Brewer Trade

[whatdtcom [enjin:6685945]]

Flip's angling for a 1st rounder right now and probably will get one too (protected of course).

But the offers---the two teams---have to create the need for one or the other to ante up. In the end, it's just a waiting game like the Wiggins deal. Patience. Let's just home the up and coming home stand will net us some wins.

[TAFKASP]

On the one hand I would hate to see Corey go, he is truly one of the games really good guys!

On the other hand because Corey is one of the games good guys it would be nice to see him get another shot on a contending team!

Either way I'll always hope for the best for Corey, in Minnesota or otherwise!!

[TeamRicky [enjin:6648771]]

I like Corey Brewer, but I wouldn't be too upset if we trade him for a first rounder and GR3 gets more minutes. I'd rather trade Robbie or Bud though.

[Monster]

Rockets own the Pelicans pick top 3 and 20-30 protected for the next three years. That means they convey the pick when it falls from 4-19. I kind of like that. Even though they have played well so far, they are still an injury prone team in the West with a good chance of being in the lottery. I do not really want to trade Corey again but if Flip does, this should be the target.

Well said

I'd be down with that. I was just thinking IF something like this happens Flip will look pretty smart if he is able to move Brewer for a protected first rounder when I think its pretty clear the Cavs wanted him in the Love deal and Flip didn't want to do it.

[twolf921 [enjin:10822034]]

Rubio still hasn't had his second MRI, Flip said they hoped to do that this week and originally he said 14 days not just a week so I don't think this is the reason this has come up. It probably has more to do so with the horrible and historic end to the road trip. Also Bazz can score period and needs minutes, and he plays just as hard as Brewer but still has a much higher ceiling and is young. 18 pts in 13 min is impressive and it is not the first time he's done this in limited minutes, and we are way to crowded at the wing.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Why I am on board with trading Corey to the Rockets for the Pelicans protected pick:

1) I want to see Shabazz on the court more, and this is the way to get him there. I don't need to see GR3 on the court (he's not ready to contribute in a meaningful way), and I don't buy the argument that Bud benefits most from Corey leaving. Shabazz is only playing 12 minutes a game (less than 4 minutes more per game than last year's lost season) and the trend lines aren't much different (only 13 MPG last 5 games), and the primary reason for this is Corey's 23 MPG. If Corey leaves, Shabazz immediately starts getting over 20 MPG, and we can really see what he has to offer.

2) The NO pick is likely to fall in the unprotected 4-19 range, so it is likely that the Wolves' would get some value for Corey.

3) Conversely, the Cavs' pick will look more like a second rounder.

4) Brewer would really help the Cavs' energy off the bench, and I spitefully don't want to help the Cavs. I think Corey can help the Rockets too, and I would rather help McHale.

5) It's clear to me that Flip wants to add a 3rd PG. I think he still wants to see what Zach can do, but his propensity for fouling might lead to Mo getting more minutes than Flip wants to see, so he needs to add a 3rd guy.

Cool, you suggested that Zach's play hasn't been embarrassing, but I would argue that his stats are terrible. He's averaging less than 6 PPG on 35% shooting (12% on threes) and has almost as many TO's as assists. He also has looked every bit the rookie on defense the past few games. I would argue that he is the worst starting PG in the league right now, so yes, his play has not been very good. But I'm not really unhappy with that or Flip's decision to play him. Zach is a 19-year-old rookie who played limited minutes, and almost none at PG, in college. He's an extraordinary athlete, but did anybody really expect him to come out and play well right away? Still, I think it's fine that Flip made the decision to start him. This is a development year, as Flip so often has said recently, and Zach doesn't seem to be the kind of guy who is going to lose confidence by struggling. On the contrary, I think this will accelerate his development. We're not going to win much with him starting (Flip's version of tanking for a better draft pick?), but he is our best option with Ricky out.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Q, I know he struggled in Texas, but the game doesn't seem to big for him. He has good handles, great quickness, and IQ. If anything I think he is playing too much in a box. In other words, trying not to make mistakes and limiting his ad lib. If he could just let him talent flow I think it would help a lot. Those problems you mentioned over the last two games would follow him to any position he plays.

What is he though? I can't get a beat on what his real natural strength or position should be. His shot looks smooth, but it doesn't go in. He appears to have poise, yet he turns the ball over a lot. He has a ton of speed, but his inclination is to juke and pull up for a jumper. He is long and athletic, but rarely gets steals.

I'm not ruling anything out with the kid, but I thought Flip was going to give him the Shabazz treatment this season and let him learn in practice and then give him a stint in the D-league at some point. Thrusting him into the starting lineup....Whoa.

You just summed up Wes Johnson. Congratulations.

Zach LaVine is the opposite of Wes Johnson. Wes was NBA-ready coming out of college, but lacked (and lacks) heart. Zach has all the heart in the world, but is not NBA-ready. He's going to struggle early...maybe even for a couple years... but Zach at 13 is a steal compared to Wes at three. I'll take Zach.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Q, I know he struggled in Texas, but the game doesn't seem to big for him. He has good handles, great quickness, and IQ. If anything I think he is playing too much in a box. In other words, trying not to make mistakes and limiting his ad lib. If he could just let him talent flow I think it would help a lot. Those problems you mentioned over the last two games would follow him to any position he plays.

What is he though? I can't get a beat on what his real natural strength or position should be. His shot looks smooth, but it doesn't go in. He appears to have poise, yet he turns the ball over a lot. He has a ton of speed, but his inclination is to juke and pull up for a jumper. He is long and athletic, but rarely gets steals.

I'm not ruling anything out with the kid, but I thought Flip was going to give him the Shabazz treatment this season and let him learn in practice and then give him a stint in the D-league at some point. Thrusting him into the starting lineup....Whoa.

You just summed up Wes Johnson. Congratulations.

Zach LaVine is the opposite of Wes Johnson. Wes was NBA-ready coming out of college, but lacked (and lacks) heart. Zach has all the heart in the world, but is not NBA-ready. He's going to struggle early...maybe even for a couple years... but Zach at 13 is a steal compared to Wes at three. I'll take Zach.

How does anybody know if Zach LaVine has "heart?" What does that even mean?

The guy has played in only 44 games beyond high school and has been ineffective in most of them.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Brewer for Waiters isn't happening. I don't think a 1st round pick is there either, but maybe with the Rockets joining the fray. In any case, a very late 1st round pick isn't even necessarily better than a 2nd round pick.

It was already obvious Brewer is a bad fit with the team right now. It became even more evident when it was reported he was one of the few players visibly upset with the 45+ point loss to New Orleans. This team is terrible right now.

- Brewer can start for bad teams.
- Brewer can be a rotation guy for decent to pretty solid teams.
- He can be a bench guy for good to great teams.

Remember, he barely got off the bench for Dallas in their title run. And, he's been traded twice before. With VERY LITTLE in return. Since the book is out on him and he's basically the same guy he's always been, why should anybody expect even a decent trade out of this. To me, it sounds like an opportunity to dump a bit of money along with a guy who would be a distraction during a rebuild while giving him a chance to play somewhere that interests him more. Win-win for a rebuilding team and the player.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Q, I know he struggled in Texas, but the game doesn't seem to big for him. He has good handles, great quickness, and IQ. If anything I think he is playing too much in a box. In other words, trying not to make mistakes and limiting his ad lib. If he could just let him talent flow I think it would help a lot. Those problems you mentioned over the last two games would follow him to any position he plays.

What is he though? I can't get a beat on what his real natural strength or position should be. His shot looks smooth, but it doesn't go in. He appears to have poise, yet he turns the ball over a lot. He has a ton of speed, but his inclination is to juke and pull up for a jumper. He is long and athletic, but rarely gets steals.

I'm not ruling anything out with the kid, but I thought Flip was going to give him the Shabazz treatment this season and let him learn in practice and then give him a stint in the D-league at some point. Thrusting him into the starting lineup....Whoa.

You just summed up Wes Johnson. Congratulations.

Zach LaVine is the opposite of Wes Johnson. Wes was NBA-ready coming out of college, but lacked (and lacks) heart. Zach has all the heart in the world, but is not NBA-ready. He's going to struggle early...maybe even for a couple years... but Zach at 13 is a steal compared to Wes at three. I'll take Zach.

How does anybody know if Zach LaVine has "heart?" What does that even mean?

The guy has played in only 44 games beyond high school and has been ineffective in most of them.

It's an intangible quality, abe, I admit. To me, it's a burning desire to win that drives a player to go all out every time he is on the court...a burning desire to be better. I see it in Zach, and I never saw it in Wes. I see it in Shabazz...I don't always see it in Kevin Martin. I'm hoping to see more of it in Wiggins and Bennett...the jury is still out on these two. Sometimes I see it in guys who just don't have the talent level to succeed in the NBA, like Turiaf or Stiemsma.

Physical attributes, talent and heart are the three characteristics I use to evaluate a player...intelligence also, I guess. It's really easy to compare the physical attributes and talent level of players, but heart is more difficult. Abe, I hear you saying that you don't see it yet in Zach, or don't see a difference in this intangible quality between Zach and Wes. I believe I do see a big difference between the two, and it's eventually going to make a big difference between the success of the two players. Maybe I'm wrong though, because I fully admit that evaluating whether a guy is a good shooter or not is much easier to determine than evaluating what he has inside.

What do others think?