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Luc Richard Mbah A Moute SF/PF – 6’8, 230lbs - 31 years old - 10 years of experience
Over the years, Mbah A Moute has made himself into one of the best role players in the NBA. Sometimes on good teams, sometimes on bad teams, but this year, on the best team of all during the regular season.
The phrase “in the regular season” is, though, doing quite a lot there. In the penultimate regular season game, Mbah A Moute hurt his shoulder, and although he returned after the first round, he was never quite as effective in the playoffs as he has been hitherto.
When he is healthy, Mbah A Moute is an integral part of what the Rockets run on both ends of the court, particularly defensively. Playing both forward positions and also as a small ball centre at times makes him a lynchpin of a good quality and versatile defensive unit. Luc's length, athleticism and persistence make him an excellent team defender, and he uses that same athleticism to run the court offensively.
This was also a career best season for his normally streaky three-point shot. It seems as though constantly being set up by All-Star guards can make a man look better. Mbah A Moute also had some success off the dribble, driving close-outs and the wide-open lanes made available by the constant threat of all the shooters around him.
The price of glue guys is always hard to gauge, and with both Luc and Trevor Ariza entering free agency this summer, the Rockets have important decisions to make as to whether either or both should be retained. Whether Mbah A Moute is retained or not, however, he was just as good as advertised this year; indeed, he was better.
Player Plan: Expiring minimum salary contract. He is worth more than that, but hope that he doesn’t know that and will come back for another one.
Luc Richard Mbah A Moute SF/PF, 6’8, 230lbs, 30 years old, 9 years of experience
Very good season for him, a reliable presence in the midst of injuries and underperforming peers on the wing. Improved both his offensive load and his efficiency while continuing the disruptive, irritating defence for which he is valued. Very important as an on-ball defender at a position where the team had no other. He must, however, be upgraded. Mbah A Moute should be the backup to a player like Mbah A Moute who can space the floor consistently and drive on close-outs. The fact that he received nearly 1,800 regular season minutes meant the team played large amounts of effectively four-on-five half court basketball. Has a player option for little more than the minimum and will likely opt out; with Early Bird rights, however, he ought be re-signed.
Player Plan: Has declined a player option for $2,302,135. Worthy of tax-payer MLE money.
[...] Being traded is the surest way to do that, and in being dealt to the Kings from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, Williams is afforded that opportunity of redemption. Sacramento, in recent history poor at developing young talents or winning cultures, is trying to distance itself from this recent history and create a better culture, a better climate for incubating younger talents, and (not coincidentally) a better defensive unit. This is why they brought in Mbah A Moute from the Milwaukee Bucks for the extremely low price of a 2016 second round pick and a right to swap 2019 seconds - Mbah A Moute, after all, is rightly revered one of the better defensive forwards in the league. New Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro was a member of the Denver Nuggets front office in 2011 that signed him to a subsequently matched offer sheet, and seemingly had not forgotten the virtues that he saw in him then.
[...] What Williams does seem to have made some strides towards thus far in his career is his defense. Williams' effort, normally sufficient, is now aided by better awareness and fundamental positioning, and despite the odd lapse, there is improvement on that end of the court, and it was sorely needed. Of course, the Timberwolves rightly noted that, if it was combo forward defensive ability they want, Williams could never rival Mbah A Moute. He is one of the league's best on that end, and, despite an anomalous decline on the offensive end last season, he regularly contributes enough on that end (career 6.8 ppg, 46% FG) to not be a liability.
However, as decent as he is, Mbah A Moute now joins a team that already has Dante Cunningham. The two are not identical, but neither are the Buffer brothers, Bruce and Michael - even though one is better, you're still getting much the same thing from both. The Wolves' strong and fun starting five are undermined right now by a lack of depth, but Mbah A Moute, duplicating the suitably defensive and tenacious Cunningham as much as he does, does not rectify this greatly. Chase Budinger will when he returns, yet when he does, someone's minutes will have to suffer. And while the Wolves do need improved team defense, hence the desire to trade for one of the best team defending forwards around, Mbah A Moute will only better the team he is on if he gets on the court. If he does, someone else at that position doesn't, and the weaknesses elsewhere aren't fixed.
It is fair to say, then, that Mbah A Moute is not a great return for Williams. [...]
Second-round picks are the new first-round picks. It is they which are used on reclamation projects (Thomas Robinson, already traded twice in his career, has yet to yield one), and for acquiring decent backups. Memphis acquired the rights to Wroten's replacement, Nick Calathes, from Dallas in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick. Milwaukee acquired a second-round pick as compensation for taking on Luke Ridnour as a part of the Kevin Martin trade. Sacramento acquired Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from Milwaukee in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick and the right to swap 2019 seconds, and at the last deadline, Marcus Morris, a useful player for Houston, yielded only a second-rounder, too.
In some additional related bookkeeping, the reason for many of the players listed in the previous list was due to the NBA's contract guarantee date. All players on NBA rosters on or after January 10th have their contracts guaranteed for the remainder of the season (future seasons are unaffected); this also includes waivers. In-season waivers are 48 hours long and do not include weekends; therefore, with the 10th of January being a Monday, players had to be waived by close of business on Wednesday 5th in order to have cleared waivers before the deadline date.
