Heat fans: would you trade Joel for...

[The Truth]

Hasheem Thabeet? I know it may sound ridiculous, but I would actually pull the trigger on this deal. hear me out.

 

although we don't know much about Thabeet's true abilities or even whether or not he's capable of being a threat in this league, I think it would be a gamble worth taking for Miami.

 

let's face it - Anthony is doing to little to nothing for us off the bench. in 17.5 minutes this season, he's averaging less than 2 points, 2 blocks, and 3 rebounds per game. I'd say that's pretty pathetic.

 

you need size and length to win in this league. we all know how having two seven footers in the starting lineup helps the Lakers. with Thabeet, Miami would have their own twin towers going - Chris Bosh is 7 feet give or take and Thabeet is 7'3. that type of length combined with a 7'3 Ilgauskas and a 6'8 Haslem off the bench would be deadly.

 

here's what someone wrote about it on Bleacher Report:

 

Why not send Thabeet to the Heat? Miami would benefit greatly from the youngster's size and athleticism. He is as tall as Zydrunas Ilgauskus, but he actually plays like it. The rebounding and shot blocking presence he provides fits the Heat's needs perfectly. It would solve all their problems in the interior while allowing Big Z to come off the bench, which is his preference.

 

Hasheem could be sent to the Heat for a package of Eddie House, Joel Anthony, and either Juwan Howard or Jamaal Magloire. Eddie House is out of the rotation now that Mike Miller is back, and Joel Anthony doesn't do much for the Heat in the 20-25 minutes he does play.

 

Jamaal Magloire was never even in the rotation and is only a salary cap filler in this trade. In Memphis, Eddie House could backup both guard positions depending on who's on the floor. If Xavier Henry or Sam Young is on the floor, Eddie House could be subbed in to play PG. If Mike Conley or O.J. Mayo (who is a SG but is also a very good PG in my mind) is on the floor, House can be the SG, spreading the floor with his remarkable shooting ability.

 

Joel Anthony would replace Thabeet as Memphis' backup center, but that role wouldn't mean a lot of minutes for him, which is probably a good thing for Memphis. Jamaal Magloire probably won't be in the rotation for this team either, seeing as how Memphis already has a nice crop of big men (Marc Gasol is what makes Thabeet available in the first place).

it might not seem like Memphis would be willing to make this deal, but given their need to extend Gasol and potentially replace Randolph, they're going to need all the money they can get.

 

Anthony is a decent option off the bench, but he doesn't have extrordinary length or athleticism. I'd rather have 30-35 minutes of Thabeet than 18-20 minutes of Anthony. Thabeet has the size, but he's also quick enough to run with our upbeat offense. plus, the rebounding and shot blocking he would provide would be a huge lift for us, not to mention his potential for points in the paint. so, would you make this deal?

[Poe]

Thabeet would be awesome... but I'm sure there are many other teams in this league that are high on his potential, and most likely have much better value to give in return than Joel Anthony and Eddie House.

[AllenIverson#1fan]

Joel Anthoney may not be a stat padder but he is a big part of this Heat team. You're underrating him. Joel is like Gortat they don't stat pad at all. But, they're really big for their team. Thabeet was a killer in college it really makes me sad to see what the Grizzlies did to him. Grizzlies management is retarded. They're barely giving Tony Allen minutes who was critical to the Celtics run last year and he can't even get 15 minutes a game most nights on a team like Memphis?

[Clutch]

no way, thabeet can't even move his damn feet, how is he gonna run with the heat, he can't do the little things this team needs, he wont be going for loose balls or rebounds, he wont be taking charges, he wont be blockin shots like joel

 

pittman > thabeet

[JYD]

That'd be retarded. Joel Anthony is a huge player for the Heat...without him, their interior defense would be pretty awful. If the Knicks and Heat played in a seven game series, there's basically no way the Knicks can win. And it's not just because of the big three. It's because of Anthony...he's one of the few who can defend STAT 1 on 1.

[platoon793]

I haven't seen much of Thabeet to honestly say, but you are really underrating Anthony. The stats don't mean anything. He is pretty good down low guarding players even at his size, and he can block shots and takes charges every now and then. He also can get some good offensive rebounds from time to time.

[The Truth]

I wasn't trying to underrate Joel. I know he's valuable to this team. I was just trying to say Thabeet could potentially put up better numbers.

 

honestly, Houston seems like the best destination. they could use Thabeet after losing Yao and they have the prospect (Thabeet), the expiring contract (Randolph), and the pick Houston wants in exchange for Yao.

 

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=2df6qyg

[Multi-Billionaire]

Thabeet would be awesome... but I'm sure there are many other teams in this league that are high on his potential, and most likely have much better value to give in return than Joel Anthony and Eddie House.

 

This...

 

I'm sure defensive oriented teams like the Celtics would love someone like Joel who can block shots and take charges.

[Newman]

Regardless of how trash Thabeet has been, he is still a #2 pick and he should attract more assets than Joel Anthony and Eddie House at this moment in time.

[Nestle Snipes]

I would, in a New York minute, Heat coaches would get Thabeet right.

[Jenneral]

(not a Heat fan, sorry) I would. The upside of Thabeet is far greater than what Anthony is currently bringing to the table. Anthony hasn't done anything amazing so far and could be replaced fairly easily. Why not take the chance on the young kid with higher upside?

[JYD]

Regardless of how trash Thabeet has been, he is still a #2 pick and he should attract more assets than Joel Anthony and Eddie House at this moment in time.

Joel Anthony is a terrific defender, one of the quickest center's I've seen in a while. Hell, who's to say he can't develop some type of offensive game? He'd be a very good player. Thabeet has shown absolutely nothing.

 

I would, in a New York minute, Heat coaches would get Thabeet right.

The Heat want to win championships now. Thabeet can not contribute on a consistent basis. Not like the Heat have Amar'e and Dwight on their frontline either. They need backups and role players that can contribute right away.

 

(not a Heat fan, sorry) I would. The upside of Thabeet is far greater than what Anthony is currently bringing to the table. Anthony hasn't done anything amazing so far and could be replaced fairly easily. Why not take the chance on the young kid with higher upside?

Not really. It's not that easy to find terrific young defensive center's who know their role...Thabeet has greater upside, sure, but the Heat want to win now. Anthony fits the role he's been playing perfectly.

[Nitro]

I wouldn't until the offseason. Right now Anthony is the only Center on the roster with anything that resembles athleticism, making him a valuable asset against teams with quick big men and/or great team ball movement that forces the Center to make fast rotations. However, if they could somehow acquire a quick Center in the offseason that has some size and rebounding ability, then I wouldn't hesitate to trade Anthony. Against teams with big men who have size and strong rebounding ability, Anthony gets exposed and becomes a liability, and if the Heat can find a legit starting Center then he'd be useless. In that case, I'd roll the dice on a raw project like Thabeet and get a chance to unlock his potential. But relying on him right now, without him proving anything on the NBA level yet, would be too much of a risk.

[The Truth]

I'm sure defensive oriented teams like the Celtics would love someone like Joel who can block shots and take charges.

Boston already has too many big men, if anything. although, if they're unwilling to extend Big Baby, I'd trade Anthony for his expiring contract. :glasses: