The long-shot here is Memphis... but they REALLY want to get rid of Thabeet, and might be willing to let O.J. go to lose the Thabeet contract, and O.J. has multiple questions in his past.
The good news is they get a Center who,when healthy, spreads the floor that can also allow the more mobile Gasol to be an extremely long PF at times (especially if they loose Z. Randolph).
I think Houston does this as well. They get two 7 footers, one mobile veteran, and one young project who still has an up side... especially in a half court offense like Adleman can run.
And as for O.J. Rick again has proven he can take some rough guys (take a look at the Sac-town teams he took deep in the playoffs back in the day... some rough dudes on those teams) and get them to preform at a high level.
If Utah didn't do this, I would be really surprised. I love Memo, but getting an athletic & aggressive rebounder big in Hill (think a poor man's Javale McGee) AND a cheap, under used SG that can defend and shoot the three (think a younger Raja Bell!).
What do you think?
ESPN's Holliger says this about these two...
Courtney Lee:
+ Solid wing defender who can check most 2s despite middling athleticism.
+ Good outside shooter, but better from midrange than long distance.
+ Good finisher at basket but lacks the burst or ball skills to get there often.
Lee made 44.4 percent of his long 2s but slumped to 33.8 percent on 3s; he can be a much more valuable player if he establishes himself as a 40 percent 3-point shooter -- something he accomplished as a rookie in Orlando.
Otherwise, we pretty much know the story with Lee after just two seasons. He's a good defender but not a dominating one. He'll hit open shots but won't create that many. In short, he's a near-perfect role-playing wing, but he has very little chance of moving up in the world. Regardless, he'll last a decade and make tens of millions of dollars if he keeps sticking Js.
Jordan Hill:
+ Classic energy payer who crashes offensive boards and blocks shots.
+ Offensive game mostly limited to jab-step for 15-footers; needs post game.
+ Lack of strength resulted in high foul rate; must add strength.
Viewed as a bust in New York, Hill wasn't bad at all for a rookie power forward based on his overall numbers. He was fourth at his position in offensive rebound rate, 16th in blocks, and his scoring numbers (15.6 per 40 minutes) were very respectable.
Hill fouled entirely too often -- more than once every seven minutes -- and his lack of strength makes him a suspect post defender, but that can be addressed by pumping iron. He's not a star by any means, but he'll be a useful rotation player. New York just gave up on him too quickly.
Having Jordan be the first big off the bench would give a long, athletic big that has a huge upside with a nose for rebounding and a defender in the post. I really think this kid is going to be special.
As for Lee... he is hand cuffed right now in Houston, playing behind a bevy of proven wing players. Before Houston brought him over from N.J., he was dumping in over 12 points a game in just his second year in the league.
Final thought:
I think these two are perhaps some of the best, realistic pick-ups Utah could get. If brought over, both could be playing pretty big roles on Utah's roster by the end of April.
I really feel like this trade could put the Jazz on the level with L.A., Dallas, and O.K.C.... and if the cards fall right, San Antonio.
2 comments:
Here is my thought. Lee and Hill combined are averaging 12 points 4 boards and 1 assist. This to me doesn't seem like that great of a move for us. Memo can give us those stats after the All Star break. He has just been cautious for the first few games back. Hill may be hog-tied in Houston and could be great here as a back up to Paul, but Im not sure he would do any better than us sliding AK to the 4 and CJ to the 3. Lee also seems like a potential Raja, lots of hype of what he has done in the past but nothing to back it up in the present...this trade seems sketchy to me.
If Raja was 27 right now, The Jazz would of won at least 5 more games so far... Lee is a younger Raja. He may not be as good a defender as Raja was 5 years ago, but he more than makes up for that in his offense ability around the rim.
Not to mention he is a great 3 point shooter too, which spreads the floor.
Hill is a defender at the rim that has the ability to challenge every shot. Right now teams are attacking the post because there is not a challenging big. Al can block shots, but doesn't challenge everything in the lane.
And Hill is a running big that will get garbage put backs and break-a-way buckets. A little bit of a project, but that's what they said about McGee too...
If hill has time to learn the system, I'm guessing in his last 10 regular season games he could be putting up 12pts. & 8rbs. in around 25 min.
The reality is Utah will have to go after smart projects & under rated/undiscovered players unless they want to blow it up and trade away D-Will, Al, or Millsap. AK is a huge talent, but he is not going to bring an all-star back in a trade. I really think unless a miracle happens and AK can deliver a player just outside the all-star level, he is worth more if we can sign him to an extension now for around 7-9 mil. for 3 or 4 years.
Post a Comment