Charlotte and Detroit Swap

Saturday night, the Detroit Pistons trade center Nazr Mohammed to the Charlotte Bobcats for forward Walter Hermann and center Primoz Brezec. My first reaction to this deal was: what is Charlotte thinking? Now that I have had two days to further consider the deal, my thought is: what is Charlotte thinking?

In this trade Detroit relieves themselves from Mohammed, who was a little used, overpaid big man that they clearly overpaid in July 2006 to replace Ben Wallace. Mohammed still has four years left on his deal with $5,632,200 in 2007-08, $6,049,400 in 2008-09, $6,466,600 in 2009-10, and $6,883,800 in 2010-11. Mohammed hasn't scored in double figures since the first half of 2004-05 when he played for the Knicks. Consistency has always been an issue with Mohammed who had a big 2000-01 with the Atlanta Hawks, but then never played at the same level for them again.

Bobcats coach Sam Vincent said, "We see this deal as a major improvement for the team. Not that we were down on Primoz and Walter, but we're trying to improve the Bobcats. We feel we've got a big guy that can come in and score in the post and help us with rebounding."

Unfortuantely, I doubt Mohammed will be the answer for Charlotte.

For Detroit, this trade was a no-brainer. Brezec will become the second big man off the bench for the Pistons playing behind Antonio McDyess, Rasheed Wallace, and Jason Maxiell. Brezec showed the ability to score nightly during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 season. Herrmann also has shown an ability to score from both the small forward and power forward positions. In 2006-07, Herrmann played in 48 games for Charlotte, averaging 19.5 minutes per game, and 9.2 points per game. He can shoot the ball well from the perimeter, and defend well enough to play power forward. Herrmann brings a veteran leadership to a young Piston bench which includes: Arron Afflalo, Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, and Cheick Samb.

Financially, this deal also made a great deal of sense for Detroit. Both Brezec and Hermann are in the final year of their contracts and become unrestricted free agents. Herrmann will make $1,944,000 this season and Brezec will earn $2,750,000. The Pistons will have the entire year to take a look at both players and see if they want to bring them back next season. In the meantime, they will bring further depth to a team who is looking to make a run in the playoffs.

In Mohammed, the Pistons will save more than $19,000,000 over the next three seasons. This factor is even bigger for Detroit than the talent upgrade they received in this trade. As key players like Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Lindsey Hunter, and Antonio McDyess get older, this will provide flexibility for Detroit to add key players down the road.

For Charlotte, I simply cannot understand this trade. At the time of the trade, the Bobcasts were 8-13 and had lost 2 of their last 10 games. Although they have some nice players, they are clearly not ready to compete for a playoff position. Furthermore, adding Nazr Mohammed and losing two potential key players is not a move I would have made. If Sam Vincent was unhappy with Brezec and Herrmann, then the Bobcats should have rode it out the rest of the year and then let the players leave in free agency. They would have saved close to $6,000,000 and been in position to add a player such as Antawn Jamison, who could score effectively in the post.

In my eyes, this trade allowed the rich to get richer, while the poor got poorer.

Pistons Add Hayes to the Mix

Today, Pistons team president, Joe Dumars, confirmed that they have signed Jarvis Hayes. Hayes adds flexibility and depth to the roster and is still only 26 years old. Hayes had his most productive year in 2004-05, where he averaged 28.9 minutes per game, 10.2 points per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Hayes possesses good size and shoots the ball well from the outside. He does not have a great first step or superior elevation. Hayes shoots too frequently off the dribble and needs to take the ball to the basket aggressively more often. Hayes' size and strength allow him to defend small forwards well. Defending shooting guards can be a problem though sometimes because his lateral quickness is only mediocre. In order to be more than just a role player, Hayes needs to work on his offensive game. He needs to diversify his offensive abilities with more willingness to get to the basket and draw fouls. His shooting behind the perimeter could also gain more consistency in order to keep space between himself and the defender.

With Hayes, the Pistons have now added Rodney Stuckey, Arron Afflalo, Cheick Samb, and Sammy Mejia since the end of last season. Additionally, they expect Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell to play more of a factor this season. I like what Dumars has done by being patient and adding pieces with limited risk and high reward. Outside of Darko Milicic, the Pistons have done a good job in developing talent internally rather than having to sign questionable free agents.

If the Pistons chose a brash approach and looked to move Rasheed Wallace after last season, it is highly unlikely that they would have been able to bring back a player with an equal skill level. Instead, Dumars hopes that bringing in more support around Detroit's experienced starting five will allow their core to save more energy for the playoffs.

Detroit most likely would still like to add one more big body upfront for the playoffs. Whether that is solved by bringing back Chris Webber or trading for someone, Dumars would probably feel more confident with one more veteran. Dumars should look to Minnesota where Juwan Howard is looking to be dealt. If Dumars offered Minnesota Ronald Dupree (expiring contract), Ronald Murray (expiring contract), a future first round pick, and the trade exception they received from the Carlos Delfino trade for Howard, then they would get the big, veteran body they need. This trade would give Minnesota even more to build on as they look to reshape their team after moving Kevin Garnett to Boston.

With veterans Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Lindsey Hunter, Antonio McDyess, Nazr Mohammed, Tayshaun Prince, and Wallace returning, Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell looking to make more of an impact, and Hayes and the other new additions to the team, the Pistons will have more depth than they have had in awhile. Dumars hopes that this group can get past the Eastern Conference finals and compete for the NBA Finals.

San Antonio Spurs 2006 Offseason

(Post originally written October 14, 2006)

The Spurs signed Francisco Elson (Nuggets) and Jackie Butler (Knicks) as free agents this offseason, hoping they could replace the departed Rasho Nesterovic (traded to Raptors) and Nazr Mohammed (signed with Pistons). Along with the two new additions, European import, Francisco Oberto will compete for major minutes next to Tim Duncan in San Antonio.

Here is a look at the four centers moving in and out the door in San Antonio this summer:

NAME, Total Contract, $’s Per Year
Elson: 2/6, 3 (In)
Butler: 3/7, 2.5 (In)
Rasho: 2/15, 7.5 (Out)
Nazr: 1/5, 5 (Out)

The trade with the Raptors also allowed the Spurs to bring in Eric Williams, Matt Bonner, and a 2009 second round pick from Toronto.

In the end, the offseason looked like this:

Total Out:
Rasho Nestorovic (7.5 per yr)
Nazr Mohammed (12.5 per yr)

Total In:
Francisco Elson (3 per yr)
Jackie Butler (2.5 per yr)
Eric Williams (4 per yr)
Matt Bonner (2 per yr)
TOTAL IN = (11.5 per yr + 2nd Rd. Pick)

Synopsis:
The Spurs were able to bring in some younger and cheaper talent by trading Rasho Nestorovic and his large contract to the Raptors. In return, they got two defensive-minded wing players, whose contracts expire at the end of the season. To replace Nestorovic and Mohammed, they brought in Elson and Butler. Arguably, Elson is a better overall player then both Nestorovic and Mohammed alone. The Spurs let Nazr go and sign with the Pistons and responded by splitting its mid-level exception on two younger, more athletic bigs for the same money. Both players have not gotten a great deal of playing time in their career. However, Elson is a good shot blocker who runs the floor well.

Per the terms of Butler’s contract, this was a no-lose situation. He showed some promise in limited time last year with the Knicks. Per 48 minutes, Butler averaged nineteen points, twelve rebounds, and two blocks. Butler is only 21 years old and will not have a great deal of pressure on him. He will be playing behind Duncan, Horry, Elson, and Oberto.

It was obvious by the end of last season that Coach Popovich could not trust Mohammed. In the 2006 Playoffs, Mohammed only played 94 minutes in 13 games. For the season, he only averaged 17.4 minutes per game, the least amount of time he played per game since the 2002-03 season with the Atlanta Hawks. Similarly, Nestorovic had fallen out of favor with Coach Popovich, playing the least amount of minutes he had played per game since the 2000-01 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nestorovic struggled to compile rebound numbers and struggled offensively. He was not earning the $7,500,000 he was making a season, and it was time for him to move on.

In the end, the Spurs turned two players who were not making significant impacts into four defensive-minded players with reasonable salaries and a future second round pick. Although none of these moves will have a major impact on the team, they may be just enough to push them past the Suns, Mavericks, Jazz and the rest of the West.