SB Nation User Blog: jdpourciau

Unrealistic trade proposals from Hornets fan

jdpourciau — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:41:28 -0000

Hello utes. My apologies for the slow start to the season. As a Hornets fan I can really commiserate.

As with many fans of teams with slow starts, I am prone to unrealistic trade proposals.

That being said, trade ideas are always fun, so let's give it a whirl.

Trade D West and Posey plus cash for Kevin Martin and Freddie Garcia

Trade Peja and 2 top 10 protects picks for Andre Kirilenko

We get the best 2 that the New Orleans Hornets have ever had.

For Sacto, getting D West allows them to play Jason Thompson at his natural center position. And Dwest gets anthoer mobile big to cover for him on pick and roll d. Evans is a 2. His last few games with Sacremento have highlighted this.

As for Utah, this move allows them to move Korver at the trade deadline for just cash. He makes less than 6 mill, so if sold to a team with cap room halfway through the year, Utah can just pay a team 3 million to take him off of their hands for cap space. New Orleans would be willing to throw in Posey probably, provided that you would want him. He could give the spark and toughness that Harpring used to give you and he is a better shooter. In that scenario, the Kings would take Harpring's contract, so you still would save 3 mill in the deal. Utah probably wouldn't do this because posey has some years on his contract, and he is recovering from surgery. So what do you guys think? Am I completely crazy?

trade idea shenanigans

jdpourciau — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:32:31 -0000

What's up guys? I hate that the best start to a Saints season ever is being sullied by the issues with the way the Hornets are playing. I'm really not liking the way the pieces are fitting right now. Mek and D West are not in sync, and Mek will never be the type of defensive player that Tyson was (not worse just different). West needs a space eater in the middle who can cover the pick and roll and recover on weakside d to cover some of his slowfootedness on D. Emeka can't really do that. He is more of a solid, shot blocker/ man defender. Also, Mek can't run like Tyson, and neither can D West so we never get fast break oppurtunities. I still think the move needed to be made because of the issues with tyson.

Also, like everybody realizes, we don't have shooters at the wing position anymore which is killing us.

That being said, trade ideas are always fun, so let's give it a whirl.

Trade D West and Posey plus cash for Kevin Martin and Freddie Garcia

Trade Peja and a pick for Andre Kirilenko

That gives us:

His CP3ness/ Collison

K Mart/ Thornton/ Brown

Garcia/ Juju/ Peterson

AK47/ Diogu/ Songalia

Mek/ Hilt/ Marks

We get the first legitimate 2 since the Hornets have been in New Orleans. Sacto gets the best 4 that they have had since C Webb, and Utah gets picks and some necessary cap space.

With these pickups the Hornets will be able to do 3 things they currently cannot do 1) capitalize on CP's dribble penetration with open 3 pointers 2) run 3) play pick and roll d. Kevin Martin is something special, even with his injury issues he is still MORE then worth his salary. Also, folks on this site know that I love me some Freddie Garcia. Also, if we ever made the move that I've been pleading for (getting Diop), we could play an absolutely ginourmous second unit

6'7 Garcia

6'8 Juju

6'9 AK

6'10 Meka

7 Diop

or a small uber quick second unit

Collison

K Mart

Juju

AK47

The down side of this move is that it would essentially kill this year. Both Martin and Garcia are injured and won't be back for months. We would have to rely on Mo and Juju on the wings.

Final pieces to make us a contender.

jdpourciau — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:10:14 -0000

Fransisco Garcia and Desagana Diop.

First trade Rasual and Devin Brown for Garcia. Fransisco is a quick, athletic wing who can both shoot the 3 ball and drive to the hole. He has excellent ball handling skills, defensive presence, and a fiery attitude. He even played some backup point guard last year. The guy is really well rounded, and I am a big fan of his. Why then, do I think he is avaliable? Because the Kings have at least 4 years and 24 million dollars committed to a bench player. He backs up Kevin Martin, one of the best scorers in the game, and Andres Nocioni. Also, both Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih, two of Sacramento's point guards, are more combo guards then reall pg's anyway, so they ought to eat up most of the backup minutes at the 2 spot. At small forward, Sacto has to young prospects, Dontae Greene, and Omri Casspi, that they will want to give some minutes to this year since it will be a rebuilding year and they want to see what they have with those players.

Also, if they move Garcia they would have less then 30 million in committed salary next year making them major players in either free agency or trade scenarios. Butler had a great year last year, but Garcia is younger, quicker, a better ball handler, and more versatile. If his shot isn't falling he can drive to the basket. He would be a crucial third option/ shot creator on the court. With him starting we'd have four above average scorers (Paul, West, Garcia Okafor), and 4 above average defenders (Paul, Wright, Okafor, and Garcia). That kind of balance would make it really difficult to stop us on any given night because we could rely on the best matchups that night and save CP's energy for those 3rd quarter/ 4th quarter heroics that he prefers.

A Diop for MoPete and a 1st is alot for a backup. I realize that, but he would give us the last piece. Emeka is an excellent defender and one of the best all around centers in the game (top ten). His problem is he is a little undersized. This wouldn't matter in the vast majority of games we play in, but there would be a few games where this woud be a problem (Orlando, Cleveland, L.A., Portland). Getting Diop would do three things 1) it would allow Okafor to play agressively without worrying as much about fouls 2) It would give us a big banger to combat the low post scorers left in the game, and 3) we wouldn't have to double the opposing team's low post threat so we wouldnt give up open looks on kickouts.

We make those moves and I put us up against any other team in the league.

Questions from a Hornets fan.

jdpourciau — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:01:45 -0000

Hello Sactown. Greeting from a Hornets fan. Free agency is winding down, but alot of teams including the Hornets still have some holes. I have two questions. One, what was your opinion of Diogu? I know he played limited minutes but I would still like to know what you guys thought of him. It seems like they didnt want to give too many minutes to a guy that they were not invested in, but when he got some minutes he did well. I am not expecting an all world defesnive presence but Hilton can clean up his messes on that side. Hilt will play D and Ike will score and rebound. I am really excited about Ike because he will become the scoring foucs of our bench and we haven't had a low post backup scorer in a long time.

My second question is whether or not you think Francisco Garcia is available. The Hornets still only have one ball handler among their starters and just 2 shot creators. This usually works pretty well for us but when our wings aren't hitting their 3's they become pretty useless on offense, and it allows wing defenders to double cp3 and dwest. Also, constantly having to bring the ball up probably takes some energy out of cp3. Garcia would be perfect for us. He is a two way guy who can defend and score. He can hit the spot up three ( crucial for our offense), is an excellent dribbler for his size so he can occasionally bring the ball up, and he create his own shot when defenders over commit to defending the three.

As far as available pieces, we have...Rasual Butler. Rasual does much of the same stuff that Garcia does except he relies more on his outside shot, and he is nowhere near as good of a dribbler. He is a good defender, and he doesn't need alot of shots to be happy. He can play the two and the three, and he is a good change of pace from what Kevin and Evans can give from the backcourt. The best part about Rasual is that he is an expiring contract. We would also have to add Devin Brown to make the contracts work but you could cut him. As it is you guys already have alot of money for 2010. I don't know if getting free agents is an issue in Sacto, but if it is you can just trade his contract along with maybe Kenny Thomas for some legit firepower. I'm assuming that Nocioni still starts this year and maybe the next, so you are essentially paying Garcia 6 a year for backup duties. Also, giving him minutes prevents the Kings from seeing what they can get out of Greene. What are your thoughts?Am I being completely unrealistic?

Sacto trade idea

jdpourciau — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:07:15 -0000

I have been thinking about this since draft day, but I saw that another post kind of stole the thunder on this idea. Mine is similar but much more fair to Sacto (and the Kirilenko Utah part of that deal is way unrealistic).

Rubio/Flynn + Love+Madsen for Kevin Martin and Jason Thompson.

Sota has a serious problem with limited return on its highest value players. I know, I know, I know you guys love you some K Love. But you already have an amazing but defensively limited 4. Even if Love hits his ceiling you still wouldn't be getting ultimate value for him because his minutes and his effectiveness would be limited beacue he'd either be backing up Al or playing at a position at which he or Al would not be at their most effective position. The same could be said for Flynn or Rubio. Also, Love may never have a higher trade value then now because of all of the minutes he got when Al went down.

I love both Rubio and Flynn, so its a toss up to me, but I imagine trading Flynn would make it easier to get Rubio here this year (you'd obviously want a guarantee), while with Flynn you know you have a player who will play this year. Flynn currently has a better shot from the arc which would be important to get more space for Al.

Kevin Martin is simply one of the best scorers in the game. He isn't good on defense but he is such a talented multi dimensional scorer (catch and shoot and off the dribble threes, creative drives to the hoop, and crazy free throw rate). Jason Thompson had an impressive year. He is no Love, but he is long and athletic and he produced in the minutes he was given. He'd have the athleticism and length that Jefferson and Love lack.

I think you guys would still have the pieces to get Camby who would be a fantastic complement to Al. He could also teach Thompson about being an effective defensive big. You would also need a backup 1 with experience, and there are plenty out there to be had (Daniels, Watson ,etc.)

Also having two prime scorers on the court would really open it up for Gomes to be at his most effective in getting high efficiency looks, and it would really lower the pressure on Brewer for scoring. Even saying that I think Carney may be your best bet at the 3 because he is the best three point shooter and currently more athletic then Gomes and a better scorer the Brewer.

Whichever point is left would have a considerable amount of pressure off of their soldiers because the could rely on simply setting up the offense for the two main scorers and playing good d.

Trade question from a Hornets fan

jdpourciau — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:12:58 -0000

As you probably already know, it looks like the Hornets are going to try and trade Chandler for cap relief. Recently rumors/ fan speculation have pointed towards a Kwame Brown and Jason Maxiell trade for Tyson. My question is if you think the Heat would be willing to take on Kwame with the 4 million dollar Marcus Banks exception. You guys are right on the luxury tax line so it will be hard to sign anyone else, and Blount is pretty horrid. Would resigning Anthony put you over the projected 70 million dollar cap? Regardless, Kwame is a better player then Anthony. Yes he is a bust but he is a good defender with size and athleticism. Just don't ask him to score. With JO's injury issues it is really important that you guys have an adequate backup. I actually like Kwame and would prefer to keep him were it not for our own luxury tax issues. The best part is his contract expries this year so it won't get in the way of your 2010 plans.

This move is obviously perfect for the Hornets because we get Maxiell (and maybe Will Bynum) and 7 million in cap space.

Let me know what you think Heat fans, and good luck this year. I am still pissed that we sold our pick rather then get Chalmers.

Detroit deal is the best we will get

jdpourciau — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:03:44 -0000

I don't know if the Detroit deal of Maxiell and Kwame for Chandler is a real option but it is far superior then trading for Ben Wallace for multiple reasons. First of all we'd be getting real players in the deal versus paying someone not to play. Maxiell is one of the better backup bigs in the league and his athleticism allows him to play some 5 as well as 4. He is tenancious and tough and he makes underrated momentum plays (crazy blocks out of nowhere and rim rattling dunks that steal the thunder from other teams and force timeouts). Kwame is a good backup big with good size and athleticism. If people could get over his being a draft bust, they'd realize he is a more then adequate backup who plays good d. We would go from having the worst frontcourt benches in the game to having one of the best.

Secondly, I think the Hornets could easily get Will Bynum in this deal in exchange for Devin Brown. Alot of people dont know this, but Bynum was a very good undersized combo guard coming off of Detroit's bench last year. He is a score first point in the mold of Pargo, but he was alot better at it last year then Pargo was in 08. He is expendable because Gordon will eat up any minutes that he might have gotten this year. That move also saves us another couple hundred thousand dollars.

Thirdly, we could trade Kwame to the Heat for a second rounder or nothing at all. The Heat have an exception as was mentioned here before, but they are stacked at the 2 and 3. What they are lacking is a backup 5 with size and a willingness to bang. Enter Kwame. I think Miami does this move in a second, and maybe would even have it as part of the initial deal. Also his contract expires this year so he doesnt get in the way of Miami's 2010 plans.

Those two moves save us 7 million dollars. That leaves us with a need to get a starting big. That sucks, but it is a better position than we would be in with Phoenix because it would leave us still having to get a backup 4 not to mention having to fill up the minimum amount of players at 13.

As for our starting center issue, I think we should do one of two moves (or both, the best option I think). Trade Peja and maybe a first for Dalembert, and trade Hilton, Daniels, and Mo for Diop and Nazr Mohammed. Both of these moves net us an additional 4.5-6 million in cap space (it depends on what the cap is. Peja's contract is alot larger then Dalembert's but the Sixers may still be under the cap. If not we would have to pick up Jason Smith). I don't know if the first is necessary or not because they really want to get rid of Dalembert and could use another shooter.

Charlotte does the deal because it gives them over 9 million in expiring deals and they have been trying to get rid of Mohammed for a while.

This move gives us 2 great defensive 5's who excell at different parts of the game. Dalembert is super athletic and quick for his size. He is also a much better rebounder then Diop who himself is a good rebounder. Sam would be great for running the break and he is a very good team defender because of his length and quckness.

Diop is simply one of the best post defenders in the game because of his size and quickness (not running but getting to his spot on the floor during the pick and roll). He is not the rebounder or shot blocker that Dalembert is but he has more bulk and he isnt a head case.

Guys that gives us a VERY solid bench and puts us well below the cap, enough so that we could sign another player (Rashad McCants would be my preference). Let's do the Detroit deal.

Another trade question from a NO fan.

jdpourciau — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:24:36 -0000

Hey guys, what's going on? I am very interested to see what you moves y'all make in the offseason. As most NBA folks know, New Orleans is way over the cap next year and we'll probably be trading Tyson Chandler for peanuts. My question is this, does a move of Peja and a 2010 first for Foster and Tinsley make sense to you? Do you think it is a fair deal?

Our bench has been horrid this year, and getting a quality big and pg would really help out in my opinion. Peja would work in O Brien's sytstem much like Dunleavy who will be gone at the beginning of the year. The contracts also last for the same amount of time. The problem is that this move obviously does not help you defensively.

As for the Hornets, besides helping our bench, this would allow us to use Antonio Daniels, along with some other 2010 contracts as a bargaining chip for a solid starting center. I'm thinking Dalembert will be available with somethiong like that.

Anyway what do you guys think? Am I crazy? Also, what do y'all think you are shooting for in the draft? Thanks and good luck next season.

Trade Idea/ Question

jdpourciau — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:57:22 -0000

Whatup Philly fans. I'm a relatively recent transplant to the area from Louisiana. The Hornets are my team, but I still root for the sixers to do well. Anyways, as you already know, the Hornets are in cap trouble and we need to make some moves. I keep talking this idea over with my law school buddies, and they seem to like ,soI figured I try it here and see if it sticks.

Dalembert and Reggie Evans for Peja Stojackovic. Assuming that we trade Chandler, a terrible but realistic assumption, we will need to find a player that replaces his defensive ability. Sammy would get enough lobs and open looks from CP3 to fulfill the meager offensive output that we need from the 5 spot. We also have a glaring hole at the backup 4 position, and I really believe that Reggie Evans is a championship quality backup (I know, I know all of my Philly buddies laugh in my face when I say that to them). But he would really shore up our bench rebounding and D.

In return you guys get Peja, who is arguably still one of the best 3 point shooters in the game (he's had a rough spot post all star break, but he'll be back at it this spring, trust me). He is exactly the kind of floor spacer that you need, and I think he would be fine with limited minutes (20-25) a game. You could use him whenever you go "big" with Speights and Brand in the middle and Iggy at the 2. This would really free up some space for Iggy's drives, and for post moves for Elton and Speights. I think the main reason that this didnt work out at the start of the season is that you never had the requisite 3 point shooter for that personnel.

Some folks think Speights is a little undersized at the 5, but people forget that Brand is a great weakside defender with shot blocking ability, and I think that he could do a good job of making up for Speights. In this scenario I could also see Elton playing a little bit of 5 as Hollinger has suggested.

Even though he is pillow soft, I still think Peja is an underrated defender because of his length and his intelligence on rotations. He knows exactly where to be. Just don't put him on LeBron.

Anyways, what do you guys think? Thanks and good luck for the season.

Trade ideas

jdpourciau — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:17:04 -0000

Whatup Wolves fans? I am currently mourning the salary cap move that Hornets made to day, and in the attemplt to chear myself up I started to think of trade ideas. The Hornets could still afford to make a few more moves to get below the cap and I wanted to run an idea by y'all so here it goes:

Antonio Daniel, Hilton Armstrong, and Julian Wright for

Jason Collins, Bassy, and Shaddy.

I have always had a thing for the t wolves role players, and this would allow us to get some cap relief and stock up on a scorer and a good backup. For you guys, I think Antonio is good but he's getting old. I think he'd be a good veteran presence in a locker room that lacks them. Also, I have alwyas maintained that Hilton is the perfect guy to put next to Keniv Love and Al Jeff. He's quick enough to switch on to guard, and he knows how to handle bodying bigs even though he's skinny. He's also become a good team defender. He can't score and he can't rebound, but you guys don't need that from any extra bigs anyway. Juju still has the potential to be agood player but honestly he does alot ofthe same things that Corey does. Maybe it would give you the chance to just dump Corey and save yourself the extra 4 million. So lt me know if this is a pipe dream, or if the deal sounds fair. Thanks.