The Shabazz Napier files.

[doclinkin]

I like the kid. He and ish Smith are interchangeable in a good way. Both clearly love the game and know their role in court. Both make up for any physical limitations with savvy and cunning. Even as a probable short term rental he will add moxie and hard work at both ends. An upgrade to the wounded warrior IT. Fans and teammates are gonna appreciate his audition role with us.

Anyway.

Here’s a thread to talk about our new PG acquisition.

[FAH1223]

I don't get trading McRae for him.

I get that we needed another PG after getting rid of Thomas but... eh

[doclinkin]

I don't get trading McRae for him.

I get that we needed another PG after getting rid of Thomas but... eh

How do we shed ourselves of IT and appear to appease Brad with an upgrade—but still keep the tank alive?

We add a quality PG as a replacement, but subtract our only back up scorer at the 2 guard. Brad can’t play every minute. We will be forced to play a mini sized back court a few times a game. Or more minutes for a non shooter like GP2. Or Inexact fits like Troy or Davis as 2 guards.

Or: developmental minutes for Garrison Matthews.

I’m fine with it today.

[payitforward]

I think it's even better than that, doc.

Don't think of McRae for Napier, even tho that was the trade. Think of the 2 deals together, & what you see is Napier replacing IT, & Robinson replacing McRae.

In the first case, it's an obvious upgrade. Napier is actually good! In the second case, because Robinson is young, he has an upside that McRae doesn't have.

In short, it was a pair of minor, but cleverly thought-out moves. Best of all is the secondary message -- that we are continuing to build patiently through youth. IOW, from yesterday's small trades we learn that Tommy has an overall strategy driving what he does. We're not putting bandaids on top of bandaids any more.

Now, there was a cost to this -- namely, the rights to Sanon. We'll see what that amounts to.

But, wait, there's more! We should be able to re-sign Napier on the cheap. & having him makes Ish Smith dispensable. Now, Ish has been better than expected. But, Napier is better, cheaper, & younger.

IOW, because we have Napier, Ish can be traded in the off season, possibly for another young asset. Once this happens (I think it will, & I certainly hope it does), only then will we see the full benefit of yesterday's moves.

Once again, Tommy has really impressed me with his clever, thoughtful work!

[nate33]

Best of all is the secondary message -- that we are continuing to build patiently through youth. IOW, from yesterday's small trades we learn that Tommy has an overall strategy driving what he does. We're not putting bandaids on top of bandaids any more.

This!

It's a weird feeling. I'm actually beginning to trust management a bit. This must be what it feels like to be a fan of a competent team. You don't have to hope and pray every offseason and trade deadline for the team not to make some stupid, short-sighted trade destined to backfire. Instead, we can sit back and watch Sheppard make interesting, prudent moves aimed at the long term. That doesn't mean every trade will be a success, but at least the methodology is correct.

[Ruzious]

I don't think anything was really proven by the moves. We traded a 28 year old for a 28 year old. And getting rid of IT was something they should have done a long time ago - they certainly don't deserve props for that, because of the time it took. But... that shouldn't detract from Napier. He's a proven winner with seemingly a great attitude, and he's fun to watch when he's on. From his days at UConn, he's always fought the odds and won. We will see a highly motivated pro - and that's a good thing. In this thread, we're focusing on what Nape brings to the table - and it's substantial - at least for the rest of the season.

[nate33]

I don't think anything was really proven by the moves. We traded a 28 year old for a 28 year old. And getting rid of IT was something they should have done a long time ago - they certainly don't deserve props for that, because of the time it took. But... that shouldn't detract from Napier. He's a proven winner with seemingly a great attitude, and he's fun to watch when he's on. From his days at UConn, he's always fought the odds and won. We will see a highly motivated pro - and that's a good thing. In this thread, we're focusing on what Nape brings to the table - and it's substantial - at least for the rest of the season.

It's not so much that these moves prove anything. We won't know for sure until we see how Robinson pans out.

It's the absence of bad moves. Sheppard didn't buckle under the pressure to win now like EG would have.

[I_Like_Dirt]

Brad can’t play every minute.

Clearly you're not up to date with the latest wheelings and dealings. Check it out:


"Hey, Brad! Play all the minutes, please!"

"Sure think, coach!"

[payitforward]

I don't think anything was really proven by the moves. We traded a 28 year old for a 28 year old. And getting rid of IT was something they should have done a long time ago - they certainly don't deserve props for that, because of the time it took. But... that shouldn't detract from Napier. He's a proven winner with seemingly a great attitude, and he's fun to watch when he's on. From his days at UConn, he's always fought the odds and won. We will see a highly motivated pro - and that's a good thing. In this thread, we're focusing on what Nape brings to the table - and it's substantial - at least for the rest of the season.

It's not so much that these moves prove anything. We won't know for sure until we see how Robinson pans out.

It's the absence of bad moves. Sheppard didn't buckle under the pressure to win now like EG would have.

Absolutely! We learned good stuff about Tommy last week.

Plus, even though I'm the opposite of high on Jerome Robinson's future, it was a great move to get to take a flyer on a guy who was a lottery pick. Given that GMs pay $3m for a R2 pick in the 30s, his $2.7m salary next year seems a reasonable investment -- certainly better, IMO, than cutting IT.