Re: Mercer/Fortson

[opi@unesco.org]

Alex Wang wrote:

> On the Ron Mercer/Danny Fortson trade:  (.....)
> Quite possibly, this trade will help both teams. Denver would have
> had trouble finding minutes for Fortson with the return of LaFrentz
> and with McDyess playing 40 minutes per game. Mercer may indeed be
> a small forward that only scores but does not rebound, pass, or
> defend; however last year Denver played with small forwards that
> did not score OR rebound, pass, and defend, so he will certainly be
> an improvement. (.....)

Ouch Alex, aren't you talking about Eric Williams and Eric Washington here?
:-)

Personally, I won't be surprised if rookie James Posey proves to be the
most well-rounded Nougat wing forward, making either Ron Mercer or local
hero Chauncy Billups very expendable (depending on how much money they ask
for) at the shooting guard.

Denver was outrebounded by 1.66 per game last year despite herculean
efforts by McDyess and Fortson, which illustrates how important it is to
have all five NBA starters be capable rebounders (as with our Y2K Celtics,
actually). Since Issel decided to subtract Fortson's 11.6 boards from the
team equation and give big minutes to finesse forward Ron Mercer, he'll
really need a tremendous comeback year from Olive Oil Jones to keep his
club from getting blown out on the boards. That team has bad chemistry
written all over it. To start with, Nick Van Exel makes Kenny Anderson look
like a great floor leader and locker room presence by comparison.

Go Red Sox! (Please)


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