I’ll say this: if there is a more automatic jump shot in the league than David Andersen’s turnaround from the block, then please enlighten me, because I have yet to see anything close to as effective. The problem with Andersen was that aside from the fancy jumper, there wasn’t much else to see.
The Rockets acquired Andersen from the Atlanta Hawks last year with the hopes that the Australian could blossom into a serviceable backup with a knack for scoring in Yao’s absence. Though Andersen proved he could find the basket in limited minutes, his defense left plenty to be desired and his ineffective rebounding cost the Rockets in the paint.
As a result, Houston snatched up Brad Miller and Patrick Patterson. They also picked up Chuck Hayes’ team option, leaving little room for Andersen at all.
Trading Andersen not only gets the Rockets a nice second-rounder – it also frees up roster space. Now, the Rockets will be able to add, say, a third point guard to their 15-man roster if they so choose.
Andersen was never going to be a trade asset in a larger deal, so there’s not much to lose here. But we will surely miss the Aussie-ness, as well as the near-perfect hair that stayed that way during games.
We’ll send Andersen off with a video, of course.