lovehoops01 wrote:I don't see any of those trades happening.
Speights isn't going to solve the Magic's lack of depth at the 4, even if the Sixers would make that deal. He is a rookie so you're going to put him out there as the starter? And who is going to make up for Hedo's 20 points per game? Miller? I thought you wanted a point guard who will distribute the ball to everyone else. (And Miller isn't known for playing any defense either so that's not a plus on his side.)
Nene....Has he played even close to a full season more than once? And if the Nuggets make that deal, are they going to start Steven Hunter at center? How does that help them? They don't have Camby anymore.
While I was just spitballing and have no real loyalty to any of the deals I stated, I would like to refute a couple of things here:
First of all, Battie would start at the 4 in the Philly deal, at least until Speights figures out the NBA.
But here's the biggest thing and I've heard it over and over: "Who's going to replace Hedo's 20 PPG?"
This seems to be one of the biggest arguments against dealing Hedo. A couple of things on this: 1. We have a crap load of offensive talent between Meer, Shard, and Dwight, not to mention Lee, Cook, and the never-played-always-potential JJ. I think together they could scrounge up 20 more points. But more importantly, I don't think Hedo will score 20 PPG if he stays with us. Why? Shard has a whole season in Stan's system as the 4 under his belt, so you expect more production out of him (plus more of the offense run through him). Jameer showed his talent consistently during the playoffs. Because of this, I think Stan won't try and "square peg - round hole" him by telling him to pass first. When Hedo struggled in the postseason, you saw Meer's game, which is using his above average scoring talent to set up his passing game. He isn't Jason Kidd, he can't affect a game without scoring a point. But the biggest reason Hedo may struggle to reproduce his output is Dwight. He has another year of development, added maturity from the Olympics, and it is time to make him the focal point of the team. As such, Hedo's touches will be reduced. Hedo needs the ball to be truly effective. Sure, he can be like Shard last year and hit open shots off of kick-outs, but that would account for 15 PPG tops.
For all of you who don't feel like reading the above paragraph, here is basically what it says: Last season, Hedo was the focus of the offense. As such, he had the green light, especially in the 4th quarter, and had very solid numbers. This year, we will see a more utilized Rashard, a Nelson who finally has a coach who will let him play his game, and Dwight progressing to become the Magic's main guy on offense. So don't expect to see the same Hedo this year.
