Re: I'll throw this out there

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

Mutombo is 32 or 33 I think. Henderson about 25. The knock on Henderson has
been that he's a little soft.

The Hawks suck this year because they are terrible at the point (Bimbo Coles
and rookie Jason Terry) and their chemistry was shot by the addition of J.R.
Rider. Still, Denver hasn't been a threat since Mutombo left and Atlanta
immediately became one when he arrived.

My belief is that the only short cut in the NBA is the acquisition of a
great center. Look back over the past 20 years: New York and Ewing, Orlando
and Shaq, L.A. and Shaq, San Antonio and Robinson/Duncan, Charlotte and
Alonzo, Miami and Alonzo. Remember, Miami traded Glenn Rice, Matt Geiger and
others for Mourning and it was the best move they ever made. Jerry West is
considered a genius, but he's traded Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell for
Rice, Van Exel for Battie and Battie for Knight. He gets away with it
because he has Shaq.

I believe a center like Mutombo immediately makes the players around him
better. Suddenly the defensive deficiencies of the others aren't so glaring,
because you have the ultimate eraser behind them. Alan Henderson is a good
shot-blocker as well. If you can keep Vitaly, he's suddenly going against
backup centers and power forwards. Down the line, he's valuable trade bait
for another star perimeter player.

Anyway, impact centers just don't come on the market. If Mutombo is out
there, we should make every effort to make it happen. The problem is, others
will feel the same. I can see Portland offering up O'Neal, Bonzi Wells and
maybe even Brian Grant. Can you imagine the Blazers with Dikembe? The
Pistons also figure to make a serious bid with Stackhouse, Jerome Williams
and others.

Here's hoping,

Mark