Yesterday, 01:32 PM
(Yesterday, 11:37 AM)DallasMaverick Wrote: Gafford provides options:
Contribute 18-20 minutes per night, depending on matchups.
Contribute 30-35 minutes if Lively is hurt.
Bang down low with other old-school centers in a way that Lively can’t.
Good player on a reasonable contract provides positive trade value.
Good attitude that doesn’t demand minutes allows the coach to make player decisions without politics or hurt feelings.
So, what’s the urgency about trying to get rid of him, again?
I think your minutes projections are dependent on AD playing mostly the 4. My belief is that AD is significantly more effective at the 5 and that that will become glaringly obvious early in the season (preseason implied it, but I'm not reading too much into that).
If AD does start playing more and more minutes at the 5 (which he has done for the last couple of seasons despite his wishes) then Gafford is going to be the one crowded out. In that scenario even a Lively injury won't get him much more than 20 minutes.
Its not about getting rid of Gafford. Its about him being our most valuable and expendable asset, the need to improve in other areas (via trade) and the concern that his value may decline if AD plays more minutes at the 5 than currently expected.