With Chris Paul out, it’s necessary to address the problem of finding a successor at the point. The first thing to mention is, that it’s not possible to get somebody, who is able to come even close to the talent, that CP possesses. The team instead has to move on and find it’s new identity. Probably they have to come up with something, that doesn’t rely on having a dominant point guard.
As Jarrett Jack is a point guard, let’s start with him. He played very solid last season as a back-up of Paul and has a history of being the starting point guard of mediocre teams. I can remember him starting in Toronto and Indiana, but won’t look into stats or stuff to prove that he is probably not the type of player the team is looking for. He can be very productive at times, mainly because of his energy and scoring abilities, but as a floor general and focal point on offense, he often fails to stay in control or can’t manage to make the guys around him better. So he is definitely better coming off the bench and front office should look for a potential starter with the right age, character, salary and skill-set. Don’t get me wrong, Jack isn’t that bad, but if the team could bring someone in so that he would come off the bench, talking playoffs would’t be that far away.
Now let’s check the possibilities of trades and free-agency.
After selecting ‘guard’ in the nba.com free agent tracker, about 13 free agent point guards stick out, who obviously aren’t committed yet.
Really the only interesting name is restricted free agent Aaron Brooks. From the group of unrestricted free agents, only Gilbert Arenas, Acie Law and Chris Quinn are worth to mention (or not). As Arenas is most definitely the best player out of that group, he is already 29 and probably just won’t want to come to New Orleans. At least I can’t see that coming, as he will have better opportunities to show up and also won’t get a lot of $$ from the owner-searching Hornets. Acie Law made a name for himself in college as a classy clutch-performer. He didn’t have much success in the NBA so far, but also would’t be very expensive. I don’t see Chris Quinn’s future in the Hornets starting five or any other starting five in the world, so let’s just look deeper into Aaron Brooks’ abilities.
I believe the Suns could be willing to let him go, as they are still build around Steve Nash at the point. They acquired Brooks at the trading deadline while sending Goran Dragic and a first round pick to Houston.
Brooks is very streaky on offense and is able to score a lot. His weaknesses are his size and his lack of passing skills as he mainly looks for his own shot. If the Hornets try to throw the ball in the post a lot (to Kaman or Landry), Brooks shooting could be a good weapon to stretch the defense. Surely he can’t run the team like Paul or even Collison did the last couple of years, but he is a valid option.
All together, free agency isn’t very useful this year to get a serviceable point guard, now let’s turn to trades.
First you have to check, what you could or would offer in a possible trade. Because of his contract and his little upside, Trevor Ariza is probably on the block, and potential suitors are teams who need an aditional perimeter defender instead of a second or third string point guard. After checking all rosters, the Rockets and Cavs are pretty deep at the point. Houston has Lowry, who will get the most minutes, Flynn who is a (promising) prospect and Goran Dragic who is pretty familiar in recent trade scenarios. They are not very deep at small forward, but it’s unlikely they want Ariza back, cause he already played there two years ago with moderate success.
The Cavs are in a tough rebuilding situation and have guards Sessions, Gibson and number one draft pick Kyrie Irving on their roster, who will definitely lock the most minutes, due to the fact that they want to improve him quickly. But with Arizas’ contract, it’s necessary to include a third team to get Gibson or Sessions, who could both be potential starters. Another interesting name could be Jordan Farmar. He will come off the bench in New Jersey and the up and coming Nets could use Ariza as their starting small forward.
Concluding this, Farmar straight up for Ariza or signing Aaron Brooks to an offer sheet would be my favourite options. Both moves would improve the team, although that depends on the development of Aminu and Q-Pon. The trade with the Nets would also be a financial improvement, which finally could prevent the Nets from actually doing it. But hey, does anyone got a generous russian owner out there?
A more complicated move would be a trade for Ramon Sessions. He is maybe the best guard almost nobody ever heard of. Not the best scorer, but definitely capable of running a team and a good supplement to Jack. I don’t know how the Cavs actually like him, maybe it’s even a much shorter way to get him than one would expect. What are you guys thinking?
21 responses to “Team Needs: Point Guard”
The Pistions have a logjam at PG lets trade for Will Bynum
From my understandings Detroit has only 2 PGs so IDK about that one
I like this post a lot. The only things I have to add are
1. Patty Mills is available (after he returns from China) and a good fit. He and Brooks (also in China) are my first choices, even though both are RFAs. Maybe we can get one of them with a strong offer. Phoenix is over the cap and has a 2011-12 cap figure about $10M more than us. Portland’s cap figure is about equal to ours but they have a gaping hole at SG without Roy that they need to spend on, too.
2. I see Law as a back-up PG until we acquire a better player. I don’t see Farmer or Sessions as significantly different or better than Jack.
3. Anyone we have at SF is available: Ariza, Q-pon, or Aminu. And one could be packaged with the worst of our two 1st Round 2012 draft picks to get a quality PG.
4. The Clippers have a logjam at PG. Bledsoe anyone?
Umm we just tried to get him in the 1st trade and that didn’t work out to well lol
We tried to add a reported Ariza for Bledsoe component to the trade. The Clippers said no because their back-up PG, Williams is injured and out until March. So they need Bledsoe until then to play back-up PG.
Williams is not hurt it’s Bledsoe that is hurt. Williams played in the preseason game.
You correct about Williams. I came over to post that and you already did. So the Clippers may like Bledsoe enough to want him as back-up PG. We will see.
Anyone thought about Willie Green? I say bring him back. He’s familiar with the gameplan of Coach Williams.
I agree
The only way hornets get a good PG is to trade but I think Jack is a solid PG for the team,he won’t be a CP3 but who will be ?The Hornets are trying to build a team like the Spurs (good defense and scoring as a TEAM with a solid bench) and Jack is (6-3 200) PG that plays good D and can score so he will be SOLID for the SYSTEM. The hornets are half way there believe it or not all they need is another PG and PF and they are a playoff contender.
If the Hornets do trade(don’t have to) but it think the best teams to trade with is Bobcats,T’Wolves,Rockets,or Cavs
All of those teams need a veteran big man and we have 2 really tradeable assets in Kaman and Okafor but our depth at the 5 is what really makes a playoff contender (both are quiet double double guys,so it’s you damned if you do, damned if you don’t )
Trades:
Bobcats:Kaman(would rather let Okafor go but Okafor played with Bobcats a few years ago so I doubt if the Bobcats want that BIG CONTRACT BACK 12million a year)
Hornets: D.J. Augustin (a good young PG with good offensive ability can become a poor mans CP3 and average 14ppgs and 7aast. His D has been a little question but he is getting better every year)
T’Wolves: Okafor or Kaman
Hornets: Michael Beasley and Luc Ridnour (the hornets will get a good scorer and maybe a potential star in Beasley who can also grow with Gordon and a good PG
to rotate with Jack)
Houston:Okafor( is a Houston native so a good homecoming)
Hornets: Kyle Lowry or Jonny Flynn and Lus Scola or Jordan Hill (gives hornets the edge with a PG and a PF to help with the depth with losing a big man)
Cavs: Kaman or Okafor
Hornets: Ramon Session or Daniel Gibson and a big man( both are pretty good player to trade for but both brings something a little different to the table. Sessions is a good all a round PG who can score and defend a little bit of a better J.Jack. Gibson brings good O to the hornets and a 3pt shooter but I’m not sold on his defense or his ability to dish out the ball.
The best PG with the most upside is with D.J. Augustin he’s a New Orleans native, only 24, can grow with Gordon and has potential to be a poor mans CP3 (pure PG)
The trade that the Hornets would maybe benefit the most is Houston because you get a 2 for 1 trade that will give depth
The safe trade would be with the Cavs if you get Sessions because he is just a solid player and is like a better J.Jack
The trade I like most is the T’Wolves because you get a great talent to grow with Gordon with Beasley (next CP3 and DWest) and you get a Veteran PG that can come off the bench and give you solid minutes. But hopefully Hornets will make a move soon that will get us to the playoffs this year to prove we are still a good team.
But in free agency only point guard worth thinking about is Nate Robinson and Willie Green, both are good back ups Robinson brings a spark off the bench and will be a fan favorite but with a short season Green would be best option because he already knows the system and knows what is expected.
A cardinal rule in the NBA is you don’t trade bigs for smalls. So I don’t see the Hornets trading a quality C for a PG unless they get a quality C back (which won’t happen and isn’t in your trade scenarios).
The Hornets have a great C rotation, and two Cs who are complimentary and so could play at the same time. Plus the back-up, Kaman, is an expiring contract. That means he is even more valuable than his position and playing ability. Why mess with that position when you have other options?
Yea u don’t trade Great Bigs for smaller in the 1980’s…look at the NBA and how its changing. They is only 1 dominate C in the NBA so that rule really isnt a major factor anymore. Both of the players are good but neither is a Great Center they are just solid..and if they do trade like I stated they will get a 2 for 1 (a PG and a Back up C) They will add depth and that is what they need to compete with the teams in the west.
I understand about Kaman’s contract that’s why I said I would rather keep him and trade Okafor who has 12million a
year.
The team needs another PG to make a real run at the playoffs and there is no other option (unless they pick up on Willie green).
So who would you trade because the only value the hornets really have to trade to get the most value is the C. I would say Ariza but we will only get 1 other player so only trading assets are the Cs.
I like the center rotation and the depth at center but the team still needs depth at PG and PF to compete for the playoffs .(I like Jack because he is solid and I think he will be a good starter but they still need depth and the NBA is turning into a young fast PG league.
I wouldn’t mind having both Cs but they have the highest trade value.
So what do you think the other options are?
What do you think the other option they have ?
@KC NOLA
Here is a fresh quote from Monte Williams:
“After going through the playoff run like we did last year against the Lakers, the conventional thought was that we need more size.’’
The other options we have are trading a SF and/or a draft choice for a PG, or signing a RFA (Brooks or Mills) and not loosing anyone.
Yea and the quote also finished with “But I think where the league is headed now is that guys just want basketball players. If they’re big,great” ….so from the end of it he is saying he would like to keep them but it is NOT NECESSARY to keep them. So if they can get 2-3 good solid players, which once again it will include at least a PG and backup big out of a trade why not trade one of them.
You can’t trade a SF because only one that is on starter level right now, and actually worth something is Ariza. Pondexter and Aminu are both YOUNG and RAW so they have very little trade value. So if they trade Ariza we are left with a Hole at SF.
So I think they should trade a big man and get 2-3 good solid players to add depth to team. Then sign another in FA like a Ryan Hollins amd/Or add a lot of depth at PF because if you got a deep bench at PF you can make up for that void at C.
Oh gosh, Luke Ridnour? No way. Just no.
Jarrett Jack should start this season and if we can flip Kaman to the Rockets for Dragic/Flynn and Patterson/Hill or a pick that would satisfy me.
But no Luke Ridnour, he’s horrible.
The trade is really for Beasley so why not take Luke who averages about 9ppg and 6asst, that is good for a back up to come off the bench and I do agree Jack Should get a chance to start.
KC NOLA I like your breakdown of options for the Hornets. I myself like the Okafor tade to Houston 2 for 1 with maybe Scola and J.Flynn. And next season they can think about what to focus on with Kaman expiring contract. Willie Green don’t have enough good handles for PG IMO.
Yea Willie Green is a question mark but he knows the system(which is key to the short season) and plus you know last year he averages 9ppg 1asst and 2 rebs so with an increase in play he might boast the stats but he is a safe ,cheap pick up ,and maybe the best option at this point (esp. If they want to keep all the bigs)
[…] Team Needs: Point Guard | New Orleans Hornets | Hornets247.comDec 19, 2011 … The Clippers have a logjam at PG. Bledsoe anyone? Reply. KC NOLA. December 19, 2011 at 12:09 pm. Umm we just tried to get him in the 1st … […]