Big Trade (Literally) in Charlotte 12/14/2007
Watching the NBA pre-game show on ESPN and it was just announced that the Bobcats have traded Primoz Brezec and Walter Herrmann to Detroit for Nazr Mohammed. And I am thrilled...mostly. A little sad to be losing Walter, it was fun to watch him play at the end of last season. But gaining an actual center outweighs that negative. Here are a few benefits:
-Nazr is an actual center...so Emeka does not have to play as undersized center (or at least has to less). While not a mountain, Nazr Mohammed is a legit 6'-10", and 220 pounds. And he will bring some defensive fortitude to the center spot, something lacking with Primoz on the floor.
-Solid rebounder, with a career rebound rate of 17.4 (Emeka is at 18.2, Primoz 12.5 for comparison).
-Defense- Mentioned previously, but the defense should improve with Nazr on the floor - this season with the Pistons, they surrender 98.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, 106.4 without him.
-A bit of offense too- While not a great offensive player, Nazr has a career mark of 15.2 points per 40 minutes, on 48.2% shooting. For the season, a full 84% of his attempts are either dunks or from in close (thanks 82games.com), so he knows his role on offense.
I would be remiss to not mention the downsides to the deal: First is the loss of Walter Herrmann, who showed last year that could play, and play well, in the NBA. However, with the added scoring of Jason Richardson, a long term deal for Matt Carroll, and Adam Morrison still to figure out, the Cats were running low on spots for designated gunners. Combined with his expiring deal, and the chance for his price tag to increase considerably, it probably made sense to move him. He was a fan favorite in his brief time, and will be missed.
The other negative? Well, the Bobcats lose some flexibility. 2 expiring contracts were sent away...and a 4 year (counting this season) deal is coming back, that totals over $20 MM. The Bobcats now have 9 guys who are sure to be back next year (I am counting Emeka in that, I do not see how they can let him leave) and about $48 MM committed to them (to rise with Emeka's deal).
All told, I am pleased: The Cats added a player who can come in and contribute immediately, in an area of weakness. Now, if he could just grow out a big fro or something, to offset the loss of personality with Walter departing...
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| Erick Says: | |
Perhaps another positive--don't we have an open roster spot now? I already think Nazr will give us more production than the 2 players combined that we lost (it would be hard not to). So who will fill the mystery spot? Is there another deal in the making? Will we bring someone up from D-League (what sort of access do we have to what teams?)? |
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| Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:10 pm |
| Muttley Says: | |
Brett,
I had some ideas for you to look into. Supposing we do not sign anyone in the next week or so, do you think you could compile some stats to show what kinds of impacts - however immediate they may be - that Nazr's addition has had. I realize that impatience will lead to these arguments not holding much water, but they will be interesting regardless. In addition, where might we still be lacking, and what kind of player, if any, would best improve our team in that 15th spot. |
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| Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:43 pm |
| Pruf Says: | |
Has anyone noticed these other blogs or journalists torching the Cats for this trade? I can't believe how much people are questioning whether it was a good trade for Charlotte. People seem to think Nazr Mohammed is awful just because he didn't pan out in Detroit (he was behind 3 quality big men) and assume that Hermann and Primoz are both better. Hermann I concede is a valuable asset because he has shown flashes of potential and will probably get better with a little PT, but Primoz was given many chances and pretty much showed he was awful and only good at shooting. I can't see him doing well outside of the right system because the last two seasons he hasn't really shown a lot of the skills that are important to a big man (rebounding, interior defense, and catching a freakin pass). And no team is going to rely on a pick n pop with that guy unless they are really hurting for scoring (like we used to be). I'm not saying we got the better of the deal, but I think people should wait to see how Nazr pans out for us before saying "Dumars jobbed another team." |
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| Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:01 pm |
| Brett Says: | |
I'll respond one at a time:
-Yes, we do have a roster spot open. And while I don't know of the exact names they might be looking at, the obvious weak spots are still big man depth and backup point guard (McInnis has been arguably worse than last year).
-Noted - early returns are looking good on Nazr, but too soon to make a statistically valid observation.
-Anyone who thinks Dumars robbed the Bobcats has no idea just how bad Primoz has been (and I imagine will be). I've seen him called a poor man's big Z, which is just ludicrous. He did get expiring contracts from the Cats, but if the Cats get a serviceable center at a reasonable to slightly high price, I say it is worth it. Salary cap room next offseason wouldn't mean anything if this team only wins 20 or 25 games this year. |
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| Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:58 pm |
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