Oh man, I have to admit I'm sad. I wanted to see what whitey could do for us. Oh well, RoLo is a good consolation prize.
Agreed. I'm glad to have Lopez. If we don't do anything else to take another step forward this offseason, I'll be a little curious why we made this move. I mean, if we're treading water for a year or two without making some other moves, I'll be curious why we didn't keep the younger guy. If LA is dealt in the next few months, I'll wonder why we didn't keep the younger guy. I think Withey is going to be a more defensive Robin Lopez in a year or two. So if we're not doing anything for a couple of years, then I'm more curious. Regardless, I still do the deal. I'm tired of losing and I see us winning 46-48 games next season. Tired of losing, so I'd like to see a fun, young, winning team. The deal without Withey doesn't leave me wondering what we are going to miss/regret in the future. Now, I'm left to ponder. I've been a fan of Withey the last year or so.
It looks like Withey was the other second round pick (the first one going to SAC). So Withey + future second rounder for Lopez? I think I can live with that.
I am also disappointed he was one of the picks going out, but where would be the room on the roster be for him, Leonard and Lopez?
Yeah I am disappointed too. I will defer to Neil on this one because I really did not watch Whitey during the season. He and Robin seem similar to me. Robin is more experienced, but also has been injury prone. Which as we know is always a concern for us and centers. But like I said, I can only guess on this. I would have preferred to have all three, but I doubt it was an option.
On one hand is Lopez with his 18.9PER last year. On the other hand a player who was available at 40 in a very bad draft. Only time will tell, but a quick overview would suggest we got a gigantic upgrade.
I'm seriously bummed he's gone. If it had to be done then so be it, but I'm not happy about it. He seemed like the kind of player that could develop into a good rotation player.
I'm more concerned with our future than our now, and I thought Withey had a chance to be decent in the future. I gave the trade an A when I thought we only gave up future seconds and cap space, but since we did in fact give up a tangible asset in Withey, I now give it a B. Still a good move, just not a slam dunk.
Regarding Lopez On the plus side he is only 25 and he played in all 82 games last year. On the negative side: Since 2009, Lopez has had a foot fracture, a bulging disk and knee problems. A week after the Hornets acquired Lopez in a trade with the Phoenix Suns, he underwent successful surgery to correct a tear of his medial meniscus in his left knee. One could argue he is injury prone, or one could argue he will only get better if he stays healthy. Playing in every game last year was huge. But like I have said before, big guys seem to get hurt more often. All that weight effects their backs, knees, feet...... so I would almost have 3 of them making 5 million than one making 15 mil. I think we need one more unless you want to count Joel as a center. But I see him as a PF
I'm not convinced that Withey will ever be as good as Lopez is now. There's a reason he dropped to 40 in a horrible draft. Its the way the world works, you gotta give a little to give a little.
no chit, people are "worried" we gave up a 40 pick and another 2nd for a decent starting C who's paid on the low side - WTF?
True, but we got a proven injury prone sub par NBA player in exchange for a college player known for defensive skills. As for me, I think I prefer it the other way around.
How do you view sub par? Looking at the center position is it if he isn't in the top 10 subpar, top 15, top 20? He isn't an amazing player but he is a top 20 center in the league with a great contract and we gave up a twig player known for his defense but not his strength who was taken in the SECOND round of the draft. How often do second rounders develop into starters, which is what Lopez is, maybe one or two a year from the entire second round?
If this had just been the #40 pick in the abstract, nobody would care. We've bought picks like that several times. I liked the sound of Whithey, but let's get real here. Boumtje-Boumtje and Ha Seung Jin were very second round pick centers that were similarly interesting guys at one point. He might be the next Asik, but the odds aren't very good. I still love this trade.
