Re: The Trade

[mberry@journalink.com (Mark Berry)]

          I'll throw my opinion in:

          One of the most overrated things in the NBA is potential.
          It's the thing that keeps teams in the lottery year after
          year. Chauncey may turn out to be the next Tim Hardaway,
          but, as I said in an earlier post, he reminds me more of Sam
          Cassell -- a score-first point guard with no real
          understanding of how to run a team.

          That, to me, is a point guard's single most important job,
          and for some reason that aspect of the job is always
          underestimated. Chauncey hasn't been able to run this team
          at all this year. Kenny Anderson is a true point guard -- a
          floor leader. Chauncey for Kenny is an upgrade right now.
          Will it be five years from now? Who knows, but if you wait
          around forever, you end up with nothing. I don't want to
          wait.

          Everyone calls Anderson old. He's 27. He's in his prime. In
          case you haven't noticed, we desperately need veterans on
          this team. We are far too young. Anderson gives us a veteran
          in the most vital position on the floor. Does he have flaws?
          Certainly, but he's a better point guard right now than
          Chauncey. Period.

          Everyone wanted to clear cap space for free agents, but no
          one realized that the other teams out there actually have a
          clue about the salary cap as well. No one was going to take
          Dee off our hands for nothing. If he was going to be moved,
          it was going to be for someone else's salary cap trash (Pooh
          Richardson) or in a package like the one to Toronto. Believe
          me, Dee wasn't a sweetener in the deal for the Raptors -- he
          was for the Celtics.

          So we upgrade the point guard position and clear cap space
          for next year's free agent class. I expect us to make a play
          for Pippen (even though I can't stand him, I know Pitino
          loves his game) or McDyess.

          Is it a slam dunk for the Celtics? No, but people, those
          rarely happen anymore. I think it's a solid trade.

          Mark