Today we have a guest post from Jonathan Kiersky who has written for Divingin2Memphis and is the new owner of The Hi-Tone Cafe in Midtown Memphis.
Memphis needs Derrick Rose. And by Memphis, I don't mean the Tigers. I mean the Grizzlies. And it could happen, without much having to go right. (I'm staring at you 2003 Ping Pong balls…)
Here's the scenario- the Miami Heat, in desperate need of any talent, but really in need of someone that can get the ball across the half court line, get the #1 overall pick. Memphis gets the second or third pick in the upcoming draft. Memphis would then package Mike Conley Jr, Javaris Crittenton and their pick to Miami for the #1 overall pick and some cap filler like (cough) Earl Barron. Memphis takes Rose and Miami takes either Michael Beasley or Brook Lopez. Pretty simple, no?
The deal is a win-win operation for both clubs. Miami now has Conley and Crittenton to run the point next to Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion, Beasley/ Lopez and Udonis Haslem. Their bench has Dorell Wright, Crittenton, Ricky Davis, Mark Blount and Daequan Cook. Memphis now starts Rose, Miller, Gay, Milicic and Warrick with Lowry coming off the bench. (And wider ranging deal with Miami would have the Heat send Shawn Marion to the Grizzlies in some sort of sign and trade, but I doubt the numbers and players could be matched up.) With the expiring deal of Kwame Brown and some other pieces not being re-upped (I'm looking at you Andre Brown and the living corpse of Casey Jacobsen), a second round pick and some signings in the off-season (as well as whatever Juan Carlos Navarro can bring you in trade), suddenly the Grizzlies are relevant again. The Heat all of the sudden look, well, undead.
Look, there certainly are other motivations for the Grizzlies to get a once-in-a-generation point guard into their lineup. First, this city adores Derrick Rose. Second, we need to see him play more than just one year in the FedEx Forum. We deserve that as basketball fans. You hear it all of the time, but this kid really can change an NBA game just by stepping on the court. Third, and this is a very big third, name the top 10 point guards in the NBA right now? (I'll give you the requisite two minutes to name the top 7 and after that all we're doing is arguing semantics.) Now name the top 10 power forwards or small forwards depending on which position you believe Beasley play in the pros. The lists can be compiled in twenty seconds each. The point is both simple and clear- if you get the chance to get a great point guard, you snap him up any possible way you can think of. If you have a game changing point guard who is in the middle of completing on of the great runs for your hometown college team, a team that half the city considers their kids, who will immediately bring credibility and exposure to an otherwise questionable and folly ridden franchise, you do anything short of kidnapping the children of the GM with the #1 overall pick.
Pretty clear, right?
Jonathan Kiersky
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Guest Post: It's That Easy
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6 comments:
This has to be the stupidest thing I have ever read. First off, if the Heat got the first pick, they would take Beasley. Second, that trade would be one of the most lob sided trades in the history of the NBA. Why not just trade Mike Miller and Kyle Lowry, maybe even Navarro or someone else to the Heat for the first pick. So then we could have Derrick Rose and Beasly. Then trade Conley for a lottery pick and draft DeAndre Jordan or JaVale McGee and then sign Monte Ellis. That is the absolute dream team buy it is very possible.
Stick to running the hitone. Beasley, Conley, & Crittenton for Rose is absurd. Nobody outside of Memphis would ever suggest this move.
Heat aren't taking Beasley. At the same point they're not trading the Rose pick. Rose has too much of everything that's valuable. He's long for his size, he's athletic, he's an excellent ballhandler, he can shoot, and most importantly, he defends. Which means he can start immediately, which is what the Heat need. Conley's going to be a good point guard in this league, don't throw that away. Invest in him and use Lowry's late season surge to up his trade value. Trading Warrick for pieces and picks and getting Beasley will work out much better in the long run for the Grizz.
HP- I'm with you. I really think the Heat willt ake Rose with 1, leaving us with Beasley if we get the 2nd pick (please?). That's ideal- we get a player we need worse than Rose, and nobody in Memphis can bitch that we passed on him.
Make that three as I think Miami wants Rose and we found out in 2003 when DWade was in the draft that when Riley gets someone in his mind to draft you can't convince him to trade it away.
To do this trade would be to say that after one year, the Conley pick was a miserable failure.
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