tha_rock220 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
i hate it. any starting lineup that has tracy mcgrady at pg is bad imo. mcgrady needs to do more work off the ball next year and get some higher% shots and more points. He can still be a great distributor, but making him the primary playmakers isn't a good idea.
as much as i'd love mike miller the 3 isn't where our shooting deficiencies need to be addressed. as much as i like rafer's ability to take care of the ball and make good passes his shooting(or lack thereof) is killing us. I'd rather address that, ideally getting kirk hinrich, before making any trades for mike miller who will essentially give us another 6-8 swing.
Agreed on all points.
We need to re-examine why we traded for McGrady in 2004. This guy was a 28 ppg scorer with 6 boards and 6 assists prior to the deal. I know he has fallen off those standards, but I refuse to see this management pay him close to 20 million dollars just to see him rack up 10 assists with 15 points on 42% shooting. With his God given talent, his primacy should be scoring and keep us in ball games. However, if he can't offer that we must look to trade him.
Also, our SF spot is the least of our concern. And I am not that concern with Rafer but I think our bench needs a significant improvement. If we acquire Mike Miller in a deal (of course without giving up Shane), he is better suited coming off the bench. Again, this is due to two main reasons: Shane Battier and our lack of offensive production off the bench.
Many of you have pointed out that Shane Battier is not a bench player and this is true due to many obvious reasons. In fact every team needs a low usage% player like Battier whose priority is to guard the opposing team's best perimeter player and hit open shots on the offensive end.
And as you saw from our yet another first round exit, we didn't have anyone to ignite our offense off the bench. Bobby Jackson and Carl Landry were supposed to be the players that fit the description, but both failed. Having Miller will change that aspect. Not only is he a great shooter, but he's also capable of creating his own shots. Moreover, he's one of the few cerebral players we have in this league. He is a fairly good rebounder, and an underrated passer. Without a doubt, he will be an instant force on this team.
However, if we were to trade Miller while giving up Battier, I am all against it. Shane is arguably our best defender, and we'll take a significant hit if we lose him.
