I love this trade for the Kings. Instead of paying Andres Nocioni for the next two years, Sacramento gets Samuel Dalembert, who has an expiring contract. They also get a sizable upgrade over Spencer Hawes, who has grown out of favor in Sacramento, and is quite frankly soft. Dalembert will provide a much needed defensive presence, and will be a great compliment to the stretch games of Carl Landry and Jason Thompson. The Kings are expected to draft a big man with the #5 pick in the draft (either Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins or Georgetown's Greg Monroe), which also makes an established big man a nice fit. Rookies are generally inconsistent and have habitual foul trouble, which makes a veteran big like Dalembert a real asset. Then, by the time their rookie gets his feet wet, Dalembert's contract will come off the books, leaving extra minutes for their developing young player.
Philadelphia
This trade really doesn't make sense for Philadelphia unless they value Spencer Hawes more than most teams around the league. He does provide a reasonable fit next to the more athletic Marresse Speights, but his play thus far has been less than stellar. Nocioni had some good years in Chicago, but his motivation to play in the NBA seems to be waning. Paying him $13.5 M over the next two years is clearly a liability, especially for a team in the midst of a re-building effort. However, the real question regarding Nocioni's acquisition is his role with the team moving forward. The most likely scenario seems to be a buyout, which wouldn't help the team financially, but would make their rotation much more manageable. Consider the 76ers roster as it stands: if Jrue Holiday averages 30 minutes a game, Lou Williams gets 25, Andre Iguodala gets 40, Thaddeus Young and Nocioni split 35 between them, and Speights, Hawes, and Elton Brand get 30 minutes apiece. That only leaves 20 minutes per game for the incoming #2 pick. Of those 20, one minute would be available for a guard spot, 13 would be available at small forward, and six would be available up front. Even with a player as versatile as Evan Turner, playing a role like that seems far fetched. Buying out Nocioni would free up another 10-15 minutes per game, but I think the move is more indicative of an intent to draft Derrick Favors than one to draft Turner.
No comments:
Post a Comment