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December 14, 2007
Vincent gets his wish, now he needs to hope
Former Charlotte Hornets general manager Bob Bass once told me the difference between a coach and a GM is vision: A coach’s job is to look 100 feet down the road. A GM’s job is to look a mile down the road.
By that definition, the trade for center Nazr Mohammed is probably better for coach Sam Vincent than for GM Rod Higgins or managing partner Michael Jordan.
Vincent should be ecstatic about the immediate help he gets at the Bobcats’ weak spot. He knew going into the season he needed another big man. His greatest concern was the foul trouble Emeka Okafor would inevitably have if he had to guard the opposing team’s best post scorer every night.
But consider the cost of this move: The Bobcats exchanged two players with expiring contracts – Primoz Brezec and Walter Herrmann – for a guy who’s guaranteed an additional $19.6 million over the next three seasons.
They’re paying an unremarkable center more than $6 million a season going forward. That’s a risk.
I’m glad to see they’re taking risks because this organization was in danger of becoming overly conservative when it comes to spending money. But if Mohammed doesn’t work out, they’re worse off than they would have been, just letting Brezec and Herrmann go elsewhere next season.
That’s not Vincent’s concern. He needed help in the here-and-now, and he’ll get it from Mohammed.
Posted by rbonnell on December 14, 2007 at 11:59 PM | Permalink
Comments
Yes, but if they did that, you would just continue to complain about how frugal they are.
Posted by: Will | Dec 15, 2007 12:36:35 AM
This is a TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE deal...I can understand giving up these two players (who will ABSOLUTELY contribute in Detroit) for, say, Brad Miller, but NAZR FREAKING MOHAMMED? Who's not only terrible, but he's paid like a guy with All-Star potential. RIDICULOUS!
Posted by: Michael Procton | Dec 15, 2007 12:49:13 AM
At least we can get a couple of pesky white guys off the bench/team. Anybody see where Jason Kapono hit 29 points Friday night? I kind of miss him.....
Posted by: Rolando Alvarez | Dec 15, 2007 1:40:04 AM
Doesn't this open up a roster spot, so we can get Boykins and leave McGinnis on the f*$%ing bench?
Walter is going to be a star.
Posted by: LeeL | Dec 15, 2007 10:54:12 AM
Question:
Which would have been a better trade:
Sean May for Mohammed or Hermann and Brezec?
Who would you more like on the bench backing up Felton: Anderson or Brevin Knight?
Who has the most potential to help the Bobcats consistently? Hollins, Davidson, Dudley or Harrington?
Harrington is 10 years older than May, but doesn't he give you essentially the same game as May without the wild occasional 3-point shooting? Isn't Harrington a little tougher on the block than May?
Mohammed and Okafor are exactly the same size - height and weight. Can Mohammed give us as much or more than Okafor? Questionable....It will be interesting to see Mohammed's committment and toughness night in and night out. I think there is a reason the Pistons let him go. I've seen Brezec and Hermann really light it up in past years...too bad they didn't really show all their potential this year. Hopefully, they'll excel in a different system in Detroit.
Posted by: Bobcats Fan | Dec 15, 2007 10:57:04 AM
I think this is a good deal, Brezec can't play center and Walter can't play defense. Mohammed will not be asked to score...he will be asked to play D and get boards. This shows that the team is willing to go out and make a deal to get better. Before you guys start bashing the team again lets remember Mohammed has to be better than Brezec.
Posted by: William L | Dec 15, 2007 11:17:25 AM
Primoz is one of the worst players in the NBA. Walter wasn't getting any playing time this season. Mohammed could probably start at center for us. That makes this a great trade.
With Walter and Primoz contracts expiring at the end of this season, it's good to get something in return for 2 players who are pretty much worthless for us this season. Good move MJ. He gets paid about $6 million a year and in the grand scheme of things, isn't that much for a quality NBA big. He's no star, but he's a very able veteran.
You won't see Primoz getting any burn in Detroit. They only took him on because of his contract. They'll probably trade him asap. Walter might get 10 or 15 minutes a game for them, but he might get buried at the end of their deep bench.
The fact that we finally got rid of Primoz makes this my favorite day of the season! I love this trade.
Posted by: Bobcat Johnson | Dec 15, 2007 1:53:41 PM
Of course Michael Procton hates this deal, Primoz Brezec is his boy. I've never seen someone have such a huge man crush on such a terrible player.
I'm not sure if this is a good trade or not but I do know Michael Procton won't run his mouth about Brezec anymore and is now the Pistons' newest fan. I'm sure he's got a chubby just thinking about it.
Posted by: Michael's dad | Dec 15, 2007 1:55:32 PM
HE'S NOT A "QUALITY NBA BIG"!!! If Nazr FREAKING Mohammed is so damned good, why are his stats WORSE THAN BREZEC's??? Why has he been traded approximately 20 times in the last 4 years? Could it be because he's awful, and overpaid to boot?
Sean May for Mohammed would have been a bad trade, too, given that the 17th pick (Sean Williams, averaging 7-5 IN ONLY 18 MINUTES A GAME!) was availible if not for MJ and RobertCat's love affair with his love handles, but it would have been better than trading players who actually care enough to get out of the club (and the KFC) on the court.
When it comes to Derek Anderson or Brevin Knight, I'd rather have Brevin if I had to choose, but I'd take that pair over And1 Felton and greydreads McInnis in a second.
I HATE Sean May and his chubby cheeks, but I know that Harrington offers absolutely nowhere near what May does. Period. Harrington is less athletic (sad to say about a 300-pound PF), less of a defender, a poorer rebounder, a worse shooter from the foul line, a worse offensive player, and a worse distributor.
You are right that Brezec and Herrmann will thrive in Detroit, and if not, when they get a chance to pick their destination in FA next year. Lastly, the comparison does not need to be made between Okafor and Mohammed, as they will likely share time on the court rather than competing for it. While that does bring us more balance in the lineup, it also puts quite a lot of pressure on a guy who hasn't seen significant minutes, umm, EVER, and it adds a widely irresponsible contract (you know, the kind that sink teams) to our books. Blindly spending money isn't the answer: you just have to look to Madison Square for the proof.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Dec 15, 2007 3:21:43 PM
yea i'm not sure about this trade w/ that contract. i didn't like brezec so glad he's gone but i think herrmann is gonna b good and we should have def kept him.
mayb should have gone form jamal magloire...even though he hasn't done much lately, he used to be decent.
prob should have traded may and brezec for a quality young big man.
i think the knicks hvae a few young guys that they don't use.
i hope emeka doesn't get the dwight like contract he wants...just look at what dwight did and what he did last night.
lastly i was pretty excited about j rich but it's starting to seem like he's gonna b a bust as well.
"Blindly spending money isn't the answer: you just have to look to Madison Square for the proof."
and compeletely agree w/ that.
Posted by: mgs | Dec 15, 2007 4:33:54 PM
Walter Herrmann was going to become one of the best players in the NBA and we let him go!!! sure his D needs some work but no one plays D in the NBA anyway. On the other hand Brezec has got to be one of the worst centers I have ever seen he cant shoot but he trys to. I like getting Nazer but not with Herrmann in the deal maybe but Othelo in there
Posted by: sam | Dec 15, 2007 5:26:14 PM
Walter Herrmann was going to become one of the best players in the NBA and we let him go!!! sure his D needs some work but no one plays D in the NBA anyway. On the other hand Brezec has got to be one of the worst centers I have ever seen he cant shoot but he trys to. I like getting Nazer but not with Herrmann in the deal maybe but Othelo in there
Posted by: sam | Dec 15, 2007 5:27:32 PM
Come on, seriously lets get behind this Bobcat team rather than be all sceptical and slate the possibilities before they have actually have become bad decisions...
Even if all the Bobcats player choices do suck in the futre atleast we're trying right and starting to bring in a better quality of player?
We have Jordan behind us which is a possitive, and we have quality players which is another, just not much depth off the bench due to injury and a lack of brevin Knight.
Anyway Nazr M will come good I believe, he has the experiance with the spurs and he played great for them at times and sometimes stats really don't portray how good or bad a player really is.
PS,
Give J.Rich a chance he's only been there 5 minutes!!!
Posted by: Nicholas | Dec 15, 2007 5:30:33 PM
Michael Procton, you need to lose your boner of brezec. The guy is miserable and Nazr is a way better defender. The guy might not get a whole lot of burn, but that's b/c he's been on winning teams like the spurs and the pistons. Didn't he start on one of the Spurs' championship teams. He is a very capable big man who will get some ball-boards inside and some offensive putbacks, neither or which primoz is capable of. His contract isn't that bad. Big men in the NBA are similar to left handed starting pitchers in MLB in that they will always be overpaid b/c there are so few of them. Also, we don't need another young big guy (we already have one in ryan hollins and another "big" man in Davidson). By the way, i think there is a distinct possibility that procton might actually be primoz brezec....or primoz' lesbian partner (seriously, i am so happy we got rid of that awkward lesbo).
Posted by: Cody Paul | Dec 15, 2007 5:31:22 PM
Procton: "While that does bring us more balance in the lineup, it also puts quite a lot of pressure on a guy who hasn't seen significant minutes, umm, EVER" Not true, Nazr was a starting center a third of the time for San Antonio before he signed with Detroit.
Procton: "HE'S NOT A "QUALITY NBA BIG"!!! If Nazr FREAKING Mohammed is so damned good, why are his stats WORSE THAN BREZEC's???"
You are just talking nonsense, his numbers on the season are not worse than Primoz's. And since Nazr's #s are better, then based on your statement of Nazr not being a quality big then I guess neither is Primoz.
2007-08
Nazr: 3.3pts, 3.5rebs, .475fg% in 10.9 min
Primoz: 1.9pts, 2.2 rebs, .395fg% in 13.4min
Posted by: Good Trade | Dec 15, 2007 6:35:55 PM
Also, Nazr got his stats without starting any of the 21 games he played this season. Primoz got his by starting 18 of 21, and yet he is still worse by the numbers.
As for career numbers:
Nazr: 6.8pts, 5.5rebs
Primoz: 8.1pts, 4.3rebs
This deal is a good one, and people need to stop complaining about it. Primoz isn't the type of center we needed here. He doesn't rebound, he's a weak defender, he is a pick and roll pop-out shooter, which could allow him to contribute in Detroit's system, but not here. As for Herrmann, he wasn't getting played here and his contract expires this summer. If he isn't going to play and we can get something that we desperately need in another big who can rebound then you have to move him. We would have lost him in free agency anyways... he wasn't going to re-sign with a team that he wouldn't play on, and you know his opportunity to play would even decrease with Morrison & hopefully May coming back from injury.
Financially this deal might be a little rough for us, but it gets us something we need and opens up a roster spot too, which could be used to add another player or make a deal in the future possible.
Posted by: Good Trade | Dec 15, 2007 6:37:14 PM
Ahem.
The most important thing about this deal is that it is a shot across the bow of Mekka and co. MJ and Rod-Rod are not going to up their offer for Okafor. They'll let him walk and roll with Nazr and May if need be.
Mekka is nuts if he thinks he deserves Dwight Howard money. He needs to take what is on the table and play.
Posted by: JAT | Dec 15, 2007 9:05:14 PM
We needed to free ourselves from Primo. The only reason Primo played was he able to do an average job guarding the opposing center. He was a horrible rebounder and added nothing on the offensive end. Even though Nazr isn't a top player, he is a significant upgrade from Primo. If we could have traded Primo heads up for Nazr this would have been a good deal. We take on a bad contract and get an upgrade at center in return.
Posted by: Ft.Mill Bobcat | Dec 15, 2007 9:32:27 PM
However, we made a mistake giving up Walter Hermann. Despite what has been posted here, Walter plays great aggressive defense. His rebounding is above average and he can be very explosive on offense if given the opportunity. He was never given a chance this year. Vincent did not play him significant minutes. When he played, he played with the second team and was seldom looked to as the option on offense. If only the 2nd half of last season was considered, he would have been NBA rookie of the year.
Posted by: Ft.Mill Bobcat | Dec 15, 2007 9:33:20 PM
Procton also got an erection from the article on the panther blog when the reporter described what Peppers looked like with his strong working muscles in his black shorts.
It seems to me if Procton was so smart he would have a job. Let's start a blog about that.
Posted by: jason | Dec 15, 2007 10:37:35 PM
My Hornets are coming back to Charlotte on the 28th. We are going to kick your ass.
Posted by: George Shinn | Dec 15, 2007 11:01:54 PM
Walter Hermann is a very good player, but there was no point in keeping him with the team since coach Vincent was barely letting him play. I used to like Primoz in his first two years with the 'Cats, but this year he was a lot weaker than then - at both ends of the floor. We got for them a really solid center. Nazr Mohammed is not an All Star caliber player (those are paid double or triple his salary!), but he is good and can contribute to this team what it needs from him: strong support for Emeka in defense, offensive and defensive rebounding, and also some scoring in the paint. When checking his stats, please look at the years when he was actually given playing time ('00-'01 and '01-'02 with Atlanta, '04-'05 with the Knicks), then pro-rate his numbers to 48 mpg, and you'll see that the guy delivers.
Nazr faces now a time of adjustment to a new team, and he deserves some support from the fans.
As for the concern about his pretty big contract: it's true, the Bobcats are taking a risk, but sometimes the best move available to you has to involve some risk (and no, trading Sean May was obviously no real option at this time; who would've taken him now ?!). Didn't we take an even bigger risk with Jason Richardson's bigger contract? Who knows, in the future the Nazr Mohammed deal might work out better for our team than the JRich deal.
Posted by: Sandy12 | Dec 16, 2007 12:41:20 AM
You guys are all right...Nazr Mohammed IS the answer to all our post problems. You see that he really knows about rebounding and strong play in the post from his ONE REBOUND in TWENTY MINUTES tonight! As for whether he's played significant minutes or expanding his stats over 48 minutes, he's NEVER played 30, so why would he start now, at 30+ years old?
Posted by: Michael Procton | Dec 16, 2007 1:05:46 AM
This was a stupid trade for the Bobcats. Mohammed is not worth $6-$7 million over the next FOUR seasons. Brezec may be the sorriest player ever to put on an NBA uniform, but he was worht something because of his expiring contract. Even more so with Herrman, who showed his skills when given the chance last season. We should have been more patient ans waited. Instead we settled for an overrated, overpaid, slow big man from the end of somebody's bench. If we had waited we could have gotten someone who earned $6-$7 million a year from a team looking to unload salary (Stromile Swift from Memphis, for instance).
We just did the Pistons a HUGE favor and didn't solve any of our problems (Davidson and Hollins are already capable of contributing equally as Mohammed). Now on to the central problem with our season, what the F--- has happened to Jason Richardson? What a soft, non two-point shooting, non-defending, heartless flop he's been so far.
Posted by: BustaCat | Dec 16, 2007 11:43:43 AM
Do you guys still think that you are going to make the playoffs this year? There is always next year, and the year after and the year after and the year after.
Bring Back The Hornets
Posted by: please leave bobcats | Dec 16, 2007 6:18:28 PM
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