Can Danny?

The Pacific Division seems pretty solid with only the Warriors looking like they might be making a big deal before the season. A couple of other teams have issues to work out but for the most part, the Pacific we see is likely the Pacific we'll get at the start of the season.

Golden State: Baron Davis' name is back in trade rumors and I wouldn't be stunned if he ended up in Beantown. If Ainge thought AI and Telfair could work, he's got to believe that Telfair and Baron could work, especially since Baron's often played alongside another point guard. My bigger fear is that we take on Troy Murphy's deal. Troy is a healthier Raef. He can do some thing but overall he's overpaid and doesn't add enough to help his team win. The Warriors are essentially where the C's could find themselves in a couple years... if we overpay our young guys when their contracts come due. The Warriors are definitely trying to make a move but, right now, they don't seem to have anyone intereted in their young talent.

LA Clipper: The Clippers seem to be set except for Corey Maggette. I'd be stunned if Maggs was a Clipper come playoff time because he can opt out of his contract next offseason, which he'll likely do since he could get a similar deal and doesn't seem exactly wanted by the Clippers. Besides Maggette, I don't see any major moves in the Clippers' plans.

LA Lakers: I wouldn't be stunned to see Lamar Odom traded but right now it seems like the Lakers are heading into the season with him at the PF spot. Andrew Bynum and Kwame might be on the block but I don't know what they'll get for Socks or who would want Brown.

Phoenix: The Suns are hovering around the luxury tax and might have to deal Shawn Marion or Barbosa (who they probably won't be able to resign next season). Kurt Thomas is another candidate but I don't see anyone being very anxious to take on his contract for an expiring deal (and I don't think Barbosa is a good enough asset for someone to swallow Thomas' contract). Orlando and Memphis might be the best options for a Marion deal (Orlando in a salary dump for Hill's contract/picks or Marion/Barbosa/Thomas for Eddie Jones/Swift/Warrick).

Sacramento: Obviously, Bonzi Wells is their main focus. They need to figure out what to do with him or how much they should try to get for him. Let him walk and the Maloofs might miss the luxury tax; resign or sign-and-trade means they'll be paying double for whatever contracts they get. If the luxury tax isn't a concern (which it appears it has become even in Sacramento), the Kings have ten million in expiring contracts in Corliss Williamson/Vitaly Potapenko. I'm sure they also wouldn't mind finding a taker for Kenny Thomas but I don't see anyone biting on that one. Odds are they'll get 25 cents on the dollar for Bonzi in a sign-and-trade and head into the season with the team they have.

Posted by SoulHonky at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Come mid-August, all of the players dealt in the early offseason will be again able to be dealt. The first flurry of free agent signings have passed, leaving a couple of high profile names unclaims (Bonzi Wells, Chris Wilcox, Drew Gooden). So could there get their second trade wind and start making some moves? Let's see where the Atlantic division teams sit and what they seem to be trying to do.

New Jersey Nets: Supposedly the Nets are looking to shore up their frontline, something they've been trying to do ever since K-Mart left town. ESPN is reporting that they have interest in Joe Smith (but then again they reported the Knicks had no interest in Jared Jeffries a day or two before he signed an offer sheet). The problem is that the Nets only have Zoren Planninic, Jeff Mcinnis, and Antoine Wright to offer up in deals. Right now it looks like their most likely option is grabbing a Melvin Ely/Lo Wright type with their exception. (The Clippers reportedly will scoop up Aaron Williams next week) The talks of a blockbuster Richard Jefferson deal seem to have died down but if they want to make a push for the title, they'll likely have to move Jefferson for a big man to make it happen. However, Rod Thorn has never made a big August trade and it's not looking like this year will be any different.

Philadelphia 76ers: Iverson is supposedly off the block, which makes sense because I really didn't see the Sixers getting the better end of any deals. In one years, King will have a much easier time of cleaning house; Webber's contract will be expiring while AI will only have two years left. That being said, it's probably time to try to move Dalembert and Korver's contracts. The problem though is that the talent and financial help that those two could get will likely be less than hoped. Mark Blount? Stromile Swift and Brian Cardinal? With center-deprived teams like the Spurs and Pistons opting for cheaper replacements for their departed big men, the trade market for the Haitian Sensation has dried up. Still, I'd be stunned if Billy King didn't force some sort of deal. Right around August is where he's made his moves to get the likes of: Keith Van Horn, Glenn Robinson, Corliss Williamson, and Marc Jackson. So while the Sixers might shake things up, Celtics fans can rest assured that there's a high probability that it won't make the Sixers any better.

Toronto Raptors: The waiving of Alvin Williams could be seen as a signal that the Raptors are done dealing. If you were looking to move Mo Peterson, why get rid of an expiring deal that you could package with him to go after bigger targets? Bryan Colangelo is really rolling the dice with overseas veterans, dropping around 7 million a year for three years on 31 year old Anthony Parker and 29 year old Jorge Garbajosa. The Raptors still have cap space but they are also still based in Toronto which is going to make it hard for them to lure people there. Bonzi Wells might be an interesting fit but would he sign there? It seems like the most we'll likely see out of Toronto is more small signings to fill out the roster and possibly a small swap of swingmen involving Mo Peterson (maybe for the likes of Corey Maggette)

New York Knicks: The Knicks are like Caddyshack 2. They bear the name of a past great, have a lot of well-known talent, but in the end are just unwatchable. And Isiah HAS to do something. First off, Quentin Richardson has wanted to attack Stephon Marbury on at least two occasions and asking those two to coexist is an unnecessary sideshow for the already uphill battle Coach Zeke is facing. A deal of former Clippers seems obvious: Darius Miles for Quentin Richardson. Their contracts are the same and they'd be better off on their new teams. While Portland officials have recently said that the prospects of moving Darius before the season seem "impossible", I can't believe that, if Washington matches the Jeffries offer sheet, Isiah won't make another run at Miles. While Isiah also has some expiring contracts to move, I have a sneaking suspicion that owner James Dolan has put the kibosh on adding more salary to the already unwiedly ledger of the Knicks. I wouldn't be stunned to see Q, Malik Rose, Jamal Crawford, and David Lee for Miles and K-Mart (or that level of player). The Knicks could add some talent to their roster but odds are that it will be just as troubled as the talent they currently have.

Boston Celtics: Danny's M.O. has usually been one big trade in the offseason and one big trade at the midseason deadline. He also usually makes a smaller deal in the offseason which we haven't seen yet. While Wally's name has been tossed about in rumors, even the Trade Danny hasn't turned around a member of his "core" so quickly. Unless an blockbuster presents itself, I can't see Wally going anywhere. Theo Ratliff is more likely on the move and odds are it will be for a big man. My guess is that Theo and Big Al could be on the move for a veteran PF before the season begins. Also, if the Perkins contract talks don't go well, we could see him shipped out in a smaller deal for a more veteran big. While I think our backcourt picture will stay somewhat the same (Tony Allen possibly being the odd man out), my guess is that the Celtics are looking to shakeup their frontcourt. Whether they'll be able to find a deal is the question.

Posted by SoulHonky at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This draft, we traded a 2007 first round pick of Cleveland's for Rajon Rondo.

We had traded Jiri Welsch to get that Cleveland pick which we swapped to Phoenix for Rajon Rondo.

And it was Antoine Walker who was traded for, amongst others, Jiri Welsch who was then traded to Cleveland for the 2007 pick that we traded to Phoenix in order to get Rajon Rondo.

HOWEVER, the only reason Phoenix HAD that pick was because we traded them Joe Johnson, who they later traded to Atlanta for, amongst others, the pick that we got for Jiri Welsch who we had once acquired in a trade for Antoine Walker.

THAT BEING SAID, the only reason Atlanta had the pick that we got for Jiri Welsch, who we had once acquired for Antoine Walker was because we traded it, along with Gary Payton, for Antoine Walker who Atlanta had gotten from Dallas who acquired Antoine Walker from us in a deal that included, amongst others, Jiri Welsch who we then dealt to Cleveland to get the pick that we later dealt to get Rajon Rondo.

AND IN THE END, we had the pick because when Gary Payton was traded to us and didn't report, the deal was changed and the Lakers gave us the first round pick which we then traded along with Gary Payton for Antoine Walker who Atlanta had gotten from Dallas who got Antoine Walker from us in a deal that included, amongst others, Jiri Welsch who we then dealt to Cleveland to get the pick that we later dealt to get Rajon Rondo.

All of this being said, if Cleveland was to ever somehow reacquire that pick , I think the universe could collapse.

Posted by SoulHonky at 01:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Boston Celtics are in better shape now than they were in 2003. That is the argument most often cited when people defend Danny Ainge and its something I've grown tired of hearing (almost as much as I'm sick of Ainge bashers saying we could have drafted Randy Foye). While Ainge's drafting has been solid, the rest of his moves have not helped the Celtics whatsoever. The team in 2003, while aging, was not in as dire a situation as some like to claim.

Nevermind the fact that guys Ainge traded were then moved for better veterans (Antoine for Jason Terry and a pick; Battie for Anderson Varejao, Drew Gooden, and Steven Hunter), had we made no moves aside from resigning Tony Battie/Antoine Walker and picking up Marcus Banks' option while drafting the same pieces that Ainge drafted, our team would look like this:

• C: Battie, Perkins
• PF: Walker, Jefferson
• SF: Gomes*, Bobby Jones** Reed
• SG: Pierce, Green
• PG: Banks, Rondo**

* While some people might want to point out that we got the pick with which we selected Gomes in the Eric Williams/Tony Battie trade, it should be noted that that was actually our own pick, one we had dealt to Cleveland for Jumaine Jones.
** Say our team reached the same level of mediocrity that it had in the past, we would have had a mid-level draft pick and probably woudl have gotten Rajon Rondo with it. Our second round pick, however, would have been much higher than the one we traded for. Craig Smith went at our pick (which we dealt in the Wally trade) but seeing as we don't need another PF, I added Bobby Jones, who went the pick after ours.

Now while this team lacks a chunk of the young talent that Ainge lauds, it makes up for it in cap space. Battie, Walker, and Pierce make 8 million dollars less than Ratliff, Wally, and Pierce. Losing the youth we acquired in the Walker trade along with filler from deals (Brian Grant) and Brian Scalabrine, we'd have another 7 million dollars. So while people might say Danny has done such a great job because now we have the young talent to package with Wally or Ratliff to get a top player, they overlook the fact that without Ainge's moves, we would be able to sign a player of that level outright or acquire them without having to match salary in a sign-and-trade. This doesn't even take into account the fact that we would have had cap space earlier than this and could have made moves to bring in talented players in previous off-seasons.

Now, I am in no way saying that this was the best path to take to rebuild the Celtics. I'm just showing that staying the course with the 2003 Celtics might not have been as bad as people say nor would it have us in much worse shape than we are in now. It's essentially West, Allen, and Telfair for 15 million in cap space. Are Wally and Ratliff that much better than Walker and Battie? And which do you choose: West, Allen, and Telfair vs. 15 million in cap space? Before answering that, look at it this way, we could use E-Will's expiring deal and Banks to add Shawn Marion (since Phoenix is looking to cut salary and has shown an interest in Banks). To get Marion today, we'll likely have to deal two of our young guys (Say Ratliff, West, Allen somehow manages to get us Marion). In the end, the only difference is Telfair vs. Antoine (And if we dealt 'Toine for Terry when that deal came about, the difference is Terry vs Telfair). Either way, I just don't see how we're all that much better off now.

----

Now this brings us to our current situation: looking to deal Wally or Ratliff and youth for a veteran. While many people have Iverson in their sights, the truth is that that deal looks less and less likely every day and the remaining prospects are grim. Carlos Boozer, Kenyon Martin, Drew Gooden; those are the names that look available and it's probably take more than we'd want to give up to get them. Larry Hughes? Come on. If a star is dealt, it is usually for an expiring contract or a lotto-level young player, neither of which the Celtics have. Also, in the last decade, there haven't been many trades of young talent for established stars that have worked out for the team getting the veteran. Webber for Richmond. 'Sheed for Strickland. Rip for Stackhouse. JO for Dale Davis. Billups for Kenny. JJ for Rogers. Hughes for Kukoc. Brad Miller/Ron Artest for Jalen Rose. The one trade that I can think of that "worked" was Tony Battie for Nick Van Exel, but even that didn't do much for the Nuggets. If there's ever been a trade of young-for-old that worked, it was a veteran for a draft pick, not for a guy that's already been in the league. And to argue that Wally Szczerbiak or Theo Ratliff will tip the deal in our favor is being comically optimistic. I really don't see many teams trading a star and telling their fans, "It's OK, we'll have Wally for three more years!

The upsetting reality is that, while some people might like to think we're a team chock full of vaunted youth that everyone wants, our young guys don't have more value than the Baby Bulls that Jerry Krause acquired. And the best veteran any of those guys was traded for was PJ Brown.

It's youth-or-bust, right now. The young guys need to either win or at least show actual evidence of their much anticipated "potential" because that's the only way we're going to be getting anything back for them. Unless Danny's been saving up some stroke of the ol' Celtic luck, today's trade will most likely be tomorrow's regret.

Posted by SoulHonky at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What is Perkins worth? Myers (Perkins' agent) could probably make a case that Perkins, who still is only 21 (he turns 22 in November) merits at least midlevel-exception money, like the deal the Pistons gave Nazr Mohammed (an estimated $30 million for five years) or even the one the Celtics gave Mark Blount ($38 million for six years) . Myers might also try to make a case that Perkins is entitled to even more. Joel Przybilla re-upped with Portland for an estimated $32 million over five years.

This blurb from Peter May makes sense right up to the part where he says, "Myers might also try to make a case that Perkins is entitled to even more". While I do think Myers might ask for more than 5 years and 30 million, May's definition of "more" is the comically low 5 years and 32 million. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think a whopping 2 million dollars over five years really constitutes "more" in today's NBA. I'm pretty sure Miami Vice was still starring Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas the last time $400,000 was the sticking point of an NBA contract negotations. If the worst part of Perkins' negotiations is whether or not we should give him an extra $400K then Danny and Wyc should thank their lucky stars.

The fear with Perkins is that he could hold out for at least two million more A YEAR, not overall. Dan Gadzuric resigned for 6 years, 36 million. Sam Dalembert resigned for 6 years and 60 million. If Perk's agent is worth anything, he's going to be pushing the Celtics towards the Haitian Sensation's tax bracket and saying that Perkins' value is much more than Gadzooky. May argues that the Celtics' counter will be to compare Perkins to Francisco Elson, who just signed for three million a year. Someone might want to tell Peter May that Denver's young talented big man was named Nene and he signed a 6 year, 60 million dollar contract. Francisco Elson is a 30 year old nobody. Youth is a marketable commodity in the NBA and something that none of the people mentioned in May's article have on their side. The youngest guy May mentioned was Joel Pryzbilla and even he's half a decade older than Perk.

Furthermore, the upcoming free agent class is weak (and getting weaker by the second as the members of the class of '03 resign with their current teams) and while May refuses to understand that there will be teams under the cap next season, it's even more ignorant to think that no team would be willing to overpay a 22 year old, hard working, defensive-minded center. The simple and obvious fact is that Perk could demand a solid chunk of change in the open market. The Celtics need to get at him while they still have some control over the situation.

One of the few things the C's have in their favor is Perkins' injury. That is a definite issue and one that could lower Perk's asking price. Some people might, like May, want to point out stats to help the C's cause but Perk's agent would likely point to one stat in particular: minutes per game. Perkins doesn't have the numbers Dalembert had because he didn't get to play Dalembert's minutes. Why should Kendrick be punished for Doc's rotations? In fact, Myers might wonder aloud if maybe Perkins wouldn't be better off somewhere where he could get more minutes and steady playing time? Perkins is a kid coming out of high school heading towards what many people think will be a breakout season; I highly doubt he's going to see his market value as equal to some never-was 30 year old or a disappointing 27 year old, six year veteran who barely puts up better numbers. Finally, a hometown discount seems out of the picture since I'm sure Kendrick and his agent will go for the dough and gladly point out that they are simply following the example set by their captain, who opted for 20 million a year for three years.

Personally, I don't know if Peter May is being ignorant or just setting it up so he can argue that Perkins is overpaid if/when he signs a deal bigger than 6 million a year but to address Perkins' contract situation and state that Perkins could see a five year contract anywhere in the wide range of 30 to 32 million seems disengenuous. To then add that an offer of 3 million a year is even remotely plausible moves the discussion from possibly ignorant to absolutely ridiculous. While I would hope that we could get Perk for just six million a year, I think it's going to take a lot of negotiating to get him and his agent down from around the 8 million a year level. I might not be a fan of the job Ainge has done here, but to outright lie and act like we have a shot at getting Kendrick Perkins for three million dollars a year is unfair and unprofessional.

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's the group that for one reason or another, I never want to see in Celtics green.

C: Mark Blount. Good god I hated this man. I was so happy when he was finally done with his contract... and then Danny resigned him. As much as I don't like Wally (who used to be on this team), Blount is worse in every way, shape, or form. All he's better at is being a punchline.

PF: Drew Gooden. He has always thought he is better than he really is. I think he's overrated and have never been a fan.

SF: Peja Stojakovic. The guy has no heart and disappears in the clutch... that is if he is feeling up to even playing.

SG: Larry Hughes. Overpaid and always injured. Hughes' defense is unbelievably overrated and I have an issue with someone who whines about their "role" when they only played 31 games in the season. What, was Lebron supposed to step aside so Varejao and Ilgauskas could roll out the red carpet?

PG:Andre Miller. I have never liked Andre. I think he's a punk and overrated. While I'm sure he's mellowed out from his days of freezing players out (reports from his Cleveland days had him not passing to certain teammates), I still don't want to see him don the Celtics green.

Second Team:
Jerome James. He's like Mark Blount without the talent. And I mean, any talent. Even chewing bubblegum.
Kwame Brown. Kwame + Boston Media = even bigger disaster than Kwame already is. While I think Brown could blossom a little bit in a low key team like Atlanta, he'd never survive in Boston. This spot used to be reserved for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but 'Reef's actually underpaid now and was willing to come off the pine for the Kings, so he's moved off the team.
Danny Fortson. I don't care if he's an expiring contract. He's a headcase and a black hole whenever he gets the ball on offense.
Darius Miles. He COULD be good but he IS a complete asshole. His interview with Jason Quick in which he complained about not having a bobblehead doll almost pushed him past Peja and into the starting lineup.
Stephen Jackson: A good player but a complete punk. I thought he should have gotten a bigger suspension than Artest for the fight because he was the third man in that turned the incident into a riot.
Stephon Marbury. Now here's the thinig, I think Steph has actually become underrated in the past couple of years. That being said, he's still overpaid and still a problem child so I wouldn't want him on our team or payroll.

Dishonorable Mention: Stevie Franchise. I don't want Francis as a player but he seems like a fun guy so I have a hard time putting him on my list. There are other guys like Brian Cardinal and Eric Snow who aren't terrible on or off the court but are overpaid. And then there's Kenyon Martin. For some reason I think he might be able to turn it around and not be a team killer and go back to being the talent that he was in Jersey. But 99.9% of me doesn't want him on the team.

Posted by SoulHonky at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

- We swing a three team deal with Atlanta and the Lakers
The Hawks get: Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, Gerald Green, Delonte West and a draft pick
The Lakers gets: Al Harrington, Wally Szczerbiak, Kendrick Perkins
The Celtics gets: Lamar Odom, Josh Smith, Tyronn Lue.
So essentially we move Wally, Green, West, Perkins, and a draft pick for Odom, Josh Smith, Tyronn Lue.
I'd love to hold onto Gerald but I think Josh Smith is a better prospect and ready to win this season. I'd first offer Tony Allen instead of Gerald but I can't see that happening. We'd probably have to haggle over the first round pick. I don't really want to give up the 2007 pick and I'm guessing Atlanta would want nothing to do with the Minnesota pick. In the end, I'd be willing to give up the 2007 pick but there'd have to be some protections on it. The only way I'd remove protections is if we could replace Gerald with Tony.

- Trade Al Jefferson for Robert Swift.

- We then use the MLE on defensive players Aaron Williams and Bernard Robinson.

Our rotation is:

• C: Ratliff, Swift, Jones
• PF: Odom, Williams, Powe
• SF: Smith, Gomes, Robinson
• SG: Pierce, Allen, Ray
• PG: Telfair, Lue, Rondo

Italicized players are inactive.

We have solid defensive players on the bench and a nice offensive trio of Odom, Pierce, and Telfair. Josh Smith is a do-everything guy who can score but who won't be forced to add a ton of offense. If we could move Ratliff and Jefferson for a better big man I'd be for it but I'm wary of adding long term contracts with Smith and Telfair needing to be resigned in the near future.

Posted by SoulHonky at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trade winds are a-blowing and it looks like the Celtics are definitely looking to make a move. Let's take a look at the assets we have and see where we stand in terms of trade pieces and which player should be considered Celtics instead of "assets".

Paul Pierce : The capo. Career season. Soon to be a 20 million dollar man. Personally, I can't say that I'm not still interested in trading him but I think it's pretty much a horrific idea to sign a player to a three year extension and then ship him off. For that reason alone, Pierce is here for at least another year.

Wally Szczerbiak : I think I've made it pretty obvious that I don't like Wally but right now, in any deal, he's just a salary. He was injured this past season and didn't really show all that much. His value as a player is nil. While I would love to see him dealt, unless we can get a solid offer for him, I'm not sure we are really in the position to move him. I would hate to have to give up an extra young guy in a deal just because Wally's value is less than it could be right now.

Theo Ratliff : While next season he'd be more valuable as an expiring contract, Theo is our best trade asset. Also, as one of only three decent sized contracts on the Celtics ledger, Theo pretty much has to go since Pierce is untouchable and Wally is undervalued.

Brian Scalabrine : A terrible signing made to look worse than it really was after the fans turned on him. For the sake of everyone, we should try to move him. He's a solid 10th man. Kendrick Perkins : Roster-wise, with Theo as our best trade asset, it only makes sense that Perkins is untouchable. The only reason we would trade him is if contract extension talks don't go well and he insists on Dalembert money. If we can keep him for around 6 or 7 million a year, I'd sign him. If not, it is likely time to look to move Kendrick.

Al Jefferson : Big Al's value is pretty much crap right now. It was crap before the summer and after his uninspired summer league performance, it isn't much better. That being said, how much better is it going to get this season? Will Big Al finally break out or will it be another season of disappointment? While we all know that Wally can be a little more effective than he showed when healthy, there's no telling if Big Al will help his stock during the season, especially if Gomes surpasses him on the depth chart. And with Perkins signed to play in the middle, does Big Al make sense in the post alongside him? Right now, even though his value is low, Big Al has to be one of the main men on the block.

Sebastian Telfair : If we're getting Iverson, we might as well deal Bassy because I see no sense in having Telfair and AI in the backcourt together. Rondo makes a little more sense because of his defense but even then, it's be a ridiculously short backcourt. If we don't deal for AI, then I think we should keep Telfair. There are very few true PG's who match Telfair's upside and none of them are available. I can live with a season of growing pains for Bassy more than getting bogged down with a guy that we already know is only good and will never be great.

Tony Allen : Tony showed some versatility this season, playing the point, and once his court date is over with, his legal troubles shouldn't overshadow his ability. He could very well be a valuable trade asset but at the same time, he's also our best perimeter defender from last season (Rondo might take the crown from him this coming season). Unless we find a way to replace Allen's defense, I don't think he can be moved right now.

Delonte West : Of all the young guys, Delonte has made the most of his time on the court and has raised his trade value to a legitimate level. With Telfair and Rondo, we don't exactly need West anymore. Delonte is a Bobby Jackson type player, someone that everyone likes but nobody really needs. While he could back up Pierce at the two, I think Allen makes more sense because of his defense. I like West but I think if we're going to make a deal, he makes the most sense to be part of the offer. That being said, I highly doubt Danny is going to move him unless he's forced too.

Gerald Green : While he's the most likely to be dealt, I think he should be the last on our list. Pretty much since he's arrived, Green has been talked down by Ainge and I don't think he was ever a part of the plan, rather, he was simply an surprisingly useful asset that fell to Ainge. If we're trading for a shooting guard, Green makes the most sense to move as he would likely just be collecting spliters. But unless a Ray Allen-type is coming back, I think it would be a mistake to trade Gerald Green before we get to see what he can do in the second half of next season.

Ryan Gomes : Gomes! His summer league performance could have helped his stock and might have boosted him into being a guy that could be the difference between us getting a good or great player. Personally, I don't ever see him being a star so if we could move him as a package to get an All-Star caliber player, then I'd be for it. If all we're getting back is K-Mart or Boozer, forget about it.

Dwayne Jones, Allan Ray, Leon Power : I really don't see them having much, if any, trade value.

The prognosis: Right now, I'd look to move Theo Ratliff, Al Jefferson, and Delonte for a top notch player who could handle the power forward position. Ideally, the player would be the level of a Lamar Odom or Shawn Marion, and if we had to add Wally instead of Ratliff, I'd be for it. If we don't have to move Wally, I'd hold off on making a second deal until the trade deadline when Wally should hopefully be healthy, and we'd have a better handle on Gerald Green and his ability.

Posted by SoulHonky at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The requirement of the ranking are at least three seasons at the helm. Also, we'll only be judging their recent work so guys like Elgin Baylor won't be hurt by their years of idiocy while Jerry West won't be able to point to his Laker days to cement his resume.

#1: Randy Pfund/Pat Riley (Miami Heat): It pains me to dub the leader of the showtime Lakers as the the top GM but he has done a great job building the Heat. They were on the decline five years ago (36 wins in 2002 and then 25 in 2003) but they put together a nice roster, good enough to make the Shaq deal a reality. Even without the Shaq deal, I was a fan of the Wade/Butler/Odom team from 2004.

#2: Rod Thorn (NJ Nets): I'm not sold on Josh Boone but grabbing Marcus Williams and Hassan Adams were two very nice moves. The Antoine Wright deal is all the more confusing after he disappointed last season. Still, Thorn has built an annual contender in New Jersey. Money issues cost him a key piece of the puzzle (Kenyon Martin) but I think the Nets are better with Vince anyway. If they can move Richard Jefferson for another big man, they could find themselves back in the conference finals.

#3: Geoff Petrie (Sacramento Kings): The Artest deal vaulted him back to the top. The Chris Webber deal was somewhat suspect. While Chris was overpaid, dealing him for three overpaid PF's didn't make a whole ton of sense either. Still, getting Bonzi Wells and Ron Artest this past season was a great move, and holding out and not giving Bonzi a huge deal is the right move. They have Kevin Martin to take over if Bonzi leaves. The one flaw that still hurts him and the Kings is his drafting over the past two years. Quincy Douby and Francisco Garcia were both bad selections and letting Gerald Wallace go in the expansion draft wasn't the wisest of moves. Still, Petrie is reloading the Kings for another run while never slipping below .500. He might be a blockbuster deal away (is it time to move Brad Miller?) from getting the Kings back to the Western Conference Finals.

#4: Larry Harris (Milwaukee Bucks): He hasn't been perfect (he overpaid for Bobby Simmons) but Harris has made some great moves to get the Bucks back into the playoffs. The Bogut/Villain frontcourt should be very interesting and Harris still had Magloire as a trade chip to add more help to the roster. The team could be under the cap next season which should help them add the final piece to the puzzle and get them contending for more than just a playoff spot.

#5: Elgin Baylor (LA Clippers): Picking up Elton Brand for the #2 pick in the draft was a great move. Being lucky enough to have Kevin McHale offer up Sam Cassell in return for Marko Jaric was amazing. While he overpaid for Cuttino Mobley, I'd argue that if ever a team NEEDED to overpay for someone, it was the Clippers because they needed to show that they weren't the cheapskates that they'd been over their entire existance. Elgin's grabbed Livingston, Kaman, and the promising Yaroslav Korolev in the draft. But this isn't to say he's been perfect. He traded for Elton Brand and then turned around and draft two PF's in the next draft (Wilcox and Ely). The Andre Miller deal blew up in his face and the team became such a disaster that they lost out on Lamar Odom. I can't believe he fell for Tim Thomas' playoff act in Phoenix and signed him. The team still doesn't have a legit backup big man and still doesn't have a lockdown perimeter defender that any and every team in the West needs. Elgin's done a great job putting together this team but he still has a couple moves to make before they are truly contenders.

#6: RC Buford (San Antonio Spurs): I'm going to be honest. This guy hasn't done much. He inherited Timmy D. but other than that he's basically just re-upped guys who other people acquired. Even Manu, whom he signed, was drafted by someone else. Still, he's made a couple of good deals (getting Turkoglu for Ferry, Nazr for Rose) and kept the team intact. This offseason and next will show what he's made of. The Spurs showed that they need some new life injected in them and so far, Buford's signed Jacque Vaughn and traded Rasho for Eric Williams. If he isn't careful, he could be the guy lets the Spurs decline to a solid playoff team instead of a championship contender.

#7: Donnie Nelson (Dallas Mavericks): Four years ago, Don's son was named GM and he's done a good job as the front man. While I think his Dad is still calling the shots, Donnie's reign has been a very solid one with one exception. Apparently losing Steve Nash wasn't the greatest decision, no matter how much Mark Cuban tries to spin it (claiming that the Mavs wouldn't be where they were without Erick Dampier). Dealing the Antoine/Antawn duo for Jason Terry, Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, and a future first round pick was a great move. (Dumping Raef for Antoine was also a steal). Josh Howard was a steal and taking a flyer on Desagana Diop turned out to be just what the Mavs needed. The Marquis Daniels signing is pretty much wiped out since they dealt him for Austin Croshere but they may have replaced him with Maurice Ager in the draft so who knows... Either way, the Mavs are looking good as contenders for a long time coming.

#8: Joe Dumars (Detroit Pistons): Talk about an up-and-down five years. He was the toast of the town upon building his championship team but then proved completely incapable of maintaining it. He found a way to make the Darko pick look even worse by dumping the Serbian Gangster for Kelvin Cato? He lost Mehmet Okur and Mike James, who were key bench components. Either Okur or Darko could have filled in for Ben Wallace but since they are both gone, Dumars had to sign Nazr Mohammed. The Flip Murray signing, however, was a nice move and adds some punch to the bench. Amir Johnson was also a steal at the end of the 2005 draft. Dumars hasn't been perfect but he's making the right moves to keep the Pistons at the top of the Eastern Conference.

#9: Jon Paxson (Chicago Bulls): Jon gets high marks for what he's done but he is far from finished. While he's done an impressive job rebuilding, I still think there are some pieces missing. And if you are paying an aging big man like Ben Wallace big bucks, you better add those pieces quickly. Right now, Paxson is the hardest guy to place. He could move to the top of the line or the Bulls could falther or just be mediocre and Paxson would essentially be a glorified Memphis-era Jerry West. A lot of it depends on this years draft and how well Ty Thomas and Thabo Sefalosha perform. For me, the Bulls are the most interesting team to watch this season because lord knows how all that talent is going to fit together.

#10: Rick Sund (Seattle Supersonics): The man moved Vin Baker which basically makes him at the very least, a one-hit wonder. Sort of the Dexy's Midnight Run of GM's. Grabbing Earl Watson and Chris Wilcox were key moves which helped the Sonics close the season at 14 - 10 and has things looking up. He has a tough decision to make with Rashard Lewis and Chris Wilcox which could affect his rating but right now, he's done a very good job building this team around Ray Allen. I'm not completely sold on his project center fetish (Swift, Petro, and Sene in the last three years) but those guys are solid picks. If the Sonics were in the East, they'd likely be a playoff team.

#11: Ernie Grunfeld (Washington Wizards): Ernie had an advantage since he took over a team with cap space and was able to steal Gilbert Arenas away from Golden St. To be honest, after that move, I'm not all that impressed with Ernie's work. Was Antawn Jamison really worth Stackhouse, Laettner, and the #5 pick? Apparently not since he draft some Euro-PF this season (Oleksiy Pecherov). Antonio Daniels, Etan Thomas, and Brendan Haywood aren't exactly the greatest trio to invest long term deals on. Ernie's basically had one good move and a bushel of questionable calls.

#12: Jerry West (Memphis Grizzlies): While the Battier for Rudy Gay/Stro Swift deal was great, other than that, West has been pretty bad as the Grizz's GM. And I don't mean bad meaning good, I mean bad meaning mediocre. His drafting hasn't worked out. He inherited Pau Gasol but then spent a draft pick on Drew Gooden as if two soft perimeter PF's should be able to complement one another. His run of Troy Bell, Dahntay Jones, and Hakim Warrick isn't exactly helping either. West did help Pat Riley in Miami by dealing Jason Williams and James Posey for Eddie Jones. And then there's always Brian Cardinal. West's legacy in Memphis now rests on the shoulders of Rudy Gay. He is the only player on that roster with the potential to come in and lift the Grizzlies into the second round. The vets (Jones, Mike Miller, Damon Stoudamire) aren't going to do it and neither are the young guys (Swift, Warrick, Jones).

#13: Carroll Dawson (Houston Rockets): Dawson should be banned from making draft day deals. Over the last five years he's traded: Stro Swift, Rudy Gay, Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins, and Brandon Armstrong for Eddie Griffin and Shane Battier. Getting T-Mac for Franchise and Mobley was good and lucking out to get Yao Ming makes any GM look smart. Trading Rafer Alston for Mike James was a disaster. But John Lucas might turn out to be a find and Luther head is solid. If T-Mac can stay healthy, the Rockets could make some noise but they'll need to improve their power forward position if they really want a shot at the Finals.

#14: Danny Ainge (Boston Celtics): Draft night moved him up in my books (even though I wanted Rudy Gay over Telfair) but there's still time for him to screw everything up, which he has a knack for doing. I'm not sure if the owners are partially to blame but his fluctuation from rebuilding (trading 'Toine) to needing to be relevant (trading for 'Toine) is frustrating. And since I'm not as wowed by his drafting (which is admittedly very good but not as great as people like to act) as others, his stock isn't very high with me.

#15: Mitch Kupchak (LA Lakers): Relied on Shaq to do his job and recruit Karl Malone and Gary Payton, even though neither was a good fit for the triangle at that point in their career. When they backfired, he ended up having to deal Shaq. His attempts to build around Kobe haven't been that great. Dealing Caron Butler in a sign-and-trade for Kwame Brown turned out disastrous and none of his other moves have been that great. When you're best move is drafting Luke Walton with the 32nd pick, it means you probably haven't done much good in five years.

#16: Kevin O'Connor (Utah Jazz): Odds are not looking good that Ronnie Brewer's skills will translate in the NBA, I mean take a look at Kevin O'Connor's last five years of drafting: Raul Lopez, Ryan Humphrey, Aleksander Pavlovic, Kris Humphries, Kirk Snyder, and then trading up to NOT take Chris Paul (going with Deron Williams). The one thing he has going for him is that he got Jarron Collins, Mo Williams, and CJ Miles in the second round, although he couldn't keep Williams from jetting. O'Connor also overpaid for Carlos Boozer and apparently decided to retire the shooting guard position in honor of Jeff Hornacek since the Jazz haven't had a top 2-guard since Horny hung 'em up. All this being said, Williams, Harpring, AK47, Boozer, and Okur isn't THAT bad of a lineup. And despite O'Connors poor draft history, I think Brewer should be a solid pro. Still, O'Connor had cap space and high lottery picks and built a .500 team.

#17: Billy King (Philadelphia 76ers): Billy King is the anti-Ernie Grunfeld. He's made one bad string of moves which pretty much ruined his reputation. King was actually putting together a team that fit around Iverson (defensive minded big men (Brian Skinner, Sam Dalembert, Corliss Williamson) and athletic young swingman who could defend (Iguodala), a shooter to feed off of AI's drives (Korver). All they really needed was another defensive-minded guard and they would have been on their way to rebuilding the team A.I. brought to the Finals. But then he dealt for Webber, who was the last guy you'd want to team with Iverson. And then he overpaid Korver and Dalembert. And then the Sixers stopped winning. To be fair, the Korver and Dalembert moves wouldn't be as bad if not for Webber. Chris was just the anti-thesis of what the Sixers needed, which was a Ben Wallace type player. King was essentially a couple of role players away from giving A.I. the squad he needed to make another run but is now, instead, having to figure out if the ship is salvageable or if the Sixers would be better off without A.I. Personally, I really like his draft this season. Carney and Jones could help out now. If they could ship Webber out for some defensive help, King might actually be able to get the Sixers back in the hunt.

#19: Isiah Thomas (NY Knicks): If you look at the team he inherited, it was terrible and overpaid. The team he's built is talented... and terrible and overpaid. And any GM that looks at his combustible squad and thinks, "What this team needs is Kenyon Martin!" should be fired on the spot. The only logic behind that must be Isiah thinking two negatives make a positive (but three negatives are back to equalling a negative) so, realizing he has about seven negatives on his roster, he thinks one more will give him an even number of negatives which would then equal a positive. If that even qualifies as "logic". Still, there's part of me that remembers NBA Live '95 and thinks that somehow, some way, you can make this all work. In fact, I think you can make a pretty good team out of the pieces in NY. Say what you want about Renaldo Balkman, but he was exactly what this team needed; a tough minded guy who doesn't care about points and loves to play defense. Mardy Collins isn't a star but he too is a guy that fits. His point guard skills and defense make him a nice complement to Stephon. While Isiah has made some horrific signings and bad trades, his young core from the last two drafts of Frye, Lee, Balkman, Collins, and Nate Robinson is pretty impressive. Jamal Crawford is a nice enough talent and Jalen Rose and Mo Taylor are solid coming off of the bench and expiring deals to boot. And with Frye, Lee, and Balkman handling the dirty work, Eddy Curry can focus on scoring. The problem, of course, is that that Knicks also have Marbury, Francis, Jerome James, Quentin Richardson, and Malik Rose. If the Knicks could somehow get a true PG and move Steph to the 2, things could work out.

#20: Larry Bird (Indiana Pacers): ECF's. EC Semi's. First round. Jermaine O'Neal superstar to Jermaine O'Neal trade bait. Clearly, this is defintion of what you don't want to see happen in your first three years as a GM. Larry Bird signed Jermaine O'Neal and fired Isiah Thomas at the start of his second reign in Indy. After that, it was all downhill. He lost Brad Miller for Scot Pollard. He traded Al Harrington for Stephen Jackson who proceeded to be the third man in the Artest brawl which was the reason it escalated from just crazy Ron-Ron in the stands to an all-out riot. He overpaid Jamaal Tinsley. He then traded Ron Artest for Peja, who upped and left. On the bright side, the Pacers did get a trade exception out of it but I think Artest is worth more than a seven million dollar trade exception. But Larry has made a bit of a resurgance in the last months. I actually like the Shawne Williams pick (although if you are building for the future, why not take Green over Granger last year?) and dealing Croshere for Marquis Daniels was a great move. If he can use the trade exception to get a big man to team with JO, he'd move up the list but as of now, the Pacers are completely falling apart on Larry's watch.

#18: Billy Knight (Atlanta Hawks): Knight has done a decent job of building a team in three years. The problem is that this team should be a whole hell of a lot better. Drafting Josh Smith was tremendous. Drafting Josh Childress, not so much. Joe Johnson is overpaid but he is still a very good and underrated player. I don't even have an issue with him giving up Boris Diaw in the deal but losing their first round pick (top three protected) next year? Horrible. Marvin Williams? Could be very good but probably won't ever be Chris Paul. Still, despite his flubs, I like the Hawks. Claxton is a solid PG, joe Johnson is a star, Josh Smith will be a star this season, Zaza is a good big man. Shelden Williams was a reach and I can't say I'm a big fan. The Hawks don't look very close to breaking free of the curse of Isaiah Rider. They haven't made the playoff since they dealt Steve Smith to Portland for the infamous malcontent formerly known as J.R.

#21: Kevin McHale (Minnesota Timberwolves): Over the past five years, McHale has done next to nothing to make his team better. While the Knicks could make a couple of moves to fix themselves, the Wolves are in complete disarray. And this is coming from someone who thought they actually made out in the Szczerbiak deal. Also, reports are that the initial deal that McHale wanted to make was just Mark Blount for Kandiman straight up, which would have been one of the worst deals imaginable. An expiring deal for Mark Blount? McHale's owner saved him from an even worse fate. Isiah put his faith in Stephon Marbury, which turned out to be a mistake. McHale has the right guy in Garnett and STILL can't win. The fact that Garnett is mentioned in trade rumors is a sure sign of the horrific job McHale has done. KG should be untouchable. Drafting Randy Foye and signing Mike James doesn't make much sense either. How many overrated PG's do the Wolves need? They have James, Jaric, and Hudson all eating up cap space. James, Foye, and Ricky Davis is your backcourt? So what, KG's going to get ten shots a game this year? McHale has done a horrific job and has essentially wasted the career of the Big Ticket.

The Rest: Bryan Colangelo (Phoenix Suns) is making Toronto a very interesting team but is it a very good team. Can Bargnani and Bosh coexist? Steve Patterson (Portland Trailblazers) made a ton of moves on draft day and added some real talent in Portland. He still has to find a way to get rid of Darius Miles though. Otis Smith (Orlando Magic) made a great deal for the Magic (stealing Darko and Carlos Arroyo for nothing) but his drafting skills seem questionable (JJ Redick, Fran Vazquez). Jeff Bower (New Orleans) had a nice 2005 but I'm not sold on his 2006. Chandler and Peja are frail. I don't mind Tyson but I can't stand Peja. Taking two questionable big men in Cedric Simmons and Hilton Armstrong also is questionable. They gave away Kirk Snyder. I'm just not convinced that Paul, Mason, Peja, West, and Chandler is going to get the Hornets to the playoffs in the West. Mark Warkentien (Denver Nuggets( replaced Kiki in Denver and has resigned 'Melo, traded Powe to the C's for a future pick and literally done nothing else. Danny Ferry (Cleveland Cavs) had a great draft day (Shannon Brown, Daniel Gibson, Marcus Vinicius) but the Larry Hughes signing didn't work and needs to be cleaned up. Bernie Bickerstaff (Charlotte Bobcats) has done a good job but, man, I'm not sold on May, Okafor, or Morrison as of yet. Not that they don't have talent, I'm just not sold on them. How he handles soon-to-be free agent Gerald Wallace should be interesting.

Posted by SoulHonky at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

    The one thing that I never want to hear again is someone saying that the Celtics need to make a big deal so that they can be relevant again. This simply makes no sense. It's like a high school girl putting out so that people will like her. It will be quick, something she doesn't want to do, and in the end won't accomplish what she had hoped for. In reality, relevance is just the new catchphrase for desperation for some fans. Acts of desperation rarely, if ever, pan out. Vin Baker, Rodney Rogers, Dominique Wilkins, these are the acts of desperate GM's. The current desperation plan of Allen Iverson will likely be a Rodney Rogers type move; good for the short term but ultimately regrettable in the long term.

    The Celtics were a team at the crossroads. Resigning Pierce to a huge money deal put them closer to the Win Now road but it didn't necessarily eliminate the Build With Youth option. However, a deal for Iverson would mean that they needed to go 100% to former avenue. Iverson would make them relevant but unless Perkins and Al Jefferson matured faster than they've shown possible, it doesn't make the Celtics contenders. If the C's want to truly make a run, they'll likely have to go after the best available PF as well as getting A.I..

    Now all this being said, I'm thinking that the best option is most likely standing pat until the trade deadline or next offseason. My hope is that in the second half of the year, Telfair, Green, and Pierce will have established themselves as a very nice backcourt. We then will have a better gauge on Jefferson and will head into the offseason with some pieces to hopefully acquire a better big man than Kenyon Martin or Carlos Boozer. While the Celtics might not be "relevant", I feel like they'll be on the horizon ala the Orlando Magic this past season. I still don't think Danny is going to make the moves to put us over the top but I don't see any available moves this offseason putting us over either.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What would have been the downside had the Celtics decided to wait a year on the extension? Why not see what Pierce did with this team before emptying the vault?

This is the question that Peter May asks in his latest rant against the Celtics. He doesn't think the Celtics should have resigned Pierce to the big deal and claims that they should have waited to make the deal. The problem with this is that it overlooks the fact that Pierce could have opted out at the end of next season and simply left the Celtics, with Boston getting nothing in return for their top player.

Sure, you would have run the risk of the ``disrespect factor" by waiting. But here's what the Celtics also should have been gauging: What teams were going to have cap space in the summer of 2008 and did they really think any of those teams were going to keep that money to sign Pierce? In other words, were they negotiating against themselves?

As noted above, the Celtics risked losing Pierce in the summer of 2007 but overlooking that snafu, the following teams could have cap space in 2008: Washington, Toronto, Seattle, San Antonio, Portland, Orlando, New Orleans, Miami, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Detroit, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Now while Miami and San Antonio might not go after Pierce as it would mean their entire salary cap was spent on three or four players, to imply that Paul Pierce would not have had his suitors is simply ridiculous. In fact, even Peter May seemed to know this as he framed his point by using questions. He never stated anything; he provided himself with an out as he could claim that he never made that point but was simply asking a question.

If May wanted to make an argument, he could have made a bigger issue of the amount of money Pierce is getting. He began to state that Pierce hasn't shown that he can carry a team but he didn't venture much further into that discussion. He could have argued that it might have been better had the Celtics tried to get Pierce to sign a Ray Allen type deal for less money. These are stances that actually have some solid footing under them. While there would be some staunch opposition to those opinions, they'd at least be legitimate arguments. To say that the Celtics erred by making the deal now and not waiting until all of the bargaining chips were in Pierce's hand makes no sense whatsoever.

Posted by SoulHonky at 01:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In my post about the Cavs (and in the Touchables column), I mentioned a three-way deal that could help out the Celtics. Say the Celtics dealt Ratliff and Wally for Chris Webber. (Philly gets Ratliff, Gooden, Snow, Jackson, conditional Cleveland pick for Webber and Korver; Cleveland gets Wally and Korver for Gooden, Snow, Jackson, and a pick.) The particulars have to be worked out but this is a win-win-win for everyone involved.
    The C's get a versatile big man who could play center or power forward and would allow both of our big guys to get solid minutes. This deal also opens up a guard spot so the young guns can get some run with Pierce. Best of all, Webber's deal only has two years (same as Ratliff's) so in a couple of years we'll be sitting pretty with cap space to resign our guys and maybe go after someone else without fear of the luxury tax.

    Ideally, we look to grab another big man like Lo Wright or Scot Pollard to fill out the roster and our 2006 roster looks like this:

• C: Perkins, Wright, Jones
• PF: Webber, Jefferson, Gomes, Powe
• SF: Pierce, Green, Scalabrine
• SG: West, Allen, Ray
• PG: Telfair, Rondo

    While this isn't as exciting as Pierce and AI, this tandem could actually work well. While Webber may be a ball hawk, he's no worse than Antoine, whom Pierce played well with. Unlike Antoine, Webber plays in the post. His ability to run the offense through the post should open up Pierce. With defenses focusing on the inside-outside game of Truth and C-Webb, the floor opens up for everyone else. The front court rotation is Perkins, Wright, Webber, Jefferson with Gomes switching between the 3 and 4. Telfair and Rondo handle the point with West getting some spot minutes. Pierce, West, Allen, Gomes fill out the swing positions with Veal getting some minutes here and there.

    This doesn't make us instant contenders but it allow us to give our young guys minutes so we can see what we have. We fight for a playoffs spot (and probably make it if everyone is healthy) . Even if we don't, we should have a very good picture of where we stand for the 2007 offseason when we'll have a huge expiring deal in Chris Webber.

Posted by SoulHonky at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Cavs have three years to build a team around Lebron James. Right now, they have Varejao and their two draft picks, Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson. Ilgauskas, Donyell, and most of the roster aren't long term help and Larry Hughes didn't fit in. So which way do the Cavs go to build a better team around King James?

Larry Hughes for Kenyon Martin: Kenyon's attitude might scare off some people but he's the best fit for the Cavs, whom I can't believe are interested in bringing Carlos Boozer back into the fold. Hughes simply doesn't fit with Lebron and Martin gives the Cavs some toughness in the post, a decent inside-out game that could complement James, and a good up-tempo player who will help the Cavs run. Denver gets the shooting guard they've been dying for and gets rid of K-Mart.

Go after Reggie Evans, Scot Pollard, Lo Wright, Keith Van Horn: Their new frontcourt isn't the healthist of groups so they grab a back-up big man for the MLE (or part of it). Pollard or Wright make the most sense as they'll be cheaper and can play both center and PF. The Cavs also could push for Stevie Hunter in the Sixers/Celtics deal to add a big man.

A three deal team with Boston and Philly: Cleveland takes home Wally Szczerbiak and Kyle Korver for Drew Gooden, Eric Snow, and Luke Jackson. Wally gives them a starting SF while Korver gives them shooting off the bench. Philly dumps Chris Webber, whom they think is untradeable, and gets a replacement in Gooden as well as Luke Jackson and old friends Eric Snow and Theo Ratliff. This deal allows them to move two contracts they don't want (Korver and Webber). Snow's contract isn't great but he's shown he can fit with A.I. Snow also could be replaced with other players (e.g, Damon Jones) to make the deal work for Philly. Ratliff gives them another big man alongside Dalembert and Stevie Hunter.
As for the Celtics, they get Chris Webber, who's deal is only for two years, to play alongside Pierce. He's probably the best fit we could get in the paint as he is still quality and, though overpaid, doesn't have a long term deal. Chris also can play either frontcourt spot, giving the C's flexibility to team him with: Perkins, Jefferson, or Gomes.

The Cavs end the offseason looking like this:

• C: Ilgauskas, Varejao, Andriuskevicius
• PF: K-Mart, Donyell
• SF: Wally, Korver, Newble
• SG: Lebron, Shannon Brown, Pavlovic
• PG: Damon Jones, Daniel Gibson

Posted by SoulHonky at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Let's say the Sports Guy is on to something and the going rate for Allen Iverson in Celtics green is currently: Theo Ratliff, Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, and a 2007 first round pick. If we make this deal, where do we stand as a team and what do we need to do to reach the next level?

After that Iverson deal, our team would be:

• C: Perkins, Dwayne Jones, Brian Grant
• PF: Gomes, Powe
• SF: Wally, Scalabrine
• SG: Pierce, West, Allen,
• PG: AI, Telfair, Rondo

    Needless to say, the talent/salaries of this roster are not spread out very well. Briant Grant is supposedly retiring which leaves us with a front court that consists of two tweeners at the 4 and two project centers (all of whom, combined, make about one-fifth of Allen Iverson's salary) Clearly, we have too many players in the backcourt who will be wasting away on the bench.
    Wally is the most obvious goner because he's the only non-rookie deal salary we'd have as a trade chip. With Wally gone, it's likely that Pierce moves up to the small forward spot and you then need to figure out which of the remaining guards gets minutes and which gets shipped off. Telfair is the best prospect, in my opinion, but I just don't see The Answer working well with a pure point guard. Bassy and A.I. are both players who need to work with the ball in their hands. That would leave AI, West, Pierce as our starters. West will get most of the backup minutes at the point with Allen filling his spot. Gomes can slide down to the small forward position at times. Rondo gets the other minutes that are kicking around.
    With AI making 20 million and Pierce just signed to an extension, it doesn't seem very likely that we will use the full MLE on anyone this offseason. Not that there are a ton of legitimate big men options on the free market anyway. Because of this, what we can get in trades is going to be absolutely key to our future success.     This being so, the next question is what can we get for Wally and Bassy? Wally's likely value is the usual suspects at power forward: Zach Randolph, Kenyon Martin, Carlos Boozer and Drew Gooden (sign and trade) but only Cleveland makes a likely trade partner. Portland has Martell Webster as their SF of the future while Wally can't handle the two which is where he'd have to play in Utah and Denver. New York might be interested in Wally but the best we'd likely get back from them is Mo Taylor or Malik Rose. Drew Gooden is solid but he's not going to help us defensively. For what we'd likely have to pay Drew, I'd rather stick with Gomes. The Kings have a number of guys to package for Wally but with Artest best suited for the small forward spot and Kevin Martin emerging at the off-guard, I don't see them being interested. Right now, I can't see many deals that both make sense and make us much better.
    With Bassy, it's a crap shoot. Some teams might be interested in going after him but what's on the market? The Rockets need a PG but have nothing to offer. We could hope that Atlanta might be willing to deal Josh Smith to us for Bassy but even then, Josh is another 'tweener (and likely would cost us more than Telfair). Again, Telfair is a tough sell.
    Like it or not, Ainge will likely have to look into moving Delonte West, the remaining Celtic prospect with any trade value. But even then, the guys we'd likely be looking at getting back would be Nick Collison-level players who aren't exactly solidifying the frontcourt for Truth and the Answer.
    In essence, acquiring Iverson doesn't change the focus of Ainge's job. Right now, he needs to find the right players to build around his star. After an Iverson deal, the only difference would be that "star" would become plural. We would still need to find players not just to fill the roster but to play extensive minutes in the paint. Can Danny do it? The Celtics should make the playoffs with the aforementioned roster but I doubt that they'd make it very far in the second season. On top of that, we wouldn't even have our pick to use to grab a big man in the 2007 draft. And if that wasn't enough, Kendrick Perkins would have a ridiculous amount of leverage in contract extension talks.

    So really, the question shouldn't be, Should we trade for A.I.? It should be, Will there be enoug left to build a championship contender around him and Pierce? Right now, I think it is an uphill battle with little room for error.

Posted by SoulHonky at 04:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Paul Pierce wants an All-Star. Paul Pierce has a player option on his contract after this season. If the Celtics wants Paul Pierce to be happy, they better do as he says. All that being what it is, who exactly can the Celtics get? Who is on the block and how much would the Celtics have to give up in order to get them? And most importantly, who is actually going to help us win? These are a few names that we could look to acquire to appease Mr. Pierce.
To start, though, it needs to be emphasized that these guys are The Touchables. Currently off-limit guys like Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Shaq and the like aren't considered for this list.

Lamar Odom: My much hoped-for Lamar for Wally deal doesn't seem very likely now that the Lake Show signed Vlad Rad. I can't see any team thinking that Wally and Radmonovic and Kwame Brown could equal a legitimate frontcourt. If we wait until August and deal Ratliff, it would likely take a couple (if not three) of our young guys along with Theo to bring Lamar back to New England. What combination of West, Perkins, or Gomes would make it happen? I think we might be able to work something out but it seems very unlikely.

Shawn Marion: Marion's pretty much lived on the trading block but I don't really see us being able to get him unless, again, we give up a couple of young guys in a deal with Theo. Even then, I don't really see us having a deal that would interest the Suns. While he is "touchable", I don't think he attainable for what we have to offer. The Suns are looking to win before Nash falls apart so I doubt they'd be interested in our young guys.

Allen Iverson: The bottom line of the overhyped megadeal is that we'd have to give up too much for too small of a window of success.

Chris Webber: I'm actually a fan of Webber, especially since his contract only has two years left on it. We could move Wally and Theo for him or make a deal for him and Dalembert. It's possible but unlikely and, like the Iverson deal, gives us too small a window of opportunity for the deal to make sense. Unless we can absolutely steal him from Philly and not give up any of our youngs would I be interested. (i.e, a three team deal of Wally to the Cavs, Theo, Gooden, and the Minny 1st round pick to Philly, Webber to us) As for the Haitian Sensation, Sam Dalembert, he has a trade kicker which means dealing for him makes his bad contract even worse. He's more of a impact on the ledger than the court so we can't really afford to get him.

Baron Davis: He is a borderline Untouchable now that Derek Fisher is in Utah. He's also unnecessary now that we have Telfair. Pretty much doesn't make sense at all for either team to make this deal. Likewise for Jason Richardson.

Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy: On the bright side, we'd get rid of Scalabrine in this deal (He, Wally, and Minnesota #1 for Troy and Mike). On the downside, we get two guys who I believe are vastly overpaid. That being said, we'd get two starters for one. Granted, two starters are coming from a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 11 years but still... I see a deal like this being fairly possible which scares me. I think Murphy is overrated and Dunleavy has been a bad pick in a terrible draft, which is a feat in its own right. It's not a horrific deal though. It would make us a solid playoff team but I'm not sure if we would have the defense on the court or the flexibility to make any more deals to put us over the top.

Carlos Boozer: Ah, Utah. A team that whines about spending too much money and then trades for Derek Fisher, a seven million per year backup PG. I can't imagine they are dumb enough to move AK47 but Boozer and Okur are likely attainable. Since they are set with Andrei at the small forward spot, my guess is that we'd have to swing a deal with Ratliff's deal and a young player. Boozer averaged 20 and 10 in his last month of action but the injuries were a problem. Okur was fairly inconsistent but would be suited to be the third star (which he would be in Boston). I'm torn on Carlos but if we could get him for Theo and one or two of our lesser young 'uns, I'd have to consider the deal. Okur might only cost us one of our young aong with Theo which I'd do if it was Perkins or Allen.

Kenyon Martin: The first thing people say about Kenyon is that he's a jerk. Maybe. The second thing they say is that he needs an uptempo team and a PG to help him reach him potential. Ideally, that's what we have. Sebastian Telfair is no Jason Kidd but he's a true point guard and the C's will hopefully try to get out on the break more this next season. The next thing that people say is that Kenyon is overpaid and overinjured which is true and the reason why we shouldn't consider dealing for him.

Antawn Jamison: Washington needs to deal the other Antoine but I'm not sure if we have anything of interest. Furthermore, I'm not interested in Jamison. I just listed this here to point out that I think improving upon Jamison is the move that the Wizards need to make if they want to do more than just compete for the second round.

Antoine Walker: WHAT?! It won't happen, nor would I want it to, but Antoine has chemistry with Pierce and his contract isn't as bad as I once thought. It has a team option in the fourth year so it might only have three more years for less than 30 million on it. He also would be cheap to acquire. But, I repeat, it won't happen, nor would I want it to.

Rashard Lewis: A Wally and West for Lewis and Swift deal could work but it is a big risk for Boston. Will Rashard resign? Is Swift any good? Most importantly, how does it make us any better? It's another high school project and sub-All-Star SF so I can't see it being a deal that would make Pierce feel any more comfortable with our chances.

Steve Francis: No. Honestly, there's nothing that really interests me on the NY roster.

Richard Jefferson: We'd likely have to give up Wally and one of our youngs for Richard. Again, I don't see him being a difference maker. We'd be better with him instead of Wally but not THAT much better.

Jamaal Magloire: The rumor is that Magloire is headed to Washington but all I can see them offering is Antonio Daniels and either Etan Thomas or Brendan "Don't Call Me Brenda" Haywood. We have the talent to match that deal but we don't have the smaller contracts to make the deal feasible. We'd have to include Bobby Simmons in the deal and give up Wally, Scalabrine, and one of our young guys. I'm not sure if Milwaukee, who's looking for a backup defensive big man and a perimeter defender would be interested in that offer nor am I convinced that Magloire, who could leave via free agency after the season, is worth it.

Larry Hughes: Hughes is probably the worst choice out of the lot. We don't really need a shooting guard, let alone one that is currently struggling to gel with a star and usually misses a couple dozen games a year. Larry should be dealt but my guess is that Denver is the most likely destination.

Zach Randolph: The Celtics have an inside track on scouting Zach with ex-Blazers Ratliff and Telfair on the squad so we should know exactly how good he is and how questionable his attitude is. The question would be whether they were really all that interested in Wally since they have Martell Webster at the small forward spot. Whether or not Zach is overpaid or not doesn't even factor into this discussion because I just don't see us being able to convince Portland's trade-happy interim GM to make another deal with us.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim: I've never been a fan of 'Reef. He's not bad but I just don't see him making anyone a winner. Unless we can get him for scraps, I wouldn't bother.

Josh Smith: OK, Josh might not be "touchable" but I think he's the perfect fit. I'd be willing to move Perkins and Allen or West to get him. The kid's going to be a star. I think he, Pierce, and Telfair running the wings would be a sight to see.

Conclusion : Getting a high caliber All-Star is going to be pretty damn difficult for Danny. Odds are, we'd be better off waiting until midseason when our young guys will, hopefully, have shown something and Wally will be healthy. If we make a move now, my guess is that it would be for a power forward ala Boozer or Murphy. If we deal a young guy, I think it will most likely be Gerald Green, which I think would be a regrettable mistake. It should be interesting to see what Danny can pull off because, as he said, he isn't done dealing yet. (I'm not sure if that was a threat or a promise but either way, I'm on the edge of my seat).

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No really, pretty much half of the Celtics roster is playing in Vegas tomorrow. If we sign "The Show" Powe, then eight members of the fifteen man roster will be on our summer league team.

Posted by SoulHonky at 05:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have nothing new to report so I thought I'd just mention that the Joe Johnson trade has finally come full circle. We traded Joe to Phoenix who traded him to Atlanta and in that deal Phoenix got the pick with which they selected Rajon Rondo who they then traded to us.

Still Phoenix seems to make out on the deal. The Suns now have gotten Boris Diaw and two picks in the supposedly loaded 2007 draft (the Cleveland first round pick we sent them in the deal along with Atlanta's pick {only top three protected}.

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While Ainge is promising and fans are clamoring for another big move, I don't think a trade is in the cards. I'd like to see if we could get Lamar Odom in a deal for Wally Szczerbiak or maybe investigate getting one of Seattle's big men for Delonte West, but as of now, I believe the roster is set. Or should be. Danny has said he's not done dealing but he's made one solid deal so, with his trade history, I wouldn't push his luck.

Assuming Pierce isn't going anywhere, Wally is our biggest trade piece and I can't see many deals that make sense. Drew Gooden? No thanks. Jamal Crawford and Malik Rose or Q Richardson? I don't see Jamal fitting in now that we have Telfair running the point. Q's contract is garbage. Would Indiana be willing to give up Granger or Shawne Williams in a deal? Probably not although Bird is pretty horrific so who knows. Maybe he likes Wally for Sarunas, Granger and Croshere's expiring deal. The big names, KG, JO, Marion, Richard Jefferson are likely out of reach.

Honestly, I just don't see a worthwhile deal shaping up and if we wait a year, Theo Ratliff's contract will be expiring and Wally's contract will be one year shorter. Also, he'd hopefully not be coming off of end-of-season surgery which would make it easier to move him. This is shaping up to be 2003 all over again. Danny might feel he needs to make a move (like he did with Walker) but he would be better off waiting a year so that our assets have more trade value.

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Where would we be right now had we stuck with the blow it up plan that was pushed earlier this past season. Obviously, we should have gotten more than just Pierce for Duhon, Nocioni, and both Knicks picks but I'm still OK with the move. We dumped Raef's contract in the deal for Tim Thomas who actually might have been better than expected during the season. Nonetheless, you let him walk because he's not part of the plans.

Our 2005 Roster was:

• C: Perkins, Blount, Borchardt
• PF: Jefferson, T. Thomas, Gomes
• SF: Nocioni, Allen, Scalabrine
• SG: R. Davis, West, G. Green.
• PG: Duhon, Banks, Dickau

That team would have been absolutely atrocious which would have netted us a top four pick, at worst, giving us picks #2 and #5 in this draft. We also would have had the 36th and 37th picks to add some talent. Being a big believer in Rudy Gay, I would have gone after him with our first pick over Ty Thomas. Assuming Morrison and Ty Thomas go at the next two spots, the choice is between Aldridge, Roy, Foye, Shelden Williams or the Telfair trade. I would like to think of other possible deals (one with Golden St. being the most obvious) but to keep this in the realm of reality, I'll stick using the deal that went down. I would alter the deal a bit getting Travis Outaw and Skinner instead of Ratliff (and dumping Blount instead of Raef). Something like, #5, Blount, Dickau, Veal for Brian Skinner, Telfair, Outlaw. The question is: is LaMarcus worth it? Is it better to go after a true point guard instead? Seeing as we should have high picks in next year's big man filled draft, I'm going to opt to dump Blount and grab Telfair. I dump the rest of the contracts I don't like and end up getting a pure point and another talented young swingman. In the second round, we could add Marcus Vinicius (who stays overseas) and Daniel Gibson, a project we can afford to take on in the second round. Our post draft roster would be:

• C: Skinner, Perkins
• PF: Nocioni, Jefferson, Gomes
• SF: Gay, Outlaw
• SG: R. Davis, Allen, Gerald Green, West
• PG: Telfair, Duhon, Gibson

I'd be interested in dealing Ricky and Jefferson for a better PF and also would investigate dealing Delonte West for Robert Swift. Say only the West deals go down, that leaves us with: Our post draft roster would be:

• C: Skinner, Swift, Perkins
• PF: Nocioni, Jefferson, Gomes
• SF: Gay, Outlaw
• SG: R. Davis, Allen, Gerald Green
• PG: Telfair, Duhon, Gibson

Nobody in the free agent market would have interested me so I would probably have skipped signing anyone. We already have 14 guys on the roster anyway. The season ahead wouldn't be a victorious one but the kids would be improving and we'd be looking towards having three picks, two possibly very good ones (ours and NY's) in the 2007 draft along with cap space galore.

Posted by SoulHonky at 02:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm The Truth like A.I.
- Shawn Carter, co-owner of the New Jersey Nets

It's been forgotten by many, but before Reebok made Allen Iverson "The Answer", his nickname was The Truth. (There was also Bubba Chuck, but that didn't seem like the best choice for marketing) Now it seems like A.I. might be joining the player who took over his moniker. The question is, can the two co-exist? Can there be two truths?

While A.I. and Pierce would be a backcourt for the ages, their games don't exactly complement one another. Both guys are number one options but Iverson especially seems to require that he's the focus on the offense. In the past, Allen has fared better surrounded by role players rather than fellow scorers. Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes, Derrick Coleman, Tim Thomas, Chris Webber, the players came and went. While none of them were the caliber of Pierce, the fact remains that the Sixers team that made the Finals featured Theo Ratliff as their second scorer and Eric Snow and Aaron McKie were key backcourt components. To get Iverson to work best with Pierce, A.I. would have to change up his game and you do not acquire Allen Iverson if part of your plan is that he alters his style in any way, shape, or form.

Ironically, if Iverson does come, the team will likely have a similar makeup of the team Ainge blew up: two players eating up all the shots while the rest of the team is left to do the dirty work. The problem is that the roster isn't built with people who can fill those roles. Theo Ratliff and Kendrick Perkins are solid in the middle but neither is athletic enough to guard upper echelon big men. Ryan Gomes and Big Al aren't exactly shutting anyone down either. Delonte West is talented but not on the defensive end, where Erick Strickland helped the 2002 team. Telfair is talented but wasted if A.I. is around. Also, his strength is offense and not defense. The only people on the roster who seem to really complement the Two Truths is Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo, but both have height issues and Rondo is reportedly part of the package to get Iverson.

Getting Iverson would have to be one step of a bigger overhaul. While Ainge has been the king of running half of a plan, he can't afford to aquire Iverson and then hope that Jefferson or Gomes matures into a role for which neither is suited. Another deal for a big man would have to happen. Unfortunately, Ainge might not even have that option. The Jay-Z song that nickname dropped Iverson was "Money Ain't a Thing" which is pretty much the diametric opposte of what the current Celtics owners believe. Money is most definitely a thing when it comes to the Celtics. A resigned Pierce to even a modest contract and Iverson eats up around two-thirds of the salary cap. The C's would be hard-pressed to add the final pieces and avoid the luxury tax.

While people hope that the A.I. deal would be like Houston adding Clyde Drexler, it's more like Houston adding Charles Barkley. It looks good on paper but in reality, it probably won't work out. We might be able to make a run for the conference finals, but in the end, we'll have too many flaws to beat the elite teams.

Posted by SoulHonky at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)