Comments on: Blazers Offer Roy Hibbert a Max, Four-Year Contract

By: Roy Hibbert and the Quixotic Quest to Quantify Value | Eight Points, Nine Seconds

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 23:34:30 +0000

[...] the bright side, Portland’s max offer sheet to Indiana’s restricted free agent Roy Hibbert has pretty much guaranteed that we as observers will get to see the Pacer summer plans resolved by [...]

By: How the Pacers May Have Turned Courtesy Into a Competitive Advantage | Eight Points, Nine Seconds

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 21:22:55 +0000

[...] the Trailblazers immediately offered Indiana restricted free agent Roy Hibbert a max contract offer on day one of free agency, it may seem as though Simon’s position does little to actually [...]

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 22:14:04 +0000

Hibbert is way better than Marc Gasol.

By: Lines and Links: 7/2/12 | The Off Guard

Lines and Links: 7/2/12 | The Off Guard — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 22:32:48 +0000

[...] The Roy Hibbert situation, from 8 Points, 9 Seconds [...]

By: PG

PG — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 21:50:05 +0000

Sorry Mike, I’m a Hibbert fan, but even I don’t think he’s the caliber player that Gasol is. Gasol is a far better passer than Hibbert and is a stronger one on one post defender (though admittedly that’s needed less and less for centers these days). They’re both very good help defenders. I think Hibbert has a few more low post moves that he doesn’t get to showcase too often due to the Pacers’ poor interior passing. However Gasol moves really well within a limited space. He does a good job getting good position to receive entry passes or interior passes. Zach Randolph is almost always working down low on the block and Gasol still finds a way to make himself available and to crash the boards. He’s also just flat out a way better athlete than Hibbert. Hibbert labors mightily to get up and down the court, especially in transition. Gasol has very little problem with that, plus he’s played 30+ minutes a night his entire career. Hibbert has never played 30+ in 4 seasons. Sorry but if you’re using Gasol’s contract to feel better about Hibbert’s deal, it’s just not working.

As for Hibbert’s deal, I’m really just torn. I know the Pacers need him to succeed, but I think this will hamstring the Pacers into at most a 3 year window in which they have to win a championship. Can they do it with the current personnel? I don’t know, but I think it’s unlikely. If they let him they’ll almost certainly take a step back, even if they get Kaman or someone else. Just a really tough call. I’m still hopeful that he’ll agree to a deal that’s something like $62 million per 5 years.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 19:56:42 +0000

Ian – Exactly. He only blocks 2 shots a game but alters probably 2 or 3 others as well and is that “presence” in the paint whenever he is in. He probably saves 6-8 potential points on D every game for us. I wasn’t a huge Hibbert fan the past few seasons either, but if he walks, we have a huge hole. And with only Kaman out there, he’ll be getting at least 10 mil or more a year. Might as well stick with the guy who knows the system, is younger, and better. It’s not the best scenario for the Pacers, but I highly doubt hibbert is going to be a guy that we look down the road in 3 or 4 years and say “what the hell were we thinking?” He still has some room to improve and playing with a full offseason with the same group of guys and coaches will def. help.

Oh, and Marc Gasol was given a max deal last year. Do we not think Hibbert is better than him even if he is being overpaid?

By: Ian

Ian — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 19:04:08 +0000

Hibbert is imperfect, but he changes everything when he is on the floor. Those sorts of players are rare in the NBA, and not giving him a deal would set us back years. We might as well trade everyone away and tank for a lottery pick. There’s a reason other teams are willing to pay that kind of money.

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:51:13 +0000

@Special K – You can’t use the Heat to make that comparison. (They have Lebron James. And Dwyane Wade. And Chris Bosh.) Before last season, I was one of the people who was in favor of getting rid of Hibbert. He seemed too slow, wasn’t a great finisher (to me), and wasn’t improving at the pace we needed him to. But this season, particularly down the stretch, I saw an all-star center, and an extremely valuable player to our squad. Sure he’s a bit inconsistent and not athletic. But the value he showed during the playoffs was huge. If we want to continue to be title contenders, and if we want to improve, we need to keep Hibbert. He’s becoming a heck of a finisher at the rim and has drastically improved in his post moves; he’s enormously important in his rebounding; he’s a hard worker and a good presence to have on the team; and he’s only showing signs of continued improvement. I was pretty devastated yesterday when I heard the news that the Blazers offered Hibbert a deal. We need him. We need the frontcourt duo of him and West. Our best chance at a title is in the next 1-3 years.. We need to keep our best players on our side, and work to improve our weak spots (i.e. passing-oriented PG, such as STEVE NASH, and bench scoring).

By: Special K

Special K — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:43:34 +0000

As we just saw in the Finals, a true center is no longer an essential piece of a championship team. Roy is passive, not athletic and inconsistent. He disappears entirely far too often, and still hasn’t learned how to not foul. Maybe he’ll develop in to something special, maybe he’ll stay where he is now. One way or another, I just don’t think he’s worth a max contract. Yes, the Pacers would be taking a big step back without him, but look at it this way : will they ever be legit championship contenders if they match this deal?

By: Aj

Aj — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:41:24 +0000

@Mike Really liked your last point. People just see 14.5 Million a year and freak out. It’s not an unreasonable number though considering its the league and the free agency market that dictates a players value. Roy Hibbert is is a better all around center then Omar Asik who just got offered roughly 8 million a year. He was a backup center for the Chicago Bulls last year. Roy Hibbert was not only our starter, but an All Star as well. Players should be rewarded with more money when they reach statuses of that nature. Also consider the fact that he has improved each and every year. If we lock him up for 5 years that 14.5 million is not that bad at all. Remember we have D West coming off the books next season and Granger coming off the books in the next couple years which will free up over 20 Million in cap space!!!! So quit freaking out Pacer Nation, offer Hibbert 5 years 60-65 Million. Also, on a lighter note, George Hill accepted a 5 year deal from the Pacers today! Financial terms were not disclosed yet.