Some comments in the thread about Scola playing in Beijing got me thinking... How long of a look should we be giving to his Argentine teammate, Walter Hermann? He's an unrestricted free agent, and there's no reason to believe that the Pistons are going to bring him back so I'm pretty sure he's going to be testing the waters. Houston might be attractive to him because A) he wants minutes and we can provide them, B) we're only a couple of pieces (and health) away from true contention, and C) the potential of being NBA teammates with Luis Scola should be enticing. I think he definitely falls in the 2-3 million dollar per year range, which may be what we have to work with if Landry doesn't take the LLE and his deal cuts into the MLE. Perhaps we could even use the LLE on Hermann. The point is, his price makes him fairly easy to obtain one way or another. The question mark on him is that he was buried on the bench in Detroit after turning in a very promising first season in Charlotte. One would have to assume he's a hard worker, coming from the Argentine national team, and he obviously has it in him to be a good player in the NBA, as he showed in his last 15 games of the 06-07 season when he got big minutes. His team actually went 9-6 over that stretch which is great for the Bobcats. So it's not that he was just stat padding in blowout losses as one might think. Here are the stats for those final 15 games of 06-07. 36.5 minutes per game 18.6 points 5.7 rebounds 1.3 assists 0.8 steals 0.3 blocks 0.8 turnovers 57.2% FG's (111 of 194) 48.6% 3PT (35 of 72) 78.6% FT's (22 of 28) I definitely think he should one of the top players on our radar. He's a more than capable SF backup at 6'9" but can also play sparingly at SG and PF if needed. His defense isn't great, but I think people are overrating the need for top notch defenders. We're already the 2nd best defensive team in the league, so it won't hurt to get some pure scorers in the fold. As I stated before, he should only command a couple of million per year after riding the pine in Detroit and although he's 28, I think that's perfect for the length of the contract he would be getting. We don't need to develop players anyway. We need to win now. You guys agree? Disagree? How much would you be willing to pay him and for how long?
Seems like a more rounded Novak from what I recall. I wouldn't mind the Rockets taking a look at him but not sure if he's the answer. He'd be a good 10th man type player imo.
He hasn't really proved anything yet, but he did have a good stint with the Bobcats. Awhile back, I also wanted the Rockets to go after this guy. He's probably the only Argentinian player not having success in the NBA right now, but could definitely step up. Now, he's flying under the radar, so we could probably sign him for cheap. It's a low risk, high reward move.
I think Hermann would be a great addition for $3 million, especially coming off the bench, gunning with the 2nd unit. My question would be, what is he gonna give us that Novak could not give us though? Is he more athletic? Can he D it up better? Can he board better?
From hoopshype.com descriptions... Walter Hermann: Great hands...Very strong...Can play both forward spots and some shooting guard...Good shooter...Quite a scorer. Steve Novak: Outstanding shooter with good size...Doesn't bring much more to the table...The new Matt Bullard? So Novak is an outstanding shooter with good size (he has nothing on Hermann in this category). He does nothing else better. Actually, judging by Hermann's %'s in extended time, I would venture to say that the ONLY thing Novak does better is shoot free throws.
He's on currently $1.8M. I think he'll get the same or maybe even a few 100k less. Simply D and of course this... <object width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cVgfx6VtFHo&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cVgfx6VtFHo&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>
I read in an article somewhere that he has lost interest in basketball, and even says he is not going to join Team Argentina in this year's Beijing Olympics. He says he will retire after the playoffs. So he's probably off the market.
This has nothing to do with his skills but wasnt he the unluckiest basketball player during some time? i read his story in some article and i felt so sorry for him o_o
I thought he was taking the time off because he was concentrating on securing an NBA contract. If it's true that he's lost his interest, perhaps Luis could coax him into giving it another go (with the Rockets).
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/langid/1/newsid/24011/arti.html is that the article? if so, it only says he'll retire from playing international basketball
I don't think it's a bad idea, but honestly I don't think we need the help he can provide. Don't get me wrong he's a solid player, but he's not the wing scorer that I think is our most pressing need.
Is he the guy we need to pick up this off season to put us over the top? I certainly don't think so, but... We can always use a guy that can shoot 57% FG's and 49% 3PT's on a significant volume of shots. Especially one with size.
Walter Hermann would be a solid pickup but I would rather have Matt Barnes who could come a little cheaper and plays better D
