Re: NBATalk's analysis of the 4-team trade involving Fortson

["John Lyell" <johnlyell@hotmail.com>]

Steve, some excellent points. I am assuming Williams will retire or be
renounced, but I am not sure if this helps us with the Cap. Have we gotten
rid of Dino's salary and when does Minor come off ?


John


----- Original Message -----
From: <CeltsSteve@aol.com>
To: <Celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2000 10:14 AM
Subject: NBATalk's analysis of the 4-team trade involving Fortson


> Below is a copy of an e-mail which I sent to NBATalk.com based upon their
> "analysis" of the trade from Boston's perspective. As you'll note, the top
> portion of the e-mail is a cut-n-paste of said analysis. Below that is my
> response:
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
> ------------------
> Subj:   Analysis of the 4-Team trade
> Date:   08/15/2000 8:42:52 AM Pacific Daylight Time
> From:   CeltsSteve@aol.com
> To: comments@sportstalk.com
>
>
> << Why it works for BOSTON:
>
> It doesn't. You can almost see the skid marks. The crash isn't far away.
> Beware of flying parts. How is it that three stiffs were moved in this
trade,
> Boston traded one of them and picked up two more? Robert Pack (10.3 ppg/
5.2
> apg) is a legit NBA guard when he can actually find his way to the court.
> He's missed 148 games in the last 3 years as a Maverick. John Williams is
in
> his 14th year and played in only 25 games last season averaging 1.2 ppg.
And
> how good do you think that Jazz pick is going to be? Pitino may argue that
> it's better than nothing since Fortson was a free agent and Boston wasn't
> going to pay him what he wanted. And considering that he dealt Fortson for
> Alvin Williams not too long ago, I guess he'd be right. But isn't that
kinda
> sad that the once-proud Celtics would consider this a victory. Maybe it
was
> the extra $3 million Cuban threw in.>>
>
>
> Dear NBATalk,
>
> I'm disappointed with your short-sided analysis from the C's perspective.
I
> think in your haste to get something put up on your Web site, you simply
> viewed the trade short-term and failed to view the trade in the total
context
> of its' future impact a year from now. I'll explain what I mean by that in
> more detail but I want to also state upfront that this is a make or break
> year for Pitino. Either the C's make the playoffs or he needs to go. That
> said, I think this was a good, not a great but a good trade, from Boston's
> perspective.
>
> Why?
>
> Boston has now managed to turn Ron Mercer into a Top 5 protected pick next
> year from Denver, Utah's #1 next year, Eric Williams, and $6 million in
cash
> -  $3 million from Denver and $3 million from Dallas.
>
> Pack's and Hot Rod's contracts cancel out Barros' and Fortson's. Actually,
I
> think they exceed Barros' and Fortson's slightly for the time being but
that
> is irrelevant.  The important point is the C's did not take on any
additional
> contracts unless the rumored late inclusion of Bruno Sundov comes to
fruition
> and I certainly hope that he's not included.
>
> Hot Rod is a fossil. He's toast. Stick a fork in him 'cause he's done.
He's
> also not costing the C's a dime. In fact, Mark Cuban paid his entire
salary
> this season and a portion of Robert Pack's just so the C's would take them
> off the Mavs' books with the inclusion of the $3 million in cash. But if
you
> think about it, $6 million is what Barros and "the piano mover" AKA Pervis
> made last year combined for exactly the same role as what Pack and Hot Rod
> will be asked to be - as veteran, locker room influences. Both Hot Rod and
> Pack are good guys in that regard even if they don't play a lick. And
guess
> what? The combined salaries this year of both Pack and Hot Rod are also
right
> at $6 million.
>
> Two vets from last year - Pervis and Dana - are gone. Both were
> non-contributors. Two new vets replaced them. One will likely be a
> non-contributor (Williams) and for accepting him in the trade, Mark Cuban
> agreed to pay his entire salary and then some for the C's to take him off
the
> Mavs' books. The other guy (Pack) will be a contributor if healthy. He can
> play D much better than
> Barros and is much better suited for Pitino's second unit to press. But
> assuming  that he remains injured and unable to contribute, then even
under a
> worst case scenario he becomes a non-contributor just like Dana was a
> non-contributor.
>
> Coupled with the jump in the cap from $35 or so million this year to the
$43
> million range next July 1st and the C's should be somewhere around the $40
> million mark come assuming that Pack, Hot Rod, and Greg Minor are all
> renounced at that time. Keep in mind that $40 million or so is also before
> signing any players they might draft so that is an unknown variable at
this
> point.
>
> Once Walker's BYC status is removed, he might be the easiest current
player
> with trade value to be moved (other than Pierce and the C's in a stand
alone
> deal wouldn't get equal value in return given Pierce's low cap figure). If
> such a trade involving Walker yielded a player and a draft choice or just
> future draft pick(s), the opportunity exists to shed additional cap $$$.
All
> I'm saying is that with simply one creative salary dump either before the
> February trade deadline or in the days leading up to the draft next June,
> the C's could easily drop back down in the mid-$30 million range once
Minor,
> Pack, and Hot Rod are off the books and whoever that other player contract
> who might wind up being moved ends up being.
>
> That would allow the C's  to be a player in the free agent market next
summer
> which currently includes Chris Webber, Michael Finley, Mutombo, David
> Robinson, Mashburn, Jim Jackson, Joe Smith, Anthony Mason, Eddie Robinson,
> Stojakovic, Ike Austin, Cedric Ceballos, Gary Trent, Shawn Bradley, Ho
Grant,
> Corliss Williamson, Jelani McCoy, Sam Mitchell, Michael "the Animal"
Smith,
> Otis Thorpe, John Amaechi, Kendall Gill, Chris Gatling,  Ewing, Laettner,
> Mark Strickland, Matt Bullard, and Mark Bryant among others.
>
> The C's also end up with another first round pick next summer. Not that
the
> Utah pick is a high draft choice, mind you. But it would still be a first
> rounder which means a locked in salary for a very small salary slot at
rookie
> scale for a minimum of three years; four years if the C's exercise their
> option. With that pick they could take a flyer on a PG to groom as
Anderson's
> successor as Anderson would only have two years remaining on his deal at
that
> point in time.
>
> There is a plethora of big men coming out in next year's draft.  The C's
> could  offer the Denver pick (asuming it doesn't end up in the Top 5 and
they
> can thus exercise their option on it in June, 2001) and offer either a
player
> (Walker?) or another first rounder to move up to make a run at Eddie Curry
> and still have a late first rounder at their discretion to draft a PG to
take
> Pack's roster spot at a fraction of the salary hit.
>
> One final thought. Pitino gets bashed in the media for making lousy deals.
> But the fact is he fleeced Jerry West in the Travis Knight for Tony Battie
> deal. In essence, he signed away a guy from the Lakers as a free agent and
> gave up absolutely nothing in the way of a draft pick or a player to
obtain
> him in the first place and ended up only paying Knight for one year at
$1.7
> million in Year 1 of a long term deal (which was less than the NBA average
> salary).  He then traded Knight back to the team he signed him away from
for
> a # 5 lottery pick that came out of college early. In essence, Pitino
> manufactured a #5 lottery pick out of thin air.
>
> He also traded Mercer (a # 6 overall pick) to Denver for Fortson, a Top 5
> protected #1 pick from Denver this year (by the way, Top 3 protected next
> year, Top 1 protected the year after, and unprotected in the final year),
> Eric Williams, and $3 million in cash. He now has traded Fortson for
another
> #1 from the Jazz next year and another $3 million in cash. Thus, the net
> result of Mercer is 2 - #1 picks, $6 million in cash, and Eric Williams.
Is
> there any doubt that Denver will be hard pressed to make the playoffs this
> season which automatically guarantees that the pick Denver traded to the
C's
> is a lottery pick?
>
> Dan Issel, after giving up next year's #1, Eric Williams, Danny Fortson,
and
> $3 million in cash to acquire Mercer then traded him to Orlando for Tariq
> Abdul-Wahad and in turn for the privilege of giving TA-W a 7-year, $43.3
> million contract. Orlando ended up with zilch for Mercer. If RP is so bad
as
> a GM, what does that make Dan Issel of Denver and John Gabriel of Orlando
in
> the context of the Mercer/Fortson/Tariq-Abdul-Wahad saga??
>
> Viewed within the context of what I have stated above, this 4-team trade
is a
> good, not a great, but a good trade from the C's vantage point; especially
> when you consider Fortson could have walked out the door for the $2.25
> million exception and they would have ended up with absolutely nothing for
> him. He also could have come back to haunt the C's if he went to another
> Eastern Conference team, particularly a team like the Knicks who is also
in
> their divison. Instead, he ends up in Golden State.
>
> I'd challenge you to post this response in it's entirety on your site and
> would invite any and all responses it might bring from not only you but
your
> readers as well.
>
> Regards,
>
> CeltsSteve@aol.com
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> -----------------
>
>
> As yet, I haven't received any reponse from NBATalk.com but I'll let y'all
> know if and when I do.
>
>
>  - Steve
>
>
>
>