So Travis is coming back. And Batum's minutes are going up. And when Roy comes back, Rudy's minutes might be squeezed... Time to move someone. I nominate Webster a) because he's headed to the bench sooner or later, and he doesn't play well there b) his value is as high as it's going to get, and may already have dipped since Batum got back Suggestions for trades? Webster for Brandon Bass (plausible, because Bass never plays and they shoot a ton of threes, but they also have the same player but with clutchness in Pietrus) Webster for Scalabrine (undesirable, but Scalabrine's contract is up at the end of the year) Blake and Webster for our old pal Kirk Hinrich (I like it, but I can't see Chicago going for it because they've just started playing well since they realized that Rose was not a PG and they start him alongside Hinrich) Webster for Kwame Brown (I feel almost icky suggesting it, BUT (a) Brown's contract is up, and (b) he actually outplayed Bynum in a win against the Lakers last season. And You Can't Teach Height.
A serviceable, backup 4 or his inclusion with a few other players to bring back a decent 5 works for me. Something's gotta give, and it should be pretty clear that he's not exactly indispensible.
trade outlaw too he really has no place with snake and cunningman ( ) on the team..if we can get something good.
Stupid move. Why don't we let him and TROUT fight for minutes. Why would you say that? He's on a very very reasonable contract, he's been playing better and better. Sure, he'll have bad games, but these are just inconsistencies he can get through. Unless he is part of a package to get an All-Star or near all-star, I think it would be really stupid to trade him just because other guys are coming back from injuries.
When has Martell ever faced competition for minutes well? The only time he plays well is when he knows that there's literally NOBODY else the team can turn to. Witness his 48 minutes game. He WAS playing better and better. Now Batum's back, and he's wilting. This is not a new phenomenon with Martell.
So everyone who has a few games off, we need to "trade ASAP". Why don't we just let it bake a little bit. I'd rather keep him versus all of the trade proposals. None of those guys will really help us all that much. Hinrich might but that will just create a bigger logjam in the back-court. If its a trade for Brendan Haywood...sure, why not. But Martell has definitely improved his defense and shot selection. Still not perfect, but he's doing fine now. I love this notion of players never ever changing. Especially when they're like 22 years old.
Ryan Hollins? Are you serious? Moving Webster to alleviate minutes, and trading for Hinrich does absolutely nothing for our minutes crunch. We just get to spend more money for them. No. Scalabrine? Suck.
Is the problem the player being on the team, or is the problem with who Nate decides to give what minutes to? I have maintained all along that Nate did what he did with the rotations during the injuries, because he had to. Now that players are coming back, we will find out what Nate is made of as a coach. Is he going to play the guys who matter, or is he going to keep eating up their minutes by trying to keep everybody happy? All I have to do is look over at OKC and Memphis to see how young players can develope if given the court time. The difference is, those players were thrown into the fire, and our young guys are getting their minutes burnt up by guys like Blake. Every team has to have guys who sit on the bench, are ready, and STFU during their stay here.
Yeah, Blake needs to sit. That's the best way to clear up room. Outlaw has also played a lot at the 4 position in previous years, he can play alongside Aldridge (although I don't particularly like it). But not like we are running post-up offense.
Two for one. That's called a "consolidation trade" for a reason. And Hinrich is better than either. Have people forgotten what it was like before Outlaw and Oden went down? Underperforming play, bitching from the fans, tension over minutes. That's why you make trades - a team with minutes crunches has a bad lockerroom, more often than not. Martell has been great for us when he can just play. Remember his 25 point quarter against Utah? Wasn't Roy out for that game? But he deserves better than just to be a rainy day policy.
Wasn't he drafted by New Jersey? And he actually can play - he played well for them when Garnett and Big Baby were both out. He's Matt Bonner's twin (who has never even played a minute for the Celtics).
The logjam occurs when Bayless gets shafted for minutes and Miller and Kirk are fighting for the starting PG position. If you move Bayless to backup SG, then Rudy gets shafted. It must have rained the entire month of January because Martell has been better than just a "one game" thing. To give him away for a 12th man just to "free up rotation minutes" really doesn't make a lot of sense.
We really haven't had a chance to see it yet, but I also view Roy getting no minutes at SF as a bonus. Roy needed his minutes and load cut. Between Batum, Webster and Outlaw, there should be no reason for him to fill that gap anymore. If we could get Roy down to 36 minutes a game, I would be very happy.
Miller, Bayless, Hinrich, Roy, Rudy all at the 1 and 2. Doesn't look like we've solved a problem there, does it? 5 guys, 96 minutes.
Suppose all our players are healthy. How many minutes would Martell deserve? He's competing with Batum, Outlaw, Roy, Rudy, Cunningham and even Bayless (who plays minutes at the 2). Fact is, pretty soon all those players listed will be healthy. Meanwhile, we still won't have a single healthy center on the roster until next year.
