms of fit, who has the most potential to transform this team into championship caliber?
If you can add Durant, you do it in a heartbeat. For me, the question of can he play SG, assuming a lineup of Rolo, KP, Melo, is easily answered by asking the opposite: How hard would it be for opposing teams to match up against Melo, KP, Durant at the 2, 3, 4. Who would you play the SG against and that's who you would after in the matchup, the defense would figure itself out after that.
Where do you get the Nick Young details from cause you should remove that from your reading list. Defensive specialist? Is this the same Nick Young?
