Bird should learn from McHale
The Jermaine O'Neal saga continues to play out like the Keystone Cops of PR. One day a player demands a trade, the next he says he didn't really say that, then he says he wants to stay. The GM says he isn't moving his star player but he's not not moving him either. All the while, the best possilbe offers are trickling in and the GM is holding out for more.
If rumors are true, Bird is asking the world for Jermaine O'Neal. He wants Odom and Bynum from the Lakers (a package they wouldn't give up for Garnett). The New Jersey Nets supposedly offered Richard Jefferson, Nenad Krstic, and Jason Collins for Jermaine O'Neal. Bird said he wanted Marcus Williams instead of Collins so the Nets declined. While Bird might think he's doing the right thing by standing his ground, there's one problem: Jermaine O'Neal's game is in decline and he is massively overpaid. O'Neal hasn't played over 70 games in the last three years and his points per game have dropped each of those years. Nevermind that he shot only 43% last year and that he's set to make over 20 million dollars a year for the next three seasons.
Add in Coach Jim O'Brien and you might have a disaster. While I think Obie is an underrated coach, his approach didn't exactly mesh well with Webber and Iverson in Philadephia and I could see Jermaine chafing a bit like those two. Also, even with O'Neal on board, the Pacers still aren't much better than first round fodder.
If Bird doesn't strike while the iron is hot, he'll be sitting in a similar situation as McHale. He'll pretty much have to deal his franchise player and the great offers that he'd turned down earlier will no longer be available. Another injury or slow start from O'Neal, and Bird might not even be able to find a salvageable deal like McHale did.
Comments
IF CHICAGO, NEW JERSEY, WASHINGTON, OR (I GUESS THE LAKERS) LAND JERMAINE THEY WILL BE REAL CONTENDERS WITH HIM AS THEIR CENTER....... ANOTHER TEAM I THINK WOULD BE A SERIOUS TITLE CONTENDER WOULD BE HOUSTON UNDER ADELMAN IF THEY TRADED YAO FOR JERMAINE ONEAL. IF JERMAINE WAS THEIR CENTER INSTEAD OF YAO HE WOULD FIT MUCH BETTER AND THE TEAM WOULD BE BETTER WITH HIM AS THEIR CENTER........ HOUSTON GM WOULD PROBLY GET KILLED FOR IT BUT JERMAINE IS ONLY A YEAR OLDER THAN YAO, YAO HAS MISSED JUST AS MANY GAMES THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND YAO/TMAC IS A MISMATCH ESPECIALLY UNDER ADELMAN. THE TEAM WOULD BE MUCH BETTER WITH JERMAINE AS THEIR CENTER WITH THAT ROSTER/PERSONNELL/COACH..... ITS ABOUT DOING WHAT IS BEST FOR THE TEAM, RIGHT? THAT TEAM COULD REALLY WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP IF J.O. WAS THEIR CENTER INSTEAD OF YAO AS IS RIGHT NOW, IN MY OPINION...... SO WHY NOT DO IT? ITS ABOUT WHAT IS BEST FOR THE TEAM, RIGHT???
Posted by: BOBBY | August 21, 2007 01:13 AM
Apparently the Lakers were willing to trade everyone on their team minus Bryant and Bynum but Bird refused that too. He wanted Bynum more than the rest of them and the Lakers won't trade him. They're still going to suck either way though....
Posted by: Dean | September 2, 2007 04:35 AM