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

So then put Kmart at sf and Mayo at SG? My guess would be that Battier will be gone by trade deadline.

 

The obsession on this board for certain players amazes me. If Mayo was as great as everyone on this board was making him out to be there should be about 10 different rumors of teams that are trying to pry him from the Grizzlies like Melo. But they aren't for a reason......

I get it now...if we can't have a Melo, they want a Mayo...seriously guys..realize this guy is not worth that much and in my opinion is not the biggest upgrade at the end of the day.

 

I certainly dont think he's the stud people made him out to be 2 years ago. However, if we really are rebuilding, I wouldn't mind having him, given his "upside". I see Mayo as a Mobley with better PG skills (and there's a lot of room for development). With CLee, Martin, and Brooks we don't really need an OJ Mayo, but if we could move Martin and Brooks for impact players, a Mayo/Lee/Lowry backcourt would be very formidable for years to come.

 

I can see Mayo as a late bloomer kind of like Chauncey Billups, who was drafted high and didn't really start becoming a great player until a few years into the league. I would definitely take him over Courtney Lee b/c think Mayo has a higher bball IQ and just as athletic.

 

Agreed, the biggest key is if we move Martin & Brooks, or if Lee is involved for a superstar and you Bring Mayo to be your second scorer. A straight up Lee of Mayo doesn't honestly make sense to me. I think that Mayo is not that much of an upgrade from Lee. I am not saying he isn't better than Lee, but I don't put him at a point where you give up a lot to get this guy.

 

to bad his BBIQ is the only type of IQ he has...but yeah I would take him over lee..don't know how good of a defender he is though.. if we get mayo and nene then we would be set..if we only gave up c.lee..hill and jeffries plus picks..

 

can someone tell me what mayo contributes outside of scoring? i dont remember his game.

if it is just scoring, why would we need him? (other than the upside everyone is talking about)

i like the things lee contributes to this team. he seems to contribute in alot of areas.

 

What makes you think Mayo has a higher basketball IQ?

Lee was a 4-yr starter in college and held his own in the NBA Finals as a rook, whereas Mayo's been criticized for poor shot selection and immaturity during his stint in Memphis. He scrapped with a teammate earlier this season, and was at the root of a serious NCAA violation at USC... not necessarily a knock on his basketball smarts, but a definite red flag.

 

I can't believe someone just said mayo has a higher basketball iq than lee LOL.

 

BBall IQ = on the court

and look at the teams they started with.

 

I also think it is a matter of what you are giving up. We aren't proposing Melo for Lee to the Nuggets, we would probably be proposing a combination of picks, PP, Hill, Brooks, Yao's contract, Martin, Scola. Is Mayo a star like Melo... no. But he is not coming at a Melo price tag. It is a rumor for a young player with potential, as fans, I think it is appropriate (given the time of year and the antsy feeling fans get) for the board to get excited.

We should compare Lee to Mayo to see if this is a good trade. This is actually fun to do because they are both from the same draft class and have the same amount of NBA experience. Both were handed heavy minutes early on. Courtney Lee is 6'5 and 200 lbs with a 6'5 wingspan. OJ Mayo is 6'4 and 210 lbs with a 6'6 wingspan, so they have very comparable size. Both are a bit small for the 2 and don't quite have the ball skills for the one (other than spot or backup minutes). Mayo is 23 and Lee is 25, so both have room to improve. Going into the draft, Mayo was consensus top 5 and Lee was a projected mid to late 1st rounder, which is why people might (perhaps without merit) think Mayo has more potential. I don't like to look too much into a single year's accomplishment because I think that skews the overall picture, so I will instead look at career numbers:

Lee's career numbers are 9.5 ppg 2.8 rpg 1.3 apg 1 stpg .3 blpg .44 fg% .536 TS% 12.1 PER @ 26 minutes per game and for the current season has 6.9 eff rating.
Mayo's career numbers are 16.7 ppg 3.5 rpg 2.8 apg 1.1 stpg .2 blpg .44 fg% .537 TS% 14 PER @ 35 minutes per game and for the current season has a 9.2 eff rating.

A few things that you note from the numbers. They fill different roles. When asked to be a starter, Lee got 12 ppg shooting 43% in 34 minutes. In starter minutes Mayo got a solid 17.5 ppg shooting 46% in 38 minutes. Off the bench Lee gets a very efficient 7.4 ppg shooting 44% in 18 minutes. Mayo gets a very inefficient 12 ppg shooting 41% in 28 minutes. Moral of the story, without Martin you go with Mayo, with Martin you go with Lee. Ironically I actually think Mayo and Lee would make for a nice backcourt. Their lack of size at the 2 will be made up for by their size advantage at the 1. They can split ball handling duty, and both possess above average court vision. Both drive very well (Mayo had a draft class best vertical, and Lee wasn't far behind) and both are career 38% 3pt shooters.

They are both good young players that have the same problems (not quite a one, too short for the two) and nearly the same strengths. One is well suited for the bench and one is well suited for starting. This is not to say the starter player is automatically better. A great bench player can provide just as much if not more than an average to sub-par starter. Depending how things shake out at the trade deadline, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss a Lee for Mayo swap as stupid and the people advocating for it as stupid. I think evidence shows it is a much closer call than you think.

 

Well, he can't dodge a punch, so we know his vision sucks. :grin:

 

why didn't Lee play last night? is he hurt?

seems funny after having a career night just the night before.

 

Great points Vivid...the thing is a lot of people not just on this board are quick to base talent and upside on where they were drafted. If that was the case then there would be a lot of different discussions going on and random second rounders wouldn't be superstars in this league.

You have to definitely look at the makeup of the team before deciding on who to have. If Mayo comes along with a couple more moves then I can understand it but if it's Just a Mayo for Lee deal then it's not worth it in my opinion.

 

I agree that basing your judgement on where a person is drafted is absurd (see Stromile Swift vs Kobe Bryant). Bench players value is sometimes hard to gauge, and Lee seems to fit our system off the bench like a glove. I think some people are just desperate for change and direction (last season and this season) because we all remember how horrible the Steve Franchise years were. When we were bad with Yao and Tmac, we always had the "well if they are healthy next year and we add an Artest... watch out" bit to calm ourselves down. Mayo for Lee might not be the best direction, but it is a direction. One thing is for sure, we should not make moves just to make moves.

 

he had pneumonia.

 

1st of all let me say this, I'd much rather trade away Brooks in a package with Battier for Mayo and Thabeet, than trade Courtney Lee. But with that said, if memphis is percistant in C-Lee, then I say pull the trigger...

For these simple reasons:

Mayo, has much better ball handling ability, can create space at a whim, and is better at finishing inside than C-Lee (specially with his 41 inch vertical). He is not dependent on any body creating a shot for him, he can create one on his own(as well as create for others)... C-Lee can't do that, his a below avg. ball handler for a guard...

If a Courtney for Mayo trade is available, you do it... But first I would dangle a package of Brooks and Battier, and see if Memphis bites..

 

Trade Rumors: This trade would ensure the Grizzlies a playoff berth

It's the Bleacher Report, but from the POV of the Grizzlies. They are excited about
this proposed trade:

 

This is the worst time of the basketball season, in my opinion.

We get to hear all of these rumors and yet nothing is going to happen until next Thursday.

And in the mean time, we have to wait until next Tuesday before we see another Rockets game.

 

With the recent loss of Rudy Gay for a month, Memphis will need more fire power and their not gonna be receiving that from Courtney Lee - IMO this trade makes the most sense -

Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier
for
O.J. Mayo and Hasheem Thabeet

For Memphis, they get Brooks a capable 20 ppg scorer, who has worn out his welcome in Houston and needs a change in scenery. They also get Battier a capable starting SF, who can replace Gay for the mean time, and can also be a solid contributor in the playoffs.

For Houston, they get to move a disgruntled Brooks for a much younger and more talented guard in Mayo. While also getting a young center, with defensive potential in Thabeet. They also get to move some of the glut at the wing position by trading Battier, which opens up minutes for Terrence Williams.