Chemistry Questions

[tk76]

I hope that now that Lou is signed, that Iguodala will sign soon. Then we can switch our focus from buisiness to chemistry. Here are the main questions as I see it:

1. Miller- He is great in helping stabilize a young team, but has limitted range (despite having good selection shooting at 50%)
-How will he meld w/ Iguodala and Thad.
-Is his pure point and post skills less relevant as Young, Iguodala and Lou become more polished?
-Should he be moved for a better shooter like Hinrich or extended at a lower number for 2-3 years?

2. Sam- He potentially has the most to gain from the added attention drawn by Brand on both ends. He was a key cog when the team lacked anyone else with length, but now the team has surprising front court depth.
-Will he be satisfied by easy dunks ands put backs, or will he want to showcase his jumper and non-existent post moves?
-Should he be moved while his value is highest?

3.Speights- Has surprising (for #16) size/athletasism/moves/touch.
-Does he project to be a center next to Brand (whose 9'2" reach allows him to often cover centers himself)?
-How soon can he replace Sam, and does that mean Sam should be moved in 6-12months? I think Evans/Smith would be a nice back-up duo for Brand/Speights as starters.

4. Iguodala: Can finally shift to a more appropriate complementary role on offense, while being a leader on defense and special teams(transition basketball.)
-Does his World B Free rainmaking arc preclude him from being a reliable jump shooter?
-Does his pedestrian jumper mean Miller needs top be replaced by a better shooting PG?
-Can he develop into a post force now that he is at SG?

4. Young: We all know his development is the key to whether the team is a legit contender.
-For the short term should he still rotate between 3/4 and have the team add a good SG or SF through trading Sam/Miller? Or is he ready enough to be a top SF by next year?

5. Lou:
-When Young is more polished, will the teams high skill level at SG/SF/PF allow him to become a scoring PG, or do they still need a more pure, steadier hand at the controls?

[carltong23]

1. Personally, I think his pure point skills are less relevant now that we have Brand and we're considered an Eastern contender. I would prefer to move him between now and the trade deadline for a better shooting but still competent point guard. I just dont see how him, Iguodala and Young can be on the perimeter together the majority of the game clogging up the lanes because none of them are above average perimeter shooters. Andre will probably help us win 50 games, but once we're in the playoffs, Im not convinced he can take us to where we want to go and I dont want to lose him for nothing next year. Trade him.

2. We shouldnt even think about trading Sam until we see what him and Brand can do in the playoffs. Unless we can get a Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, or someone who we know is a better center, we should just be content with what we have in Sam and if we really need a salary dump in the future we can consider trading him for someone cheaper.

3. I see Speights as more of a Brand replacement/insurance policy than I see him as a Sam replacement. Brand is almost 30 years old and coming off the worst injury of his career. Once Brand is no longer in his prime after the next 3 years, we need Speights to be able to supplant Brand. Even if he's a poor mans Brand, its better than having Reggie Evans be your starter.

4. & 5. Iguodala will probably never be a 39% 3-point shooter but Im not too worried about that. Im worried that him and Young cannot play together on the perimeter because they have such a similar skill set. Defensively I think they're gonna give teams nightmares in a couple of years(maybe even next year). But if we want to maximize this teams potential, we should be looking at trade possiblities for Young over the next couple of years. Only if we have the opportunity to get a true #1 scorer (LeBron, Carmelo, Kevin Martin, Wade) would I trade Young. If not, Im sure both Iguodala and Young will continue to develop and become better perimeter players, but Im not sure how long we're willing to wait for Young since we seem to be in win-now mode with the Brand signing.

5. Lou will be fine. I dont think he has to be much more than what he already is. Just be more consistent. I still dont think he'll be the full time starter, nor do I think we'll need him to be. Eventually I think we'll trade Miller and get a younger point guard of the future who can shoot.

[tk76]

Thanks for the answers, I realize I probably put to many questions into one giant post.

I think Iguodala and Young could work out well- sort of a better defensive version of RJ and VC when they went to the finals along with Kidd and KMart. Alot depends on how good a shooter/scorer Young can become. We are all very high on him, but he does look to have a good first step and shooting fundamentals.

Eventually the team needs a better shooting PG to maximize Iguodala and Young- but for now Miller works for stability since Young is still learning on the job.
---
I see your point about Brand, but I don't think Sam will be here in 3 years when his contract expires. It would have been great to have drafted D. Jordan as a project to replace Sam down the road. As it is, decent centers are incredibly expensive and hard to find. If Speights can man the center next to Brand he might be their best option without breaking the bank. I also think Speights might be too good in 2 years to keep him off the court.