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Potential Bigs We Can Acquire? (Post-Trade Deadline Edition)

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*This was originally going to be in the trade thread, but as I continued to compose this post, it grew larger and larger and larger, to the point where it was way too big to make as a single post. So I apologize ahead of time if this has already been made a thorough discussion elsewhere.

 

 

After looking through the rosters of other teams, Otis will have to have the eye of a hawk to pull another trade for a decent backup to Dwight. Money is definitely a problem, so I considered it as I made this list. Some notable guys I found:

 

Kwame Brown 28 yo. 6'11 270 lbs. CHA kwame_brown-arton20888-240x240.jpg

+ Offensively limited big man with terrible hands and poor instincts.

 

+ Active defender with good size and strength. Guards pick-and-roll well.

 

+ Improved rebounder, but an awful foul shooter.

 

 

Just how much worse can this guy get from the free throw line? Brown shot 70.7 percent from the line as an 18-year-old rookie in 2001-02; last season he hit 33.7 percent. It's been a steady decline through the 60s, 50s and 40s to get to this point, and the only conclusion one can reach is that he's not putting in the work. Brown posted the fourth-highest rate of free throw attempts per field goal attempt at his position, but because of all those bricks at the line, he finished last among centers in TS%.

 

Brown's coaches have finally stopped talking themselves into the idea that he can be an offensive player, allowing him to focus on rebounding and defense. He's perfectly fine in those two areas, but any points he gets are gravy and he can't be on the floor late in games because of his foul shooting.

 

 

I may get criticized for this one, but hear me out. Brown is cheap, plays defense, and is a big body. He is being payed 875k this season, so money is not an issue. He has brick for hands and his offense is nonexistant outside of the charge arc, but if we can use him as an enforcer type role, I'd be very pleased.

 

 

Ben Wallace 36 yo. 6'9 240 lbs. DET ben_wallace.jpg

+ Elite defender despite lack of height. Strong, quick and a superior competitor.

 

+ Blocks shots, takes charges and controls boards. Rarely leaves lane in help D.

 

+ Hopeless offensive player and a horrific foul shooter. Often loses ball on way up.

 

Here's what I want to know: Why did Wallace think Detroit would be better than Phoenix? He left several million dollars on the table to lose 55 games in Detroit rather than make the conference finals with the Suns, and it doesn't make any more sense now than it did at the time.

 

In any case, Wallace delivered an amazing campaign and pretty much single-handedly carried Detroit's defense for much of the season. The Pistons were a whopping 8.6 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court last season, as he seemed to regain much of the energy and lift that the Big Ben of yore possessed. Wallace rebounded with renewed vigor, ranked third among centers in steals per minute and posted his best PER in four years.

 

Alas, it may not continue. Wallace is a Fluke Rule player, so we should expect his PER to return from whence it came. In his case it's easy to see why -- his 54.1 percent shooting mark was his best since the turn of the century, and his assist rate may have been an outlier, too.

 

This would be a great pick up in my opinion. Not only is he a great on the court guy, but he's a great locker room influence. He also is a tenacious defender and competitor, despite of his size. Defensively, you won't see much of a drop off with him on the floor instead of Dwight, compared to other centers in the league. But will Detroit be willing to part with a guy who was a marquee player in the dynasty years?

 

 

Jeff Foster 33 yo. 6'11 250 lbs. IND Indiana-Pacers-Jeff-Foster.jpg

+ Unusually quick big man who is active rebounder, especially at offensive end.

 

+ Not a great leaper but mobile enough to defend wings 1-on-1 on perimeter.

 

+ Poor outside shooter and constantly sets illegal screens. Plagued by injuries.

 

I've long felt Foster was one of the league's most underrated players, but we may be getting close to the end of the line here. He missed all but 16 games with a back injury and struggled in his few minutes. At age 33, his athleticism -- the one thing that really separated him as a player -- has diminished noticeably, and he lacks the power or skill to take his career in a different direction.

 

 

Foster is a fantastic role player and hustle guy who would be perfect as a backup center. He makes fouls count, plays defense, and would be great against teams like LA and Bostn where a player's toughness is tested. But the man's career is winding down and he's now plagued by injuries, which makes him a doubtful candidate.

 

 

Other Notables: Tony Battie(PHI), Jason Thompson(SAC), Etan Thomas (ATL), D.J. Mbenga (NO), Aaron Gray (NO), David Anderson (NO)

 

 

Jason Thompson 6'11 250 lbs. jason-thompson.jpg

 

+ Bouncy, active big man who gobbles up rebounds and can score around rim.

 

+ Decent face-up jumper, but needs post moves. Tries to dribble drive from block.

 

+ A tweener between power forward and center. Must add strength to play 5.

 

Thompson's sophomore campaign was mildly disappointing, in the sense that he made less progress than many had hoped. He took nearly twice as many outside shots and, consequently, fewer at the basket; predictably, his shooting percentage and free throw rates declined.

 

There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about his future. Right now he's good at a lot of things and great at none, but with that comes the potential to develop his game in several different directions. Improving in just one or two of them would be enough to make him a long-term starter, and that seems entirely plausible.

 

 

Hasheem Thabeet 7'3 267 lbs. thabeet_300_100226.jpg

 

+ Towering shot-blocking presence with long reach and impeccable timing.

 

+ Solid rebounder, but virtually devoid of offensive skills other than dunks.

 

+ Makes little defensive impact beyond blocks; must add strength, learn pro game.

 

For the second overall pick, Thabeet was a crushing disappointment as a rookie. Certainly, he's a phenomenal shot-blocker. But he has virtually no basketball skills and seemed completely lost at both ends of the court, making it difficult to envision him eventually being part of a winning core.

 

Obviously, he needs to improve on offense -- averaging 9.4 points per 40 minutes with one of the worst turnover ratios in basketball isn't getting it done. But what's more vexing is how much work remains on defense. Thabeet blocks shots, but he's equally prolific with fouls (one every 5.45 minutes, the third-highest rate in the league) and was often overpowered by stronger players around the basket.

 

 

 

Brendan Haywood 7'0 263 lbs. PH2010042604118.jpg

 

+ Strong defensive center, especially against post-ups, with decent mobility.

 

+ Will make short hooks from post and crash boards. Good defensive rebounder.

 

+ Effort can fluctuate from game to game but more consistent last season.

 

Quick, which players were the most likely to get basket-and-ones last season? You might guess the first-place finisher, Orlando's Dwight Howard, who had 8.3 percent of his shots end with a bucket and a trip to the line. But who's next? Would you believe … Brendan Haywood??? Haywood had 6.9 percent of his deliveries become basket-and-ones, mostly because he rarely shot from more than two feet from the basket.

 

That stat offers a good example of Haywood's understated effectiveness. He was sixth among centers in offensive rebound rate, 10th in blocks per minute and 18th in TS%. He's also a top-notch post defender and pretty good on the help side; in Washington he posted some huge defensive plus-minus numbers and that held up in his brief stint in Dallas last season.

 

Sure, Haywood has some drawbacks: He can't space the floor, he no-shows for about one game in 10 and his new contract appears wildly optimistic. But the overall package makes him one of the more valuable players at his position.

 

There are a few more guys out there that I know many would like to grab but the ones I could think of will be very tough to get considering the financial status of the team. Feel free to add to the list

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Nice thread! Thanks for taking the time to do this. Any thoughts on how we can package Duhon to trade for one of your above suggestions?

I appreciate the compliment and I am very intrigued on who we can get and how, which is why I made the thread. Duhon makes about $3.5M and the most expensive guy above if I'm not mistaken is Jeff Foster at $6.6M. So if we could package Duhon with Q or Mlik, all of these guys are realistic options money-wise.

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I appreciate the compliment and I am very intrigued on who we can get and how, which is why I made the thread. Duhon makes about $3.5M and the most expensive guy above if I'm not mistaken is Jeff Foster at $6.6M. So if we could package Duhon with Q or Mlik, all of these guys are realistic options money-wise.

 

Foster would fit our mold too. He is older, but tested. Interesting to see what Otis decides to do. Hope they look at the above list. We need to find a team that's looking for a defensive PG like Duhon.

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Foster would fit our mold too. He is older, but tested. Interesting to see what Otis decides to do. Hope they look at the above list. We need to find a team that's looking for a defensive PG like Duhon.

 

The only thing with Foster is injuries. The guy just can't stay healthy and I believe is injured now, too.

 

I just don't like Bass at the 5. Playing center at 6'8 is a very challenging task so Otis has to jump on top of another big

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I stopped reading after Hamed Haddadi.

Read the analysis. I said as a "last resort" meaning if all of the other players on the list were dead or unavailable, I'd take him

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