We can agree to disagree on this matter.
I'd be all for bringing in Stephen Jackson or Andres Nocioni at the expense of Finley/Mason/ Mahimni plus 1st rounder ( if it needs to be added).
Quality big men in the NBA are scarce. Which is a reason for teams overpaying for big men with obvious deficiencies 8-10 million a year. ( Dalembert, Rasho's old contract, Beidrins, Dampier, Zach Randolph, Kaman the list goes on). And the best we could probably do in terms of trading for a big man would be Marcus Camby or Jeff Foster. It remains to be seen but all signs are indicating that DeJuan Blair is the real deal Hollyfield and will most likely see anywhere from 15-20 minutes a game. Same with Bonner. And Dice getting 18-25 mpg roughly.
Are Camby and Foster really good enough to where Pop would sit Blair, McDyess, Bonner in favor of them? The answer is no. Maybe Camby could two or 3 years ago no questions asked but that answer isn't a clear cut yes as it used to. Camby's role would be more limited.
Then you can rebuttal that by saying, " Well when we play the Lakers or teams with length that's where Camby or Foster can fit in. Then we would be more versatile on the front-line. "
That's why Ratliff was signed. There was a reason for that.
So my question continues, would Camby or Foster really be that much of a significant upgrade due to the limited floor time they would see anyway?
-Camby slightly, but not really he would share minutes with Dice/ Bonner/Blair therefore his addition wouldn't be as significant.
-Foster or any other middle of the road big man like Collison for instance...No. We have Ratliff for that role.