Re: Boston Herald: Celtics Not Shopping Walker At The Moment

[Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>]

This is such music to my ears.  Here are the players I
would accept in exchange for Antoine Walker, excluding
such never-happens as Duncan, Hill, Garnett, etc.

Abdur-Rahim
Michael Finley
Brian Grant
Kobe Bryant
Alan Iverson
Dikembe Mutumbo
Antonio McDyess (maybe)
Jason Kidd
Vince Carter

like that.  And even then I have misgivings, except
with the first two.  I hope this speech by Wallace
isn't a smokescreen.

--- Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Chris Wallace says players like him are hard to find
> and they learned
> from the Ron Mercer situation, the perils of trying
> to trade someone,
> when other teams know you have to make a deal....
> > 
>       Boston Herald
> 
>       C's OK with Walker
>       by Mark Cofman 
>       Tuesday, August 10, 1999
>       It's no secret the Celtics have dangled
> Antoine Walker's name in trade 
>       talks this summer. But after examining the
> market, team management is 
>       starting to sound like it expects Walker to be
> wearing a Celtics uniform 
>       when training camp opens in October.
>       ``Guys like Antoine are very hard to find,''
> said Celtics general manager 
>       Chris Wallace, finally coming up for air after
> last week's roster 
>       upheaval. ``Big-time talents who can take over
> a game and who can beat you 
>       in a number of ways - there's just not that
> many out there. And the ones 
>       who are out there are generally not
> available.''
>       Particularly for a team in the Celtics'
> position. They gave Walker a 
>       six-year, $71 million contract in January -
> the maximum allowed to players 
>       with six or less years of NBA experience. He
> responded with his worst 
>       season, was booed frequently at home games and
> became something of a 
>       scapegoat for the team's fourth straight
> non-playoff season. 
>       Walker did win back a measure of respect when
> he returned from a severe 
>       ankle sprain to play during the final week of
> the season, but the damage 
>       to his reputation already had been done. The
> lockout-shortened 50-game 
>       season was a disaster for the team and its
> captain.
>       ``I look at Antoine Walker as one of the
> leaders of the Boston Celtics and 
>       an integral part of the future of this
> franchise,'' said Wallace. ``We've 
>       added quality players and helped ourselves
> quite a bit in the areas of 
>       depth and versatility through the deals we've
> made (last week).
>       ``But to win in this league - to get to the
> playoffs and to ultimately be 
>       a championship contender - you need that
> big-time talent. Somebody who can 
>       carry the mail. Antoine has that kind of
> talent. I fully expect him to 
>       step up for us this season.''
>       If he doesn't, the Celtics are in for a
> headache. Before dealing Ron 
>       Mercer to Denver in last week's six-player
> exchange, Wallace and Rick 
>       Pitino discovered firsthand the difficulties
> of trading players at their 
>       market-value worst. Mercer's pricetag for a
> contract extension was too 
>       steep for the Celtics. He could have walked as
> a free agent next summer, 
>       with the team getting nothing in return.
> Instead, he was shopped to the 
>       highest bidder.
>       But in Pitino's words, the Celtics were being
> offered ``30, 40, 50 cents'' 
>       on the dollar for Mercer by teams aware they
> were trying to move the 
>       talented guard as soon as possible. Pitino and
> Wallace sat tight until 
>       Denver came in with an offer they perceived to
> be for fair market value.
>       They pulled the trigger on the deal last week,
> shipping Mercer, forward 
>       Popeye Jones and center Dwayne Schintzius to
> the Nuggets for forwards 
>       Danny Fortson and Eric Williams, guard Eric
> Washington and a first-round 
>       pick.
>       The Celtics subsequently used their $2 million
> salary-cap exception to 
>       sign veteran swingman Calbert Cheaney to a
> three-year contract. Cheaney 
>       will help fill the void left by Mercer's
> departure. His arrival brings to 
>       six the number of new faces on the roster
> since the league's moratorium on 
>       signings and deals was lifted on Aug. 1.
>       For a brief period last week, it appeared a
> trade involving Walker would 
>       translate into even more new faces on the
> Celtics. And though Wallace 
>       can't promise a deal for Walker won't happen
> before the leaves fall, it 
>       appears things have quieted down in the
> Celtics front office.
>       For now.
>       ``My motto is never say never,'' said Wallace,
> beginning his third year 
>       with the Celtics.
>       ``But I do like the team we have right now.
> There's a nice blend of 
>       talent, depth and experience. I'm eager to see
> where that takes us.'' 
> 
> 
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>      

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