Article: Walker Trade still a possibility / Ron to Miami?

[Ryan Falcone <FalconeR@nvg.com>]

Different take on several issues, including Ron's current "hard" stance...

http://www.sportssleuth.com/framewrap.cfm?LOC=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eboston%2Ecom%2Fdailyglobe2%2F217%2Fsports%2FWalker%5Ftrade%5Fneeds%5Fsome%5Fhelp%2B%2Eshtml&ARTT=Walker%20trade%20needs%20some%20help&SN=BGLOBE&SD=The%20Boston%20Globe&SHP=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eboston%2Ecom%2Fsports&DF=05%2DAUG%2D99&SF=1

Walker trade needs some help 
Third team would make it possibility under cap 
By Michael Holley, Globe Staff, 08/05/99 

If this were a different NBA, Antoine Walker would be a former Celtic by
now. He would be in Indiana, swapping Boston stories with Larry Bird.
But this is the league which features a quirky thing called base-year
compensation, which essentially means this: The Celtics and Pacers
most likely have to find a third team to pull off any deal for Walker and
Dale Davis. 
That's one reason Walker's agent, Mike Higgins, said yesterday that he is
not concerned about his 22-year-old client being mentioned in several
trade scenarios. 
''It's something I'm not even thinking about right now,'' Higgins said. ''The
last thing I'm worried about is Antoine being traded.'' 
It is known that the Celtics have called several teams in the league, trying
to see what their interest might be in the 6-foot-9-inch forward. They
initiated the call to the Pacers, who plan to stay competitive while
rebuilding. Indiana has already begun that process by trading for
18-year-old Jonathan Bender and bringing along 19-year-old Al
Harrington. They would like to acquire Walker and let him blend in with
veterans such as Mark Jackson and Reggie Miller. 
The problem is that Walker's $71 million contract cannot fit under the
Pacers' salary cap. The most obvious route around that obstacle is a
three-way trade. One team that could help is the Clippers, who have
salary room and another player - Lorenzen Wright - the Pacers like. But
even if that worked, the Celtics could be facing a snag of their own.
Apparently, the 30-year-old Davis heard about his potential trade to
Boston and went to Pacers management with a message: He won't
report to the Celtics if he is dealt. 
Trading Walker was not one of the team's end-of-season priorities, but
this has not been the best summer for the Celtics and Walker. The team
and the player have been cool with each other the past few weeks, just
as Ron Mercer and the Celtics became detached before the 6-foot-7-inch
guard was traded. In fact, some in the organization perceived it as a
swipe when Mercer watched the Celtics in the LA Summer League but
refused to sit with the team. Mercer was traded to the Nuggets Tuesday.

The Celtics clearly are not done trading. They have 14 players signed to
contracts and still plan to add another free agent (they like 6-5 swingman
Ruben Patterson). 
Speaking of Mercer, it might not be a good idea for him to get too
comfortable in Denver. Tuesday night, it appeared that Mercer and the
Nuggets were close to a six-year contract extension. If that extension
comes, the man paying the salary might be Heat owner Micky Arison.
Shortly after the Celtics dealt Mercer to the Nuggets, Pat Riley called Dan
Issel expressing an interest in Mercer. Mercer did not appear at a news
conference yesterday in Denver, saying he would not unless an
extension was offered, which Issel claimed has not occurred.