Re: Walker, PJ Brown, Mashburn

[j.hironaka@unesco.org]

Alex Wang wrote:

> Some notes on the rumored Walker for PJ Brown and Mashburn trade.
>
> 1) According to onhoops.com, PJ Brown made $3.8M last year and is
> signed through 2003. Mashburn made $4.4M last year and is signed
> through 2001. If Mark Strickland is included, he is a minimum-wager
> who is signed through the end of this season. (etc...)

Alex is the man for balanced, rational analysis. I'm not.    :-)

PJ Brown turns 30 after this (rebuilding) season, so he could be a
marginal factor by the time our Celtics are in championship contention
again (I still believe they will be soon). He's also a career .449FG
shooter, which is not so hot for a guy whose man double teams someone
else. BTW, he's a career 7.2 rebouder while Antoine Walker is a career
20ppg and 9.6 rebound guy (who turns 23 next August). In some ways, the
Pedro Martinez for Carl Pavano baseball trade made more sense to me. At
least Montreal was getting a prospect with an "upside" in return. This
is like the reverse (a young superstar for an aging nobody). The Celtics
might as well throw in southpaw pitcher Babe Ruth.

And if you want to argue that this trade's all about "team chemistry"
rather than pure talent, then why bring in another hotdog gunner like
Mashburn (career .414FG shooter). The guy sees a high percentage shot
opportunity the second he sits up in bed each morning. If the Celtics
are lucky enough to add Jason Kidd and Jim Jackson to the mix, we might
have just enough talent to compete with those great Dallas Mavericks
lottery teams of the early 90s. The other "team chemistry" problem is
the glut of small forwards. Either Ron or Paul (not to mention Bruce or
Walter) better learn to sit down and shut up for 25 minutes a game,
while Pitino-pet Mashburn guns away for 40 minutes a night.

Unless Miami's fans are butt-picking morons, they presently have all
fingers and toes crossed hoping this nutty rumor is true. They will get
a ferociously competitive young All Star rebounding machine for a guy
(Mashburn) who had nothing to do with Miami's success last year. I'll
bet most Heat fans don't even know or CARE that Mashburn is still a
member of their team. Pierce for Mashburn is barely conceivable. Walker
for PJ is ludicrous.

The best part for "El Greasy One" Riley is that he'll do all this at the
expense of not just a moronic and inferior division rival, but the once
proud Boston Celtics franchise.  It will come back to haunt the Celtics
for at least 10-15 years. The leprechaun will probably say "to heck with
this Boston traffic" and move down with 'Toine to sunny Miami. We'll all
be dead before this curse is lifted. Our kids will be dead. Our cities
and farmland will turn to dust. (Of course snide, simpering Peter May
could care less how the Celtics do, since he's too busy bad-mouthing
every present-day NBA player other than Keith Van Horn and Tim Duncan).

I know some guys whom I really respect on this list think this trade is
the best we can do under the circumstances. I also sense that they are
predicating this trade on the chance of simultaneously getting
Olowokandi even up for Paul Pierce, or getting Mark Strickland (who BTW
is not part of any rumoured trade package I've heard so far). I hope
that's the case.

Otherwise, I say this trade stinks. And I really hope Jeremy Warren and
Dan Forant (etc.)are right that a Walker trade won't happen. Even if
they can't sign Walker after he plays out his contract, I say fine. At
least we'll have a clearer picture by the end of this season what his
actual market price is and what we've got in him in terms of talent.
Plus I'll bet we can get Mashburn for next to nothing in a couple of
years.

Okay, next post I'll tell you all how I REALLY feel about trading Toine.
:-)   I guess I've been pretty one-track lately.


Joe Hironaka


p.s. There are a lot of big slow guys over here in Europe who are great
outside shooters (I mean great). It's like the NBA in the days of Barry
(not "Jon"), Westphal, Petrie, Bill Bradley etc.

****