TDL Archived: The 2nd Rnd Pick Yankee Swap

[KillerLeft]

Man I just don’t see what you see in THJ. He’s a shooter that shot 33.6% from three Las t year and is at 34.9% this year.  I don’t think anyone wants to take on that contract for “free.” We’ve been shopping him publicly for weeks.

I just have a ton of respect for those guys who have the skillset to run around screens and get shots off quickly, in a variety of ways, despite the defense knowing that creating a shot for them is the goal of the action even before it starts. Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen, Dell Curry, JJ Redick, etc. 

Now, I admit that the percentages haven't been there since Kidd took over, but remember, he's still recovering from that major injury (takes more time than impatient fans are willing to give) and honestly, Kidd's offense doesn't seem interested in creating those kind of shots the way Carlisle's was. The fit just isn't as good here with Kidd. Sure, he still gets the open spot up shots from Luka, and sure, it would be nice for him to hit them at a higher clip, but it's got to be weird for him having to play like Bullock or DFS on offense. That's not who he is. I think the league knows that, and I think it's pretty clear he'd be a more impactful player in the right situation. 

To his credit, though, he's a consummate professional, always saying or doing the right things and always upbeat and positive. I respect that about him, personally. But, the team/system he's in these days isn't the one he thought he was taking the discounted contract offer to stay with. I feel he has done his part pretty obviously by focusing on his defense, and honestly, I'd take his defense right now over Bullock's without a second's hesitation. I also think all the talk about him being a ball stopper is utter crap. He's a GREAT ball mover, but his role is to get shots off. That's literally what they pay him for, and frankly, what they need him to do. Which is why the only complaining you'll ever hear about a Hardaway shot is from fans, never from the team. The ball-stopper on this team just got traded to Brooklyn, and that's one of the positives of this deal. 

I definitely don't think of Hardaway as a great player, and in fact, I think it's probably time for him to move on (though the team sure is going through a lot of culture change at the moment, so I could make an argument that maybe they should keep him a bit longer, too). I just don't think someone of his offensive skill and professional demeanor on a reasonable, declining contract is a negative asset. I think that's insane. 

There were people on this board saying Dinwiddie and DFS (believe it or not) were on bad contracts, and look how the media is describing them in the wake of this trade..."nice players"..."quality starters"..."DFS is one of the better wing defenders in the league"..."Dinwiddie is a valuable, starting level PG"...etc, etc. I think home team fans get sick of watching home team players because...boredom, I suppose. 

Hardaway is a better player than Caris LaVert. I feel like I can say that with confidence. I think that if Cleveland is interested, that deal will be there. Hardaway definitely isn't the type where teams will automatically be interested just because he's available, and I'm not meaning to suggest otherwise, but if a team interested in an off-ball shooter who can do more to create space than spot up and wait for his man to go help on someone else, Hardaway is on that list...pretty high on it, I'd think, and his contract, to THAT team, won't be scary.