Al Iannazzone picks up on some fans mockingly chanting “MVP” when Travis Outlaw was shooting free throws earlier this week. But does the “V” stand for? Vilified?
Outlaw thinks he can “do better,” but Iannazzone reports that a top priority for the Nets this summer is finding somebody dumber than them to take on the remaining four-years, $28 million on his contract:
The Nets probably realize they hastily signed Outlaw. Once they knew LeBron James, Rudy Gay and other big free agents weren’t coming, ex-Nets president Rod Thorn and coach Avery Johnson felt they had to get someone.
They signed Outlaw hoping they could convert him into a full-time small forward, but he’s more comfortable at power forward. Now, for the third consecutive offseason, the Nets will see if they can upgrade the small forward spot. They could pursue restricted free agent Wilson Chandler, but will see who is available through trades.
Personally, Chandler concerns me in a slower-paced offensive system, but that’s an argument for another day. I don’t think anyone is defending the Outlaw signing anymore. I tried to initially, but I hope this organization understand that you can’t give big contracts to career bench players coming off an injury. People will blame Rod Thorn for this, and while he’s responsible, he was also out the door. Let’s be real here — Avery Johnson was calling the shots on the roster this summer. Avery thought Outlaw was going to be the NJ-version of what he had with Josh Howard. Not even close, and it makes me hope that Avery leaves the player evaluations to the GM going forward — and yes, I realize the team’s GM is Billy King. That’s how little confidence I have in Avery’s player evaluation abilities.
