What Gerald must do for you to keep him

[Veteran_Picksetter]

Last night's game-winner illustrated what I eventually wanted to see from Hendo when we drafted him at #13 a few years ago.

Perhaps we've been over this before, but how do you see this shaking out??

1. Would we be seeing more points from Gerald if we didn't have established vets Gordon and Sessions, along with the improvement of Walker?

2. Is Gerald expendable because he is injury-prone? It seems like he's always got some nagging situation or has to sit out altogether. It's hard to develop a guy in that situation.

3. How should Jeff Taylor or the possibility of getting Shabazz Muhammed affect our negotiations with Hendo??

4. I was hoping to see Gerald jump from 15 points to 18 a night this year, but likely due to reasons 1 and 2 above, it's just not happening.....

[superb1]

As far as no. 1, I think Hendo has to be more assertive. Sometimes he plays as if he's the 3rd or 4th option.

sent from the pseudo GM offices of the Charlotte Hornets

[Chef]

gerald henderson would be the perfect sg on the thunder. so i guess if he is the 4th or 5th option and the other options aren't sg's than he is your guy.

[fan_of_a_fan]

I have despised Hendo's presence as a go-to guy, #1 option, and the face of our franchise for the past year & a half, but now that that phase has phased out I'm more than obliged with the possibility of keeping him around for a few more years. We have much bigger issues in our frontcourt going forward, and that's the area in which I hope we address in this upcoming draft or via trade.

[adam187]

love his attitude, love the fact that he has consistently gotten better every year and continued to add new facets to his game. seems like an excellent teammate and person. he cares about the game.

the only thing i'd want from hendo to keep him around is him signing at the right price. he's an average to above average player, so the team should try to keep him because he is an asset and you don't let assets just walk unless you have some plan in mind for replacing them (see sessions for augustin). so unless the salary goes so high as to make him a non-asset i say we try to retain him.

no, i do not think he is the shooting guard of the future for this team.

his injury history also makes it basically impossible to consider him part of a team's core. sucks because he's a good dude, but those recurring injuries are a real liability.

[GoBobs]

The main thing is just sign a reasonable contract. ( 3yrs 18-20 mil or 4 years 24-26 mil )

Other then that I want to know he is healthy and not playing through some injury that won't go away. I want the coach to tell me he is a good teammate and locker room guy, and I want to see more mental toughness.

[QC Thundercats]

The only thing he needs to do for me to want to keep him is agree to a reasonable salary.

If we draft one of the stud SGs coming up this year, and Hendo is good enough to hold them off as a starter for a couple years, then more power to him. That would mean he has a strong competitive streak and he would have improved his game a lot to stay ahead. If the rookie SG beats him out for the starting spot, then we have great depth at 2 guard spot, something that all great teams have.

He's not an alpha dog, so he'll never be that go to scorer or someone to carry the team home. But he does have that nasty edge to him, and isn't afraid to mix it up with other players. We need more players like that. I'd lock him up long term if its reasonable. If he gets an offer elsewhere that is too much for us, then I wish him well in his next destination.

[fan_of_a_fan]

No way should we offer Hendo more than 3 years with his bulging disc in the lower back history since Duke, and even that's a stretch. He won't be able to demand but so much in the open market due to the fact that everything Bobcats related in the NBA has diminished value. Personally, if I was Cho & Co. I would play it safe, dare a team to offer him a contract that we aren't willing to match, and then extend the qualifying offer to him.

[Roon]

I still want to trade him. We need assets that we can build this team around. Henderson is a solid player, but he is not on the same plane as Walker or MKG; those are our cornerstones. Henderson would be a solid 6th man, but I really see him as a role player more than anything. He can have break-out games, but he lacks consistency. I say we cash him in if his stock is high. I would be very upset if he got the $6-7 million a year deal that some people here are throwing around. I just don't think he is good enough for that kind of money and if he is that good, then I think I would be happier with the assets we could get by trading him than I would be having him on the team. Sound harsh? Maybe so.

I could see the Blazers being very interested in him because their bench is so thin. With Rando going down to an ACL tear, would the Celtics be interested in bringing him in now that Avery Bradley is going to have to see time at the point position? Maybe the Warriors would like to strengthen their team by adding him to their squad. I think that if Cho puts him out there, he could have many trade partners that would be interested in parting with a pick or young player.

[kitch0202]

Hendo is a decent player and, by the looks of things, a good teammate. He clearly cares about the game and is an asset to us. He does have a history of injury, not that bad a history, but it is a concern for anyone looking to offer him a 3odd year deal. This 'bulging disc' is a real worry. I work as a trainer and sports therapist with high level athletes and conditions such as this need extremely careful treatment/management and don't just go away.

He is a borderline starter/bench guy (as QC Thundercats says "he's not an alpha dog") and there lies the problem ... will he accept an offer from us that reflects this? I don't think there's anyone on here that would be disappointed if we signed him to a 2-3 year deal, as long as the money is fair.

In cases such as this our players need to be looked at as assets, with each and every asset having its value. If we can get more value for him by trading him then we should do it. If however we can sign him to a favourable contract then I'm happy to have him on this team.

If however we either draft a Shabazz/McLemore or trade for a Jeremy Lamb, then a trade becomes far more likely.