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SF Chronicleon trade ideas
The San Francisco Chronicle
Wednesday, June 18, 1997 · Page D1 ©1997 San Francisco Chronicle
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Trades Are Talk Of Draft
Real possibilities mix with tall tales
David Steele
WITH ALL the posturing and speculating that surrounds any NBA draft --
such as the one a week from today -- it is certain, beyond a doubt,
that some very prominent players actually will get drafted.
The same goes for wild free- agent bonanzas, such as the one last
summer and the one that should take place next summer. Most of the
players expected to get paid big will hit the jackpot.
But trades? That's where the uncertainty creeps in. No, actually it
storms in like a loudmouthed neighbor. Everybody talks about trades.
All sorts of names get tossed around. Rumors fly in all directions.
And in the end, in the overwhelming majority of cases, either nothing
happens, or something happens that no one had anticipated.
``There's a lot of people talking,'' said Warriors coach P. J.
Carlesimo, one of the people talking. ``But whether there's going to
be anything happening, I don't know. Ninety percent of the stuff that
gets talked about is pure smoke, anyway. If anything even happens, it
won't be until the last minute, and it'll end up catching everyone by
surprise.''
That's the drama NBA followers face this summer in lieu of any real
suspense in the draft or free agency. This offseason will be
remembered for the trade talk surrounding the likes of Scottie Pippen,
Shawn Kemp, Derrick Coleman, Jerry Stackhouse, Joe Smith, Antonio
McDyess, Chris Mullin, Jayson Williams, Vin Baker, Jim Jackson and
Otis Thorpe.
In fact, trade possibilities will provide all the spice leading up to
the draft, as the offers to the San Antonio Spurs for the top pick --
and the rights to Tim Duncan -- accelerate. It's not so much because
Duncan is considered the next great NBA big man (which he is) but
because the drop-off in talent after him is so steep. Said new Celtics
boss Rick Pitino, ``It's not like having a choice between (Penny)
Hardaway and (Chris) Webber.''
As for the free-agent pool this year, it's thin compared to last year.
Brian Grant, Brian Williams, Sam Cassell, Bryon Russell, Rex Chapman
-- not exactly franchise players. Patrick Ewing is free for the first
time in his career, and although the Knicks are a sure thing to lock
him up, there has been considerable chatter about his signing a
minimum-wage contract with Chicago and getting the ring he says he
desires so much. But someone who knows Ewing well recently offered
this insight into his priorities: ``Patrick would rather play for
Vancouver for an extra buck.''
What makes this trade marketplace so intriguing is the various reasons
the players are on the block. Kemp is a perfect example. His reasons
for wanting out of Seattle range from unhappiness over his contract
and those of his teammates, to his perceived disrespect from his
superiors, to persecution by fans and media. ``There is no positive
outlook about Shawn Kemp in Seattle,'' he told ESPN during the Finals.
``When that name is mentioned, it brings nothing but negativity.''
Sonics general manager Wally Walker has made all the requisite denials
that he's trying to accommodate Kemp -- even as rumors persist that
Kemp has been offered to the Spurs for the No. 1 pick and that the
Kemp-for-Pippen deal that was nixed three years ago is being revived.
Pippen, meanwhile, does not want to leave Chicago, but the Bulls
neither want to see him walk away as a free agent next year nor pay
him what he's worth. General manager Jerry Krause, at least, has not
denied that he's taking calls for Pippen: ``I always tell my people,
when teams don't call us, that's when you worry,'' he said during the
Finals.
Actually, when a general manager opens his mouth, that's when you
worry. So take the talk surrounding the following players with a grain
of salt:
-- Coleman is already on new 76ers coach Larry Brown's bad side: after
one phone conversation, Brown was convinced the pudgy, problematic
power forward doesn't want to be there. The Sixers are contemplating
paying him off to the tune of $13.5 million to cover next season and a
buyout for 1998-99, just to entice someone. Continuing the grand
tradition of being utterly blinded by physical talent, the Heat and
Raptors have shown interest.
-- Williams, one of the league's best rebounders, doesn't get along
with Nets coach John Calipari, a point he made clear in the June issue
of GQ (``I don't want to be putting my foot up Cal's (rear end) in a
contract year''). Talk of a deal sending him to Washington in a
package that would bring back Gheorghe Muresan surfaced late in the
season.
-- Thorpe and Pistons coach Doug Collins hate each other. But the
power forward's contract, $5 million next year, will make moving him
difficult.
-- Baker, a three-time All-Star, would bring more to the
still-rebuilding Bucks than would former No. 1 pick Glenn Robinson,
who's dragging around seven more years on his bloated rookie contract.
-- Jackson, part of the big Mavs- Nets trade last February, is the odd
guard out in New Jersey, behind Kerry Kittles.
-- Mullin has wanted the Warriors to trade him for nearly a year. New
coach Larry Bird, an original Dream Teammate, reportedly wants him in
Indiana.
-- Smith, Stackhouse and McDyess are members of the rookie class of
1995 and are going into the final years of their contracts. All will
be playing under new coaches this year (Stackhouse will be on his
third), and it's not clear whether they will be included in their
team's plans. Stackhouse and McDyess already have surfaced as bait for
Pippen, and Smith's name has been linked to Kemp's and Duncan's.
But remember. It's all just speculation. As Krause said of the media,
``You guys just make this stuff up.''