Simmons & Lowe weigh in. Redick a "a very, very good player"

[DrugBust]

Good stuff:

Simmons (3:27 p.m.): Let's talk about the trades that did happen. What did you think of the Redick deal? I liked it for Milwaukee obviously. But I like all deals for Team X when Team X gets J.J. Redick. I'm a Redickite. Redickphile? Redickan?

Lowe (3:28 p.m.): Milwaukee paid a price for what might end up being a short-term rental, though one that will help them clinch a playoff berth they are 100 percent committed to cinching. They gave up Doron Lamb and Tobias Harris, along with Beno Udrih's expiring deal. Harris's departure is a particularly sad marker. The Bucks need a two-way wing player going forward, and there was great optimism around the league — both within the Bucks and elsewhere — that Harris, a bruiser with limited range and unproven defensive ability, might be that player. Guess not — or at least not in Milwaukee. Lamb is interesting, but he's shooting 35 percent in limited minutes. The Bucks get back Ish Smith, a deep reserve, and Gustavo Ayon, whom the Magic and Hornets both liked before dealing him. Ayon is a useful player who may struggle to get minutes in Milwaukee's crowded frontcourt. He's a smart passer and cutter on offense, and he's a decent defender.

Simmons (3:32 p.m.): Translation: This Redick trade was for NBA nerds only, a.k.a. the people who watch four games at once on a Monday night and know who any of these guys are. And for the record, I am a HUGE Gustavo Ayon fan. I may or may not have been involved in an "I think Orlando has been misusing Gustavo Ayon" conversation within the last few weeks. So I don't love this trade for Orlando because I like the two guys they gave up. Redick is a proven playoff guy. And a good teammate. The Bucks are better, I think.

Lowe (3:36 p.m.): Redick is obviously the highlight of the deal. He's a very, very good player, and Orlando is now officially in full Tank Mode. He'll have to play some small forward, but anytime he takes from Ellis is a plus for Milwaukee. Milwaukee's offense features a lot of fast-paced cutting for pick-and-rolls around the elbows, and Redick has been thriving in that kind of action for years in Orlando.

And he can shoot. Milwaukee needs that, badly. The Bucks are shooting 34.8 percent from deep, 21st in the league, and Ellis is shooting 22.8 percent on a totally irresponsible 3.5 attempts per game. That is borderline sabotage. Here is the total list of players in league history to attempt more than three 3-pointers per game in a season while hitting fewer than 25 percent of them.

Simmons (3:39 p.m.): There's a good chance that he decided to spend the season trolling the advanced-metrics community with his shot selection. Don't rule this out. Maybe he's trying to drive Kirk Goldsberry to hardcore drug use.

Lowe (3:40 p.m.): It may be that Ellis, as good as he can look on majestic highlight layups, is just a poisonous player. He does some things well — driving, slashing, and finding teammates for productive looks at the rim. But he does more Bad Monta things — taking long jumpers, basically — than Good Monta things on offense, and on defense, there is only Bad Monta. He gambles for steals, stands upright so that even "blah" opponents can blow by him off the dribble, he's undersized, and he's an inattentive help defender.

Basically: I'm beginning to believe a team would be better off just not playing Monta, unless he's going to shoot 50-plus percent, which last happened in 2007-08. Shifting some of his minutes to Redick will help by itself, and Jim Boylan should be able to fit Redick in the small forward rotation, alongside Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (all defense, no spacing) and Mike Dunleavy Jr. (all spacing/passing, no defense).

Simmons (3:44 p.m.): I'm suddenly terrified of Bad Monta sharing Boston's backcourt next season with Basic Cable Rondo. You're looking at Monta's career the wrong way, though — the way I see it, we're just inching closer and closer to Monta reaching his ultimate destiny as an Irrational Confidence Bench Scorer on a contender, like a cross between Vernon Maxwell Circa 1994, Jason Terry Circa 2011 and even Eddie House Circa 2008. Maybe that's what he was always meant to be.

Lowe: (3:46 p.m.): Last point on the Redick deal: It's basically a wash financially for the Bucks in terms of cap room this summer, and it gives them the option of just letting Ellis go — assuming he opts out — and re-signing Redick to replace him. But Redick wants to win. Is this the right place for him to do that?

Simmons (3:47 p.m.): If "win" means "winning slightly more games than you're losing," then yes, it's the right place for him to do that. If you're talking about winning multiple playoff series, then no. I'd say that he's more focused on the second point. I was hoping he'd land in Indiana; he could have made a nice splash for the Pacers (they needed another shooter, as you know). If the Bucks land the no. 7 seed, could they bother Indiana or New York in the first round with Jennings, Redick, Ilyasova, SANDERS! and Mbah a Moute or Dunleavy at crunch time? I mean … maybe? But I think that's where it ends.

Lowe (3:50 p.m.): As for Orlando: It seems they couldn't get a first-round pick, so this return is fine. That's the story of the trade deadline: Only one first-round pick changed hands after January 1 — the pick Memphis sent to Cleveland in their pre-Rudy trade. About four or five future first-rounders changed hands on average in the last few trade deadlines.

Simmons (3:52 p.m.): So either the new tax rules (and the shrinking cap) changed the trade landscape going forward, or it's a massive aberration that means nothing. Hmmmmmm. Last Bucks thought: Why not deal Monta Ellis as the second part of that Redick move?

Lowe (3:53 p.m.): Perhaps they couldn't find a taker for Monta, though it's unclear if he was in the offer to Atlanta for Smith
(apparently not). The Bucks have the talent to bother anyone, but they're still a step below the East's second-tier teams. "Why didn't Indiana trade a late first-round pick for Redick?" will be a popular question in the wake of this deadline. Ditto for "Where the heck was Utah?" Teams were very cautious with first-rounders, even late ones that typically produce very little. This is a question for tomorrow, though. But a bunch of teams choose "do nothing" over all other options, and that includes the Hawks with Smith. They had offers on the table and chose none of them.

[LUKE23]

Yuck.

[europa]

Yuck.

Yeah that doesn't strike me as a convincing argument about this being a great deal for the Bucks. It locks them into the 8th seed. Congrats. I'm sure the Heat are quivering.

I did like Lowe's comments about the optimism surrounding Harris, though.

[humanrefutation]

The title of this thread seems to misrepresent the whole discussion.

[LUKE23]

That's my biggest issue. We're still unquestionable first round fodder. Keep Harris. Sign Redick in the offseason if you really want him. Landing him now doesn't change anything about this season. It was a horrible trade, period.

[Baddy Chuck]

Simmons (3:47 p.m.): If "win" means "winning slightly more games than you're losing," then yes, it's the right place for him to do that.

Basically sums up the article.

[europa]

That's my biggest issue. We're still unquestionable first round fodder. Keep Harris. Sign Redick in the offseason if you really want him. Landing him now doesn't change anything about this season. It was a horrible trade, period.

I keep looking at how Dallas got Anthony Morrow for basically a used piece of chewing gum. Why on Earth would the Bucks pay the going rate for Redick given that? And again, I like Redick. I just think it's stupid that every team around the league that wanted him was balking at the Magic's asking price. Except for one team. Which, as always, was our Milwaukee Bucks.

[JayMKE]

Good analysis on Monta.

[EzeDoesIt]

Redick really is a good player. I like his game a lot and he has developed significantly over the years. The value was totally fair and, if anything, we got a steal here.

And yet, why give up Harris/ Lamb when we're just gonna lose Redick this off-season? More importantly, WHY THE **** DO WE STILL HAVE MONTA ELLIS???

[EzeDoesIt]

Good analysis on Monta.

No it wasn't. Maybe they're just trying to be "politically correct" (basketball-wise), but they're a little (and by that I mean a LOT) late to the party if they're just now realizing that Ellis is nothing but a significant detriment to his team.

[bigdog34]

Is Redick "Very good" enough for Boylan to make Monta our 6th man? Start Jennings, Redick, Dunleavy, Ers, Sanders. Have Smith, Monta, Luc, Henson, Dalembert off the bench.

[MikeIsGood]

Redick is a good player. That doesn't change the fact that this trade sucks.

I just take solace in not being completely done with the franchise. We **** up, but not that bad.

[MikeIsGood]

There is 0.0% chance Swag 2 doesn't start.

[blazza18]

Solidifying the 8th seed.

#whereamazinghappens.

[WEFFPIM]

You can be a good player and still not make sense for a particular team. In this case, it's less about him and more about what is still here.