Giving Beno a 5-year/30 million contract was a bad idea that most of us fans agreed upon before it was inked.
He's great at penetrating to the basket, has a nice jumper, but that's about it. He looked good last year because:
1.) He was a marked "scrub" picked up off of waivers, and surprised many
2.) He penetrated well, something Mike Bibby rarely did in his later years
3.) Showed more true-PG skills than Bibby, who seemed to be relegated to a jumpshooter
4.) He was shooting 3's much better than his career average
5.) He played with heart. He truly played to his potential...and cashed in this summer.
This year, he's reverted back to the player that he was in San Antonio: shoot-first, turnover-prone PG who is a poor defender. This is further amplified by raised expectations, via contract, and declining FG, 3-PT %'s. His defense is also getting worse, as PGs blow by him at will...and he's been inconsistent, not just game-to-game, but in the minutes he plays. I don't know how best to explain it, but sometimes you look at his stats and are surprised, as they look decent, but if you watched the game, he looked a lot worse than the his stats read.
As for Brad, I've always been an advocate of keeping him. I don't think Hawes is ready to be the full-time starting center of this team. Plus, who's going to make up for all the assists, Beno? The offense has and currently run mostly through Brad, and losing him would be a blow.
But then again, we're on pace to win 20-25 games this season. What's to lose, huh? If the team, with Brad, isn't winning, then why not trade him if the right deal comes along? Plus, he appears to be declining...
Beno is untradeable...sorry. But Brad still is, but not to many. If we do trade him at the deadline, let's get a good player, bencher, and a 2010 pick (I say '10 because this draft might be the worst since '00). Sad to see him go, but honestly, what do we have to lose?