Locke Dating Game: Francisco Garcia

Posted by David Locke on May 26, 2009

Who: Francisco Garcia (6′7″ shooting guard, Sacramento Kings, 13 pts; 3 rebs; 2 ast — 44% 40% from three)
Why is he available: contract runs through 2013 averaging 6 million a year.  Jumps from 1.4 million to 6 this year.
What would it take: Jazz could move an expiring contract of Harpring or Korver for Garcia contract
Why would they do it: With the #4 pick of the draft the best players are shooting guards and the roster all ready has Kevin Martin.  They don’t need a 6 million dollar back-up.

Why is this a good move: Garcia is a true shooting guard.  He moves well without the ball.  He was the #1 option when he was at Louisville and can handle the big moments.  Tough minded.  Started 36 games when Martin was out and averaged 13 pts that can go either as a positive or a negative, he shot 43% from the field and 40% from three as a starter. The Locke offensive rankings have him as a 19.5 in 07-08 and a 13.0 with extended time in 08-09. 19.5 is a starter caliber number. A shooter that has to be guarded.

In 07-08 the Kings were better when he was on the floor and were considerably better defensively when he was on the floor.

Why is this a bad move: Not very athletic. The slip in his numbers when he got more time is not a great sign.  The Kings were just terrible when he was on the floor and the defense was historically bad all year and equally bad when he was on the floor. Is that Garcia or the Kings. This was not the case in 07-08 and 06-07.

Overall: The Jazz need a good shooting guard who can stretch the floor.  I am not sure Garcia is a starting shooting guard in the NBA.

What do you think?

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1 Comment

J R Stewart on May 28, 2009 said:

As Matty’s wheels squeek more and more, each year, this might be one of those mid-year trades (wink-wink) where Matt is traded, released and paid, then resigned by the Jazz for the veterans minimum, if they still need him.
You would guess the Jazz will go with Matt until mid-year and trade then, rather than now, when his expiring contract is more valuable, and they may need luxury tax relief. Also, if he stays healthy, he can be an asset.

Jazzaholic

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