Funny.... the year before we traded for Dale, he averaged MORE points, MORE rebounds, MORE blocks, better PER. So maybe he wasn't so clearly better...
There is a reason Bulls fans bend over backwards trying to come up with LA to CHI deals. They understand how potent a LA-Noah combo can be.
To be fair to Nate, the statistical comparisons of Noah/Davis the year before they were traded are pretty close in some ways. It's that age difference that really makes up for it, IMO. Plus it's a different NBA now. Mobile, active big men who can block shots from driving PG's without fouling are at a premium now. Your threat comes from the penetrating guard, not the big man who abuses you in the post. Dale Davis was more of a positional defender who was great in a more plodding, low post defensive set. Noah is exactly the kind of center you need when there's a Kyrie/Westbrook/Wall/etc waltzing into the lane practically every night.
Noah is a couple years younger, very true, but the whole point is that they're similar kind of player. A hard working big man who rebounds, plays defense, and is limited offensively. I'm not against trading for Noah, but dealing away CJ, Leonard, AND TRob is very very risky.
Davis was an upgrade, anyway. 15 PER vs the ~12 PER you got from JO. A lot of Bulls fans think Noah should be a core piece for next season. I love the guy, but I'm not seeing the strategy to contend if we keep him.
I wouldn't undervalue the potential benefits of creating a French connection either. Having Noah yelling constantly in Nic's ear about being aggressive will make Nic a better player.
Who is the O'Neal we are giving up? Neither Freeland, CJ, or TRob have budding allstar potential right now.
Doesn't Noah have the type of game (poor man's mix of Rodman/Walton) that would seem to age pretty well? I mean, I get that CHI doesn't think they're in contention for a title until Rose is back to MVP-level (if ever), but I don't see a 34 y/o Noah being that much worse than he is right now. Why wouldn't you hold on to a guy like that? On our part, I don't like keeping Lopez if we're bringing in a new center (Asik/Noah/whoever) and giving up the kids (especially CJ, but almost as much for Robinson). We don't know what they can be, and we have most of a decade of team control over them, and they have a use on the team. If we bring in Noah, he's going to be on the floor for 30-34 mpg, leaving ~30 minutes for Lopez/Freeland/Stretch 4/Smallball 4. Maybe that works, maybe it doesn't. I don't like it (I kind of want to see what we have right now), but if PA forced me to get Noah here on the best deal possible, you'd think that CHI would at least think about Lopez/CJ/next available first, right?
You can change the name of the stadium but doesn't change the fact the RG (Moda Center) must been built on ancient indian burial grounds.
CJ is one player that many thought could be the ROY before the season started. He has All-Star potential (that being the key word... potential). Robinson is also a player that has the talent to be very special. He's only just starting his second season. O'Neal looked like shit before he was traded to the Pacers, so I think the comparisons are very valid.
That's the thing - you're not in a position to win any deal. You might get lucky and win the hindsight 20/20 version of the deal - but you're in no position to get the better end the day the deal is made. If you think Amare/Chandler or Bosh/Anthony are better for a rebuild then go for it (I love how we talk like we can pull the trigger on these deals!). In addition to not giving you ANYTHING for the future, they likely make you better this season which means you end up with a worse lotto pick. CJ/Freeland/Leonard is, IMO, much better for a rebuild. None of them will improve you're W/L record this season, and two of them have upside - one that's significant. And Freeland really has become the next Nick Collison - that's nothing to sneeze at if you're able to rebuild a decent team in the next 2-3 seasons. I've always wanted a "Nick Collison" back-up - very happy with Freeland's development.
