And I bet half these comments being made about not keeping Hickson would be a mistake are from guys who wanted to trade Aldridge for Bosh a couple of years ago. Thank God we never did that move.
how much would you be willing to pay to keep him? 8 mil per? 10 mil per? 12 mil per? my guess is he at least gets 8-10 mil per, maybe more
I don't mind keeping him, I just don't think we HAVE TO keep him to have a winning team in the future. I think we should be more open to our options and not just treat Hickson, Aldridge, Mathews like they are all untouchable.
I'd hate to see Hickson leave. I love watching him play. I haven't seen that type of hustle from a Blazer since Jerome Kersey or Ruben Peterson. Everyone has their price though. 8 mil, sure. 9 mil, ouch. 10 mil, ugh.
I agree we have to look to the future. Is Leonard part of that future? We need three quality bigs. Assuming Leonard improves next year, He, LMA and Hickson is a nice rotation. If one gets hurt for a few weeks, then you still have two quality players that can cover the C/PF spots. (no matter which one gets hurt) If you substitute Pekovoc for Hickson into that 3 man rotation, and LMA gets hurt for a few weeks, then I think they are worse off. This thread is interesting, but it is also very hypothetical and not likely to happen. If Pekovic is that good then there is no way Minnesota gives him up unless Kevin Love approves. Can you imagine what he would say if they let their starting center go? After what he has already said? It would be fun to watch him explode though.
I really don't know what the best option is. I like all the of/c options coming due this offseason. But I keep hearing that player X is not a good match for LA. So, what should we be looking for? Next to LA I would think we want a rebounder and rim protector. Hick, pek, Millsap and big al all seem like good rebounders, but none are rim protectors
We don't need a Rim protector as much as a paint protector which all 4 of those guys can do. 2 of them are okay to good defenders (pek/millsap) and 2 are big bodies that are below average defenders (Big Al/Hick). A rim protector would be nice, but if we have guys who know how to prevent open slashers from getting into the paint then that will take out the need for a big who gets over 1.5 blocks a game. For the record, only 9 PF's and 11 C's avg more then 1.5 blocks a game. 3 of those C's, and 4 of the PF's avg under 25m a game. LA is almost there with 1.4B a game. Having a big who blocks shots isn't really a staple anymore, we can do just fine with a B who doesn't let people into the paint and closing the Slashing lanes on offense.
Interesting, and I like that way of looking at it. However, just want to point out that Hickson has a Drtg of 105 and Pek's is 103, pretty close.
Just looked it up, Millsap has the Drtg as Hickson 105, and Jefferson has the same as Pekovic at 103.
Well I guess im overrating millsap/Jefferson because I dont watch many Jazz games. I know Pek isnt a good defender at the moment but I think he could become good. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
I usually think about players having potential based on youth and/or athleticism. Pek is two years older than Hickson and I don't think he is terribly athletic. I'm not saying he won't improve his D, but I don't see anything pointing to him having some massive well of untapped potential. That being said, I do worry that Hickson will not display the right mentality long term. How will he be after his contract? How will he react if ML improves and takes his starting spot? I don't know. I trust that both Millsap and Jefferson will continue to work hard because they have demonstrated as much over a long time. Pek I have no idea about, but have never heard anything negative when I t comes to personality. Hickson is the only one who worries me in the keep-the-mind-right category.
I dont think hickson will ever be a good defender and as it has been pointed out the players he defends put up the same per as him so I think his defensive rating is overrated at the moment. Pek is big with decent not great footwork but what I like about him is his help defense and how he doesnt allow players to move him around. Reminds me of a less athletic Gortat with a better offensive game. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
What about Trading LMA for a position of need or Biyombo? You would have Hickson at the PF spot then with bismack as the rim protector and a nice 3 big rotation. If that not a good straight deal, maybe throw in Kemba Walker or Gerald Henderson. I've heard Gerald may be available.
