I'm not sure I would but it would be awfully tempting. I like players who give 110% every minute they are on the floor. We'd probably be hurting ourselves defensively but I'm not sure it wouldn't be worth it.
Very very tempting. Not sure what I'd do. I'd probably stay pat unless we could get Bosh, Boozer, or Dirk.
Lee is an absolute sieve on defense. he may give 110% but unfortunately it still only adds up to about 50% of what is needed at that end of the court.
Playing Devil's Advocate, is LaMarcus a better defender than David Lee? Neither of them blocked many shots this season. One of the most important parts of defense is defensive rebounding. Lee grabbed 9 defensive rebounds per game last season. That's over 3 rebounds more than LaMarcus grabbed on that end.
No, I'd look to go in another direction. If we trade LMA it better be for a legit second option -- David Lee isn't that.
LMA is no great rebounder and I was kind of disappointed in his overall defensive effort this year, but even a disappointing LMA is about 2X the defender that Lee is; LMA can actually switch on 1-4 and be modestly successful in contesting shots when he's looking to make an impact. I think part of the problem with LaMarcus last year is that he never really took any risks trying to contest shots because he didn't want to get into foul trouble, with no viable options behind him ... or at least I HOPE that's the reason he didn't try to contest much. The bottom line for me is that even though Lee is a great hustle guy and does a lot of good things, he's so bad on defense that he mostly nullifies all the good things he does cleaning the glass and getting putbacks. If you add up what LMA gives you at both ends compared to what Lee gives you at both ends it's so close to being a push that I don't see it being worth all of the trouble.
I wouldn't do it, no. Lee is a far better rebounder but Aldridge is a more well-rounded offensive threat, and I think he fits better than Lee would with Oden. Ed O.
The advantage to David Lee in my mind is rebounding. With some combination of Oden/Camby/Joel, I don't think we really need that from our PF to the point where I'd part with LMA. Give LMA a chance to play beside Oden for more than 20 games before you start condemning him.
I find it hard to trade someone like LMA, who gets a lot of bad rep here because of his reluctance to go inside, for a "star" on one of the worst teams in the NBA. LMA defense is the best thing about him. Even if he never develops a low post game if his defense continues to improve and his offense stays the same then i'm fine with keeping him long term.
Yes. I believe a lot of David Lee's defensive problems are due to him being 6'9" and having to guard centers every single game.
Aldridge is an overall better player than Lee is, and Lee would be horrible in Nate's complex offense.
No doubt. I'm not sure he'd quite be able to grasp just where he's supposed to stand and watch in the second half of games.
My thoughts exactly. Well not exactly. I would have expressed the same thoughts more strongly, especially in regards to Aldridge's much better defense and scoring ability. Lee banging around and taking up Oden's space in the middle (yes, I'm still living in the fantasy land where Oden actually plays) is a recipe for one of them to hurt the other, LOL.
