Power Forward – New Orleans Hornets – 6’9″, 240 lbs
Strengths
One of the better offensive Power Forwards in the league. Has a really consistent mid-range jump shot. Shoots a good free throw percentage, above average passer for a big man. Before he got hurt last campaign, he was quietly having his most efficient season shooting from the field in several years.
Weaknesses
Biggest weakness here is the unknown. We don’t know how good West is going to be in his return from a torn ACL. We also don’t how effective he’ll be if he’s not playing with CP3. As far as on the court, he’s not really a gifted athlete. He doesn’t block a lot of shots or get a lot of steals, but he does rebound well for his size.
What He’ll Cost
Had he not jacked his knee up last year, West probably would have garnered a little bit more money. I’d be nervous giving him anything more than $12 to $14 million per year. Obiously because of the slighltly unknown status of the knee, but also because West is over 30 already. And he’s never been a “beast” type of forward. How many more good years does this guy really have?
Three Potential Fits
New Orleans Hornets
As great as I think Chris Paul is, I do think he gets a little more credit than he deserves for “making David West.” Chris Paul is partly able to play the style he plays because of David West. The relationship is very mutual. Without a power foward able to spread the floor and pull his defender out of the paint, it’d be significantly harder for CP3 to manuever into the lane and attack the defense. They need each other. Plus, New Orleans looked pretty good against LA in the playoffs last year, re-adding West will only make them better. And if NO has any hope of keeping Paul around, they better keep some good players in town for him to play with.
Phoenix Suns
This is my favorite option because of how interesting it could be. Bringing in a guy like David West would be a smart move for Phoenix because should his knee injury be fully rehabbed, you get his production with Steve Nash for a year plus whatever Nash gets in his next deal, and then you get David West in your bridge years to the future. The idea there is that you’re hoping that playing in a warm weather city like Phoenix and playing with David West is attractive enough to bring other coveted Free Agents to the Suns. This kind of move might require a Sign and Trade though. Marcin Gortat and other pieces? Who knows? Could get it done if the Hornets don’t want to lose West for nothing.
Indiana Pacers
Danny Granger has been on record saying he wants David West. When you consider how well this team played against Chicago in the first round last year, adding a former All-Star and second-tier star like David West could work wonders for this team. Tyler Hansbrough is a nice piece, but he’s better off the bench in this situation. Collison/Granger/George/West/Hibbert…That’s not a bad lineup at all. They’ll be capaple of scoring A LOT of points. Which they’ll definitely need to do because that lineup won’t be able to stop anybody.
Prediction
This is probably the ballsy-est pick I’ve made so far in these profiles; I think Indiana is going to get him. They have a TON of money available and a good solid young core of guys to play with. Danny Granger is certainly a good player, definitely not good enough to be the best player on a contender, but a West/Granger duo to go with Collison and Hibbert would be very nice to continue to build around.