It's slow...I have questions.

[damekmo@teleport.com]

For a while, it appears that it's going to be slow on this list. Not much
news until we get closer to Aug. 1. So...I have a question. All this Paul
Pierce is untradeable talk, to be honest, makes me itch. I think we can all
agree that if someone from the Raptors called Pitino, and in a moment of
insanity, offered to trade Vince Carter for Pierce, Pitino would pack
Paul's bags and drive him to the airport. Yes? Sure he would. Now....I have
a question about Paul's year. After his first "Hall of Fame" month, what
did Pierce prove he could do well? Offensively...defensively...what does
Pierce do well, not so well...what parts of his game need improvement? What
parts of his game went south after that first month. What about his
attitude...his head? I'm just curious. Untradeable? Untradeable because of
his skills? I have a few thoughts on Pierce, but I'd just like to know what
others on this list think of his game. And since it's slow, the following
comes from Dave Krieger of the Rocky Mountain News:


>http://www.insidedenver.com/nuggets/0701draf0.shtml

>          There were also rumors that the Chicago Bulls, who made Duke
>forward Elton Brand the first player picked, had a deal in place to trade
>him, although sources were unsure where. For his part, Bulls vice
>president Jerry Krause predicted a long career for Brand, but didn't
>specify just where.<P>
>          "I think you'll see him be a '4' in this league for many, many
>years to come," said Krause, who also took St. John's small forward Ron
>Artest with the 16th pick.<P>

>          For all the lavish praise heaped on No. 1 pick Elton Brand by
>Bulls vice president Jerry Krause and others, Krause wasn't so convinced
>that he turned down a last-minute up-close-and-personal session with Lamar
>Odom before finally deciding to play it safe.<P>
>          After flying to Washington on Tuesday to be backstage at the MCI
>Center on Wednesday night, Odom turned around and flew to Chicago to work
>out for Krause on Tuesday night.<P>
>          "We talked, got things out in the open," Odom said. "We laid
>everything on the line. He's a blunt guy. I like it like that. I had the
>feeling he had a real interest."<P>
>         Here's what the 19-year-old Odom told him about his erratic
>behavior prior to the draft: "I was just getting my whole situation
>together as far as the people around me. The business side of things is
>brutal, and that's what really turned me off and made me want to turn back
>to college. But I'm just ready to grab the bull by its horns.<P>
>         "I've made some mistakes lately. But I'd rather make minor
>mistakes at 19 than major mistakes at 29. I came across some of the
>general managers, and they realize I'm a young man with a head on his
>shoulders with a lot of character."<P>


One other question. If Odom and Pierce were both coming out this year, and
they're both on the board for the Celtics, who do you take?

Paul M.