Seems with Larry Birds comments at the end of the season about cutting Hibberts minutes and playing faster, Roy may be on the outs in Indiana.
Should Ainge pursue him? Would you do Wallace and #16?
I think getting rid of Wallace is almost worth trading #16 on it's own...that opens up a lot of extra cap space in the offseason.
What would we likely use that cap space for? Probably trying to sign a capable rim protector to fill a major hole on the team.
So if you can trade Wallace and #16 FOR an established rim protector, all the better - you're just bypassing one step of the process.
I'd rather give up a pick and useless player to acquire a rim protector rather than use cap space if the option is there. Past history tells us that a pick in the #16 range isn't likely to get you a game-changing player, and the highest Danny can likely move by trading it is to maybe #12 or #13 which is still far from a sure thing.
At least with a guy like Hibbert you have a sure thing - you know what he gives you. You fill a need, and then you can use your cap space to sign a volume scorer if/when one becomes available.
An interesting article:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1903192-secrets-to-roy-hibberts-elite-defenseSome points from the article that I found interesting (note, this is an article from last season):
The Pacers give up the lowest field-goal percentage in the league in the restricted area at 54.5 percent. The league-wide average is 60.0 percent. When Hibbert is directly defending the rim, the Pacers give up just 41.4 percent. When he’s not, they give up 58.7 percent. That’s what the San Antonio Spurs, 11th in the league, allow.
It has a ripple effect too. While the Pacers are also the best team in the league defending the three, they are even better defending the deep ball when Hibbert is on the court. They surrender a rate of just 31.4 percent when he’s on compared to 32.6 percent when he’s off.
The security he provides allows perimeter defenders to feel safer stepping out to challenge the three, knowing if they get beat off the dribble, they’re covered.
Per Synergy (subscription required), Hibbert gives up an insane .51 points per play on post-up plays on 28.8 percent shooting. You can't just move a guy that big out of the way. You don’t back him down or shoot over him either.
The other thing that Hibbert has mastered is going straight up to block shots. He doesn’t jump forward, a mistake a lot of players make. The key is verticality. Blocking and charging fouls aren’t decided by where your feet are. They’re determined by whether your body and arms are moving. Hibbert has mastered going perpendicular, including his arms.
When you’re 7’2”, have a 7’4” wingspan and are jumping, it’s a lot for an opponent to shoot over.
Adding to all the impressive things that Hibbert does is what he doesn’t do. He plays as tough and physical as he does without fouling a lot.
He is currently averaging 2.8 blocks and just 3.1 fouls per game while boasting a defensive rating of 93. Per Basketball-Reference’s Game Finder, he’s only the sixth player in history to achieve those particular numbers.
Three of the previous five, Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Elvin Hayes, are in the Hall of Fame. The other two, Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo, share the record for most Defensive Player of the Year Awards at four apiece.
Again, I know this is based on numbers from last season...but highly impressive all the same.
With Hibbert protecting the basket, can you even imagine how much more effective the Defensive Duo or Bradley/Smart cold be on the perimeter? It would also reduce the defensive risk of having IT out there, and offset any defensive limitations of Sully and Olynyk.
