Everyone is intrigued by Amir Johnson's size/athleticism combo, but he's pretty much a longshot because he's restricted. Jason Maxiell is another of Detroit's young PF's that has to play behind McDyess and Wallace. He's listed at 6'7 260lbs (closer to 6'6) but has a 7'3 wingspan and 8'11 standing reach. He's pretty much Chuck Hayes on steroids. Bigger, stronger, and more athletic. He's tough and is a very good weakside shotblocker (1 BPG in 14mpg). He has a meanstreak and dunks everything. Has a decent game within 10 feet of the basket and can hit the open jumper. With a rotation of Maxiell, Chuck, and Landry, I think they could be pretty successful. With Maxiell and Chuck, we'd have 2 guys that chase after rebounds and do all the dirty work. Landry also is a scrapper and compliments their game with an outside shot. While Maxiell doesn't offer size at PF, he is athletic and offers tenacity and would be an upgrade over Hayes because of his shotblocking skills. Instead of looking for 1 PF to solve all our problems, we may have to use a rotation if we can't work out a deal for one. Proposed trade: Jason Maxiell and Nazr Mohammed for Sura, Snyder, and VSpan. Maybe Detroit would add a pick since Sura and VSpan offer immediate capspace of about $5 million if Sura is bought out and VSpan's contract is voided. Mohammed will make $25 million over the next 4 years, but he's just 30 years old and Deke is getting older and will retire after next year. Does a good job of rebounding (4.4 in 15mpg) and blocking shots (.8) considering the limited minutes he played after CWebb came over and has a pretty good track record of rebounding and blocking shots. I know people will complain about Maxiell's size, but he plays MUCH bigger than his listed height.
maxiell sounds nice i might have to watch some youtube clips to be convinced but that doesnt sound too bad
I love Maxiell. I think he is better than Johnson who hasn't proven much. He is high energy and provides plenty of thrilling dunks and primal screams. He is too similar to Hayes though... Undersized. No range. Lesser man to man defender. He is more explosive than Hayes. But in the end it doesn't add a dynamic. He is not the answer. He would be a great consolation if we lost Hayes in FA (ya right) or traded him in a Haslem deal. But right now Webber probably has more to offer this team with its current outlook.
I have been a fan of Maxiell since he was at UC (which says a lot because I live too close to the school to actually like anyone there). He and Chuck were together in all the senior activities. I don't know anything about Amir Johnson, but I think it would be really really difficult to get the Pistons to trade Maxiell to us.
He isn't much like Hayes at all IMO. He is much more explosive and bigger. As someone mentioned, he plays much bigger than he is. Offensively, he is pretty much just Baby Shaq but that is still an upgrade over Hayes. It isn't uncommon for the guy to come in score buckets in a hurry before the defense can adjust to his aggressiveness around the rim. Defensively, he is not the all-around defender Hayes is but is a better shot-blocker and has the intimidation factor going for him. I would consider it a successful summer if Maxiell/Hayes split time at PF.
He is a worse rebounder than Juwan Howard. He was about as good at blocking shots as Deke last year. He somehow had a minus on the +/- stats when almost everyone else on the Pistons had a plus. From seeing him play he was not as good of a defender as Hayes. I say pass as overall he is worse than Hayes and the same age as him. I don't see why he would have any more potential than Hayes either.
he has more potential than hayes because he actually has some form of a jumpshot, can dunk, and he can block shots. as far as rebounding goes, you have to remember he is called upon to block shots and defend the paint. it doesnt allow him to chase after rebounds unless he's in the position to chase after them like chuck. its because chuck isnt a shotblocker that puts him in position to get after so many balls. he's not a great man defender, but he is a good helpside defender and Flip has said he is the team's best defender against the pick and roll. with so many guys going right at yao to try and dunk or posterize him, itll make them think twice if we have a shotblocking threat behind him. also realize that he doesnt have the opportunity to really show all of his skills with detroit. playing behind mcdyess and sheed, and also playing in an offense with prince, rip, billups, sheed, cwebb...theres no room for him to get touches. theres is potential in him. that's why i proposed using a rotation at PF instead of just relying on a true starter with a backup. you can use all 3 of Maxiell, Hayes, and Landry in certain situations and start each guy depending on who the other team's starting PF is. it isnt an ideal situation, but we dont have a whole lot of options.
I like the aggression and energy that Maxiell brings, but I'm still not clear as to why Detroit would trade him. Sure they want to keep Amir Johnson, but I'd have to think that they're just as intent on keeping Maxiell. With Billups reportedly taking a deal that averages 12.1M/year, Detroit should be able to match offers for Johnson and still be able to stay under the LT threshold. Worst case, they may have to dump Flip Murray, but losing Maxiell to keep Johnson makes no sense. Rasheed and McDyess are short term answers for them. Their future is Johnson and Maxiell. I don't see them letting go of either guy. That being said, if the Rockets really want to make a run at Amir Johnson, then I'm all for it. If you offer a starting salary that Detroit can cover without going into LT land, then I think they match without blinking. If you're serious about landing Johson, then offer him the full MLE and see it Detroit matches. If they do, then there's really nothing else that we could have done, so we move on to plan B. If Detroit doesn't match, then you got your guy so be happy and don't worry about whether you could have gotten him for $1M or $2M less.
I don't see how a 3 man PF rotation will help any of them develop into potential starters. None of them can backup C or switch to SF, so it's really redundant to have 3 of them.
thats why you use a 3 man rotation, because none of them are true powerforwards except for landry, but he's a rookie. plus, we're not looking to develop players into potential starters, we're in it to win now. also remember how hayes was consistently in foul trouble last year. with a 3 man rotation (hayes and maxiell getting the bulk of the minutes), they can all stay aggressive on defense without having to worry about fouling out and losing productivity from the position. the only thing similar between hayes and maxiell is their size. hayes is a better rebounder and man defender, maxiell a better shotblocker and help defender. neither is a true offensive threat, but we dont need offense at PF. maxiell is a better scorer if you wanna compare offensive tools.
when i say none are true PF's, i say that because of their size. i should say hayes and maxiell dont have ideal PF size.
as far as them not being versatile enough to play C or SF, we have enough versatility in TMac, MJ, and Shane in that TMac and MJ can play PG and SG, and Shane can defend against SG's and SF's. with them being able to play multiple positions, the rox can afford to use a roster spot on another PF. when i say 3 man rotation, i dont mean all of them receive equal minutes. maxiell and hayes would split the starting duties depending on the opponent and one or the other would be the primary backup. landry would come in and play a few minutes here and there when we need his outside game.
I love Maxiell, i've been a fan of him for a while. That dude can flat out play. We should offer Johnson a 4 million dollar contract. Then offer sura's contract, vassillis contract, and jl3/novak for Option A. Maxiell and Flip or Option B. McDyess. So we put them in a situation where we get 1 of their power forwards and make them choose which ones they want to keep the most. This solely is based on the condition that there is no way detroit is gonna pay the luxury tax.
Maxiell is a really good player. Vary strong I think athletic. I saw some of his games in Detroit and he can also make jumpers. Nice guy
If we could somehow lure Maxiell we would definetily have quickest PF-rotation in the league. Can u imagine Duncan, Nowitzki etc.. chasing these guys down the court??
Landry is basically the same size (maybe an inch taller) as Maxiell cept like 10 pounds lighter and with a shorter wingspan.
