By Byron Evans – @Bevans1985 – Follow me on Twitter.
What Is Byron Thinking ?
I get why Atlanta traded Dwight Howard. They are ready to rebuild, and his window isn’t going to fit a rebuild, so why not go ahead and move on from him. Getting worse is key for a rebuild as it will potentially net them a higher draft pick. I just hope that’s really the best deal they could get, because they really traded him for nothing. A higher draft pick would have been more ideal.
It’s sad that Dwight’s star has really fallen this far, but that’s how it goes sometimes. His athleticism has declined, and his unwillingness to evolve, or honestly play to his strengths, has made his star fall even faster.
This really isn’t a terrible deal for Charlotte. Charlotte doesn’t get very good free agents, and they’re to good to get a high draft pick, so getting better isn’t an easy thing for them to do.
Dwight isn’t the player he used to be, but he could still be an effective player in this league, especially in the right system. I’m not saying they’re winning a championship next year, but they are definitely a better team after this trade, and small steps that make you a better team can add up to making you a championship caliber team.
If they can get Dwight to be the team leader in rebounding and defense, and be a lethal pick and roll roll man with Kemba, then they could have a really good player for their team.
Now you have Kemba, Dwight, and Batum, which isn’t a bad core to build around defensively and offensively. You have the 11th pick in a decently deep draft, along with Kidd-Gilchrist and Frank Kaminsky who are decent young players to look at. It’s not a bad core to start with for a small market team.
What do you guys think ? What are your opinions on this trade ? Debate me.
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