Firestarter: Why not Walter Hermann?

Apparently there is some league interest in Walter Hermann, the Argentinian forward that caught on with the Bobcats last season. Here's why - the 6'9" 225lb forward shot .461 from three point range in 48 games last season. It was his rookie season.

Hermann also displayed the ability to rebound, block shots, and play physical as well as score from anywhere on the floor. In 19.5 minutes per game last season, Hermann scored 9.2 points per contest on .527 shooting from the floor.

Why is this talent available? He is a restricted free agent, which means the Bobcats can match any offer. But the Bobcats have bigger cats to skin; Gerald Wallace is a free agent and the newly acquired Jason Richardson is going to put a dent in their pocketbook (4 years at 11M, 12M, 13M, and 14M following). If they are going to re-sign Wallace, they are going to have to put a similar deal on the table.

The Bobcats are in pretty good shape capwise, coming in at around $35M as of right now with 12 players signed. That leaves roughly 20-25M to play with.

So they don't necessarily need to hold onto Hermann - nor do they need to deal him. They may, however, want to add some players to shore up their talent pool and do have needs at PG (they released Knight) and SF (they plan on re-signing Wallace) and center.

Michael Doleac, who is in the final year of his contract with the Heat, could be a possibility. The Bobcats could use some depth behind Primoz Brezec and Doleac offers just that and very little in the way of commitment. Hermann has a team option on the table at 1.9M., so the Heat could eat up some of Doleac's salary to make it more lucrative for the Bobcats.

However it gets done, the Heat could benefit from adding a talent like Hermann for several reasons - the Heat aren't looking to get younger and more athletic, they are looking for more diversity from their talent pool so they can favor matchups in the playoffs. The #1 reason why Miami lost to Chicago, apathy and poor work ethic aside, was because the Heat couldn't adapt to the matchups. Hermann gives the Heat a player that could play SF or PF, can shoot it outside or catch it in the post. He can create space as well as benefit from having defenders give him space while being occupied with Wade or Shaq. He is an intense competitor as well as a smart basketball player.

He might be had at the right price, and for the Heat with their cap issues, it could be a perfect solution. Now, you just have to convince the Bobcats to make that deal within their own division.