duncan228
12-17-2009, 04:11 PM
6 Players Who Need to be Traded (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-playerswhoneedtobetr&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
The trade deadline is a good two months away. But with several players already hot topics (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/47788/examining_todays_eligible_trade_bait), and an entire team up for grabs (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/47909/warriors_listening_to_all_offers), you can forgive me for having trade on the brain. So even if it’s a bit early, I’d like to present you with my list of six players who need to be traded—for their sake, their club’s, or both.
Jerryd Bayless: The Portland PG situation is in turmoil, the team might unload Andre Miller, and Bayless wants to help. Except if you thought Miller wasn’t Steve Blake, Bayless really isn’t Steve Blake. Bayless’ range is only slightly better than Miller’s, and his main skill is attacking the basket. Pairing him with Roy for the future would essentially set up a situation where you have two slashing guards in the backcourt. And it’s not like Bayless is a finished product yet, or a clear-cut fit for Nate McMillian’s universe. His lottery pick’s salary isn’t worth dumping, but he needs a change of scenery, and there’d be no shortage of teams interested in his services. The Blazers don’t have to part ways with Bayless, but they also don’t seem to have much use for him, and could use him as a bargaining chip if they want to get rid of a veteran.
John Salmons: Salmons is exactly the kind of player some heavy-duty team should want to bolster its offense. He can play multiple positions, do a little bit of everything and put up points. And yet there’s something about him that makes him seem out of place as a "big man on bad team," as he was in Sacramento and now, Chicago. Playing somewhere good would allow him to show off the full range of his abilities, not force him to go for his when the shot’s not there (something he’s almost obligated to do on teams with little firepower), and just generally better suit his temperament. What’s more, he makes less than $6 million per year, and expires after next season. Maybe Chicago could land some more youth or a draft pick; Salmons could go to a team that’s a better fit for an unobtrusive veteran capable of shouldering some of the load.
Richard Hamilton: I know, it sounds crazy to suggest that Rip Hamilton would be dealt by the Pistons. Especially now that Ben Wallace is back. It’s like some players just belong there. But Chauncey Billups is gone, and Hamilton wasn’t always a Detroiter. The Pistons are putting together their team of the future, and so far, includes Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon featured heavily. Yes, Gordon can come off the bench, but they paid him way too much for that. And they could go with all three at once as they did to placate Iverson. But come on, that’s hardly smart basketball. Hamilton is under contract through 2013, at $12.6 million per year. That almost makes him untradeable. Then again, he’s still perfectly capable, and if we see some sort of arms race erupt once again between the teams jockeying for top position, someone might be willing to take the plunge make this committment. Like Orlando did with Vince.
Rudy Gay: The Grizzlies have finally started to improve, even if they’re overperforming right now. Gay is getting closer and closer to emerging as the All-Star we’ve always thought he had hidden under the hood. Despite the contributions of Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and O.J. Mayo, Gay is the heart of the Grizz. He may not be the most disciplined player in the world, but he can impact a game in many ways, and he can sneak into the conversation when you’re talking about the top young SF’s in the game. So why would Memphis trade him? Plain and simple: It couldn’t sign him to an extension last summer, which means Gay will be a restricted FA. For all the team’s success, the Grizzlies are still in dire financial straits and not looking to break the bank. If things get to the point of offer sheets and matching, some team will realize it’s not getting LeBron and throw money at Gay. The Grizzlies won’t be able or willing to match, so better they get something for him now.
Sergio Rodriguez: So Spanish Chocolate was a YouTube mirage. A team that wants to run, and needs a PG (even a capable back-up) could do far worse. Sacramento has buried him in the rotation, in part because Beno Udrih has redeemed himself and Donte Greene (a guard, I guess) is starting to come around. But Rodriguez, for all his faults, can push the tempo. He’s restricted this summer, so maybe the Kings get a draft pick for him?
Amir Johnson: A purely sentimental inclusion. I know Johnson is probably never going to amount to much. But I was excited when he went to Milwaukee because it at least seemed like he’d play. Granted, if that had happened, we might have never become acquainted with that wonderful basketball player Ilyasova. He’s not going to get much PT now in Toronto, either, as the Raptors have Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh—aka the franchise—down low. Still, I fondly remember all the buzz about him in Detroit, the contract that Dumars cast as buying into the lottery, and the organization-wise commitment to make him grow … that somehow never made it down to the coaching staff. He may be holding himself back with foul trouble, and yet I can’t help but think that guaranteed minutes somewhere might result in something that didn’t make me feel like I’d been duped. OK, it’s selfish, not sentimental.
SportingNews
The trade deadline is a good two months away. But with several players already hot topics (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/47788/examining_todays_eligible_trade_bait), and an entire team up for grabs (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/47909/warriors_listening_to_all_offers), you can forgive me for having trade on the brain. So even if it’s a bit early, I’d like to present you with my list of six players who need to be traded—for their sake, their club’s, or both.
Jerryd Bayless: The Portland PG situation is in turmoil, the team might unload Andre Miller, and Bayless wants to help. Except if you thought Miller wasn’t Steve Blake, Bayless really isn’t Steve Blake. Bayless’ range is only slightly better than Miller’s, and his main skill is attacking the basket. Pairing him with Roy for the future would essentially set up a situation where you have two slashing guards in the backcourt. And it’s not like Bayless is a finished product yet, or a clear-cut fit for Nate McMillian’s universe. His lottery pick’s salary isn’t worth dumping, but he needs a change of scenery, and there’d be no shortage of teams interested in his services. The Blazers don’t have to part ways with Bayless, but they also don’t seem to have much use for him, and could use him as a bargaining chip if they want to get rid of a veteran.
John Salmons: Salmons is exactly the kind of player some heavy-duty team should want to bolster its offense. He can play multiple positions, do a little bit of everything and put up points. And yet there’s something about him that makes him seem out of place as a "big man on bad team," as he was in Sacramento and now, Chicago. Playing somewhere good would allow him to show off the full range of his abilities, not force him to go for his when the shot’s not there (something he’s almost obligated to do on teams with little firepower), and just generally better suit his temperament. What’s more, he makes less than $6 million per year, and expires after next season. Maybe Chicago could land some more youth or a draft pick; Salmons could go to a team that’s a better fit for an unobtrusive veteran capable of shouldering some of the load.
Richard Hamilton: I know, it sounds crazy to suggest that Rip Hamilton would be dealt by the Pistons. Especially now that Ben Wallace is back. It’s like some players just belong there. But Chauncey Billups is gone, and Hamilton wasn’t always a Detroiter. The Pistons are putting together their team of the future, and so far, includes Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon featured heavily. Yes, Gordon can come off the bench, but they paid him way too much for that. And they could go with all three at once as they did to placate Iverson. But come on, that’s hardly smart basketball. Hamilton is under contract through 2013, at $12.6 million per year. That almost makes him untradeable. Then again, he’s still perfectly capable, and if we see some sort of arms race erupt once again between the teams jockeying for top position, someone might be willing to take the plunge make this committment. Like Orlando did with Vince.
Rudy Gay: The Grizzlies have finally started to improve, even if they’re overperforming right now. Gay is getting closer and closer to emerging as the All-Star we’ve always thought he had hidden under the hood. Despite the contributions of Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and O.J. Mayo, Gay is the heart of the Grizz. He may not be the most disciplined player in the world, but he can impact a game in many ways, and he can sneak into the conversation when you’re talking about the top young SF’s in the game. So why would Memphis trade him? Plain and simple: It couldn’t sign him to an extension last summer, which means Gay will be a restricted FA. For all the team’s success, the Grizzlies are still in dire financial straits and not looking to break the bank. If things get to the point of offer sheets and matching, some team will realize it’s not getting LeBron and throw money at Gay. The Grizzlies won’t be able or willing to match, so better they get something for him now.
Sergio Rodriguez: So Spanish Chocolate was a YouTube mirage. A team that wants to run, and needs a PG (even a capable back-up) could do far worse. Sacramento has buried him in the rotation, in part because Beno Udrih has redeemed himself and Donte Greene (a guard, I guess) is starting to come around. But Rodriguez, for all his faults, can push the tempo. He’s restricted this summer, so maybe the Kings get a draft pick for him?
Amir Johnson: A purely sentimental inclusion. I know Johnson is probably never going to amount to much. But I was excited when he went to Milwaukee because it at least seemed like he’d play. Granted, if that had happened, we might have never become acquainted with that wonderful basketball player Ilyasova. He’s not going to get much PT now in Toronto, either, as the Raptors have Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh—aka the franchise—down low. Still, I fondly remember all the buzz about him in Detroit, the contract that Dumars cast as buying into the lottery, and the organization-wise commitment to make him grow … that somehow never made it down to the coaching staff. He may be holding himself back with foul trouble, and yet I can’t help but think that guaranteed minutes somewhere might result in something that didn’t make me feel like I’d been duped. OK, it’s selfish, not sentimental.