Derrick Williams: Time to Move On?

[Worm Guts]

I'm not confident of that either.

[shrink]

I don't have to be confident that Williams is not going to fail to say no to trading him for Redick's expiring. I just have to be confident that one of the other 29 GMs would offer a better deal than this -- and of that, I'm pretty dang confident.

I'm not confident of that either.

Maybe I can help!

Suppose you're the GM of a team. What's your #1 goal?

If you said, "win," you're one step too far down the pathway. The answer is to make a popular, successful product. Now, for many teams, the best way to do that is to win, but let's take a step back.

First, the Hornets with Chris Paul demonstrated that if you win, you're not necessarily profitable. In fact, of the ten least profitable teams in the NBA last year, 5 won enough to make the play-offs.

Next, look at the league. How many teams have a chance at winning a ring? Let's be generous and say 5. OK, and of those remaining teams that don't have a chance at a ring, who'd have a successful season if they could just win enough to make the play-offs and be eliminated? I'd say 5 more - one of them being the Wolves. So what do you do if you're one of the other 20 teams?

The key is to make your team interesting.

Now let me give you an example. Who's a better player right now - Tayshaun Prince or Derrick Williams? The answer is Prince, but Prince is not going to draw fans to go buy tickets to watch him. He's played out - we know what he can do, and we know what he can't do. He'd help a team that wants to win a championship, but if he's on a different team, he's not helping your bottom line by selling tickets.

[BrooklynBulls]

I agree with your general point, Shrink. But Corey Maggette is not better than Derrick Williams anymore. Corey Maggette isn't really better than...anybody.

[shrink]

(more)

Now, let's consider Derrick Williams. Right now, he's not very productive, but the truth is, no one can say for sure right now that he's not going to get it. He has the tremendous college season that drew fans and gets his name recognized, he has great athletic skills for spectacular dunks, he can hit three-pointers (or at least, he used to be able to), and his lottery pedigree still makes him attractive.

Now back to you being the GM. You're running a team in the mid-pack or worse, and your owner is giving you doubtful looks when he looks over the revenues. GM's get fired pretty quickly in the NBA, so you need to sell tickets now. What do you do?

You can't buy star talent. They don't want to come to your badteam in free agency, and with low revenues, your owner may not pay the freight for the sub-star talent you'd be able to draw. Your draft pick won't help ticket sales for another nine months. Other teams aren't offering their 2011 or 2012 lottery draftees after 25/85 games, with only one pre-season -- they invested a lot of local marketing in their own guy!

Derrick Williams is the rarity - maybe even a once in a generation opportunity to acquire a top lottery pick at such a young age. I can't think of any a Top 3 pick ever being traded this early - can you? Even Donyell Marshall at #5 after 50 games brought back All Star Tom Gugliotta.

Now I understand that people may look at his game and already say, "nope, he's a bust!" Maybe Wolves fans are even more likely to cut him off early because of Kahn's previous failures, and how his other picks lost value after three seasons in the league. But do you think every GM is going to make that decision? Moreover, there aren't a lot of options that are acquirable that the GM can look at. He can't trade for Tayshaun Prince, and say, "See - that's going to help us spin turnstyles. Trading for Williams shows he's doing something, at least trying to make his team profitable, being the one team that gets to grab a guy with potential so early in his career.

[shrink]

I agree with your general point, Shrink. But Corey Maggette is not better than Derrick Williams anymore. Corey Maggette isn't really better than...anybody.

Wow - you're right. He's really fallen off.

I'll edit using Tayshaun Prince

[shrink]

Anyway, my point is that a player's trade value isn't simply what he produces on the court, but what he produces for the team overall - especially ticket sales. Owners pay them a salary that they hope will make the organization more money than what they send out.

Nobody extra is going to ORL right now to see Redick, even if he gets them a couple more wins.
Nobody extra is going to the Lakers right now because Pau is there, and he's worth the $19 mil they pay him.

Williams doesn't help us, because our rookie-lovers have their eyes squarely focused on Rubio and Shved. Elsewhere though, Derrick Williams at $5 mil - whether he produces or fails in our schadenfreuda society - will create buzz.

And at least ONE gm out there is going to offer more than an expiring JJ Redick.

[The J Rocka]

I'd really like Marcus Thornton on this team. Defense may not be his strength but the guy can shoot and he obviously fits with our squad. With Rubio & Shved's D, I wouldn't be too overly concerned about Thornton's D.

Williams + Ridnour/Barea for Thornton + Thomas would be an easy yes for me.

Pek/Steamer/(draft pick)
Love/Cunningham
AK/Budinger
Thornton/Shved
Rubio/Ridnour or Barea/Thomas

[Nitroglycerin]

Derrick williams for marshon brooks and mirza teletovic!

[Dewey]

I'd really like Marcus Thornton on this team. Defense may not be his strength but the guy can shoot and he obviously fits with our squad. With Rubio & Shved's D, I wouldn't be too overly concerned about Thornton's D.

Williams + Ridnour/Barea for Thornton + Thomas would be an easy yes for me.

Pek/Steamer/(draft pick)
Love/Cunningham
AK/Budinger
Thornton/Shved
Rubio/Ridnour or Barea/Thomas

If he cant play defense he does not fit - those guys are a dime a dozen

[Klomp]

Derrick williams for marshon brooks and mirza teletovic!

No thanks.

[gamer4Life]

Derrick Williams and Brandon Roy for Andrea Bargnani.

[The J Rocka]

Derrick Williams and Brandon Roy for Andrea Bargnani.

So we move a young SF/PF on a rookie contract for a big that can't play basketball at a high level and is due 30 mil for the next 3 seasons to come off the bench since we already have big bodies?

[gamer4Life]

Derrick Williams and Brandon Roy for Andrea Bargnani.

So we move a young SF/PF on a rookie contract for a big that can't play basketball at a high level and is due 30 mil for the next 3 seasons to come off the bench since we already have big bodies?

Bargnani is extremely underrated. He'll be your sparkplug off the bench, and can act as insurance in case Love gets injured.

[The J Rocka]

Derrick Williams and Brandon Roy for Andrea Bargnani.

So we move a young SF/PF on a rookie contract for a big that can't play basketball at a high level and is due 30 mil for the next 3 seasons to come off the bench since we already have big bodies?

Bargnani is extremely underrated. He'll be your sparkplug off the bench, and can act as insurance in case Love gets injured.

We have insurance invested in Cunningham & Williams already so no reason to take on that bad contract. Bargs is having one of his worst seasons ever. A big that cannot shoot, cannot score inside, cannot play defense, and cannot rebound. He makes Brook Lopez look like Kevin Love.

I'm pretty sure Raps fans hate his guts and would dump him for an expiring in a heartbeat.

[Swish4]

Derrick's trade value might increase drastically. It better or it doesn't pay to trade him.

[gamer4Life]

Bargnani is extremely underrated. He'll be your sparkplug off the bench, and can act as insurance in case Love gets injured.

We have insurance invested in Cunningham & Williams already so no reason to take on that bad contract. Bargs is having one of his worst seasons ever. A big that cannot shoot, cannot score inside, cannot play defense, and cannot rebound. He makes Brook Lopez look like Kevin Love.

I'm pretty sure Raps fans hate his guts and would dump him for an expiring in a heartbeat.

Calderon for Williams + Roy?

[The J Rocka]

Bargnani is extremely underrated. He'll be your sparkplug off the bench, and can act as insurance in case Love gets injured.

We have insurance invested in Cunningham & Williams already so no reason to take on that bad contract. Bargs is having one of his worst seasons ever. A big that cannot shoot, cannot score inside, cannot play defense, and cannot rebound. He makes Brook Lopez look like Kevin Love.

I'm pretty sure Raps fans hate his guts and would dump him for an expiring in a heartbeat.

Calderon for Barea/Ridnour + Roy?

This would be as far as Wolves fans go and even some may prefer to stand pat or move those pieces towards another player, a SG or backup C.

[Esohny]

Derrick Williams and Brandon Roy for Andrea Bargnani.

So we move a young SF/PF on a rookie contract for a big that can't play basketball at a high level and is due 30 mil for the next 3 seasons to come off the bench since we already have big bodies?

Bargnani is extremely underrated. He'll be your sparkplug off the bench, and can act as insurance in case Love gets injured.

I think we rate his terrible defense, allergy to rebounding, and awful contract just right.

[Slackstring701]

Yo ... Im a diehard Raps fan, but I am also a very big Wolves fan. Always root for them out west.

As much as I like DeMar ... I would definately be intrested in seeing some sort of trade revolving around DeRozan for Williams.

Terrence Ross is looking like he is going to have a very bright future, making DeMar redundant, and we are absolutely starving for a half decent SF.

I've watched a lot of Williams this past year and a bit, and I'm still not sold he can be a long term SF, but I would be abslutely willing to give him the chance to play 30+ minutes there.

I don't what you guys think about that, but it was just something I was mulling over ...

[Calinks]

Hell no to Bargs.