eyriq wrote:Slept on it, and I'm still thinking that giving up Anderson is too much, but I'm more torn on it. Ellis is enticing. Top 5 scoring guard and top 10 guard overall. Lack of efficiency could be either a flaw of function or role, but even if it is a product of function he is potent as is if not better than Anderson. If it is a product of role though, he could have a higher ceiling than Anderson and would be worth the trade. His situation strikes me as a bit like Melo's. Melo is extremely talented big time scorer, but just limited enough to hold him back from top 5 discussions. Ellis is like that just less talented. With Melo if you need that #1 option player he will suffice, but you are going to need to put more talent around him than you would some of the other #1 options, like Durant or Wade or Rose or LeBron, because he does struggle with efficiency and has deficits on defense that you'll need to plug up. With Ellis, it is even more glaring and while he can be your #1 offensive option I'm not at all convinced he can be your best player. Most likely it is a issue with function for Ellis, and he just doesn't have the full package to be a truly elite player. So then you ask, what is more valuable, a highly efficient stretch 4 that rebounds or a big time dynamic guard? Drexler and Hakeem won but Ellis is no Drexler in terms of efficiency and all around game. Other comparisons are an even bigger stretch, such as young Kobe.
the way i think of it is a simple plug and play. replace Nelson with Ellis, and what do you get? similar play, just with more scoring, and more consistent scoring. who touches the ball more, and has more opportunity to impact a game between Nelson and Anderson? Nelson does. so, if we had a Jameer Nelson on the team who was capable of putting up 20ppg, i think you'd find Anderson would be seen as a much less crucial player.
and that's not by any fault of Anderson's, it's just that Anderson isn't treated as any kind of featured scorer. he's just option 1 on an outlet pass, which has every possibility of cycling through any of the open options available at the time.
if this team made a point of giving Anderson a bigger role, then i'd probably be more inclined to want to keep him. but, as it is, this team needs a guy who can go get his own points, more than it needs a guy who needs another guy to get him an open shot.
but, you should have a list of replacements to make deals for once Anderson has been moved for Ellis. i wouldn't want Davis as the starter.
