miller31time wrote:I'd take Brooks and Battier in place of Foye/Miller in a heart-beat. We need a defensive stopper and there are few better defensive specialists than Shane Battier. It also helps that he's a knock-down spot-up shooter.
He would instantaneously make us a legitimate defensive team, assuming he'd get about 30mpg.
Arenas
Battier
Butler
Jamison
Haywood
That's a top-5 offense and a top-10 or 15 defense.
The fact we'd be getting Brooks only helps matters. He's instant offense off of the bench, while also being a competent ball-handler and passer.
That's nice. But it's not better than Miller + Foye -- just different.
And with Battier in the lineup, Butler's your shooting guard, and that's not a good thing.
I like Shane. And I like Brooks, too.
But I also like Foye and Miller. One of the reasons very few of us are talking so little about Foye is because he was on Minny, and they didn't get much attention. He can play, and he's getting better. Some guys take a bit to bloom, and I suspect he's one of them. This is a very good situation for him: he's playing for a talented offensive mind in Flip, and in an offense where he won't be asked to carry the team; he won't even be asked to be the team's top perimeter scorer.
What he needs to learn, is how to draw contact and still get off his shot. Once he has that piece of the puzzle, he's going to do very, very well. His size is a plus, he's strong, and he's got a decent shot. He's also surprisingly clutch, having played extremely well for Minny in the fourth quarter.
And let's not forget ... Mike Miller, according to Wages of Wins, was the No. 4 ranked shooting guard last year. That's not a misprint. Four. In a supposed "down" year.
He's never been on a team with anything close to this many weapons. He's going to really open up the floor. Folks are harping on his D, but what about his rebounding and passing, both of which are stellar for a shooting guard. He's got size, too.
And I love the fact that, in crunch time, we can now put 4 shooters on the floor, if need be. Four. That's Orlando-esque. And two of those four are world-class marksmen.
It's easy to rail and rail and rail about the defense. But the fact is, it's more about acquiring a mindset as a team, and committing to executing a smart team D concept, than it is about trading and drafting "defenders." Boston proved that last year, and so did L.A. (for the most part) this year. I think Flip has a scheme that can work for a team like this, and I think guys will listen.
The return of Haywood is huge, and just as huge is the idea that this coaching staff is insisting that Arenas lead; Eddie didn't do this, kept saying, "Gil is Gil." Cassell is already in Gilb's ear, and so is Flip. And I am willing to bet that they are not just talking about guiding the team on offense, but also leading it on defense.
A new and intelligent zone scheme that is tailor-made to disguise a guy like Jamison, plus a lane-clogger in Haywood, plus a hungry I've-got-something-to-prove leader on the perimeter, plus the continued development of the hard-nosed McGuire and long-armed Young, plus the addition of Foye and Miller (who are serviceable defensively) ... I think it all adds up to a better D this season.
to point out Battier had a really bad PER of 10.7 - which has been in decline for serveral years and is likely to continue decreasing as he gets farther away from 30. For better or worse, we need to bank on Dom filling that role, and at some point in the next year or so, their PERs will likely collide. Brooks would be the valuable pickup in that trade - as he's an improving young quality guard with a very low salary. The Wiz need some Arenas insurance, and he could also play some minutes with Arenas. Can Foye fill that role? I hope he proves me wrong - but I don't think so.
)
