Wednesday GM

by jsams on Dec 31, 2008 4:29 PM PST Comment 13 comments

Here's a little experiment of mine. Each Wednesday "Wednesday GM" will appear on Liberty Ballers and it will be a weekly platform for me, and you to weigh in on some options the Sixers have in regards to tweaking the team. Every Wednesday I'll conjure up a transaction I'd the like to see the Sixers make and explain why it would work. Some trades may be more realistic than others, so bare with me. With that said, let Wednesday GM begin...

Philadelphia 76ers

Incoming Players
	Luke Walton Salary: $4,420,000 Years Remaining: 5 PTS: 3.5 REB: 1.8 AST: 1.8 PER: 9.84
	Sun Yue Salary: $442,114 Years Remaining: 2 PTS: 3.0 REB: 0.0 AST: 0.0 PER: -1.86

Outgoing Players: Reggie Evans

Los Angeles Lakers

Incoming Players
	Reggie Evans Salary: $4,640,000 Years Remaining: 3 PTS: 2.1 REB: 4.0 AST: 0.4 PER: 9.44

Outgoing Players: Luke Walton, Sun Yue

Why the Lakers do it: The Lakers lack a tough post player, a player that comes off the bench and battles. All great teams have one and the Lakers had one last year in Ronny Turiaf. This year they don't and it doesn't help that their two stud big men are a little softer than you would like. Don't get me wrong, Pau Gasol is a fantastic player, but he just doesn't have that Reggie Evans, Ronny Turiaf, Dennis Rodman, Leon Powe-type toughness to him. As for Andrew Bynum, he's also a talented player, but I think he's gone from an underrated player with huge upside to an overrated player. The jury is still out on whether he can handle the hectic atmosphere in the post during an intense playoff game and the Lakers are going to be in quite a few of those in the coming months.

Enter Reggie Evans. He sucks on offense. He couldn't hit a jumper to save his life, unless it's a clutch free throw line fadeaway against the Pistons in the playoffs. He's a horrible free throw shooter. But the Lakers don't need any of that, especially with such a deep bench. They need a player who's willing to come in and battle in the post and energize the crowd. That's Reggie Evans. Trevor Ariza often fills the energizer role for them, but Reggie wouldn't hurt. He'd probably play sparingly for the Lakers, but he fills more of a need than Luke Walton does at this point and when you have such a deep team, minor moves like this might not seem meaningful, but often are. How important were Leon Powe and P.J. Brown to the Celtics run last season?

Why the Sixers do it: We are all aware of the Sixers shooting problems. Luke Walton shoots 33.5% from behind the arc for his career which would put him behind Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall as best career percentages on the Sixers. Luke can shoot and can contribute to the team in more ways than Rush and Donyell. Along with Luke's shooting ability, he's also an above average passer and has a high basketball IQ. Combine that with a good contract and the Sixers have themselves a player. His passing ability would be extremely on important as a Sixer because he could help "run the show" on the second unit, while Miller takes a rest, since no one else seems to be able to.

As for Sun Yue, my question is why not? Why wouldn't the Sixers take a chance on the young shooting guard/point guard? And why wouldn't the Lakers be willing to part with him? They're the deepest team in the league and their extremely young too. Sun will probably never get a chance to contribute as a Laker. I haven't seen much of the dude, but it wouldn't hurt to take a flier. Here's 47 seconds of Sun.

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Comments

I’d be interested to hear a Lakers perspective on this. So, if you’re a Laker fan, let me hear it.

Pimpin' ain't easy and neither is being a Sixers fan. I manage to do both. Join me at Liberty Ballers, the SBNation 76ers blog. Don't make fun of the name either. It has nothing to do with the New York Liberty of the WNBA.

by jsams on Dec 31, 2008 4:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I’m not a laker fan but i live in santa barbara which is la tv market

Laker fan perspective on this would by wtf? There’s no need for reggie evans on the lakers – there’s no need for reggie evans in the NBA – reggie evans is terrible – stop thinking he has trade value folks – he really doesn’t – miller and evans for iverson was a train robbery.

Plus Walton provides strong depth to their bench (when he’s not starting) one of the best in the league (the bench) and evans provides nothing.

by jemagee on Dec 31, 2008 5:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

i think ronny turiaf was a force off the bench just because he was a decently physical player – and by far the most physical player on the lakers.. reggie evans is as physical if not more physical than turiaf.. this trade might be more doable later on in the season when the lakers start to miss that kind of a presence..

http://www.libertyballers.com/

by Remis on Dec 31, 2008 5:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It was Joe Smith, 2 draft picks and Miller for Iverson and there are probably 20 teams in the NBA who would love to have Reggie Evans. No one expects him to be good on offense or a starter, but there’s a need for a goon like him on every team.

by jsams on Dec 31, 2008 5:39 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh right – reggie evans and steven hunter – my bad

Let’s set aside the fact that reggie evans is signed wasy too long there aren’t 20 teams in the NBA that would want reggie evans – i mean i know people over value him who are sixers fans for reasons passing understanding (and having nothing to do with basketball ability as far as i can see) but i doubt very few teams who might contend for a ring would want to add a 1/2 dimensional player who makes your team worse every time he’s on the floor.

And comparing ROnny Turiaf to Reggie Evans is insulting – to turiaf – who is younger – and better – than evans – and has things evans doesn’t – like the ability to score from 2 feet out.

This suggested trade is the kind of violation you would only expect if Isiah Thomas was the GM of the lakers – it’s a crime

by jemagee on Dec 31, 2008 5:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

luke walton? seriously?

in what way does he make this a better team?

there’s only one way to turn this team into a contender, and that isn’t to swap middling player for middling player.

they need to give marreese, louwill, and thad 30 minutes a game, and get them accustomed to playing with each other, because they are the future of this team, and this team will only go as far as they take it. dalembert, iggy, reggie, good willie, they’re all solid supplemental players, but they can’t carry a team through the playoffs.

oh, and considering this team’s piss-poor shooting, vlad radmonovic is the guy you want, not luke walton.

When they should be sacrifice bunting, they are buying effeminate designer jeans. When they should be fouling off pitches, they are masturbating. Always, they are masturbating.

by variablesdont on Dec 31, 2008 6:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Obviously Vlad is the guy.

But LA isn’t trading him for Reggie. Walton might be the same way, but I see him as a more realistic option.

by jsams on Jan 1, 2009 3:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Luke Walton Stinks

I just want to know when did Luke Walton become a good shooter? 33% from three is below average and 44% from the field is below average. Luke Walton can’t defend quicker SF or PF either. Luke Walton stinks.

by Dannie on Dec 31, 2008 11:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

When he gets a chance he's better.

The only time in his career he got more than 30 minutes a game he shot 47% and 39% from downtown.

by jsams on Jan 1, 2009 3:32 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Good contract?

Luke Walton for 5 more years escalating to $6.1M when he is like 32-years-old isn’t a good contract either.

Also I doubt the Lakers would move a guard and not get a guard in return considering Farmar’s injury.

by Dannie on Dec 31, 2008 11:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Evans Would Help Them

Personally, I’m not a fan of Luke Walton. He’s really just more of the same for the Sixers, a guy who can’t shoot. They don’t need someone who’s a little better from deep, they someone who’s a great shooter (or at least above league average).

That being said, Reggie is exactly what the Lakers need, and what they needed last year in the finals. Their roster is talented, and soft. Give Evans the 12 minutes/game that Walton plays right now and he’ll give you 5 boards, spaz defense and probably 3 or 4 hard fouls to boot. A team that talented can have a negative offense guy on the floor for stretches without it hurting them. He’d be there for his toughness, which they sorely need.

Send GT Green packing.

by depressedfan on Jan 1, 2009 2:43 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Keep this in mind.

Some trades may be more realistic than others, so bare with me.

If I do this enough times, the has to be a logical trade at least once in a while.

by jsams on Jan 1, 2009 3:35 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Reggie would help the Lakers, Luke would not help the Sixers. In all fairness Luke is a decent player but playing on a team with Gasol and Kobe you are going to look better then you really are.

"I need to do a better job of putting players in the right position to perennially come up short of expectations"

by Whodie126 on Jan 2, 2009 6:26 AM PST reply actions 0 recs