I posted this on BlogBulls. Basically I am really worried about D West's defense. Yes his shooting has been down, but honestly his D has been worse. Here's my idea. And yes I think Deng can play the 4 well.

David West for Luol Deng. The move is a pretty straightforward deal.

For you guys: David West, one of the best pick and pop bigs in the game. Additionally he would be a terrific compliment to both Rose and to Noah. You guys run alot of high pick and roll, which makes alot of sense becuase ofthe point guard you have (granted it isn't working now because the wings can't/ aren't spacing the floor from the three point line).

D West is perfect for the high pick and roll because he can either 1) be the pick er in which case he draws his big with him because no one wants to leave him alone for an open j, or 2) he can be a floor spacer from the elbow if Noah is the picker. This was the type of pick and roll that the Hornets most often used with Chandler. Noah actually reminds me alot of Tyson. It really frees space up in the middle of the floor for both Rose and Noah. This allows Noah to use his speed and length to get back to the post, and it gives Rose more options.

Two other benefits are 1) West is an underrated shot creator. He gets a fair amount of assisted shots from Paul, but he also good at both taking bigs off of the dribble, and posting up on smaller defenders. and 2) He is a good passer from the high post. He's been really good with feeding Okafor this year and has been averaing a high assist rate recently for a forward.

Defensively, West is less mobile then Tyrus, and obviously Deng, but he is also bigger then both of them. He has a more solid frame then Noah as well and would take over a fair amount of the post defense duties so that Noah can be free to roam. Additionally, if he was playing against a banger then he could make them work on the defensive end. This worked really well for the Hornets when we had Chandler. West played post d and Tyson was our pick and roll/ weakside defender. West has had a down year so far in points but he has been playing much better of the last 10 days.

As for the Hornets... we move Deng to the 4. We will make use of his mid range j, since he loves to shoot that shot. He is also so quick for his size that becomes a great pick and roll defender and weak side defender. Okafor has the bulk so he can be our Kendrick Perkins type. Also, Deng is an excellent rebounder so we don't miss anything there. Perhaps mostimportanly we give CP3 a big who can run. This is crucial, because right now, no one can run with him so his vision and quickness is wasted.

Additionally, I don't think you can really pair Rose and Deng together in the long term. Neither one will ever be a 3 point shooter, so unless you get a stretch 4, you are doomed to only having one 3 point shooter on the court. This kills floor spacing, and it will make it much harder for rose to operate in the half court. Same goes for Deng, as people will just crowd him.

Now you might ask yourselves... why don't we just move Deng to the 4 spot permanently. He can hit the open J and play d and rebound. The problem is defensively, Deng isn't a great option for you guys. Pairing him Noahdoesnt work beacue neither one has the fram to be a banger.

The other issue would be what to do with with the wing now that Deng isn't there. I think you should move Salmonsback to the 3 where he can take advantage of quickness matchups, and trade Tyrus for a 2 who can shoot. With the size of Rose and Hinrich you'd be able to get a combo guard. I'd recommend Tyrus for Jerryd Bayless and Outlaw. Outlwa probably won't play this year, but he is an expiring. The Blazers need another big, and you guys could take advantage of Bayless's quickness.

Also West's contract actually declines every year and he makes a million less then Deng this year, so it gives you some extra cash to throw around next year and it gives a little extra money to buy a vet for a minimum contract this year.

And no, we wouldn't do Tyrus for West. We would need a first or some wing help that you guys can't really provide us.

Thoughts?