So why do Atlanta trade him again? For Asik? Seriously? I'm guessing you mean Terrence Jones. Remember they just drafted Bebe, so they have a better young big already.
Yet the advance stats suggest Lee was better than Aldridge on defense last season, and historically Aldridge is barely better. Aldridge is the better player of the two, and more valuable, but the difference between the two isn't that much. It seems like around the league Aldridge is viewed in a similar light to Lee/Kevin Love in that they put up good scoring numbers but also get reamed on defense which cancels itself out. Though those guys are very good rebounders, whereas LMA is below average. Barnes at 20 had a comparable year to Paul George, Rudy Gay, and Batum at the same age. Hes a slightly below average NBA player, but I think its safe to assume he hasn't leveled off. FWIW George and Batum also made the playoffs as 20 year olds and Barnes played a much more critical role on his team and performed well in that role while the others did poorly despite also being rotation players. Point being by the end of his 20 year old season he was presented an opportunity to be a bigger part of the offense and he was successful with it. Should be interesting to see him with a green light as a 6th man next year. Anyway, the Lee + Klay/Barnes idea is all speculation. Some reports indicate the Warriors didn't offer either for Dwight, so I doubt they would for LMA. Neither was mentioned by Woj a few weeks ago with regards to the W's/Adridge rumblings.
Odd that LMA's advanced status (defensive win shares, opponent PER, etc.) are worse than Boozer's. I agree LMA has had the reputation of being a weak rebounder, but his reputation is as a two-way player. Supposedly good on defense.
The stats guys would like to believe that everything is quantifiable. But it just isn't. And defense is one of those things, because it's so dependent on the team and the scheme. You're welcome to believe that Boozer (and/or Lee) is as good as Aldridge at defense if you want, but I snort in the general direction of the idea.
I think Aldridge is better than Lee, but hes still not good on defense. Perhaps even more disappointing is that he has the tools to be quite good on that end, but hes ok with being barely passable.
I don't necessarily believe it. On the other hand, the Bulls started Boozer and played him a lot of minutes and somehow managed to have an elite defense. Call it the scheme, if you like, but he didn't kill the scheme. As for LMA? I think the only thing that goes against him is "big stats on a 33 win team."
Someone really ought to snag that Aaron Gray guy. He's among the best defenders, according to your document.
Don't forget Andrea Bargnani. Talking about Bargnani, he's more evidence that no player is untradeable. I think the following players should all be traded for each other on a regular basis: Bargnani David Lee Carlos Boozer Amare Stoudemire
I've been pondering about trading destinations for Aldridge. One place that has a solid PF but who might want to upgrade is OKC. I wonder if they think now that they overpaid Ibaka, particularly after it pretty much forced them to trade Harden. Anyone interested in an Aldridge for Ibaka trade? I wasn't at first, but they have a lot of nice, cheap players that they could sweeten the deal with: Thabo Sefolosha Reggie Jackson Steven Adams Jeremy Lamb Andre Roberson I would be very happy with Jackson and Adams: Jackson played like a taller, faster CJ McCollum in Orlando. Much less interested in Jeremy Lamb. Would you like it? Would they do it?
I want no part with giving OKC a ring. Adding Aldridge most certainly will make them one of the top contenders in the West. Even mores than Houston.... If Harden was available last season; I would have done that in a heartbeat. Only because we would have a superstar back-court.
Do you think OKC would do it? I would never have believed it before the Harden trade. I thought they were all "let the cake bake" and shit.
With okc, anything is possible. I wonder what would have happened if they didn't luck out in the draft 3 years in a row?
I think they would because he's exactly what they're missing: a big who can actually score. Losing Ibaka I'd assume they would want to hold onto Adams -- Ibaka + Thabo + Roberson/Abrines?
I don't like it because we took our best scoring big and traded it in for average role players. I don't know if you remembered the big egg Ibaka laid during the Memphis series.
Ibaka is an elite defensive big. He's more than just a role player. He's still years away from his prime - you could potentially have a player who can anchor your defense.
I'm fine with Ibaka, but I think T. Rob will get to that level eventually, plus have more boards. I would much rather have other players. Maybe use a third team? Big piece back would be Ibaka. I would like a couple other players that could hold down the fort at PG.
