I think Chuck deserves a raise because he has finally worked on his O, but not MLE money that would be crazy. $3m per is top of the line
Bulls already have Boozer and Gibson(and even Deng on occasion) getting their minutes at PF. So I don't think it's going to happen, but I'd love to trade Gibson and parts for an upgrade at SG and then sign Chuckwagon. He's just a very solid player, one of those guys who's almost always a net positive. As long as he's with the Bulls or Rockets, I'll be happy.
Chuck Hayes would be 5th in the league in FG% at 57.8%, but he only has 2/3 of the attempts to qualify. For comparison, Dwight Howard is 57.9%. Chuck doesn't even dunk!!! Can he keep it up?
And then there are those of us who can't believe how much Hayes is overvalued. But let's take a deeper look... Assuming the current CBA, any team over the LTax will be paying Hayes $10m/year for a full MLE contract. Sort of puts a dent into the pool of suitors. Highlighting the teams you've mentioned. Bulls => Backup PF is Taj Gibson on a rookie scale contract to 2014 paying $3.2M in 2014. Avg 23 mpg with 7.5 ppg and 5.8 rebs. All down from his rookie season but currently 33rd in rebs/48 and 17th in blocks/48. There are no Rockets ahead of him in either category. The Bulls are playoff bound and 82Games lists Gibson in multiple win% 5-man units. Celts => Backup PF is Big Baby Davis currently making $3.3M on final year of contract. The C's are way over the LTax. If there is an LTax in the next CBA, I suspect they'll re-sign Davis. They have his full Bird Rights and likely will match any offer. Davis is not a prolific rebounder and a marginal shot blocking presence. But he does have some semblance of both a postup game and a face the basket game. Davis is also a good passer and has excellent hands for a big. Lakers => Regarding an LTax, the Lakers have the highest payroll in the NBA. They play the triangle. The C/PF is usually distanced from the basket and must have both a mid-range shot and the ability to drive and finish to keep the defense from collapsing into the paint. The Lakers PF minutes are totally consummed by Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. A third...and LTax expensive...PF would be a luxury. And more along the lines of current 3rd PF Joe Smith at $1.3M.
Chuck has the ability to drive and finish. The Lakers have been playing Bynum at PF when he is healthy, so that blows your theory out of the water. Bynum is a low post player first and foremost. He can hit the mid-range, but it's nothing to write home about. The Lakers won with Samaki Walker at PF. Neither Bynum or Walker can drive and finish. They have also used range shooting PF's like Robert Horry and Brian Cook. The only time those guys ever ventured inside the 3 point line was to go after a rebound. They have also given time to the likes of Kwame Brown and Ronny Turiaf. Once again, Turiaf can hit the mid-range shot every now and then, but can't drive and finish. Phil Jackson is one of the most adaptive coaches out there. You can say what you want about him running the triangle, but he will find a way to make a player effective in his system. I mean, the guy had nobody for center in Chicago (with all do respect to Bill Wennington and crew) and won. Then he goes to LA and works in Shaq to the tune of 28ppg. So, like I said, it blows your theory completely out of the water. It was a nice try though...
I think he would. If The Lakers do Bynum for Chuck, Battier, and Brooks, Chuck would start because they like bringing Odom off of the bench. I also don't see how he wouldn't start over DeJuan Blair in San Antonio. If he didn't, it would only be because Popovich wouldn't want to mess with the chemistry of the lineup that won more games in the NBA than any other team. But, you let them hit a 4 or 5 game skid and they would do it. Chicago is tough to call. It depends on who is involved in the trade. He would definitely be starting right now over Kurt Thomas and it would not surprise me to see them bring Noah off of the bench in place of Hayes. I mean Tom Thibodeau has started Keith Bogans the entire season, he rarely shoots or scores, and they are nipping at Boston's heels for the top seed in The East. 90% of the coaches in the NBA would go with Korver and probably have a mediocre record going into The All Star break. Orlando? I dare say of all the possibilities here, the "Chuck-Howard" combo would be the most unstoppable defensive force in the front court that the NBA has seen in quite sometime. I think they definitely start Chuck over Brandon Bass. The way Chuck can play his man 1 on 1, even in the rare instance that a guy like Griffin, Jefferson, or Randolph get by him, he slowed them enough to where Dwight Howard can react on help defense and pick up the cheap weak side block. Same way with guard penetration. Chuck is going to show more on picks so again even when they do get into the paint, Dwight has that half second extra reaction time and that is all he will need to erase most shots.
Can this guy do anything wrong? If only he was 6 inches taller and could still produce at the same level as he is now. Hayes would be earning $10-13 mill easy. NBA All defensive team every year, maybe even an all star.
