Blakely: C's look to deal Wallace & Humphries

[lantinm]

I don't think Danny will be able to move Wallace's contract unless he tosses in both a young player (Bradley or Sully) and multiple picks.  I do think that he will look to move both Humphries and Bogans before the deadline and bring back a young piece (a Rudy Gay type acquisition).  He might have to include a young player and picks in that deal too.

[Yogi]

No man, I don't want a piece of you.  I just don't like when people present their impressions and opinions as justification for their arguments. 

Boozer is a great defender.  He actually has a higher defensive rating than Taj Gibson.  Boozer also is the only person in Chicago who can defend centers.  Noah usually guards the perimeter big while Boozer gets the muscle. 

All the talks of amnesty are rumors which you shouldn't perpetuate without any source or evidence.  If they wanted to amnesty Boozer they would've done so last season when Rose was out.  They're not going to do it now when they can contend. 

[Neurotic Guy]

I think that patience is needed regarding Gerald Wallace. Wallace's contract becomes more tradable as remaining years get fewer and if he is able to show he adds value as a player.  Fortunately, his salary doesn't grow over the next 3 years (10M per).  Working with Stevens, Wallace may find a nice role on this team to showcase that he can be a contributor.  As his contract moves from 3 remaining years to 2, it becomes easier to move.  No need to move for 10 cents on the dollar now.

[hwangjini_1]

I think that patience is needed regarding Gerald Wallace. Wallace's contract becomes more tradable as remaining years get fewer and if he is able to show he adds value as a player.  Fortunately, his salary doesn't grow over the next 3 years (10M per).  Working with Stevens, Wallace may find a nice role on this team to showcase that he can be a contributor.  As his contract moves from 3 remaining years to 2, it becomes easier to move.  No need to move for 10 cents on the dollar now.

good post. it helped me think about this situation better. thanks.

next, another point to add might be that should ainge make a trade for a star he will need matching salaries. if all the celtics have are kids and scrubs for a few million each it ties his hands a bit since he may need to package 4-5 players or the like.

this last point may not be crucial, but it is another consideration. eventually, wallace's contract will be valuable just about the time the celtics are on the rise....or at least i hope so.

so as you suggestion, patience is a virtue and the celtics will stink next year regardless of whether wallace is in green or not.

[moiso]

No man, I don't want a piece of you.  I just don't like when people present their impressions and opinions as justification for their arguments. 

Boozer is a great defender.  He actually has a higher defensive rating than Taj Gibson.  Boozer also is the only person in Chicago who can defend centers.  Noah usually guards the perimeter big while Boozer gets the muscle. 

All the talks of amnesty are rumors which you shouldn't perpetuate without any source or evidence.  If they wanted to amnesty Boozer they would've done so last season when Rose was out.  They're not going to do it now when they can contend.

Boozer is a poor defender.  The eye test reveals that.

[LooseCannon]

Boozer is a great defender.  He actually has a higher defensive rating than Taj Gibson.  Boozer also is the only person in Chicago who can defend centers.  Noah usually guards the perimeter big while Boozer gets the muscle. 

In 2012-2013, Bulls opponents had a 104.7 Offensive Rating when Boozer was on the court and a 100.5 rating when he was off the court.  Bulls opponents had a 100.9 O rating with Taj Gibson on the court and 104.5 when he was off the court.  For Joakim Noah, those numbers were 101.2 and 106.3

Mysynergysports  says that Boozer gave up 0.9PPP on post-ups, compared to 0.73 for Joakim Noah and 0.75 for Taj Gibson.

The Bulls have often subbed Boozer out on defense and brought him back on offense at the end of games because he is not a good defender.  He's slow to rotate, shies away from contact, and has problems guarding taller players, but perhaps the biggest problem is that Boozer has a reputation for being lazy and not giving 100% on defense.

[sofutomygaha]

Boozer is a great defender.  He actually has a higher defensive rating than Taj Gibson.  Boozer also is the only person in Chicago who can defend centers.  Noah usually guards the perimeter big while Boozer gets the muscle. 

My initial claim was that the quants aren't high on Boozer. For what it's worth, here's the Hollinger writeup on Boozer's 2011-2012 defensive performance:

Defensively, Boozer is Chicago's worst frontcourt player, but the excellence of the other three made him look worse: Chicago gave up 8.6 points per 100 possessions more with him on the court. While he was 11th in rebound rate among power forwards, his help defense was pretty deficient, consisting largely of screaming loudly that a pick was coming before pretending to stop the ball handler. He also has short arms and doesn't always sprint back, making him something of a magnet for criticism in the Windy City.

[Yogi]

Boozer is a poor defender.  The eye test reveals that.

What is the value of your eye?  Are you a basketball coach?  A scout perhaps?  That would make the results of your eye test more valuable.

[sofutomygaha]

Boozer is a great defender.  He actually has a higher defensive rating than Taj Gibson.  Boozer also is the only person in Chicago who can defend centers.  Noah usually guards the perimeter big while Boozer gets the muscle. 

and here is the corresponding writeup for Gibson (keeping in mind that these are a year old now):

We already knew Gibson was a beast on defense, but his progress offensively last season was a pleasant surprise...

Meanwhile, Gibson ranked second among power forwards in blocks per minute, and his defensive stats are otherworldly. Chicago gave up a whopping 10.5 points per 100 possessions fewer with Gibson on the court, and this was already a dominant defensive team. Opposing power forwards mustered only a 12.6 PER against him, according to 82games.com, but it was his help defense that really stood out -- Gibson can comfortably switch on guards and lock them up....

Gibson was more productive than Carlos Boozer on most nights, and Chicago can also use the two together more often now that Omer Asik has departed.

[syfy9]

Boozer is a great defender. 

Please, please, please show me your stats that prove that Boozer is a great defender. Please - because if you can perform that miracle, who knows what else you can do! Solve world hunger? Cure diseases? Sweet.

Can you find me an article in the history of the world that compliments Boozer's "great" defense? Can you find some other people with a remote basketball mind that agree with you that he is a great defender? Even if you do find one, I can point out dozens more that criticize his defensive effort.


Boozer should be perceived as anywhere from an awful defender or an average defender. But one should NEVER call him a great defender. That's a ridiculous notion.

[bfrombleacher]

Boozer is a great defender. 

Please, please, please show me your stats that prove that Boozer is a great defender. Please - because if you can perform that miracle, who knows what else you can do! Solve world hunger? Cure diseases? Sweet.

Can you find me an article in the history of the world that compliments Boozer's "great" defense? Can you find some other people with a remote basketball mind that agree with you that he is a great defender? Even if you do find one, I can point out dozens more that criticize his defensive effort.


Boozer should be perceived as anywhere from an awful defender or an average defender. But one should NEVER call him a great defender. That's a ridiculous notion.

He's a great defender. He just doesn't play defense.

[EDWARDO]

I think that patience is needed regarding Gerald Wallace. Wallace's contract becomes more tradable as remaining years get fewer and if he is able to show he adds value as a player.  Fortunately, his salary doesn't grow over the next 3 years (10M per).  Working with Stevens, Wallace may find a nice role on this team to showcase that he can be a contributor.  As his contract moves from 3 remaining years to 2, it becomes easier to move.  No need to move for 10 cents on the dollar now.

10 cents on the dollar? you keep thinking he has positive value... he has NEGATIVE VALUE.. we would amnesty him if we could... what we are trying to do is trade him for 10 cents because he's worth -25 cents. If we could sell him for -5 cents, we would jump at the chance....

IF WE COULD PACKAGE HIM AND A 2ND ROUNDER FOR NOTHING... WE WOULD DO THAT!!

[syfy9]

Boozer is a poor defender.  The eye test reveals that.

What is the value of your eye?  Are you a basketball coach?  A scout perhaps?  That would make the results of your eye test more valuable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKpG3EeH4oI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiFlzJ4p768

[aporel#18]

Blakely is such the insider...

But he's right, who wouldn't be trying to unload those contracts? I'll have to wait to give Celtic18 another TP, he's nailed it. Chill on Wallace, it's not the time to trade him, because you'll need to add assets. Not what we want right now. You better use him as a 6th man, backing up both forward spots, and hope he can play ferocious D and regain his confidence, leading to better chances in the future to trade him.

Trade Humphries to the Sixers for a TPE and their 2014 second rounder.

Trade Bass in a three-way trade with OKC and HOU, where Boston sends Bass+Shav to HOU, OKC sends Perk+PJ3+Dallas 2014 first round pick (top 20 protected until 2018, but who knows, maybe in 2018 becomes a lottery pick) to Boston, and Steven Adams to HOU. And HOU sends Asik to OKC, and the rights to Kostas Papanikolau to the Cs. Everybody wins, OKC this year, HOU next year (Asik's contract becomes 14M) and the Cs in the long run, because swapping Bass for Perk sucks, but not a lot, and Papanikolau is 20x better than Gigi Datome.

If you are willing, trade Courtney Lee+Crawful to Memphis for their TPE and Tony Wroten, two separated deals (because you can't combine TPE+players).

Keep Bogans until the trade deadline, where his expiring contract will become so valuable to certain teams.

This is the roster for training camp:

Rondo/Wroten/Pressey
Bradley/Brooks/Bogans
Green/Joseph/PJ3
Sully/Crash/Iverson
Kelly/Perk/Melo

Plenty of minutes to showcase Crash and the young kids. Tons of upside, a 30 win team which is fun to watch, and great development chances for them.

Flip Bogans at the deadline for more assets, and Danny will have a top 10 pick, a late first rounder and a high 2nd rounder from Philly, lots of young prospects and maybe a more attractive asset in Gerald Wallace (he couldn't look worse than right now). Also, a 12M TPE which couldn't be combined with contracts, but maybe the TPE + a future draft pick (which we'll have some) could land a quality player.

The key is flexibility around the 2014 Draft, it's not time to take a huge multi-year contract. Having Perk and Crash on that money will be enough.

[sofutomygaha]

Please, please, please show me your stats that prove that Boozer is a great defender. Please - because if you can perform that miracle, who knows what else you can do! Solve world hunger? Cure diseases? Sweet.

Well hold on a minute, because he did give you a stat, and you can go look on basketball-reference to see that Boozer is a perennial D-rating leader.

I'm frustrated because he's angry about the validity of my +/- arguments but he fights back with d-rating, which as I understand usually has more to do with the team you're on as your individual performance.