Comments on: Memphis Grizzlies center Hasheem Thabeet is reportedly available, could the Pistons pull off a trade?

By: frankie d

frankie d — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 03:27:17 +0000

@phayes,
jordan is definitely a gamble.
no doubt about it. he’s probably going to get a contract offer that he doesn’t deserve next summer because a team is going to be willing to gamble on him, and the price will probably be relatively expensive for a young guy who hasn’t really proven much.
is he worth that kind of gamble?
very, very hard to say, but if i’m joe d, i probably would take it cause the upside is so great. if he pans out, your frontcourt is set for the next decade – with jordan and monroe and JJ and daye - and if he doesn’t pan out, you have a very expensive backup center.
on the other hand, why not get both? essentially redo your center/power forward spot with a couple of young guys. do a memphis trade for thabeet and sign jordan while dumping maxiell for whatever you could get in order to get rid of the salary.
one can dream…

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:55:09 +0000

@Tmos:

If Prince is included, the salaries won't match. Detroit would have to take back another $8 or $9 million in salary to make that work, and it's unlikely the Pistons would want to do that, unless Memphis was willing to talk about including Zach Randolph in the deal, in which case the Pistons would have to give up much more than Prince/Wilcox/2nd rounder.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:53:28 +0000

@gmehl:

Thabeet might be a bust, but I can't see Memphis dealing him and not getting a future second rounder. Detroit has two second round picks next year and a pretty crowded roster unless they make some moves, so I don't know how likely it would be that two second round picks would make the team next season anyway.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:52:26 +0000

@laser:

The upside is the shot-blocking. He's blocked shots in limited minutes. He's been bad in a lot of other facets, but at a minimum, he can be a presence on defense in the paint for limited minutes. That's probably more of a contribution than Wilcox/Summers will make on this team. (No knock on Summers Frankie, but he stands zero chance of playing with the roster as-is).

I don't know if it's necessarily worth the risk, but the Pistons certainly don't have much shot-blocking. Thabeet is young enough to become a serviceable player, and if he's not worth keeping around, he's either a $6 million expiring deal next year or they just don't re-sign him.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:47:33 +0000

@frankie D:

Here's the thing though ... as you say, Jordan, although he might have more promise than Thabeet, is still a project player. So using the mid-level exception or most of it on him would likely require at minimum, a four-year deal. Young centers with upside will easily get that.

So let's say conservatively, you can get Jordan for 4 years/18ish million (and I would guess he will get more than that). Now, you have a young center who could get really could or could suck in a bigger role, but the financial commitment is greater. If he works out, it's a bargain. If he doesn't, you're paying him for four years instead of paying Thabeet for a year and a half to see what he is.

I agree that Thabeet is a train wreck on offense. But if he blocks shots -- and even in limited minutes, he's blocked shots at a very high rate -- he can fill a definite void on the roster.

Talent-wise, Jordan might be a better gamble, but he's still an unknown commodity and he's likely a more expensive one.

By: Tmos

Tmos — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:16:43 +0000

Plus, I don’t mind if Thabeet isn’t polished offensively. We have some offensive weapons, but even those we can live w/o. We are Detroit. Bring home the BIG D. Toughness, hard play. Defense, rebounds, blocks, steals, hustle plays… That’s how we won in ’88-’89, ’89-’90 and ’03-’04.

By: Tmos

Tmos — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:14:20 +0000

Instead of Summers, how about making it for Wilcox and Prince?

By: frankie d

frankie d — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:53:00 +0000

laser,
that’s my point. and if i’m going to pay 5 million to a project big man next year, i’d rather take that gamble on deandre jordan. i’d lure him away from the clippers as a free agent and take my chances with him. i think he’s shown a bit more in his limited chances, even though the jury is still out on him.

By: Laser

Laser — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:48:22 +0000

definitely not a major gamble, but it’s hard to see the upside. i mean, just about anything would be worth a try right now, but i don’t see much benefit for either side. that’s all.

By: gmehl1977

gmehl1977 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:26:06 +0000

If the deal was only to be giving up Wilcox and Summers then i would consider it but there is no chance in hell i am giving up that second round pick. It is a proven fact that Dumars gets more value out of his second round picks then anywhere in the draft. Speaking of second round picks, does anyone know how Terrico White is coming along with his broken foot? Its embarrassing to think how crowed the back court/wing positions are at the moment and we still have Terrico and Jerebko to come back to crowd things even more.