Despite another solid performance last night (7pts., 5 reb.) against the Sacramento Kings, the Charlotte Bobcats have decided to trade Cody Zeller to the Washington Wizards in exchange for a cardboard cutout -- of Zeller. Head coach Steve Clifford applauded the move executed by management this afternoon. "Cody's a good guy, but we really got a great deal on this trade. It will make our whole team better, and should bring our a better defensive presence to our team," Clifford said.
The number 4 overall pick from this year's NBA draft was visibly upset, but not surprised. "It's understandable. It's a business," Zeller said. "If you can improve your team by making a move like this, you have to go for it."
The Bobcats have been working with the cardboard cutout for the past couple weeks in practice to see if it would be a good fit with the team. With both Zeller and the cutout on the floor at the same time, Zeller was out-rebounded 13 to 2 in 16 minutes of play. "He's tough. He takes up a lot of space. There's a lot that I can learn from him to improve my game," Zeller said of his look-alike.
"We've been using our advanced analytics over the past 2 weeks, and it became clear which direction we should go," Clifford said.One look at Zeller's shot chart, and you can see why. Current teammate Jeffrey Taylor responded to the trade. "That dude is 7-feet-tall, and playing against the other team's bench! 18 minutes a night, and 4 rebounds?!? I'm glad they are bringing someone who can grab some boards, and make some shots around the basket."
Team owner, Michael Jordan was unavailable for comment.
In a related story, Bismack Biyombo was traded for a block of cheese.
