Re: Bulpett, Holley scuttle

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

This tale of trade intrigue had my head spinning, fortunately I hadn't
eaten anything yet. Well, there certainly seems an endless procession of
possibilities, once you start talking about moving out both Walker
and Mercer.  It certainly wouldn't be beyond Pitino's machinations to
pull off something really big.  In fact, I think stuff like this
really gets him off.  Yeah, I can see him discussing the various trade
possibilities with Wallace, Jersey Red (who is very high on Artest, if
you shot yourself up with stimulants and was able to read that far in
his 
draft column), Bulpett, Papile, the Catholic priest, Bob Lobel, his
horse trainer, Ted Sarandis, and the other FoR's, and him being there
with the 
glassy look in his eyes, like a kid in a candy store. 
Ray   

PS: If I'm doling out both Walker and Mercer, I'd find some way of
getting
Payton and a decent power forward...

> Subject: RE: Bulpett, Holley scuttle
> Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 10:17:13 -0400
> From: "Thomas Murphy" <tfmiii@worldnet.att.net>
> To: "Celtic list" <celtics@igtc.com>
> 
> Bulpett's comments concerning that "Walker no longer untouchable"
> 
> http://www.bostonherald.com/bostonherald/sport/celts07021999.htm
> 
> are very interesting, although I have a hard time stomaching the idea that
> somehow we could end up with Vin Baker as a consequence - how? The only way
> I can figure is if we "dump" Walker and then trade Mercer (and Dana? etc.)
> for Vin in a sign and trade. But who could we "dump" Walker on?
> 
> Here is where Holley's comments
> 
> http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/183/sports/There_s_no_questioning_Clack_s_
> athleticism+.shtml
> 
> on Chicago are very interesting. . .Chicago has the cap room to take
> Walker, we could get a seasoned vet (Toni Kukoc) in return at roughly half
> of Walker's $9 mil salary (Kukoc made $4.6 mil last year, just at the limit
> permissible by the base year comp rule) and Chicago could make up the
> remainder of the talent/age deficit with one of their rugged draft picks
> such as Ron Artest (or two? Michael Ruffin and Lari Ketner?). Holley's
> comment is very apropos here: "Remember, the Celtics also had Artest ranked
> among the draft's top 10 players"
> 
> Here's the Chicago Tribune's take on Artest and Ruffin:
> 
> >>The other guys: Artest, whom the Bulls took with the No. 16 pick,
> averaged 14.5 points and 6.2 rebounds as a sophomore at St. John's last
> season. Ruffin, whom the Bulls grabbed in the second round--32nd
> overall--averaged 9.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in four seasons at Tulsa.
> 
> Both are perceived as tough players who aren't afraid to mix it up and can
> play defense, which is a priority of Floyd's. Ruffin was known as a
> defensive stopper in college.
> 
> "That's kind of what got me glory at Tulsa," he said. "Just being able to
> play defense and being able to rebound. It kind of started from high
> school. That's what I love to do. I love playing defense, I love being able
> to stop the people I'm guarding. I love that challenge."
> 
> Artest can play shooting guard, small forward or power forward.
> 
> "I'm versatile," he said. "I can play up tempo, and I can slow it down. I'm
> just going to keep playing the same way I did in college, being versatile
> and unselfish."<<
> 
> >From TSN draft profiles: http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/draft/
> >>Player profile: Ron Artest
> VITAL STATS: 6-6/233, SG, St. John's
> 
> STRENGTHS: There is no more versatile player in the draft. There are better
> players who are versatile, such as Rhode Island's Lamar Odom, but no one
> who does as many things well as Artest. He shoots with range, drives the
> ball to the goal, is an excellent post-up scorer, creates opportunities for
> teammates and is a big-play defender capable of accumulating steals and
> blocks. Call him "The Expanding Man." One moment, he looks like a 6-2
> shooting guard whizzing around on the perimeter. The next, he looks like a
> 6-9 power forward dominating the lane. Artest worked hard to make himself a
> better shooter in between his freshman and sophomore season; that
> determination should be an asset. It also helps that he is not a shot-hog.
> He could have been a 20-point scorer but used all his offensive ability to
> make St. John's a top 10-caliber team.
> 
> WEAKNESSES: Artest could have used another year at St. John's to polish his
> offensive game. Although he's got the basics, he is a bit sloppy with the
> ball (105 turnovers) and not yet adept enough at handling the ball for a
> team to feel entirely comfortable playing him at shooting guard. He is an
> excellent passer and will be able to attack off the dribble, but he will
> cut it loose more often than he should. If he does not improve his handle,
> he will have to be a small forward, and he's tough enough but not quite
> tall enough to be ideal at that spot. He did not have a great relationship
> with coach Mike Jarvis, which has nothing to do with his decision to turn
> pro, but he is a bit too emotional and may have trouble dealing with the
> pressures of sudden wealth. He could use a mentor to help him deal with the
> transition to the NBA.
> 
> NBA COMPARISON/OUTLOOK: Nick Anderson, Orlando Magic. Like Anderson, Artest
> is a powerful player who can nail perimeter shots. Artest comes to the
> league equipped with a much more varied game, but Anderson had a greater
> degree of experience when he left Illinois. Still, it can be argued the
> team that gets Artest between the 6th and 10th picks, which is probably
> where he'll land, may get the bargain of the draft. Consider all that
> Artest did that Duke's Corey Maggette did not: carry his team, make big
> shots, shoot consistently from deep, score on the block, play big minutes.
> Which one would you want?
> 
> -- Mike DeCourcy/The Sporting News
> 
> NOTES:
> Artest was as close to a "go-to" guy as St. John's had this year in its run
> to the Elite Eight. A multi-talented small forward, Artest is still young
> and learning, but scouts love his strength and NBA-caliber body, even more
> so than conference rival Richard Hamilton of Connecticut. Artest was
> comfortable helping on the boards (6.3 rpg this season), or taking it
> outside and sticking the 3-pointer (37.4 percent, 1.6 per game). He's an
> exciting open-court player whose conditioning (a team leading 34.1 mpg) is
> very good. Artest still needs to fine-tune several aspects of his game, as
> he only played two seasons of college ball. He will also need to be
> patient; too often St. John's players were involved in internal squabbles.
> 
> STATISTICS:
>                           MIN   FG%   3P%   FT%    RPG   APG   PPG
> 97-98 St. John's (NY)     27.2  41.5  32.7  52.6   6.3   1.9  11.6
> 98-99 St. John's (NY)     34.2  46.9  37.4  64.4   6.3   4.2  14.5
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> TOTALS                    30.9  44.5  35.5  58.9   6.3   3.2  13.1
> <<
> 
> Also, according to the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls are not looking to fully
> exploit being $20 mil under the cap by going after big name free agents.
> 
> >>Floyd said the Bulls aren't going to break the bank pursuing a free
> agent, even though they are in the best position of any team to go on a
> shopping spree. The Bulls are a little more than $20 million under the
> salary cap, but likely won't spend more than half of that.
> 
> "We're not going to spend all of our free-agent money this year," Floyd
> said. "There's an overall plan in place that will include next year, and
> possibly even the year after. As coaches, we want it all done right now.
> We'd like for them to go spend it all, but I'm saying that facetiously. I'm
> trying to be very patient with this whole thing."<<
> 
> http://chicagotribune.com/sports/bulls/ws/item/0,1267,28799-28867-31107,00.h
> tml
> 
> So... with the Magette trade (he may end up in Phoenix) and this stuff it
> looks like the draft was just the prelude to the real wheeling and dealing.
> And remember Pitino could still pull the trigger on Antoine and then end up
> sending Mercer and Dana etc. to Portland rather than Seattle. (NB: Mercer
> and Barros were tabbed as the stool-pigeons in the "Pierce crying"
> scandal). Wouldn't that be ironic - the two players that have polarized
> this list both being swapped! And Anderson apparently secure!! (I guess
> because he has no trade value). Next year's line-up could be: C -
> Potapenko, PF - Baker, SF - Kukoc, SG - Pierce, PG - Anderson. Talk about
> getting older! The bench, in contrast could be stocked with young defensive
> demons: C - Riley?, PF - Battie, SF - Artest, SG - Clack, PG - Turner (or,
> knowing Pitino: C - Battie, PF - Waltah, etc.).
> 
> The next month does promises to be both interesting and frustrating.
> 
> Enjoy! -Tom Murphy