Post#45 » by HoopsFanAZ » Fri Dec 29, 2023 6:53 pm
Damon, Derek, Bonzi — Stoudamire stopped going to the hoop and was a bad defender. Derek Anderson was an okay sized 2, but was not stout … at all. Bonzi was an undersized 3. Bad trio for D.
Dame, Wesley, Nic … but Wesley had a bad heel that hurt his decent athleticism and the Achilles ended it with the inconsistent Nic.
Good size and skills … too bad.
Ant, Sharpe, Toumani — maybe.
Scoot, Sharpe, Toumani — maybe. Scoot is much more aggressive on D than Ant and has the frame for it.
Scoot, Ant, Sharpe — good on O in the future but undersized at 2 positions on D.
The Scoot vs. Ant argument is a couple years away, but Ant’s leap will up that trade value as early as the February deadline — LESS LIKELY — or by the 2024 draft. Ant is not a 6th man. He CAN become a SG who (sometimes) initiates on a contending team that has a larger PG who can D up SG/SF. That makes for a limited market … or a team that hasn’t had an undersized back court with inferior D for YEARS! The Ant as starting PG requires really good defenders near him and other initiators on O.
If I’m picking for a future’s market, I take Scoot over Ant. For now, Scoot needs to come off the bench, play against more back-ups, and learn the craft of PG at an NBA level. 2 years. Next year, Scoot looks like a different dude. There’s no rush on an Ant trade. At all. The team is supposed to lose and lose a lot … mission accomplished so far. Just keep making improvements while losing.
EDITED: Where to trade Ant in February? To the Toronto Raptors. With GTJ and Scottie Barnes, it’s a good trio. Who returns? A next year’s free agent who will cost a bag. I could go with either one — OG or Pascal. With Bird rights and a BIG role just waiting for either one, make sure the agent gives a massive thumb’s up.