epheisey wrote:
Come on man...
First you put Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson on all the same level. Second, there are how many wings in the NBA right now that can produce 15-20ppg and play defense well? I'd guess something ~20. There are how many young centers, averaging a double-double in their CAREER, already? I can tell you, Demarcus Cousins, and Nikola Vucevic. That makes Andre 1 of 3. So you're telling me, you want to trade something that only 3 teams in the entire league have, for something that more than half the teams in the NBA have (some teams with more than 1 even)? Next, who were the Pistons best 2 players in 2004? Ben Wallace, and Chauncey Billups. What was Ben Wallace? A DPOY that rebounded well, but couldn't even average double digits on offense. So don't drop that BS that Drummond can't be the first or second best player on a team even with tempered expectations.
Sacramento stuck it out with Cousins when he was acting a fool. And guess what they managed to do....get Rudy Gay, a guy people around here would love to have. So don't pretend like it's impossible to acquire a good wing unless we deal Drummond.
You guys are incredible in how quickly you've jumped ship, calling for tanking, trading of our core building blocks.
11 games in and Drummond no longer has the mental makeup....He's been overloaded with information and responsibilities. Give the dude a break. He's 21 years old, and for the first time in his life is being asked to play with more than just his instincts and athleticism.
Jimmy Butler and Klay have both taken huge steps forward this season and have become terrific players. Kawhi is a beast and he'll show it when he's eventually the #1 or #2 option. All 3 of them wing players that can score, shoot from deep, play defense and throw in some rebounding/playmaking here and there.
I don't like the grouping of scorers from 15-20ppg because honestly, 20ppg scorers are usually guys on another level who do other things as well. 20ppg scorers that play defense as well are not common. Guys like that are extremely valuable in this league.
Double doubles don't win championships or playoff series. Moose averages a near double double for his career and nobody considers him a star player. Right now in the modern day NBA the most important trait people want from their centers is to be able to anchor the defense. Things that don't always show up in the stats. Joakim Noah averaged less points, rebounds and had a lower FG% than Drummond last year and yet his impact on his team was FAR greater. Double doubles are nice and all but they aren't the mark of an elite big man. Cousins' issue was always his maturity and anger, not skills. He was already a very talented offensive player from the get go. He's matured and changed his approach/become more efficient, but his skill set was never in question. Dre's issues as a player are a lot more difficult to address than mere lack of maturity like Sheed/Cousins had.
I'm not saying that we should look to trade Drummond, but honestly...the notion that some posters (speaking generally here) still hold that he is untouchable is flat out silly. You don't trade him just for the sake of trading or to acquire someone at a specific position, but he's definitely not untradeable. I'd do a deal centered around Drummond for Curry agreeing to an extension right now without a second thought (would never happen though obviously). Anyone who wouldn't is probably a massive homer. Not gonna comment on the trades that were proposed for kawhi/butler/klay because I think Dre deserves more time to make significant progress, it's still early in the season.
