I was at a gas station in Glendora, listening to the radio when Mitch Kupchak came on the air waves to discuss the newest acquisition by the Los Angeles Lakers, Roy Hibbert. I was a bit speechless but much like watching a train wreck I could not "turn away" so I listened to what the Lakers GM had to say."Getting a rim protector (Roy Hibbert) and a force in the paint is something we have not had. I think he'll be challenged to have a really good year going into a free agent year. I think he feels that the last year or year and a half in Indiana didn't go as well as he'd like. And he wants to get back at playing at a very, very high level and make the all-star team."
I wanted to believe this but had my doubts. Didn't Roy Hibbert struggle and have problems with the team (Management) in Indiana? (I asked myself)
"Isn't Roy Hibbert a slow-moving and stiff Big Man who is primarily know for defense and doesn't DO a whole lot else?" (self)
Wait a minute... DEFENSE. Riiiiiiight...
SOMETHING the Lakers have sorely been lacking, especially in the paint and around the rim..
Roy, after all does pride himself on being a defensive-minded protector of the basket.
OK, well, maybe this CAN help the Lakers after ALL. (the fanatic says to himself)
Roy Hibbert, at the time of this trade, had one-year left on his deal. He was willing to forgo approx $2.2M in salary kicker to leave Indiana.
The Lakers traded a "future draft pick and cash" for the rights to Hibbert. That future pick ends up being a second round draft pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. If you are a Lakers fan then you already know the kind of GOLD they have discovered over the year in round two; the most recent of which is starting guard Jordan Clarkson. We shall see about Anthony Brown who is finally seeing some PT of late..
Incidentally, that second round pick that was traded to Indiana? THAT PICK was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, about two weeks later, for
"Now, it's still possible that Indiana could send Christmas to play for its D-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Mad Ants....But Even if Christmas is in the D-League, he'll be earning NBA money. The Pacers reportedly signed him to a 4-year, $4.5 million deal with the first two years guaranteed."
{source: Mike Waters_syracuse.com 7/24/15}
And THAT is precisely where Mr. Christmas has been, in the D-League, averaging 15.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks.
Speaking of BLOCKS.
Roy Hibbert complained profusely, back in 2013, when he DID NOT win the DPOY (Defensive Player of the YEAR). In fact, he came in tenth. Paul George, a teammate of Hibbert at the time, was voted ahead of him. Roy also did NOT make ANY ALL-DEFENSIVE teams that year. He averaged 11.9 Points, 8.3 Rebounds and 2.6 Blocks. This (12-13)was one of his best years and certainly the one with the most blocks per contest. Indiana, as a team, also led in points allowed per possession.
Hassan Whiteside who currently leads the NBA with 3.8, Anthony Davis is second at 2.5 and Hibbert is eleventh with 1.6.
Not really sure if the Lakers are reaping any true defensive benefit by having Roy in the game.
In the video clip you will see that he is not anywhere NEAR the rim he claims to want to protect. At 7-2 he has a tendency to make himself smaller by NOT standing erect and using his arms up high, whether he is defending out front OR down low. He often times LOWERS his arms in almost Tyrannosaurus Rex fashion:
cue the t-rex dance pic.twitter.com/lqjE0Kmnow
— nick pants (@nick_pants) January 12, 2016
You have perhaps heard that a player IS a "double-double waiting to happen." The Los Angeles Lakers have a few of those guys:
Larry Nance, although only has THREE, is really on the cusp of getting to that level with regularity. And by regularity I mean not only achieving the results but by also getting increased playing time for his efforts.
Julius Randle is currently tied with LeBron James and Lamarcus Aldridge with 13 on the year.
Tarik Black? Dude needs PT.
Roy Hibbert on the other hand?
He might be a double-double of another kind. Remember that "cash" portion in the trade that brought him here? Well, rumor has it, Larry Legend's favorite burger joint is Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream. So, in order to sweeten the pot, the Lakers threw in a year's worth of Bub's BIG UGLY burgers. Rumor also has it that the "Big Ugly" is inspired by Big Roy. We could never confirm nor deny any of these so-called rumors which are said to be as viable as when ESPN says, "sources say..."
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| would you trade Roy Hibbert for THIS? |
The ONLY one smiling in THIS is Larry Bird
Eff You, LARRY!
In other news...
Roy Hibbert contemplates the new twitter handle:
Roy Meets Bench