Posted by TMS:
here's where KMart fits better than Zach does IMO:
- he doesn't demand touches on the offensive side of the ball, which means u won't have him creating any problems for guys like Curry & Jamal who need to have a lot of touches on offense... this also allows kids like Chandler & Gallo to get theirs & grow into offensive threats
- he's more suited for an uptempo game even now w/his 2 reconstructed knees than Zach is
- he plays defense, something Zach never does
- he's actually been a major part of some very good winning teams in the past & knows the type of team play that it takes to get you to that level
- he's got that nasty attitude about him on the court (but not off the court in any negative way unlike Zach) that would add some nice flavor to this team & personally i think would be a nice addition to another passionate guy like Lil' Nate... we have way too many laid back type guys on this team, u need some players who can get the crowd excited & pumped up during games... they don't all necessarily have to be 18/10 type guys to do that... i think people sometimes get too caught up in the numbers & don't consider these other intangible factors... JYD is a case in point... he got the Knicks back into games based on his intensity, defense & hustle alone... Balkman did some of that in his time here but never really got the full run of minutes he needed to realize his potential IMO... i think KMart would be much more effective than Balk even tho he's lost some of the athleticism that made him a nasty player for the Nets
[Edited by - TMS on 09-21-2008 07:55 AM]
These are all very solid points. Good topic - I remember talking about this last year at the deadline when this thing almost went down - What concerns me though is I think Zach, provided he maintains a production level close to the numbers he's been putting up the last few years, will be easier to move toward the end as both of their contracts diminish. Nothing decent is gonna present itself now because Zach's contract as it stands today is truly abysmal, but at the end of his contract, provided he's still putting up respectable numbers, I could see some GM telling his owner, "We're a playoff team & we just lost our PF for the year. Zach Randolph's still close to 20/10 and we need some scoring, rebounding and a PF. Let's do it. If it doesn't work out, it's only one year. It's might be worth a shot." I could see that type of logic around the league as Zach's contracts comes to a close. KMart, meanwhile, who knows what kind of shape he'll be in phyically and skill-wise when his deal comes to a close in a few seasons. I suspect Zach, who's younger and puts up better numbers, might be the easier guy to move. That's the only thing that scares me. Otherwise, T, I agree with you 100%. KMart would be a much better fit for us in all areas. I would just want to turn the page on him toward the end if he didn't work out and that won't be easy at all. Might prove to be even harder than moving Zach in fact.
I do like Cook's idea though - I'd be more inclined to do that as long as Denver recognized that Zach's the better player and was interested in making a fair trade. For me to take on Martin at this point, with his diminished play and injury concerns, they'd have to sweeten the pot for me considerably. I'd have no problem giving them Lee too as long as I got Kleiza back in return. D'A would love this guy. He's a younger David Lee that runs the court, can bang a little inside and is a much better outside shooter than anyone ever thought. We make that deal we'd be a little thin inside, so I'd go out and grab Justin Williams for some interior defense. But this sounds intriguing...
