Re: I Don't Think The Celtics Will Do The Fortson/Mercer Trade

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

I agree that Fortson is a great rebounder, but....

- I don't know about his defense. I'm not sure about his offense.

- I'm not sure he can coexist with Potapenko.

- I think Battie and Pot may be more of a compliementary unit.

- Inking Battie to a big contract and bringing him off the bench:
  young players just don't do that these days.  They all want to start.

- I still feel, if the C's let teams bid against themsleves, some GM out
there
  will do something stupid and they'll end up with a better player than
  Fortson.

- The C's would deal Mercer for Marcus Camby in a second and he'd be the
starting
  power forward, spindly legs and all. With Potapenko clodding the
middle,
  you need a more fluid power forward, one who can defend and block
shots.
  Is Fortson that?  I don't think so.
Ray   
  


j.hironaka@unesco.org wrote:
> 
> Way Of The Ray wrote:
> 
> > Joe,
> >
> > Here are my problems with the trade:
> >
> > Pitino doesn't want Williams' hard to deal contract or influence:
> >
> > - We all complain about the long term cap crap deals, and you want the
> > Celtics
> > to add another one in Williams.  Plus, Williams had been a bust in
> > Denver.
> 
> I don't believe this trade will happen in a million years and so I shouldn't waste
> my breath, BUT my point is that EWilliams is not the point. Fuhgettaboutim. Pitino
> can keep him at arm's length from the team if he's such an awful influence or he
> can buy out the rest of his contract like he did with Dino. If they reach some
> sort of rapport, then Williams will surely try hard to prove Pitino was wrong
> about him. As out-of-shape as he supposedly was when Pitino traded him, he still
> managed career highs in scoring (19.8) rebounds (5.3) and assists (3.0) before
> blowing out his knee in Denver. Personally, I don't mind if he's washed up so we
> can put him on our IR for the entire season. Maybe he even qualifies as a tax
> write-off. Anyway, this trade is not about Eric Williams or Popeye Jones.
> 
> > - Pitino and Antoine are at war at the moment - He's not going to bring
> > in
> > one of Antoine's pal so he'll have even less control over the situation.
> >
> 
> "At War"?   Fill me in, Mr Bulpett.  :-)   I think you are letting wishful
> thinking get the best of you.
> 
> > The C's aren't sure how Pot and Fortson we'll work out:
> >
> > - Exactly.  Can they coexist together or will they both need to be down
> > low to be effective?
> >
> > - Pot and Fortson could be a defensive liability. A 6-10 and 6-6 C/PF
> > combination
> > is worrisome from a defensive perceptive. Two guys who aren't
> > shotblockers,
> > and possess a lot of beef, are not exactly what you envision for a
> > pressing
> > system.
> 
> Fortson weighs 260, Potsie weights 300. Basically you need guys with oak-tree legs
> to wear down opponents. That's why Battie will never project as a shutdown
> defender, and 6-11 guys like McCarty or Anstey have even less hope. Battie will be
> useful in certain matchups against height and speed. Say, Marcus Camby. IMO,
> Battie's a great change of pace and our best/only shot blocker but he's useless
> against the Charles Oakley's of the world.
> 
> > Battie's Time to Blossom:
> >
> > - Yes it is. How much will bringing him off the bench retard his
> > progress?
> > - The C's need his shotblocking and quickness in the starting lineup.
> 
> Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Battie will still get a lot of minutes.
> I would guess around 30 minutes next year, up to half just backing up the center
> ahead of Duhwayne Shintzius.
> 
> > Mercer Traded for a future All-Star:
> >
> > - I don't quite think Fortson fits into that category.
> 
> Mercer for Fortson is the mirror image of "Sidney Wicks for Paul Silas". It is
> about trading style for substance. IMO, it's a return to glory.
> 
> > Battie and S. Walker will be fine at power forward:
> >
> > - I believe if the club can acquire S. Walker without giving up Mercer,
> > it would be of benefit to the C's frontcourt.
> 
> Compared to Spankmi, at least Pervis Ellison had an All Star appearance and a full
> healthy season in his resumé when ML Carr signed him to the type of long-term deal
> Smackmi has already turned down.
> 
> > Mercer may bring in more value than Fortson:
> >
> > - Sure why not.  As teams keep offering deals and Pitino turns them down
> > or
> > says they don't exist, Mercer's value goes up.  It's a group GM
> > mentality.
> > If GM's A, B, C, and D offer deals, then GM E figures he must get on in
> > the
> > bidding, because the player up for bids obviously has a high value as
> > so many teams are interested in him. If Pitino is smart, he'll play the
> > bidders
> > against  one another.
> > Ray
> 
> Any player we can afford who averages 11.7 rebounds in limited minutes is going to
> have some sort of baggage. Usually, it's a bad attitude, or foolish/indifferent
> play, or a history of injuries. In this case Fortson is "too short".
> 
> Well then I guess he must have a chip on his shoulder, since this didn't stop him
> from delivering some whoop-ass last year with remarkable consistency. Some of his
> best games were against teams featuring such diverse All Star talents as Webber,
> Garnett, Barkley. This is why I frankly doubt this trade will go down, much as I
> personally wish it could. The following stats are from NBA.COM:
> 
> Recorded 21 points (8-15 FG, 5-5 FT) and a game-high 18 rebounds against the
> Sacramento Kings on 5/3
> Registered 20 points and a game-high 23 rebounds, including 9 offensive boards,
> against the Golden State Warriors on 4/15
> Scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds in a 120-97 victory over the
> New Jersey Nets on 4/14
> Posted 22 points (10-17 FG) and a game-high 17 rebounds against the Sacramento
> Kings on 4/10
> Totaled 21 points (8-11 FG, 5-5 FT) and a team-high 12 rebounds against the L.A.
> Lakers on 4/5
> Recorded 19 points (8-11 FG) and a game-high 17 rebounds against the Minnesota
> Timberwolves on 3/19
> Registered 15 points and a game-high 21 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards,
> against the Houston Rockets on 3/9
> Converted the game-winning tip-in with 5.0 seconds left, posting 16 points (6-8
> FG, 4-4 FT) and 11 rebounds in his first start of the season, in a 95-93 victory
> over the Milwaukee Bucks on 2/26
> Totaled 15 points and a career-high 24 rebounds, including 8 offensive boards,
> against the Dallas Mavericks on 2/25
> 
> >From 4/14 to 4/26, notched 6 double-doubles in 7 games, averaging 17.3 ppg and
> 14.7 rpg and shooting .513 from the field
> >From 3/30 to 4/10, logged 5 double-doubles in 7 games, averaging 15.1 ppg and 13.4
> rpg and shooting .612 from the field,
> 
> ------