Herrmann & Brezec Sent to Detroit for Nazr

It's December 15, ladies and germs, and we have a trade. Charlotte swapped out underused but saucy Germanic Argentine Walter Herrmann and defensive workhorse Primoz Brezec for Detroit's one-year-old mistake in Nazr Mohammed. Charlotte gets the big man not named Primoz they need; Detroit loses a contract they've wanted to lose since they drew it up while adding a potent bench threat. Win, win, win...

... except it seems Charlotte could've used Herrmann, too, but didn't. He was brilliant last season as injuries ravaged the Cats. And guess what? Injuries have ravaged Charlotte this year, too. But Jason Richardson's addition at the two has pushed Gerald Wallace into more frontcourt minutes, and Sam Vincent clearly prefers Matt Carroll to Herrmann as the substitute sniper. You'd think with Adam Morrison and Sean May on ice through April we'd have seen more Walter. No, he hasn't been shooting as well as he did last season. But you have to remember he really came on when he was getting big minutes last spring, not in miniature stints... bursts of playing time few players can excel in.

Mohammed's contract is the only major piece of currency in this deal -- both Brezec and Herrmann are unrestricted free agents this July. The move costs Charlotte about an extra $1 million this year -- much less than they would've spent on any replacement big out there anyways. But the real fiscal movement comes over the next three years, as Nazr is allotted another $18 million. No sweat for sane Charlotte; huge news for Detroit. Mohammed's contract has been an albatross for almost a full year. Slipping out of that noose gives Joe Dumars plenty of flexibility heading into the final year of Rasheed Wallace's contract. Joe Dumars with flexibility? Frightening.