In all seriousness, a healthy LMA takes you further than the others. Playoff basketball is slowed down and played at a more deliberate pace than regular season basketball, and therefore puts a premium on possessions. Consequently, rebounding to gain possession and length to defend when the other team has possession end up being extremely valuable in the playoffs. If you've ever heard of teams collecting bigs for the playoffs, this is what they're talking about. LMA has the best theoretical combination of both attributes, provided he isn't hampered by a bad back in real life and so is having one of his worst seasons in years. I also don't trust Josh Smith's basketball IQ in critical moments of playoffs games, since he has done incredibly stupid things that cost his team a win at least...3 times in the playoffs just off the top of my head. And of course Al Jefferson is slow, unathletic, and was never the same player after his ACL injuries. Even what passes for a "healthy" Al Jefferson in this day and age is just living on borrowed time until his knees explode again. So Jefferson hurts his theoretically team in the playoffs because he quite literally will be suited up in the playoffs.
Millsap is more likely to be traded/let go than Jefferson right? Jefferson is the keystone to the Jazz offense.
Even though Utah is spilling over with bigs, Jefferson is their only credible post presence on the team. So he is a "keystone" in the sense that they dump the ball into him on the block and then do a clearout. Building around him has worked so well for them, too , as you can tell from their missing the playoffs two seasons ago, and then edging out Houston for the 8th seed last season. You know, so they could get swept by the Spurs in blowouts while Jefferson played like doodoo. I'd say that's a team's ceiling with Jefferson on their team, is perhaps making the playoffs, but then getting destroyed by other teams to the point where it's just embarrassing to the point where it looks like the team doesn't even belong there in the first place. Last year's Rockets team would have at least made that series with San Antonio entertaining.
i don't think so. It might depend on who's cheaper to keep, but Millsap is easier to mesh with their young bigs and doesn't have as bad an injury history. Jefferson has significant flaws that are hard to work around.
