[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: This is the mentality of Celtics fans
Josh, I think our opinions differ about the context of this deal, not the paper
Value. This is Pitino's make or break year. Gotta make the playoffs. If this
deal goes down, for the following year we _are_ giving up Mercer for just
Smacky. Nothing else. If a 1st-rounder is included in the deal, that is a
future value, not a present one that will impact the team in the following year.
Doesn't it seem a bit strange that Pitino, who has promised the playoffs next
year, would trade Mercer for Walker, who while fitting the discussed team needs
in terms of _potential_, has fulfilled that potential for a whopping 15-game
stretch during the course of three injury-ridden years in the league.
So basically, if this deal goes down as discussed, and I would be shocked if it
did, we are trading a prototypical shooting guard who has averaged 15 and 17
points a game,, in the year Pitino _has_ to make good on his promises, for an
injury-riddled, underwhelming, but potentially good power forward, and a future
pick that will probably be high. In terms of what Pitino wants to accomplish,
this just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
Note here that Dallas is clearing out the 4 position pretty completely, leaving
only Trent and Nowitzki, and Trent may bolt. I think Walker may be available
for the $2 mil exception, not Mercer. Who else is going to put up any money for
him?
An x-factor here, which has not been discussed anywhere, is the mutual
fascination Pitino and Don Nelson have with Nowitzki. By losing Nowitzki and
getting Pierce, Pitino seemed to have won that round. And Nowitzki underwhelmed
last year.
Maybe Pitino is looking at trading Mercer for Nowitzki?
Maybe Nelson, who bet the farm last year that he'd be in the playoffs, needs a
stallion like Mercer to make up for the seeming mistake of Nowitzki?
Do you think Pitino, who probably still feels rooked by Nelson on that deal,
would give up Mercer for a broken down Samaki Walker? The pieces just don't
seem to fit. Plus, Dallas has Finley. The Clips don't have a 2-guard. Mercer
for Wright makes much more sense, and their salaries are closer.
I don't know, and all this conjecture is cool, but I'm psyched for the real news
to start flying Sunday. Let the moratorium end!
Have a great weekend!
Chris
Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com> on 07/30/99 10:03:17 AM
To: Chris Littlefield/Lycos@Lycos, Alex Wang
<awang@mit.edu>
cc: Joshua Ozersky <jozersky@stny.rr.com>,
celtics@igtc.com
Subject: Re: This is the mentality of Celtics fans
I don't know how else to say it. We are not giving up
Mercer for Samaki Walker. We are also getting a
number one pick back. That is a number one pick from
Dallas. That is how we got Mercer to begin with.
That is how we got Antoine Walker. That is how we can
get great young talent even if we make the playoffs.
That is how we got Len Bias, despite having just won
the championship. Anyway, we have to trade Ron. This
is obviously the best Pitino thinks he can get. What
I find interesting is that if Walker is such a loser,
why did Nelson offer him 5 Million a year, and Samaki
decline it? Why is Pat Riley after him? (I think its
safe to assume that any contract we get Samaki to sign
will be heavily laden with games-missed incentives.
--- clittlefield@lycos.com wrote:
>
>
> You forget that Samaki played 43 and 41 games in his
> first two 82 game seasons,
> and 39 last year. Not exactly reliable...
>
> I agree that he did have a pretty good tear of
> strong games in his second
> season, but Mercer's performance over his first two
> seasons is head and
> shoulders above Walker's. Do you really want to
> give up that much for so
> little?
>
> Chris
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu> on 07/29/99 07:47:17 PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To: "Joshua Ozersky" <jozersky@stny.rr.com>,
>
> celtics@igtc.com
>
>
>
> cc: (bcc: Chris Littlefield/Lycos)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Subject: Re: This is the mentality of Celtics fans
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> The reason why fans always rip GMs so much for not
> making trades
> is because they have no clue what is realistically
> available.
> I'd rather send Mercer to San Antonio for three
> first rounders
> and Tim Duncan but that's completely irrelevant.
>
> Another point - Samaki Walker's second year stats
> compare favorably
> with Tony Battie's second year stats (except
> shotblocking). They both
> also played on teams with identical 19-31 records.
>
> T Battie: 22.4 mpg, 6.7 ppg (51.9% fg), 6.0 rpg,
> 1.42 bpg
> S Walker: 25.0 mpg, 8.9 ppg (48.6% fg), 7.4 rpg,
> 0.98 bpg
>
> Admittedly Samaki regressed in his third year but
> that's the reason
> that he's available, and probably he can be signed
> up long-term for
> relatively cheap. But many people feel that Battie
> has great potential
> beyond what his stats would indicate; perhaps Samaki
> is a similar type
> of player.
>
> With more minutes, he might be a 12 ppg, 10 rpg, 1.5
> bpg performer
> which in my mind is easily worth giving up Mercer
> for.
>
> Alex
>
> > from the newsgroup:
> >
> > If we give up one of our top scorers for two
> players who SUCK and a =
> > draft
> > pick, how does that bring the C's any closer to
> the playoffs next =
> > season?
> > Pitino will be run out of town if they don't make
> the playoffs as he
> > promised, so I seriously doubt the Dallas trade
> would happen.
> > I'd rather send Mercer to Denver for Fortson and a
> 1st round pick.
> >
> > 1 Anderson
> > 2 Pierce
> > 3 Walker
> > 4 Fortson
> > 5 Potapenko
> >
> >
> >
> > Josh Ozersky
> >
>
>
> ATTACHMENT part 2 application/octet-stream
name=att1.eml
_____________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Free instant messaging and more at http://messenger.yahoo.com
att1.eml