TMAC ++FOR TURKOGLU++TRADE OPTIONS?

do those

But I’ll say this, crucify me if you must: I’m only a marginal baseball fan, but I read that Everett’s defense and marginal offense was the equivalent of being a middle of the road starting SS in this league. In fact, around we picked up Tejada, it was said that he (who at the time was expected to be a premier hitter at the SS position) would only give us about 9 or 10 more runs over the course of the season, all told. Again, I don’t really follow baseball that much, so take those comments for they’re worth.

While it has nothing to do with basketball, you’re correct. When he was at his best, he was a slightly above-average player, on the whole.

As for Chuck, I think fans tend to undervalue these types of role-players: the ones who are extremely one-dimensional, doing only a single thing extremely well (Chuck’s low-post defense, Novak’s ability to hit the three, etc.).

We tend to undervalue these players by not realizing the value of a guy providing exceptional help in one area. Chuck really stood out in the Lakers series, but he provided a lot of help throughout the season (I remember him coming in during that 2nd Celtics game. Garnett was tearing up the Rockets’ defense, Adelman sent Chuck in, and he proceeded to absolutely destroy Garnett’s offense). And having one guy who can shore up a critical are for your club can win you a game or two. In any case, it’s a lot better to use that 12th roster spot on a guy like Hayes than it is to spend it on a guy like Zach Randolph or something.

At the same time, we tend to overestimate these players by forgetting that they are what they are. Yeah, it’s possible that Hayes suddenly develops a jump shot over the summer, but it’s pretty unlikely. It’s possible that Novak figures out how to defend and score in the low post, but he probably won’t. Hayes won’t develop an offensive game, and that’s alright.

What’s weird is that overestimating Hayes in this way undervalues what he brings to a team. He doesn’t really need to be an offensive dynamo to be a part of a great team. He just needs to do what he does best and come off the bench for a few minutes each game.

Now, if you get an opportunity to trade him for something fantastic, then it’s a good idea to pull the trigger. Chuck’s ultimately a very replaceable player (there are plenty of guys in each draft who will become decent specialists). Chuck’s a valuable player, but there are others out there who can do the same thing.

But it’s very unlikely that anybody would offer anything spectacular for Chuck Hayes, and you shouldn’t just give him away.