Tuesday Bolts – 1.6.14
Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider gives OKC a D for the deal: “The problem is I’m not sure Waiters is even worth a low first-rounder. Three seasons into his career, he’s never rated better than right around replacement level. Waiters fits slightly better with the Thunder than the Cavaliers because of Scott Brooks’ tendency to rest both Westbrook and Kevin Durant at the same time, leaving Reggie Jackson as the primary creator on the floor, but the same issues exist if Oklahoma City tries to play Waiters with the starters. So the Thunder might not be more satisfied with Waiters than Cleveland was.”
Berry Tramel: “It’s Waiters’ defense that is a concern. He’s not been a good NBA defender, and on a good team, that won’t do. The Thunder already has some defensive liabilities coming off the bench — Reggie Jackson and Anthony Morrow — and adding another seems odd. Is the Thunder simply going to try outscore second units? Of course, this trade might set up a future Jackson trade, so we’ll see how that pans out. But it seems to me that the Thunder bench had plenty of scoring punch. Jackson, Morrow, Perry Jones III. Even Jeremy Lamb can get hot. It’s perimeter defense that is a question for the OKC bench. Dion Waiters doesn’t figure to change that. Maybe the Thunder has a master plan. But I’m anxious to discover what it is.”
Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com on what it means for Reggie Jackson: “I suppose you could say he’s “insurance”, except I’m not sure he’s anywhere as good as Jackson. This reminds me of people who called Evan Turner “insurance” for if Lance Stephenson departed, neglecting the fact that that would be an awful insurance policy. The difference is, in this case the Thunder have Waiters under contract for another year.”
Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com with a great piece on the awkwardness of getting dealt: “Instead, Waiters was left to chat with reporters before the game about how many tickets he had secured for friends and family coming to see him play in his home city (“Too many to count,” Waiters said). And he was left to go out on the court in his Cavs uniform and warm-up gear and wave to his people in the stands before the national anthem. And he was even left to be announced last in the starting lineup — his first start since the third game of the season — as a solid contingent of the Philly faithful cheered for their hometown son. The timing was so off kilter, there was just 1:30 left on the clock before tipoff when word finally made its way to the Cavs’ bench about what was going down. Waiters, Amundson and Kirk were unceremoniously whisked off the court and back to the injury-free locker room, where they couldn’t possibly tweak an ankle or pull a hammy to mess things up.”
Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report on Dion Waiters: “He just didn’t seem to fit with this new, more accomplished Cavaliers core, at least not yet, not at this stage of his life and career, not amid the increased expectations and under the intense scrutiny, not with his preferred style of play. That was evident when teammates would often ignore him for long stretches, as he touched it just once on the first 12 possessions of a loss to Portland, or even when he waved his arms and clapped his hands, as was the case against Chicago, and against Orlando, among others.”
Thoughts on the Waiters deal here.
Jon Hamm for NewsOK.com: “Waiters’ acquisition is one designed to potentially address problems today as well as in the future. The front office gave Lamb ample opportunity and could wait no more, and now Waiters will get a chance to lock down significant shooting guard minutes. Waiters still has another season remaining on his rookie scale contract (his salary for 2015-16 is a little more than $5.1 million). If the Thunder finds it must relinquish Jackson this summer, his role could fall on Waiters, a one-time sixth man at Syracuse.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “But if you talk about needing a player to create offense on his own? Waiters is pretty good. He’s shooting 47 percent on shots in which he takes three dribbles or more. He’s at his best when he has the ability to run the offense. He’s also really good at getting to the rim and has improved his finishing there year after year, finishing at 56 percent this year. He’s fast enough to split the double and big enough overwhelm smaller defenders.”
