Strengths
*runs the floor well
*good passer for a center
*great touch around the hoop with either hand (shot 65% from 0-3ft)
*nice mid-range game (shot 52% from 10-16ft)
*solid athlete
All works well with Brad Steven's offense.
I hope he is better than our last NC big, Eric Montross.
That's what I was thinking as well. He seems like a very good fir in Brad Stevens' system. Apparently, Stevens recruited hard after the other Zeller brothers as well. He could be a nice little hidden gem here.
So what are we doing here, then? Assembling the Butler dream team in the NBA? You should never acquire through trades or draft players because they 'fit in someone's system,' imho. There's no proof that Stevens' 'system' will even work in the pros. He's only been a coach for one year! I just always thought that this was a no-brainer - the coach decides upon a style of play based on the type of players on the team's roster, taking advantage of their respective skill-sets to allow both the players and the team to thrive. Did I miss a memo somewhere?
1.) Granted its a different sport but the Patriots have been going after players that fit their system for years, with great success
2.) Im sure the target of this trade was the first round pick and the expiring contracts, Danny probably had a few choices of a throw in and chose Zeller because they were all equal and Zeller fits Brads Stevens
3.) I agree with your thoughts for the most part, but if everything is equal go with the player that fits the coaches system best
You just made my point, in a way. Basketball is nothing like football when it comes to free agency or the draft. Even though I don't watch football, I haven't been able to avoid all of the talk surrounding the Patriots over the years, unfortunately, and here is why they're successful when it comes to finding players that fit into their 'system' - football is more of a system sport, and the Patriots have had their foundation for success in place for close to 15 years now. They know what they need to succeed, but this is why the two sports are drastically different - the Patriots frequently let players like Asante Samuel go, despite of their talent and fit with the team, because the pool of players available in the draft each year is so much larger than the NBA's, thereby making it much easier for teams to replace guys.
In basketball, however, if you've got a guy like Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett, you can't just let them walk. Those guys are future hall of famers, and we will never see other players like them again, so you hold on to them for as long as possible imho. Even in the case of finding great bench guys it can be extremely difficult, because some players are almost impossible to replace. James Posey is a prime example of this. He may not have been a household name, but his clutch play, locker room presence, experience in big games, and defense, especially, was impossible for us to replace, as we found out in later years.
It is easier to go out and find guys that address a certain area of need for your team, especially for a club like the Spurs, because they already have their foundation in place, both on the sidelines and the court, not to mention the front office.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that, once you have the players you need, you hold onto them for as long as you can. Yes, you may have to overpay here and there, but that's what it takes sometimes. It's very rare that you can find adequate replacements for HOF players anywhere in the draft, but it is possible if you know what you're doing. Look at Chandler Parsons and Lance Stephenson, for example. Or if you want to go back a little further and into the category of undrafted free agents, what about Ben Wallace and Wesley Matthews? Once you have your core in place it's easier to find guys who can fill in for your stars off of the bench, but even then, there's no guarantee, and we're nowhere near that point right now.
I'm also trying to caution against reassembling a college coach's dream team because of what happened with Pitino. Sure, Antoine and Mercer, along with his trapping defense etc, won Pitino a title at Kentucky, but that doesn't mean that that same group of players and style of play will yield the same results in the pros. That's all I'm saying. Just get as much talent as possible, develop the players, and then if you end up a few really talented guys that all compliment each other, great, but that's pretty rare. At that point, you can discuss how these guys fit together and whether or not it's in everyone's best interest to possibly move one of those guys for a player from another club who would play much better for you.