Simmons' Annual "True" Trade Value Column

[Who]

Anybody else think that David Lee might be too low?

He's also still a bad defender.

Would you trade him for Gay or Mayo?

I wouldn't trade Rudy Gay for David Lee.

OJ Mayo? Hmm, depends. OJ Mayo the shooting guard? Yeah, I'd make that trade. OJ Mayo the point guard? No way.

Yeah, Mayo definitely needs to play the 2.

I think Mayo needs to play the 1.

[Fafnir]

Anybody else think that David Lee might be too low?

He's also still a bad defender.

Would you trade him for Gay or Mayo?

I wouldn't trade Rudy Gay for David Lee.

OJ Mayo? Hmm, depends. OJ Mayo the shooting guard? Yeah, I'd make that trade. OJ Mayo the point guard? No way.

Yeah, Mayo definitely needs to play the 2.

I think Mayo needs to play the 1.

For defensive purposes, I can see that.

But his game doesn't strike me as a PGs...

[Who]

Anybody else think that David Lee might be too low?

He's also still a bad defender.

Would you trade him for Gay or Mayo?

I wouldn't trade Rudy Gay for David Lee.

OJ Mayo? Hmm, depends. OJ Mayo the shooting guard? Yeah, I'd make that trade. OJ Mayo the point guard? No way.

Yeah, Mayo definitely needs to play the 2.

I think Mayo needs to play the 1.

For defensive purposes, I can see that.

But his game doesn't strike me as a PGs...

Mayo wouldn't be a creative point guard but he would make a good setup guard.

I think Mayo only becomes an elite player if he learns how to impact the game in non-scoring ways (passing, defense, rebounding) in addition to his good scoring ability. I'm not convinced that he's going to be able to do that as a two guard but I do think that he can do it as a point guard.

[steve]

Kevin Martin (30): My favorite possibly available trade piece -- great contract, proven scorer, high hoops IQ, someone who'd thrive on a veteran team that protected him defensively and ran plays for him. Right now he's playing on a glorified pickup team with Tyreke Evans, who thinks "point guard" means "I get to dribble over midcourt." Not gonna fly. Someone like Martin is a luxury. You pamper him. You set him screens. You hook him up on slash-and-kicks. You go to him after games and say, "Hey, what's the best place to deliver the ball for you -- chest high and a little to the right?" He could absolutely be a contender's No. 1 scoring option like Reggie Miller or Rip Hamilton once upon a time. Stay tuned.

Gee, what veteran team that could protect him defensively could Simmons be referring to?   

Yeah, it's pretty obvious he's thinking green on that one.

All I can say is keep dreaming. 

Does the "stay tuned" part mean he's been talking to his insider Celtic's buddies?   

[Fan from VT]

Anybody else think that David Lee might be too low?

He's also still a bad defender.

Would you trade him for Gay or Mayo?

I wouldn't trade Rudy Gay for David Lee.

OJ Mayo? Hmm, depends. OJ Mayo the shooting guard? Yeah, I'd make that trade. OJ Mayo the point guard? No way.

Yeah, Mayo definitely needs to play the 2.

I think Mayo needs to play the 1.

For defensive purposes, I can see that.

But his game doesn't strike me as a PGs...

Mayo wouldn't be a creative point guard but he would make a good setup guard.

I think Mayo only becomes an elite player if he learns how to impact the game in non-scoring ways (passing, defense, rebounding) in addition to his good scoring ability. I'm not convinced that he's going to be able to do that as a two guard but I do think that he can do it as a point guard.

I think he's a pretty good defender, and he'll end up being a very good shooting guard or a very good point guard in a triangle type, like a very rich man's derek fisher/eric snow type thing. Guard PGs next to an SG/SF creator.

Sadly, basically he'd be great playing the PG next to Wade in Miami, and Miami liked him better than Beasly and tried to trade down but couldn't, but didn't have the cajones to take the player he wanted.

The lesson: don't draft "value" if you legitimately think that a player going later is the better player and you can't trade down.

Brings up a semi-interesting "what if:"

Rose goes first,
Mayo goes second, to Miami
Beasly definitely goes 3rd to Minnesota (they were looking PF and I doubt they go Lover over Beasly on draft night)
OKC still goes Westbrook, but...
Does Memphis go with Love? or do they want to end up with a SG and go Gordon? Let's assume they do go Love. Doesn't that mean they don't trade for Randolph, so we don't have the whole Memphis subplot this year? Interesting.