CBS: Some execs believe Courtney Lee-for-OJ Mayo would make sense

Interesting. Personally, I don't like Mayo much but he does have room to improve so if it comes down to us moving Lee, getting back Mayo isn't a bad alternative. Of course, at this point Lee is the better player so a straight up swap of Lee-for-Mayo offers little benefit to us. Maybe something like Lee/Jeffries-for-Mayo/Thabeet.

Of course, that involves us taking on more salary so I doubt that would fly from our end.

 

A change of scenery could go a long way for Mayo and possibly bring him back to his 2009 form, but I'm not sure if I'd do it at the cost of Lee. Its very tempting though considering how high of a ceiling Mayo has.

 

WOW Lee for Mayo is intriguing, not sure how i'd feel about it. I actually like Mayo and think he can still grow but he needs minutes and behind Kevin, he won't get them.

Young center, huh? Not sure who could be available that comes close to that besides Nene (28 yrs old). To build around...none.

 

I'm not so sure that Courtney Lee is better than Mayo. But if they're having trouble finding someone to take Thabeet off their hands..

Lee/Jeffries/Clips 2nd rounder --- Mayo/Thabeet.

I could live with that. Of course, it would suck for Mayo -- he's a starter, not a bench guy.

 

What do I do with an offensive minded SG that can't really create his own shot, doesn't get to the line and doesn't play defense?

Evaluating Mayo goes beyond the hype and draft positioning. Luckily for his sake, he's only 23 and has room to improve (creating his own shot, handle, defense, etc) which is why I'd consider this deal. But right now Lee is the better two-way player (and I'm not even factoring in the off-the-court problems Mayo has had).

But yeah, Lee/Jeffries/Clipp 2nd rounder for Mayo/Thabeet is a decent proposal. If Les would be willing to take on that extra $1M for a trade that likely won't affect our W-L column that much I'd be all over it.

 

I guess Mayo has more upside...but it doesn't solve any short, or long term issues for us...btw, anyone know why he's struggling so much this year? Career low mins, ppg, fg% etc ?

 

I haven't seen much of Mayo to have a strong opinion of him; but from what I've heard, he's supposed to be a pretty good defender. I know a Grizzlies fan who swears he's being used wrong and that he's good. I wasn't going off hype of where he was drafted -- I was going off him dropping 18 & 17 in his first two years in the league while shooting 38% from downtown.

I've seen what Courtney Lee can do in an expanded role last year; I don't think his ceiling is as high as Mayo's and I'm not even sure he's presently better than OJ. I would definitely be interested in swapping them, either way.

 

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man ill trade martin for mayo + someone or picks

 

I think Mayo is the direction we're going to go. He's a very, very talented player and when you are in purgatory like we are, you won't be able to draft high enough to get someone at his talent level... he's obviously not going to be Kobe Bryant, but he has a ton of room to develop.

Here's some "Draft Express" stuff I found on him comparing how he scouted in collevge vs. his rookie season in the NBA:

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/O.J.-Mayo-238/

"Mayo’s merit as a shooter is undeniable... showing the ability to make shots off the dribble, coming off screens, or spotting up when his teammates penetrate or push the ball in transition. His shooting mechanics are nearly flawless, as he has a high release point and always gets full extension on his follow through. In addition to his mechanics, he never wastes a motion in from the time he receives the ball to the time it leaves his fingertips, never dipping the ball on a catch –just going straight up and out. His form lets him get great arc on his perimeter shots, an important quality for any player taking as many jumpers as he does. In addition to his ideal form, Mayo also gets great elevation on his jumper, enabling him to get his shot off against the bigger opponents that he is facing regularly."

"A great deal of his shooting success has a lot to do with what he does before he even has the ball. His preparation when he moves without the ball allows him to get shots off, despite his height and lack of a particularly quick release. His footwork is usually impeccable, as he stays low coming off screens, catches the ball on a quick one-two step, and then explodes up into his shot. However, there are instances where Mayo won’t come off hard on a screen and settles for catching the ball further out. He’s much more effective when he catches it at the 3-point line or inside of it."

"If Mayo wants to develop into the first-option type elite NBA scorer that he appears destined to become, he must continue to work on getting to the free throw line and finishing his drives around the rim. There will be nights that his jumper is off or teams are focused entirely on not allowing him to get his shot off—in those games, he must learn to impose his will on defenses and create high-percentage scoring opportunities. This is likely the part of his game that will decide whether he indeed becomes an all-star level player."

"The low assist numbers and high scoring numbers would lead one to believe he’s selfish, which is not necessarily the case. He actually makes the extra pass and gives up his own opportunities to his teammates, just not always at the right time. He plays at a nice pace and does a good job of letting the game come to him, making him easy to play with, but still needs to improve on his shot-selection and decision making. He doesn’t always know his limitations it seems, and will take questionable shots on occasion. Cutting down on unforced errors and continuing to learn the tendencies of opposing matchups will help Mayo drop his already decent turnover rate. Learning how to make the simple pass and playing on a better team will likely help him improve his poor assist rate."

ON DEFENSE:

"It’s rare to see him out of a stance as he stays low and pressures whoever is in his way. He never gives up on a play – always contesting shots even when beat or late to close out. He takes players out of their comfort zones, by bodying up to them, being physical and taking away their strengths. When bigger guards try to post him, he’ll make them pay by pushing them away from the basket, nullifying their height advantage. He does all of this without fouling, (2.2 fouls a game) which shows his understanding of how to play on this side of the court. That ease that he plays with on offense is transformed to aggression and feistiness on the defensive end.

Off the ball he isn’t as successful, but not because of a lack of effort. He seems to take it as a personal challenge when defending opposing guards, which at times can hinder his ability to fulfill his defensive responsibilities in the team-concept. He’ll often swipe at an off guard driving by his side instead of taking a half a step in stop him. On the other hand, when guarding a three point threat, he does a good job of faking at a penetrating guard and recovering back quickly to his man."

We can definitely use the set of skills described above. If his defense is still as good as they say, he would be redundant with Lee on the roster. I'm ALL FOR making a wise Mayo/Thabeet trade. Brooks/Lee + Expirings? Wouldn't Battier and/or Lee give them the vet presence they'd need for a playoff run?

 

Include Thabeet and then we're getting closer.

 

How is Lee for Mayo going to help us improve? The only way it would make sense is that we trade Martin for a star SF or a very good center, and believe that Mayo would be a better starter than Lee.

BTW, I still don't see why all the Thabeet love.

 

That wouldn't help us at all..it would be like trading lee for lee...nothing changes...we all we need is a dominant defensive center and we are set..not another shooting guard..

 

Meh

Mayo is a name, and thats about it.

 

Fair enough on all points. I can agree Mayo probably has more upside and is younger -- which usually serves as the tiebreaker in these type of discussions.

Regardless, he has a lot of work to do and badly needs a fresh start elsewhere. I REALLY wish he had the handle/instincts to be the Arenas/Billups type people were hyping him up as.

At this point, Lee is at the very worst Mayo's equal as a player. Given that fact, Mayo's poor season and Thabeet's overall uselessness it might be enough to get Memphis to pull the trigger. Especially since Jeffries isn't a complete zero as a player to boot. If LA is willing to take on that extra $1M in salary (plus LT penalties), I'd be all over this.

 

For a team that has already had so many problems defensively, I would never do this as a straight up trade. Mayo may have better upside but I never see his defense coming near that of Courtney Lee. Lee also seems to be more willing to be a team player where my few times watching Mayo he seems like more of a selfish player. Maybe a change of scenery will do him good, but Im not willing to take the risk. He is way overhyped because of his draft position. And on a personal note, I typically dont support basketball players that went to USC...

 

In my opinion, a Lee-for-Mayo trade makes a lot of sense if the Rockets are planning on trading Brooks. That way Mayo would be the 6th man.

I'm not sure how adding Thabeet would help, though. I mean, sure he has great size and can be a pretty good defensive Center, but knowing Adelman, Thabeet probably wouldn't even come close to touching the floor.

 

OJ Mayo= Tony Allen's b**c*!!!

 

That just seems like a lateral trade... Mayo could become much better then Lee I just don't see it helping us now..