The Pacers and Warriors, two teams that have loads of talent, but are underperforming, traded 4 players each to each other. The Pacers traded away Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicious, and Josh Powell (a throw-in)while the Golden State gave up Troy Murphy, Michael Dunleavy, Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod. At first I thought this deal was about even, but now I think that the Pacers are a much better team because of it.
I was always a fan of Golden State's young talent. Besides the three big names that were traded, they have Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Mickael Petrius, and Matt Barnes. Unfortunatley for the Warriers, Don Nelson just wasn't a fan of Troy Murphy or mike Dunleavy. I don't know why though. Troy Murphy is a beast down low, and if he didn't get injured, he would be a better version of Zach Randolph. Better on and off the court. If you look at Murphy's game log, he has some insane games (ex: 15 12 5 5 3). Murphy also shoots 3's at a 37% clip this season and a 35% career clip. An added bonus is that Murphy played his college ball for Notre Dame. Dunleavy is like a Wally Szcerbiak or Mike Miller. He'll never be the number one, or even number two scorer on the team (if he is you're in trouble), but he's a solid 3 scorer who can rebound, pass, and shoot. Anyone who went to Duke and is the son of an NBA head coach has to be passionate about the game and very smart. I'm also a big fan of Ike Diogu. He was dominate at ASU where he averaged 20 10 2. He is a bit undersized at 6-8, but he can still block shots (like Elton Brand), and he holds his own with his 255 pounds (muscle not fat). McLeod is not that good, but he is only 27, and shoots threes and FT's well.
How for what Indiana gave up. Al Harrington is a good young player at just 26. The last 5 years, he's averaged about 16 points and 6.5 rebounds. He's shooting an insane 46% from 3-land this year while making 1.5 per game. He doesn't get any blocks or steals though and has never played defense at the level he is capable of. Stephen Jackson is a thug, and plays out of position at the SG spot. He shoots less than 42% FG and less than 30% 3's. Despite being 6'8", he only gets 2.5 rebounds a game. His incident in the night club with a gun doesn't make him any more appealing. He's supposedly good at defense, but I think he's overrated in that area. Sarunas Jasikevicius is a pretty good player, but Golden State already has Davis and Ellis. Sarunas is one of the best FT men in the league and he's a pretty good distributor, but he's streaky in shooting. Solid player to have, but he's already 30.
Project starting lineups and bench rotation for both teams when healthy:
Indiana Pacers:
PG: Jamaal Tinsley
SG: Mike Dunleavy
SF: Danny Granger
PF: Troy Murphy
C: Jermaine O'Neal
Bench1: Jeff Foster
Bench2: Ike Diogu
Bench3: Stephen Jackson
Bench4: Darrell Armstrong
Golden State Warriors:
PG: Baron Davis
SG: Jason Richardson
SF: Mickael Petrius
PF: Al Harrington
C: Andris Biedrins
Bench1: Monta Ellis
Bench2: Matt Barnes
Bench3: Marquis Daniels
Bench4: Sarunas Jasikevicius
So, the Pacers get two guys for their starting lineup who in my opinion are great hard-working guys. The Warriors get one starter and bolster their bench. The only way this is a win for Golden State is if Murphy gets injured for the rest of the season. Even if he's gone injured at his usual 40% clip, Pacers still make out better.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
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