Re: Walker for Ratliff rumor continues

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

Josh O. writes:

> Absurd trade.  I think Larry Brown is zotzing Pitino. 
> Why would we trade an all star caliber young player
> for a slightly better Tony Battie?  Doesn't make any
> sense.  If Walker goes, it won't be during this
> season, and it won't be such unequal value.  This may
> be the most ridiculous trade yet I've heard discussed
> re Walker.  Walker for Iverson would be more like it.

I think that Theo Ratliff is more than a "slightly better
Tony Battie". In fact, Pitino described Ratliff as an
All-Star caliber player partway through last year and
said that he'd be thrilled if Tony could be 2/3 the player
that Ratliff was (in response to a comment that Battie
made saying that he thought he could be a better player
than Ratliff). In those terms we'd be trading one young
All-Star caliber player for another. I believe that Ratliff
was a contender for Defensive Player of the Year last year.
I would personally rather have Ratliff than Iverson for the
Celtics, partly because we'd probably have to rebuild the
entire team around Iverson if we acquired him; it wouldn't
make sense for either team.

Alex