the more i think about it the more i think it's a no-brainer. give them flip and one of our 2nd rounders from the delfino trade, cut dupree, and be done with it. our main bench becomes stuckey/smith/hayes/maxiell/johnson, with afflalo/nazr thrown in for good measure. i'd roll with that any day.

For some reason I thought he was a lot older than he is, which is only 22. Lots of upside if he can get and keep his head in the right place.

I did a little checking on some 2006-07 numbers

-----------Smith------ Murray
-------------------------------
3PT % ------39 --------- 29

FT % -------81 ----------73

PP40 Min ---22.3 -------- 12.6

FTP40 Min --3.6 ----------4.2

Smith's PP40 Min is I am sure somewhat affected by the different style of play between us and the Nuggets

But his 3P% and FT% numbers are above average

KRISTA JAHNKE’S PISTONS BLOG: No deal with Nuggets' Smith is good deal

Oh well sounded good for minute there..I would have made it..

I don't like the idea of depending on Lindsey Hunter to play PG every single night if CB or Stuckey get injured. So from that perspective, I like keeping Flip.

But JR is only 22 and has a lot of upside.

But then again, the last thing we need is another guy who will melt down when he goes 10+ games without a second of PT.

First of all, unless Flip Saunders is fired, it just won't help to pick up another young player - that Flip won't play, regardless of talent.

But lets say Dumars fires Flip tomorro, and that Smith is starting to grow up a bit being 22 now. Make the trade. Throw in a draft pick to sweeten it a bit, or just cut Dupree.

Our new rotation becomes Billups, Rip, Tay, Dyess, Sheed starting.

Stuckey, Afflalo, JR Smith at small forward (He is 6-6, 220), JMAX, Amir

Hayes remember was gotten cheap, a low risk investment. No reason we have to play the guy. I am not saying Smith is any better a defender vs. Hayes, but by goodness Smith sure has the speed and athleticism to become a good defender if someone inspires him toward that.

On offense, man, you got one serious swift unit out there. Hayes would be a major anchor (in a bad way - like really slowing things down) in comparison.

Hayes could still be on the team, as the 11th guy, giving us major depth at shooting guard (as JR Smith could play there if Hayes played some small forward), small forward, and power forward. Mejia would be the 12th guy on the team, another guard (defensive specialist)

All this leaves no room for Samb. Mohammed, nor Hunter to be on the active roster. Samb and Mejia could rotate down at Fort Wayne. Mohammed? Just have to buy the guy out.

Depth chart:

Billups, Stuckey, Mejia

Rip, Afflalo, JR Smith, Mejia, Prince

Prince, JR Smith, Hayes, Mejia, Afflalo, Stuckey

Dyess, JMAX, Amir, Sheed, Hayes, Prince

Sheed, Amir, Dyess, JMAX, Samb

(only shows 13 guys - assumes Mohammed is bought out, Hunter retires, and the 2 for 1 trade of Dupree and Flip Murray for JR Smith)

Now I will list this a bit differently, just putting each player in only one position, and eliminating Samb to make it a 12 man roster.

Billups, Stuckey, Mejia

Rip, Afflalo

Prince, JR Smith

Dyess, JMAX, Hayes

Sheed, Amir

And finally, a better option in my opinion: Inactivate Hayes, keep Mejia (cause you got to have the defensive depth) and keep Samb (because again, you got to have the defensive depth). Hayes probably would make good trade bait later on anyway.

Billups, Stuckey, Mejia

Rip, Afflalo

Prince, JR Smith

Dyess, JMAX

Sheed, Amir, Samb

To me, this is a very well balanced roster. Tons of scoring. Tons of good D. Samb gives you shot blocking, something to make the other team think "is Samb in the game" before they launch a shot near the hoop.

This roster can play a great half court game, or run like crazy.

I decided to edit this just a bit. On a championship team, you need depth. As much depth as you can get. If a key player, or even two, gets injured, having extra players that can take on a role can be very valuable. For this, I would keep Hayes around, and even play him some with Samb and Mejia playing at least some time in the D league. (But trips to the D-League must only happen if it helps develop the player - not to make room for a vet just because he is a vet.)

Lee:

As long as you keep posting this I am going to keep rebutting it unless you can give me examples.

I doubt that you will be able to because there aren't any.

Start another thread if you want me to respond. I don't want to sidetrack this one.

That trade sounded good to me, but Flip couldn't manage J.R.'s playing potential, much less his off-court stuff. JMHO LB could have...and Laimbeer/Mahorn could have...but definitely Flip could not.

I'd guess that the 'Flip factor' weighed heavily into JoeD's decision to not pursue the deal.