Nene Hilario: 5 Teams he should consider this free agency – NBA feature
Dominating centres are hard to find in NBA these days.
The NBA is still under a lockout out and this is keeping the teams from acquiring players or negotiating deals. However once the situation gets back to normal, Nene Hilario will be the most wanted free agent and is expected to
get offers from various teams,
The 6 feet 11 Brazilian giant was the 7th overall pick by New York Knicks in the 2002 NBA draft and was traded to Denver Nuggets in the same year. He played nine seasons with the Nuggets and averaged 12.3 points, 6.9
rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
With the combo of defense, superb shot blocking and leadership qualities, he can be a jewel for any team. However there are five teams in total that should be considered by him.
Talking about the San Antonio Spurs, addition of Nene would give the much needed interior defense as Matt Bonner is an outside shooter who does not meet the criteria of a real center. His talent when combined with one of the most
consistent veteran player of NBA, Tim Duncan, will give an opportunity for the Spurs to become a legitimate contender of the championship. The Spurs should go for a sign-and-trade with the Nuggets and acquire Nene by giving their point guard, Tony Parker in
return.
Absence of a legitimate centre had resulted in consecutive failures of the Atlanta Hawks to enter the third round in the NBA playoffs. Nene will be able to take the burden off the shoulders of Al Horford and this would allow him
to produce well as a power forward. He would also make one of the best shot blocking duos when coupled with Josh Smith and the team could move to the finals of Eastern Conference.
Nene’s solid defense and effective rebounding would help to fill the void that the Golden State Warriors have on the defense. Andris Biedrins and David Lee are good when it comes to offense but they show lack of consistency in
their performance. Biedrins was bitten by the injury bug many times in the previous seasons and this caused a decline in his performance. To get Nene on board, the Warriors have only one option; trade, as they can offer their bunch of offensive players to
the Nuggets.
The frontcourt of Los Angeles Clippers does not need a lot of depth. The big centre with a 6 feet 11 frame, DeAndre Jordan would leave the team and join the one which would pay him more. This would be an alarming situation for
the Clippers. Nene’s induction in the team would provide the team the defense as well as the leadership which the young player did not offer. Chris Kaman is also an underrated centre, prone to injuries for the few seasons in past, who can be traded to acquire
Nene.
The centre of Utah Jazz, Al Jefferson is not-so-good defender but he was traded to Utah with two future picks and cannot be traded. Nene would provide the shot blocking and toughness to the team. There is a lot of young talent
on the Jazz’s roster which can be offered to the Nuggets to trade Nene. The power forward Kenyon Martin could be a good addition to the Nuggets.
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