| Ronnie Brewer, Come On Down! |
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| Written by Matthew Noe |
| Thursday, 18 February 2010 15:25 |
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Well, well. The "rumored deals never go down" cliche seems to have suffered all sorts of wounds over the last couple of days....the deal bearing the most relevance to Griz fans, of course, is the fact that Ronnie Brewer has been acquired from the Utah Jazz for a protected first-rounder in 2011. YAY! He's the one i wanted most out of the various names mentioned over the last several weeks, including Roger Mason Jr., Dorrell Wright, Sergio Rodgriguez, et. al. Brewer has averaged 9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in varying roles for the Jazz this year, and is an Arkansas kid from a basketball family, and, according to the esteemed Chris Vernon, is a super nice guy. Am I happy the Grizz did this? An unquestioned HELL YES! Do I have a guess as to how it went down? Yes, I do. The deal had been rumored, first by the Commercial Appeal, for weeks,and my (unsubstantiated) belief is that in its earlier iterations, the deal would have been for the proverbial "year 2046 second rounder protected to 59". However, the Grizzlies' recent struggles obviously lit a fire under Heisley's rear and made him more likely to approve a trade where a more valuable asset like a first-rounder would be a palatable price to pay. Brewer is 6'7" and not a toothpick, and is a darned good player on both ends (although he'll do NOTHING to improve the team's 3-pt shooting). No idea if he'll be in uniform tomorrow night for the Heat home game, but I'd imagine that he'll be around to play against the Lakers at home Tuesday, perhaps even the game at NJN Sunday. Sure, maybe more or different moves might have been better-but Brewer is a restricted free agent this summer, so he'll be auditioning (hopefully) his top A-game for the whole league for the remainder of the season in Beale Street Blue. Good move Grizzlies. |
Comments
Bob.
@Counte-understo od that Brewer and Desmond Mason have undoubtedly the worst-looking jumpshots in the current NBA, but to your point about getting someone with that first we haven't given up yet, do we really want this team to get YOUNGER??? Brewer was born in '85, so he's just about to enter his prime as an NBA swingman, and already has plenty of regular-season and playoff experience. IMO this is a better choice than another completely unproven NBA quantity, which is what any draft pick is by definition.
2 - Brewer and Gay are not the same player. Getting Brewer does not mean Rudy is leaving simply because they sometimes play the same position.
3 - We gave up a lottery protected 2011 pick for a guy who has been starting for a team with the 3rd best record in the Western conference. Have a little perspective, folks. We see how our 3 picks from last year are performing - We wouldn't be able to trade ANY of them straight up for Brewer without getting laughs. People who are saying we gave up too much are either a) overvaluing a likely (hopefully) non lottery 2011 pick, or b) the kinds of folks who would be complaining if we gave him up for a stack of AI jerseys.
And this trade has nothing to do with Rudy and everything to do with the bench!
I'm no longer sure if we will match offers for Rudy or we will look to deal him, but here is the problem I"ve realized....
Yes, good players deserve to be paid well and I understand that a star is going to make money- but WHY do NBA players believe they should get paid 20 million dollars? CEOs of Fortune 500 companies don't make 20 million dollars a year. Its just ridiculous. And the worst part is the NBA, its fans, and its sponsors are all encouraging it/ enabling it. A good, but by no means great or franchise player like Rudy Gay has no business making 15-20 million dollars a year. it is simply unbelievable. He isn't even the best player on this team. Arguably the 3rd or 4th most valuable player in our lineup...
The owners really need to make a stand and let these players know that getting paid -8 million dollars a year isn't a crime. It's a privilege. Grow up. You get paid more than 99% of America. Stop crying.
With Arthur back the bench is finally looking a bit up.
Side note:
I see alot of comments about mike conley and the need to replace him. I understand the concerns, and his play hasnt excactly been convincing, but in his spurts of good play he shows some real special tools. If he can get it together I believe he will be a legit starting PG in the league. Not moving him or bringing in another PG at the deadline gives him the rest of the season to convince the suits. Go Mike, Im rooting for you.
I've heard of defense and I'm a big fan of defense. Brewer is a solid defender but he's going to give up some points, just the nature of the business. I just know when he's a liability 10 feet away from the basket. You want him shooting that shot. When he's on the court, you double team off of him and he won't make you pay. We all know that's true.
I know we gave up a first rounder next year and we don't need to get younger but I'm not impressed by Brewer. And to the guy that said Brewer and Gay have the same skills, please watch some games before making a comment like that again. Rudy's got game, it's the intensity that's always been in question for him. I sure hope nobody throws foolish money at him so we can keep him in Memphis.
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