It’s Time to Trade Posey


As soon Posey hit the free agent market last summer I was beyond excited that we could be the team to sign him. I’d watched him make clutch shot after clutch shot and play D as well as anyone on the floor during crunch time on two different championship teams. His ability to play 3 different positions meant that even if we took an injury to a starter we could still man up with anyone. His experience is exactly what we seemed to be missing against San Antonio. When we actually signed him (for a little too much) it seemed too good to be true.

Fast forward a few months and it’s hard to argue that his addition has made us that much better. Sure he can play some solid D, his veteran leadership is a nice thing to see on the floor, and he’s probably won us a few games that otherwise would have gone the other way, but do we feel any more optimistic this year than last? Would anyone argue he has put us over the top? I think the answer to both of those questions is a resounding no.

In reality, our problems from last year have only been compounded by choosing Posey over a big man (or Pargo for that matter). Devin Brown and Antonio Daniels have been inconsistent (to say the least) and not once have they brought the scoring that Pargo did so many times last year. Hilton Armstrong has not shown enough improvement for me to dub him our big man of the future (or even a serviceable replacement for TC).

Unfortunately Hornets management has made it very clear of their intentions to get their payroll below the cap. It’s understandable given the recent economic downturn and the fact that we are in one of the smallest markets in the NBA, but why are we talking about giving up our starting center when we are already so understaffed up front? I hardly think it’s time to give up on the season and we do have someone else to trade.

By packaging Posey with MoP or Antonio Daniels and trading them for a contract like Szczerbiak we are building for the future while giving ourselves a chance to win this year. Let’s look at the pro’s and con’s.

Pros:

– We would go into the free agency period next year with 8 good players and a payroll around 64 million, leaving us some room to sign an actual backup big like Brandon Bass while remaining under the cap.

– We add another shooter for Chris Paul to dish it to. Wally continues to be one of the best 3pt shooters in the NBA. If we win it this year we are going to have to hit the 3 ball and Wally is arguably better than Posey at doing it.

– We don’t lose our starting center and best rebounder.

– Losing Posey would almost force us to play Julian Wright. Currently he has the biggest upside on the team. If we are going to improve drastically as a team in the 2nd half, he has to be more of a factor. Counting on him to deliver would almost force him to mature.

Con:

– It could appear to the fans we are bailing out on this year. The Posey signing was big news as it showed that we could get free agents to sign here. Losing him might deter future free agents from coming here.

-If we trade Daniels, Devin Brown would be the primary ball handler coming off the bench. I don’t think this is a huge negative as he’s been arguably as effective as Daniels.

Now why would the Cavs do this trade? Simply put they are in the win now mindset. Lebron has hinted he may test the waters after next year and there is no better way to keep him in Cleveland than to win a championship. The reason they would want him is the same reason we signed him. He’s a proven winner and capable of stopping the likes of Kobe and Paul Pierce. Who wouldn’t want him on their team with 5 minutes left in a deciding playoff game? Also If they took Daniels, his salary would come off the books the same summer they need to resign Lebron.

I do love Posey and I think he’s a great asset to our team, but there is nobody else we can move with someone less desirable attached. Anyway, let me know what you think about this while keeping in mind that salary cutting seem to be the #1 priority for our Bees.


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