Atlanta Hawks: Prospect focus: Syracuse’s Fab Melo and Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli
The league trend is smaller lineups. The Heat’s small lineups defeated the Thunder’s small lineups in the finals–though it helps to have the best player in the world, a guy who can play all five positions.
But the small ball movement seems to be one of circumstance rather than innovation. Remember, Erik Spoelstra resisted it to the point that he tried starting Dexter Pittman in the playoffs.
Teams would use traditional lineups if there were more quality bigs.
“Sometimes the counter to that [small ball] is make teams match up to you,” Hawks assistant GM Dave Pendergraft said. “There are still several big centers in the league. I think there is always going to be a premium on big guys. Anytime you can get size and are convinced they can compete at this level, it’s hard to turn down.”
That brings us to the tonight’s draft, when the Hawks could have the chance to select one of two centers with the No. 23 pick: Syracuse’s Fab Melo and Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli.
Each prospect have good potential as basket defenders. Neither are polished offensively, and their rebounding numbers are weak for their size.
Both players have great size and length and have attributes that could allow them to play significant minutes as a rookie.
“I think Fab with his shot-blocking ability,” Larry Drew said. “He’s pretty mobile. He gets up and down the floor pretty well. Festus, with his size and strength down low.”
I remember watching Melo play as a freshman and not feeling so bad he jilted my Cards at the last minute for Syracuse. He was slow, flabby and looked lost. Once Melo got into legal trouble, I was glad he picked the ‘Cuse.
Then I saw Melo as a sophomore and was concerned about how long he might stick around in college. He was still raw, especially offensively, but he was in much better shape and suddenly sprinting the floor. He was a shot-blocking menace anchoring the ‘Cuze zone. There still was some knucklehead behavior but, basketball-wise, you could see the potential.
Melo moved from Brazil to the U.S. to play for a high school in South Florida. He’s also still young for a big man (22) so there’s room for growth.
“He does a good job moving from block to block,” Drew said. “He’s going to have to get stronger. At this level, playing against centers and power forwards, he doesn’t have that strength. I think he has a chance to get a good NBA career if he continues to work hard.”
Melo’s mobility suggests he eventually could stay on the floor even against small-ball opponents and still be an effective defender. Pendergraft said Melo already has
“We went to a workout in Santa Monica and his footwork was shocking,” Pendergraft said. “It was not like he got a lot of post play at Syracuse. They were more of a slashing, penetrating-and-kick team. He didn’t get a lot of touches on the block. What we saw his footwork and balance were really, really good. Also what we saw in that workout was he could make the 16-, 18-footer consistently.”
Teams will have to evaluate how Melo will fare defensively now that he won’t be able to play in a true zone defense and will be forced to defend lots of screen-rolls.
“You look at his motor skills,” Pendergraft said. “You look at can he move his feet. You look at all the lane agility tests that we put all of our prospects through. How does his time measure up to the other guys? I think his does.
“The hardest thing for him is learning the ‘2.9′ rule where you’ve got to cleanse yourself and guard your man and not camp out in the paint. I worry about does that come natural to him as opposed to if he is laterally quick enough.”
Ezeli measures out an inch shorter than Melo and only about 10 pounds heavier, but he’s much more physically imposing,
“He’s just a very, very powerful kid,” Drew said.
“He’s big as a house and very, very strong,” Pendergraft said.
Ezeli said he suffered a torn MCL during a practice last October.
“By the end of the year it was fine,” he said. “Even when the knee was 100 percent, I was not 100 percent mental. It was tough for me but I got over it.”
Pendergraft said Ezeli looked to be slowed by the injury during the season but not now.
“He’s got his bounce back, he’s got his quickness back, he’s got his power back,” he said.
Ezeli’s size and strength suggest he should have posted better rebounding numbers at Vandy.
“That’s an interesting question,” Pendergraft said. “Someone with that kind of explosiveness, you would think they would get more rebounds per-minute than what he got. You have to pay attention to that and address it by studying film. Could it be injury-related? Maybe. Could it be that they didn’t have, for a really good team, they didn’t have a deep bench and he was a little less aggressive going to the boards, fearful for foul trouble? I don’t know that. It’s something we will really have to look into.”
Ezeli said he’s a “traditional big man” whose strengths are defense.
“I block shots,” he said. “I guard ball screens. That’s all me on defense. The offensive part, that’s an added bonus I’ve been showing.”
Pendergraft: “He has an unbelievable right-handed half hook. That’s his go-to move. That’s NBA-like. He shoots that as well as any NBA 6-10 player. If he gets to his sweep spot on the court and he gets to that shoulder, it’s good. Now, outside of that, he is somewhat limited. I think maybe in time he might develop a 15-footer. Probably needs to get a counter to that right hand first. But he’s not as rough around the edges today through his college years.”
Ezeli (pronounced e-ZEE-li) was born in Nigeria and moved to the Sacramento to live with an uncle when he was 14. The plan was to become a doctor.
“He’s a pediatrician and I wanted to be a doctor,” he said. “So my parents thought it would be a good idea to go and kind of shadow him and live with him and kind of see what the life of a doctor is like.”
He started playing basketball at age 15 and his body filled out. He started off pre-med at Vandy but those plans changed.
“I graduated in economics,” he said. “I kind of changed my mind. Basketball was going well, so I decided to go a different route.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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188 comments Add your comment
Slimjr
June 28th, 2012
3:00 pm
KevinM, to be honest rather see Al shopped and Josh stay if he has changed his mind..
It’s obvious to us and will be to Danny once the season gets rolling that Larry will have to go if Josh stays…
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:00 pm
Re: Josh at C, another thing is, those possessions Synergy classifies as “isolations” are by and large the possessions where he tries to post up someone bigger, can’t back them down, pulls the ball back out, faces up, can’t dribble past them, and hoists a jumper. This is why he has such a hard time scoring against KG, because he can’t move KG off his spot and KG is quick enough laterally to keep his body in front of him.
If he played C, going up against bigger players, that is what he would do in the half court all the time. Offensively he is a much better back to the basket player than he is a face up player. And he is effective with his back to the basket when he gets to play against people his size and smaller.
Unless he was playing in an offense that ran in transition on every possession, he would inevitably fail at C. He belongs at PF.
northcyde
June 28th, 2012
3:01 pm
And who said anything about playing Josh full time at Center. I simply said that he is a more effective player when he’s playing the center spot. In a league lacking true “bangers” at center, Josh could easily play the position 30% – 40% of the time, while playing PF 60% – 70% of the time.
joeygt1
June 28th, 2012
3:02 pm
per mike stein on true hoop-Hawks resisting interest in Smith for now
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:02 pm
“What stats do, ( when looked at extensively and from multiple angles ), is give you a complete profile of a player.”
No, they do not. There is no set of stats that gives you a “complete” profile of a player. They by their very nature give you an incomplete profile of a player, because there is NO stat that can isolate what an individual player does from the effects of what his teammates do and the system in which he plays.
BILLY KNIGHT
June 28th, 2012
3:03 pm
Enter your comments here
joeygt1
June 28th, 2012
3:03 pm
…Teams have been calling the Atlanta Hawks all week to register trade interest in swingman Josh Smith, according to sources close to the situation.
And one of those teams, sources said, is the Orlando Magic, who know that Smith ranks as one of Dwight Howard’s closest friends.
But new Hawks general manager Danny Ferry apparently isn’t ready to part with Smith right away.
Boston, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers — with Pau Gasol as the prime piece being offered in L.A.’s case — have joined Orlando this week in making their interest in Smith known.
Yet as Ferry settles into the job, sources say he wants to take stock of things before deciding if he’s prepared to go into next season without Smith, who is entering the final year of his contract at $13.2 million and has let it be known for some time that he’d welcome a trade.
Sautee
June 28th, 2012
3:04 pm
High-Sider,
about this: “GM Ferry will move a good player with some attitude issues like Josh Smith but will look to keep an overrated, mediocre player like Kirk Hinrich.” – High-Sider
What are you basing this accusation on?
BILLY KNIGHT
June 28th, 2012
3:05 pm
That right Danny keep Josh, when i drafted him people kept screaming a bust he turned out good.
Thanks “Danny”
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:06 pm
“Those weren’t his defensive numbers at PF, those were his defensive numbers at CENTER.”
I’d be willing to bet the majority of his minutes at center this season came with the second unit against opposing second units, many of which probably don’t have true centers themselves. Big difference between that and playing him against opposing starters at C.
Slimjr
June 28th, 2012
3:06 pm
Freaking Brandon Bass shut down ALL NBA in the playoffs series against Orlando?
What a tragedy…. ” Nimbers” all day……And? He puts on the cloak and will do it again next season come playoffs..Stay tuned…
Game 6 with 7 TO’s? Just “turrible” other than that he’s ALL NBA!
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:07 pm
“I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve visited YouTube.”
You are missing out. I can guarantee you more entertainment from five minutes of watching Youtube than from watching whatever show Ann Curry cries on.
Slimjr
June 28th, 2012
3:08 pm
IF Josh and Danny work things out and Josh decides to stay:
ALL GET REAL HAS GOT TO GO ASAP………………………………
YOU CANT HAVE BOTH IN THE STARTING LINE UP BECAUSE THEY ARE REDUNDANT..
JOSH IS THE SUPERIOR BASKETBALL PLAYER..
JETTISON THE COACH TOO.
Ray
June 28th, 2012
3:10 pm
@ KevinM
That puts a lot off my mind now, but can we trade Marvin though even if it’s to Golden St. for the No. 35 pick or even Cleveland for both their second round picks.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:11 pm
“YOU CANT HAVE BOTH IN THE STARTING LINE UP BECAUSE THEY ARE REDUNDANT..”
Not true.
Teague at PG, Josh at PF, and Al at C would work just fine if there was a legitimate alpha dog scorer at SG or SF. Unfortunately, instead of a legitimate alpha dog scorer, we have $25 million per year and counting invested in Joe and Marvin.
Grandad
June 28th, 2012
3:11 pm
Ezeli > Melo
7-6 wing-span vs 7-2
Ezeli tops Melo in standing vertical plus max vert as well.
Pendergraph on Melo:
“He’s pretty mobile. He gets up and down the floor pretty well”
-horse douvers-
Mike
June 28th, 2012
3:12 pm
All of us have to remember that he just started this job on Monday, heck Tuesday. So he needs time to look at things.
Slimjr
June 28th, 2012
3:15 pm
A legit Alpha dog scorer has not been seen in these parts in quite sometime..
If Danny goes out and makes that happen?
Danny for President!!!!! Hehehe
BIG DOG
June 28th, 2012
3:18 pm
Wow D12 have the Hawks on his wish list now, i don’t no how true is this but my sources have him going Brooklyn.
IS THIS TRUE CAN ANY ONE FIND OUT ?
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Ray
June 28th, 2012
3:20 pm
Someone on ESPN posted this trade idea
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6wdlwk2
Plus they say we get #8 #12 and #16 first round draft picks?
What do you guys think about that?
Slimjr
June 28th, 2012
3:22 pm
Big Dog:
ISO,Marvin,All Get Real, the 23rd pick, GTR[200mph Nissan]super car, and a suite at Magic City for D12! Hehehe
Mike
June 28th, 2012
3:22 pm
Big Dog, Are you trolling or what?
There is no way that D12 as long that ASG is in charge even with Danny Ferry.
KevinM
June 28th, 2012
3:22 pm
“Ray
June 28th, 2012
3:10 pm
@ KevinM
That puts a lot off my mind now, but can we trade Marvin though even if it’s to Golden St. for the No. 35 pick or even Cleveland for both their second round picks.”
I wish it were that simple just to take picks off the hands of other teams who have enough young guns around. Marvin could compete in GS for a slot, but is he worth adding 8.275 to their cap room? They appear to have the space but they have 2 #1s to accomodate as well.
I just can’t see GS helping us once again after they took Speedy off our hands.
Cleveland has always been a rumor, but don’t you know that most of the league will just wait to see what Danny does, whether we push Marvin out the door via amnesty, which allows any team to get Marvin for a huge discount, or we just suck it up for 2 more long years.
It’s just time right now to make moves….good or bad. There is no change in the results we will see because we now have a new GM and the same coach/roster.
And if I look at it in real time, it looks like Josh is going to once again have to go find his own deal to prove his worth….unlike other guys on this roster who simply had no worries about competitive bids.
Quite unreasonable if you ask me…..
BIG DOG
June 28th, 2012
3:24 pm
This will keep Josh in ATL only if D 12 come here.
Horford, Marvin, Zaza, and next year first for D12 and Hedo
I would make this trade in Heart beat.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Ray
June 28th, 2012
3:29 pm
@ BIG DOG
Honestly I’d make that trade too, but can we include JJ instead lol.
Marcus
June 28th, 2012
3:30 pm
What if someone unexpected slips to us @ 23, like Sullinger, Terrence Jones, etc?
northcyde
June 28th, 2012
3:31 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:00 pm
Re: Josh at C, another thing is, those possessions Synergy classifies as “isolations” are by and large the possessions where he tries to post up someone bigger, can’t back them down, pulls the ball back out, faces up, can’t dribble past them, and hoists a jumper. This is why he has such a hard time scoring against KG, because he can’t move KG off his spot and KG is quick enough laterally to keep his body in front of him.
If he played C, going up against bigger players, that is what he would do in the half court all the time. Offensively he is a much better back to the basket player than he is a face up player. And he is effective with his back to the basket when he gets to play against people his size and smaller.
Unless he was playing in an offense that ran in transition on every possession, he would inevitably fail at C. He belongs at PF
********************
I got the Synergy up right now.
LOL . . And isn’t Garnett a PF? Of course he isn’t going to have great success vs Garnett, because hardly anyone does.
But match up Josh Smith with Roy Hibbert on the offensive end, and Josh has him faced up 17 feet away from the basket. The only thing Josh has to do is make a commitment to get by dude and go right at the rim, instead of settling for the easier 17 foot jumpshot. This is how Diaw on offense was maximized in Phoenix. Or he beats him the other way in transition ( if he gave the ball to Teague ).
But I didn’t say that Josh should be playing C full time. I simply said that he’s most effective when he plays C, because he’s around the rim. He scores more efficiently. He rebounds more. He blocks more shots. He’s simply a more active player when around the rim, than when he’s away from the rim.
If he’d do that all the time when he plays PF, I’d have no problem with dude. But when 25% of your shots are coming via wide open spot up jumpers, and you’re missing them 64% of the time, with only Zaza trying to grab the miss, that’s a problem.
Either he changes his game up to play to his strengths, or you get rid of him for a player that WILL play to his strength.
BIG DOG
June 28th, 2012
3:32 pm
Slimjr – Rumor is turning every second this Sh t is like the Stock Market up and down i don’t how much is the rumor is true but this could be that D12 want come back home.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Athenzdawg
June 28th, 2012
3:33 pm
please pick melo!!!! im tired of our centers not being over 6′9 Zaza and Al are not starting centers!!
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:35 pm
Big Dog, rumors ain’t sh-t if you don’t have a link to support them. And even if you do, it’s still possible that they ain’t sh-t.
BIG DOG
June 28th, 2012
3:37 pm
Share your trade
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7ttz6ar
Ray
June 28th, 2012
3:38 pm
@ Athenzdawg
Zaza might not be a starting C I do agree, but of all the guys we got if we were to move Al to PF then I’d start Zaza and pick up better FA’s thatn Collins or Dampier.
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
3:38 pm
“Rod, so Birdman is/was tough? Ralph Sampson was tough? Again, semantics (I guess) because tough does not equal rim-protector in my world. Maurice Lucas was tough. Rick Mahorn was tough. Heck, Tyrone Hill was a tough SOB. I’m not sure any of those guys had as many blocks in their career as Josh has in a single season. BUt can anyone put Josh and Maurice Lucas in the “tough” category with a straight face?”
You made my point. Their are no more enforcers. Mahorn and Maurice Lucus would not be able to stay on the floor in todays NBA. They would get a tech almost every game. The tough guys in the league today are the great defenders, and guys who stay healthy, and guys who don’t back down (like Pau Gasol). There are no Laimbeer and Mahorns. Stern made sure of that . Josh as a great defender, shot blocker, and a guy who laces them up almost everynight would be ablout as tough as the come in todays NBA. His waekness have to do with the mental side of the game, but you can be a tough guy and have mental lapses (see Artest, and Rodman).
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:39 pm
“But match up Josh Smith with Roy Hibbert on the offensive end, and Josh has him faced up 17 feet away from the basket. The only thing Josh has to do is make a commitment to get by dude and go right at the rim, instead of settling for the easier 17 foot jumpshot.”
Josh doesn’t do this because his handle sucks and he knows it, not because he doesn’t feel like it. He can’t even dribble that well in the open floor in transition, what makes you think he is going to put it on the floor and dribble through traffic?
“This is how Diaw on offense was maximized in Phoenix.”
Uh, no… Diaw on offense was maximized by a Hall of Fame point guard setting him up with pinpoint passes on the pick and roll. You trying to tell me he achieves that same level of success without Steve Nash dishing him the ball in the paint?
“Either he changes his game up to play to his strengths, or you get rid of him for a player that WILL play to his strength.”
Yeah, a player who plays to his strength on offense and whose weakness on defense isn’t mitigated by anyone else on the team. Solve one problem, create another. One step forward, one step back, and $55 million extra added to the long-term payroll. That is Josh for Gasol in a nutshell.
BGreen
June 28th, 2012
3:39 pm
Everyone, take a dee breath…do NOT trade Josh Smith. He needs to be coached, that’s all.
Our lineup is solid at these position (Joe Johnson haters, need to understand that we he is a serious 2 guard, but no, he may not be “THE MAN”…does’t have to be…here’s why…
1. Teague – PG of the future
2. Johnson – SG – Legit…stop hating….
3. JSmooth – SF – Just needs to be coached and can play the 3
4. Hortford – PF – He’s been playing out of position…love him at the 4, not the 5
5. FAB MELO!
So, all we have to do is chill and pick Fab if he’s there, if not, then take Royce White. DO NOT GET PAU GASOL…DUDE plays TOO WEAK!!! We aren’t that far away….screw it up, and we will be though….We just need a coach and a center to put our ship in order.
DS
June 28th, 2012
3:40 pm
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7eq6l8c
BIG DOG
June 28th, 2012
3:40 pm
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=88ggwjr
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:40 pm
For the sake of accuracy, I meant his weakness on help defense. I don’t think he is that great of an on ball defender either (average stats like those posted earlier don’t take into account his performance against quality opposition as opposed to scrubs), but I think we both agree that he isn’t a good help defender, so let’s stick to that.
Ray
June 28th, 2012
3:40 pm
@ Najeh
Agreed, but I’m still glad that Josh is here to stay like I said I like the trade of BIG DOG’s though still though will Dwight stay is always the question.
In ATL he gets to play with Best Friend in Brooklyn he’d be a legend up there at least to the franchise cause they still play second fiddle to the Knicks.
BGreen
June 28th, 2012
3:41 pm
If we wanted to go and get a center, I saw let’s get Roy Hibbert, not Pau Gasol. We need something serious in the middle…not someone to be dunked on constantly. Pau is on WAAAAAY to many posters with OTHER people’s names!!!!
glenn
June 28th, 2012
3:42 pm
Wow has anyone read this !!!
http://www.rantsports.com/courtcrusades/2012/06/28/nba-rumors-atlanta-hawks-could-trade-al-horford-for-number-two-pick-in-2012-nba-draft/
Talk about cleaning house !!!
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
3:43 pm
(unlike Pau Gasol)
northcyde
June 28th, 2012
3:44 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:02 pm
“What stats do, ( when looked at extensively and from multiple angles ), is give you a complete profile of a player.”
No, they do not. There is no set of stats that gives you a “complete” profile of a player. They by their very nature give you an incomplete profile of a player, because there is NO stat that can isolate what an individual player does from the effects of what his teammates do and the system in which he plays.
****************
Well why even keep stats then Najeh? Why even break down advanced statistics?
Kyle Korver was a 43% shooter from both the field and from 3 point range. So how do breaking down advance statistics tell you what Kyle Korver is about?
Is he going to score off of you via Isolation? NO . . . only 2.7% of his offensive possessions come via ISO.
Is he going to score off of you via spot up jumpers? YES . . . 32.1% of his possessions came via the Spot up Jumper.
Is he going to score off of you via coming off screens? YES . . . 33.5% of his possessions came via him shooting off screens.
So now you have an idea what Kyle Korver is about.
- almost 70% of his offense is coming off of spot up jumpers and screens
- he took 271 threes out of 412 shots, which shows you that a lot of those spot up jumpers and screens are going to be 3 point shots ( especially off screens, in which he’s shooting a three almost 80% of the time )
- he shoots 43% from three, which is a high percentage in the NBA
- the lack of ISO and PnR possessions indicate that he’s not going to beat you off the dribble to score
- then you look at where on the court he’s taking those shots, and what he shoots from that spot.
********************************
This is how you use stats to create a profile of a player. Stats is why teams leave Josh Smith wide open for spot up jumpers, because they know he’s missing that shot 64% of the time.
You sound silly when you say that stats isn’t used to create a profile of a player. You act like I’m talking about one specific stat, when I said STATS ( plural ) viewed at multiple angles.
LOL . . sometimes, I think you just argue with me, just to be arguing. Its funny though. But my arguing time is almost over for the day.
STRETCH
June 28th, 2012
3:47 pm
Teams have been calling the Atlanta Hawks all week to register trade interest in swingman Josh Smith, according to sources close to the situation. And one of those teams, sources said, is the Orlando Magic, who know that Smith ranks as one of Dwight Howard’s closest friends. ESPN.com
DS
June 28th, 2012
3:47 pm
@glenn did you see that articles’ author? He looks like he’s 15 years old! I wouldn’t take that article very seriously…
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:48 pm
“Well why even keep stats then Najeh? Why even break down advanced statistics?”
The point of advanced stats is to eventually be able to do what you say they do — provide a complete picture of what a player does without actually having to watch. That is why stats began being kept in the first place. Where you are wrong is in assuming they already provide that picture. If they already did, there wouldn’t be entire teams of nerds at ESPN Insider and Basketball-Reference plugging regression models into their Excel spreadsheets trying to make their stats better.
Even baseball, a sport where it is MUCH easier to isolate an individual player’s contributions and which has a MUCH longer history of keeping advanced stats, hasn’t come up with the magic set of stats that provide a complete picture of what a player does. If it is hard to do that in baseball, it is damn near impossible in basketball.
And way to use Kyle Korver, one of the most one-dimensional players in the league, as your example.
Astro Joe
June 28th, 2012
3:49 pm
In the absence of toughness, give me a steady and stable 20/10 guy. But alas, the Lakers obviously decided not to pursue the trade several weeks ago.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:49 pm
I argue with you because you put some thought into your arguments. I don’t argue with everyone that I disagree with on here because it’s not worth the time.
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
3:50 pm
“This is how you use stats to create a profile of a player. Stats is why teams leave Josh Smith wide open for spot up jumpers, because they know he’s missing that shot 64% of the time.”
Teams don’t need stats to know that leaving Josh Smith wide open for spot up jumpers is the thing to do. They need eyes. Marvin’s numbers are better than Josh’s with those jumpers, so why is it that teams leave him open all the time? It’s because they look at the games, adn realize that even if you leave him open, he won’t beat you. Josh and Joe are the guys who will beat you on the Hawks, no matter what the stats say.
O'Brien
June 28th, 2012
3:52 pm
From the previous blog;
Ray,
Trade Marvin Amnesty Joe unless you can field a trade for Joe then do that..
In a perfect world, sure. But Marvin has no trade value unless we attach a draft pick (or Zaza). And JJ has 4 years, $89 mil left on his contract. Assuming somebody gives him $5 mil per year if amnestied, ASG would have to pay him 4 years, $69 mil to go away.
They don’t have that kind of money available.
Marcus,
I would do Marvin for Lowry and Patrick Patterson, and Houston could use a SF. I just don’t think anybody wants Marvin unless we give them a draft pick, or an expiring like Zaza.
Najeh,
If Josh played center full time he would miss half the season with injuries because his body wouldn’t hold up banging against bigger players all season..
So is there some validity to what Horford is saying then, about not wanting to play center and get banged around for his career?