Locke Dating Game: Andres Nocioni

Who:   Andres Nocioni
Why is he available:  He has three years left on his contract plus a club option at around 7 million a year
What would it take:   Matt Harpring gets the deal done under the rules.  Korver would be close. 
Why would they do it:  Gets the Kings out from the 2010 and 2011 years on the contract to Nocioni

Why is this a good move:  The concern with letting Hapring go is that you lose the toughness.  Nocioni  is thought of as one of the tougher players in the NBA.  A better three point shooter than most people recognize.  He hit 40% of his three point shots last season including 44% with Sacramento.  For his career he is a 37% shooter.  He uses an offensive possession well above average.  His Locke rating was 14, (10 is average and 20 is a high level starter) which means he is above average.  The year prior he was 15 and before that he was over 20   He is Matt Harpring a few years ago, grabbing about 5 boards again as a 6'7 small forward who can go play the 4 if necessary.

Why is this a bad move:  For all his toughness his teams have always been better defensively when he is on the bench than when he was on the floor.   He doesn't go to the free throw line very much.  He is more of a purely perimeter player than people realize.  He used 35% of his possessions to shot a three and a year prior was at 31%.  In comparison  Korver used 38% of his possessions as threes.  The biggest negative is he is a complete gunner.   He shoots every 2 minutes he on the floor. This is one of the highest rates in the NBA of a non-superstar. 

Overall: On the surface Nocioni seems like a nice fit for the Jazz.  The three years left on the contract are a big issue as the tax continues to drop.  He is unique in his ability to spread the floor and still play the game with a level of toughness.  The poor defensive numbers are related to his lack of athleticism so he doesn't address this issue for the Jazz.

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