Korver traded to Utah
**VOTE IGUODALA FOR ALL-STAR**
The Sixers traded Kyle Korver to the Utah Jazz today in exchange for Gordon Giricek and a first round draft pick. It was the first trade in the Eddie Stefanski era and one that rocked Sixers nation. Korver was a crowd favorite and figured to be relatively stable since signing his contract in the summer of 2005.
This deal makes little sense to me other than the cap flexibility that Stefanski acquired in the deal. Everyone in the league knew that Gordon Giricek played his last game in Utah when he had an altercation with coach Jerry Sloan during a timeout in the December 19th game against the Bobcats. The fact that the Jazz traded him was no surprise. However, getting back Kyle Korver’s contract and giving up a first round pick in the process wasn’t exactly on my radar.
For the Jazz, Korver would either be forced to play minutes at shooting guard where his defensive defencies would be further exploited, or take minutes away from Andrei Kirilenko and former Sixer Matt Harpring at the small forward position. With a young Ronnie Brewer asserting himself this season and Morris Almond waiting in the wings and scorching up the D-League, I’m leaning toward the later. Harpring and Kirilenko are on notice.
For the Sixers, Giricek doesn’t appear to fit. That first round pick does, however. Girilek will be the poor man’s Korver, and he stands an inch or two shorter and is not as good a shooter as Kyle. For a team pushing to make the playoffs, we just took a step back on paper this season.
Giricek only was playing about 12 minutes a game for Utah. Korver was playing closer to 30 for the Sixers. It figures that Korver will play less for the Jazz and Giricek will play more for the Sixers, although don’t expect both to swap minutes. This moves gives Mo the flexibility and impetus to play Thaddeus Young more in Korver’s wake. Giricek is a shooting guard and not a forward. Thankfully, Young is a forward.
This also makes more minutes available for Rodney Carney, like it or not. Of course, the Sixers had a chance to draft Ronnie Brewer at 13, but ended up taking Sefolosha and swapping picks with the Bulls instead. I would have been much happier if the player going to Utah was Carney instead, but with Brewer and Almond, that would make even less sense for them.
For Stefanski’s first move, this leaves us Sixers fans severely wanting. Korver was part of the identity of this team. For a team that has been finding itself, this move takes the wind out of their sails. You have to figure that there are other moves in the works, with the majority of the roster up for change. According to Phil Jasner, Stefanski hasn’t made up his mind whether or not to trade Miller. He has made up his mind though on Korver.
Kyle will be missed and we wish him the best. We just hope he spares us next Wednesday when the Jazz host the Sixers. The Blazers are up next on Sunday.
BONUS: For more fantasy analysis of the trade, head over to Drive and Dish and see what Chris McCurry has to say. Previously on Passion and Pride, Sixers Win The First of Six Out West | What? Sixers Playoff Bound? Believe It! | GameThink: If I Were Coaching The Sixers… | Iguodala’s Buzzer-Beater Gives Memphis the Blues | Where two roads meet in Memphis | Lakers Balance Dooms Sixers in Philly | GAME TIME: History in the making | Pacers Race By Sixers in Indiana | GameThink: “Dear Mr. Answer…”
**Like what you read? Please head over to BallHype by clicking here (free registration required) and selecting the upward arrow next to this story. Leave your comments below as well. E-mail may be sent to sixers@mvn.com. Thank you!**
This entry was posted
on Saturday, December 29th, 2007 at 6:27 pm and is filed under Phil Jasner, Mo Cheeks, Rodney Carney, Kyle Korver, Sixers, Drive and Dish, Eddie Stefanski, Ed Stefanski, D-League, Chris McCurry, Andre Miller, Ronnie Brewer, Thabo Sefolosha, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Bobcats, Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan, Andrei Kirilenko, Morris Almond, Thaddeus Young, Gordon Giricek, Matt Harpring, Philadelphia 76ers.
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12 Responses to “Korver traded to Utah”
December 29th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I think this was a very good deal for the Sixers. Korver is a nice player but he is basically a one-trick pony, that is, when he is missing 3-pointers (as he seems to have been doing more of this year), he hurts the team more than he helps it. He plays hard but is a defensive liability every time he hits the floor. He is a gadget player and right now the Sixers need cap space more than gadget players.
To me, the best thing about this trade is that it symbolizes that Stefanski is thinking big picture and has no interest in being an 8-seed for the sole purpose of looking good for the fans. Giricek is an expiring contract and should be seen as nothing more, whether he puts up 17 points a game or never sees meaningful minutes.
December 29th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
I think overall this is a good trade, although I’m leaning towards the bad because I really liked what Kyle brought to the team. However, with the emergence of Lou Williams and perhaps (hopefully) more Thaddeus, this deal could work out even more in the short term than it looks on paper.
December 29th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
The biggest problem with Kyle was that his coach tended to play him at power forward. It will be interesting to see how Coach Cheeks responds. I don’t mind giving Thaddeus minutes at the four, although I’d like to see more Jason Smith as well.
December 29th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Definitely a solid trade. Giricek is a good shooter, not as good as Kyle, but then again very few are. Giricek is tough. He might not be all-defense but he is definitely much less of a defensive liability than Korver has been.
I loved Kyle and for me, the biggest detriment to this trade is, like you said, he was part of the identity of the team.
I do agree, though, that it is a smart move in the longrun. I personally don’t think Andre Miller is going anywhere. I feel that it was either Korver or Miller leaving to free up capspace and that they would go after a Maggette or someone like that in the off-season to play alongside Miller until Little Lou (Nick Cannon) is ultimately ready to take over.
December 29th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
I want to follow up with Mike44, I don’t think Management is in a “playoff push.” They aren’t tanking the season, but they aren’t even looking at this season as a rebuilding year, they are just evaluating the players and coaches - and will make more trades in the future.
Everybody knew Kyle was a bad contract. He’s going to be able to contribute for the Jazz, I’d expect him to play 10-15 minutes a game, but still average near 10 points.
Of course Stefanski is saying he doesn’t know what he’s going to do with Miller, he’s trying to get the best price possible and if we make it like we want to give him away then his price goes down.
That’s what happened to Billy King when he said “Culture Change” the price he could have gotten for Iverson dropped because everybody knew he had to sell. Who did we end up with for Iverson? Andre Miller and Jason Smith (and less a couple of bucks as well).
December 29th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Jon,
No offense, but you should have taken a little more time and thought this thing through.
You said in your blog:
“This deal makes little sense to me other than the cap flexibility”.
Jon, have you been watching the games? Kyle defense, ball handling, and fouls are killing us. Physically, he seems overwhelmed at the forward positions. He appears too slow, and too short to compete. And, inexplicably, he has lost his shot. Additionally, he is eating up precious minutes that should be going to more deserving players.
I also think Gordon is a better player than you’re giving him credit for being. He’s a good shooter, has a better handle, and is a better defender than Kyle. Also, he plays a position that we need help at.
You, also, said in your blog:
“For Stefanski’s first move, this leaves us Sixers fans severely wanting.”
I don’t think that is true at all. I was over at the Deep Sixer Blog, and there was over thirty responses from the fans. The vast majority were positive, and extremely complementary for Ed Stefanski. My impression is most fans liked the deal.
My analysis of this trade is, I like it very much. I believe it makes us stronger at the two, and improves our defense. This is a very good trade because, in my opinion, we get the better player in the deal, along with the possibility of four million dollars in cap relief (to go along with the six millon we already have), if we decide it’s a better option than keeping him. And, we obtained a future first round pick, that, in itself, is really big, especially when you consider how well we draft.
Yes, I believe, this is a very good deal and Ed Stefanski hit a home run in his first at bat!!
December 29th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Thanks for the thoughts, Steve. I put down my initial thoughts, and looking at it for this season and for both sides is what motivated me to say that the deal made little sense to me, although moving Korver definitely creates more opportunities for Young (which in a perfect world, wouldn’t intersect anyway). Still, Kyle is a better player than Giricek. I’ve watched much more Kyle than Gordon, but I’ve seen Gordon play for the Grizzlies, Magic and Jazz. Like I said, I think the best part of the deal is more playing time for Thaddeus Young. I’ve liked what I’ve seen of our rookies. Besides that, sleeping on it might yield some more thoughts on the matter.
The more I look at the job Kyle did for us, the more I conclude that his biggest weakness was that coaching misused his talents. When you play a small lineup on the floor, you need to have some athleticism out there. However, with Kyle at the power forward during a good portion of his playing time (especially in fourth quarters), that wasn’t the case.
December 29th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
By the way, Giricek is an expiring contract who makes us just a little better at the 2 (mainly because Carney is a wreck and Green is undersized), but isn’t nearly as good as you’re making him sound (granted, he’s probably better than I’m sounding too…so let’s agree on a middle).
Home run? I’ll give you a single and you can take second on a passed ball.
December 30th, 2007 at 5:34 am
I’m going to leave some quick thoughts.
I think both sides made out ok. I don’t think it really matters where Korver swings to as long as he’s on the court. I doubt this is notice for Kirilenko; with his contract who is going to take him that the Jazz would be willing to take back?
As far as what Philly got they got a 1st rounder and a guy who may or may not do something.
Since I’m probably the only person in the world who doesn’t think Billy King’s tenure was as bad as it looked, and I’m absolutely positive of this, I was also the only Kings fan in the world who was begging for the Kings to take Jason Smith. If Cheeks, and Larry Brown next season, are patient with him he could be a near level all star. The only thing of Smith I saw that disappointed me was his small hands and his somewhat short reach.
Either way I think you could flip a coin on this deal for both teams. The only way Philly wins is if they get a high caliber player in that 1st pick. The only way Utah wins is if they find a way to maximize Korver and the other fellows around him by finding creative ways to use all of them on the court at the same time. This is like most NBA trades; both teams swap what they’re willing to lose and don’t mind getting in return.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Gordon Giricek should be surpisingly productive in the free flowing system of Mo Cheeks. The system isn’t strict like Sloan’s system. Gordon can shoot the three and has a little post game. I think his defense is underrated. He really gets after it on that end of the floor. The first round pick is protected so it could be a while before the Sixers actually put it to good use. What about trading Dalembert and Evans? Maybe the Sixers can get a deal done for Gasol.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:57 am
Pookeyguru,
By on notice, I’m referring to playing time. Korver got a good portion of his minutes in a small ball lineup that Sloan doesn’t use, thanks to having Boozer and Millsap as your power forwards, and Kirilenko capable (suited, even) of sliding over to the four.
E-ROC,
The next trade should be even more interesting. Is this just a start? Perhaps. Only 3 weeks into the job and Eddie makes a deal. He’s moving forward aggressively. I’d love to bring in Gasol, but we need Evans to stick around long enough for Tyreke to go to Villanova!
For the next to go, I’d be looking at Green and Carney as high possibilities. Carney is still playing on his rookie deal and Green has a long contract, so look for Willie to be dealt for an expiring deal if they go that route.
January 1st, 2008 at 8:59 pm
(just got back home after 3 days off…saw all the news and the 2 games I missed)
I am midway between Jon and LA Steve here
No way Giricek is the best player of the two (= LA Steve is completely wrong in this and their career stats are there to confirm it) but we got the best out of this deal for the things he said
Listen I am a HUGE Korver fan for many reasons but KK seemed to have lost a step this year so, yes, LA Steve is right, he was missing many open shots that usually he was knocking down automatically and he perhaps already reached his peak…
Jon is right when he underlines Giricek’s weaknesses, but mainly when says that Thad will get more minutes now, and I think that Thad has the potential to become XXX times the player that KK ever was (or can become…)
So if the goal is reaching a 8th seed this year, yes the move could be a step back, if the goal is winning a title in 3-4 yrs, well…. goodbye Kyle, I really loved you !!
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