Celtics and Vin?

[JThorneST@aol.com]

I know a lot of people here have been debating whether or not we should wait
and sign Vin Baker, or try to trade for him know.    But I would say that the
odds that we would have the cap room necessary to sign him in two years is
slim to none.  Not only are we using are cap room now and tying people up to
long term deals, which is not necessarily a bad thing mind you, but if we
want to resign Eric Williams, and to a larger extent Antoine Walker, the cap
room available for Baker will not be there.  And as much as he may want to
play for the C's, if the Bulls or Suns, or even Milwaukee is offering him
around $10 million per season, and the Celtic's can only offer him 3 million,
and that may be optimistic, what do you think Baker will do?  That's why
since Milwaukee within the week has hired a general manager,(they were
without one for a while), now is the time to trade for Vin.  
     Vin I believe is scheduled to make 3.8 million in the coming year.  In
the NBA, trades have to be within 15% of each other relating to the salary
cap with all the players involved.  I propose that we offer this deal

Vin Baker (3.8)
for
Dana Barros(3.4)
Eric Williams(1.0)
'99 First Rounder
'2001 First Rounder

Milwaukee may need to add someone who makes the minimum to get it within 15%,
but if Baker is getting a 20% percent increase every year like is allowed,
then the deal would go through.

I for one would do this deal, and I think that Milwaukee would really
consider it, I would try to hold on to the 98 first rounder, but if Milwaukee
really held out for it, I think I would do it.......albeit that would
probably be the only draft pick I would give.  After this deal......I would
sign both Baker and Walker to long term deals next summer(when Antoine can
sign).......then this would be our lineup next winter:

PG: Billups/Murdock/Brown
2G: Mercer/Brown/Minor
WF: Walker/Minor
PF: Baker/Declerq
C:   Knight/Ellison/Declerq

plus whomever else we can sign with the other half of Radja's buyout (1.5 to
2 mill), maybe wait until mid to late August and get a couple of bargains who
will play for the minimum, much like Chapman and Walt Williams did, if we
play it right, we will not be over the cap at the start of next summer, and
then if any of the minimum guys played real well, we can sign them to
anything we wanted and won't have the problem that the Lakers and Magic had
with Knight, Strong, and Wilkins.

I know this long, but I figured I post some facts, and a trade proposal,
please feel free to comment  on it.