Friday, July 9, 2010

Travis Outlaw Headed to New Jersey

After losing out in the Lebron sweepstakes, the New Jersey Nets turned to the next best thing: Travis Outlaw (number 23 on the Big Board). Outlaw and the Nets agreed to a 5 year, $35 million contract. I have always been a big fan of Outlaw's game. He is silky smooth, extremely athletic, and very versatile. When you're looking for an All-Star, you want a guy who excels at one or two things and doesn't kill you across the board. When you're looking for a role player, though, an ideal guy is one who does a little bit of everything and contributes in a number of ways. That's Outlaw. He can shoot a little, drive a little, get you a few rebounds, and play some defense. He's not great at anything statistically but he provides help all over the place. And he's one of the rare role players who steps up his game in the clutch. Outlaw has hit some big time, game winning shots and has a reputation as a cool player in tight situations. The money is a bit over what he's worth. I think Outlaw would be great at 5 years, $25 mil instead of 35. Still, though, he's an excellent player to pair with Devin Harris and Brook Lopez and since he came out straight out of high school, he's still a young guy despite having been in the league for 7 years.

Grade: B

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