Joe-D really missed the boat on Spencer Hawnes, didn't he?

7-1, 250lbs, 23 years old...currently 4th amongst NBA centers in points per game...and I believe Philly signed him to an MLE level contract.

Really screwed the pooch on that one. Guy could've made a huge difference. Now and for years to come. Brook Lopez-like.

He was drafted ahead of Stuckey, so Joe knew that he must have been an unbelievable player.

Funny, Sacramento could have had him AND Greg Monroe.

No way JD would've drafted him even if he'd been there at 15. Joe's man love for Stuck knew no bounds. Everyone and their mother knew the Pistons were taking Stuckey that year.

IIRC Joe supposedly made a verbal commitment to picking Stuckey prior to the draft.

Interesting to see Hawes progression since leaving Sacramento. That's got to be a hard place to play with the coaches changing like underwear.

I watched Spencer play for the Huskies. He played above the team, but I don't think anyone who watched him play thought that he would be a starter in the NBA. The fact that he was picked early was because he is 7 feet tall. I like Spencer, but you can't blame Joe for not taking him.

Contract year.

Last season he averaged 7.2ppg, 5.7rpg on 46% shooting

I'm talking about not using the MLE to sign him THIS off-season.

C: Hawnes
PF: Monroe
SF: Prince
SG: Gordon
PG: Knight
6th: C/PF/SF: Jerebko
7th: SF/SG/PG: Stuckey
8th: SF/SG: Daye
9th: PG: Bynum
10th: PF: Villanueva
11th: C/PF: Wallace
12th: C/PF: Maxiel

would've been much better, especially moving forward.

Hawes was a restricted free agent, and has been thoroughly mediocre until these last 6 games. No reason for Joe to have foreseen Hawes' coming out party (again, SIX GAMES), or to think Philly would not match his offer.

To be fair to Joe I think he would have signed Hawes if he had any $$ left over after he signed all his beloved wackpackers.

Weee. So true. Joe realized he was OUT of cash...no go on Hawes.

I think what most people here are saying is that we didn't fill any needs. Free agency is the time to fill weakness and upgrade the team. A big man should have been priority #1. With Nene, Chandler, and Hawes out there we did not attempt to sign any of those guys. Resigning Tay or Stuckey should have been last on his list and they should have been offered whatever money was left after signing a Center. If they were not happy with the money they were offered at that point then they could walk.

Exactly, and had we signed one of those centers, we possibly could have gotten either Stuckey or Prince, or both, to sign for less money, seeing how they'd be playing with a legit center, and playing on a better day.

If Joe signed Spencer Hawes, he wouldn't have had the money for Damien Wilkins....

Yes, it is frustrating, but behold hindsight. There is a certain narrow vision that JD has in the placement and potential of big men. Big problem.

As you well know, JD does not have a clue. Sorta-like the mind-numbing quote straight out of Big Trouble in Little China:

Jack Burton: Feel pretty good. I'm not, uh, I'm not scared at all. I just feel kind of... feel kind of invincible.
Wang Chi: Me, too. I got a very positive attitude about this.
Jack Burton: Good, me too.
Wang Chi: Yeah!
[pause]
Jack Burton: Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?

I know I could have stated this even better.

You must have read my mind.

Agreed....completely.

Yet, if we hadn't re-signed Stuckey or Prince, we'd have created even bigger holes at PG, SG, and SF than at Center (Where Monroe and Big Ben are at worst "solid" until we land a franchise guy).

I've already spoken my piece about Hawes. Many Philly fans didn't even want the guy back for the $4M QO he got after last year. He's going to be an unrestricted FA for the first time in his career after this year, and all of a sudden he has turned into a competent player after years of "meh". A little suspicious if you ask me. I cannot blame Joe for not offering him a huge contract to try to force Philly to not match. Nene/Chandler are paid way more money than a rebuilding team could afford to give out for guys who are going to be 30 in this calendar year. Chandler would be a good fit, and maybe worth the money he's making to us if he were about 25. Unfortunately, he is not.

Too many f-bombs in the last post............not good for our youthful readers.