Post#19 » by BaYBaller » Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:08 pm
This is a good trade. A lot of you guys knock Stat and Barbosa for lack of defense or whatever but it's not like Scola and AB are defensive stalwarts at their position.
There's really 4 factors with this trade:
1) The upside of Brooks and Landry - Brooks has upside potential but I wouldn't bet on him ever "getting it." There have been way way too many SGs in PG-bodies that never get it and I don't see Brooks ever being more than a one-way player (though a good one at that). I would consider Barbosa better now, but Brooks having the upside to possibly be better later but it's more or less a net wash IMO. Still getting better now is the idea. As for Landry I think he's pretty much peaked as a player more or less and wouldn't get PT anyway with Stat here.
2) Barbosa at the point - It didn't work in Phx, though he wouldn't really be asked to be "Nash-like" here. I think he can handle here, and we'd no longer have a defensive liability at this position with Barbosa and Lowry.
3) Defensive concerns w/ Scola/Stat frontcourt - This is a major concern but if the basketball gods keep Yao healthy we'd only have to see this 10-15 mins a game.
4) Is this all we can get for T-Mac's contract? - IMO there's no question the value of T-Mac's contract at the deadline will be greater, so would a deadline deal net more desperate and thus better offers?
Overall I would do this deal. A starting lineup of Yao/Stat/Battier/Artest/Barbosa, with quality players like Scola and Lowry coming off the bench? We still lack a legit wing closer but come on now fellas I got chills even typing that out!
edit: another good point mentioned above is that Brooks value is at an all time high after his playoff performance and for him (who Phx has always been high on) personally it would be the best time to trade him.