He IS similar to JJ in a lot of ways ... SF with ability to play PF ... not an elite level talent, but serviceable in many ways.
But even with, let's say, three new pieces coming in next year - maybe none of them are a SF.
Could be: 1 big (Jonas), draft a SG (Beal), sign a PG (Nash?) ... that still leaves room for both SF's in the rotation.
The only way to bag a classy lady is to give her two tickets to the gun show... and see if she likes the goods.
Eh, I've said it before that I am not a big Kleiza fan. I'd amnesty him in a heartbeat...I appreciate what he brings to the team with his swagger, but I don't like his game
trade JJ and draft a PG problem solvedApollo wrote:
Raise your hand if you have come back from catastrophic knee surgery and than played at an NBA level after 8 months.
Kleiza has a fire in him. I would like to see him a full season and a summer removed from surgery with starter's minutes.
He plays with an attitude he seems to love playing in clutch moments, and his ability to post up smaller people and pull out the bigger ones is crucial in an offense where DeMar can't do that
I don't think Kleiza is so important that they build their off-season around him... Maybe I'm wrong?
Um, excuse me? He can go inside for points, can he? For every shot he makes inside, he does TWO of the following things, sometimes simultaneously: travels, throws up a brick or an airball, commits a charge, oh, and did I mention the part about travelling? I remember the very first game he played this year after his offseason rehab: he took a pass and exploded down the lane for a dunk. Know why I remember this? Because it was the last time he's done it. If not for the contract, he'd be a nice guy to have on the bench, for the reasons many of you have stated. I'm amnesty him in a heartbeat, though, if BC needs the space for a nice acquisition.
What you said remind me of the rest of the team.
I think Kleiza is a 100% keeper, I love him as the backup sf off the bench
When you watch him play with Lithuania he is a completely different player and shines, so the potential is there
I really think bringing in Jonas to pair with him would be great and their euro styles will work well together
i wouldnt be suprised if we saw many Kleiza 2 Jonas connections next year
plus he is making less than 5 mill a year which is a bargain for any bench player
bring back Sonny Weems + Jonas and Kleiza and we got team Lithuania Light right there
You have to consider that this Raptors team is not full of superstars. So in order to succeed in the long term you will need to have a deep roster full of options and players who could step into the court and be ready I think this Raptors team will have a different leading scorer in every night. Sometimes It'll be Demar, others Andre, Jose, or Jonas.
Kleiza is a solid back up, a nice scoring option off the bench when the starters are cold. With that being said, he's very similar to JJ in many areas. Both are big and strong SF who can play PF but not consistenly.
It'll all come down to this offseason. If the Raps can draft MKG or sign Batum, one of JJ or Kleiza will have to go. To be honest, this team needs a starting SF and none of JJ or Kleiza are a good fit.
i am a big fan of multiple position bench players. i would personally like one pg to send in off the bench with a player who can play both wings and another who can 3/4 and a big. after that fill with situational matchup players. in that respect i am happy with klieza staying with the team and coming off the bench at the 3/4 but he would be behind both jj and ed/amir at those positions for me.
forgot to add sonny is a don't want. really soured on his passive aggressive bff tweets at the start of the year. depth player given a shot and grew a large head for what he really is.
I agree 100%. I think the main point is finding a regular offensive role. At the same time, he would fetch some value for us in the short term
You guys talk about keeping him as if it's a choice. We're talking about a guy who rarely starts on a lottery bound team, earning $5M per for the next two years. A guy who has career highs of 11 points and 4 rebounds, and that was before tearing up his knee.
your pal,
ebrian
Perhaps you meant "Career averages"
I like Kleiza as bench player too - for the right pieces trade him. But I don't see such trade opportunity coming. I am completely against using the amnesty on him. I just don't think it makes much sense.
Last edited by footarez; Wed Apr 11th, 2012 at 04:06 PM.
I don't mind Kleiza.. He's getting paid less than the MLE, which means he gets paid less than an average NBA'er would. He's fine with his bench role, and gives us an extra level of toughness. Plus he only has two more years on his contract (after this year), where his last year is a player option.
He's not a starter in my books, but he's not being paid like one either. Could we do better? Sure, but we have far more pressing needs than trying to figure out if we should keep Kleiza around for another year or not.
Kleiza is still young (only 27 years) and with a reasonable salary would be very easy to move in a trade. Definitely don't need to amnesty, and I'd only use him as a trade chip if we got someone better in the long term.
Amen. Its funny to me that some guys want to amnesty or trade Kleiza in the hopes of landing a "better" player. You cant really stack your team with superstars or even borderline superstars, unless youre miami or boston or the team is willing to go ten times over the cap. Kleiza is a serviceable player. He does the nitty gritty things but yes, he has to be consistent. As long as he knows where he stands, i would love to have him on the 2nd group.
Just wanted to say that initially I was certain they'd keep him no matter what as long as JV was coming because they are fellow countrymen. Then I thought "just because my cousin is gay and my friend is gay too, doesn't mean it automatic they should get together.". Or whatever analogy you want to use. Who says Kleiza wants someone else to be the best Lith player on the team? With JV, this years first rounder, 1 to 2 quality free agents coming in and hopefully Nicholson or Jae Crowder in the second round, Kleiza is quickly falling farther down in the bench rotation. Not that I think his isn't good or his price tag is too high for what he is capable of bringing but he might make a lot less sense after the draft and July first. Just because he is Lith doesn't guarantee he is here next season.
Just my 2 cents.
if your cousin just found out he was gay and needed a gay mentor to show him the ropes maybe someone you trusted like your friend would be a good partner for him.
So we all agree we should dump Kleiza and hire either Thornbury's gay cousin or friend for JV
hahahaha made me laugh. this one was funny
that's kind of hard to do seeing as there's no way you could see me raising my hand.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote