re: I'll throw this out there...

["Thomas Murphy" <tfmiii@worldnet.att.net>]

Mark, I respect you're comments regarding how a top-flight center can make
a team instantly competitive and how a shot-blocker erases defensive
mistakes, but from my perspective any trade that should be able to net
Mutombo would in all probability look to me like a trade of the future for
a very brief (and not necessarily all that successful) present (like the
proposed Pippen trade - I hope Pitino doesn't get wind of this one!). 

Mutombo is a warrior but he has never been a top-light center insofar as he
has very rudimentary offensive skills; also, he is getting up in age (33
yrs, and Henderson - who IS soft - is 27 not 25). I may be alone in this
belief, but from what I've seen of Potapenko I feel he has to toughness,
offensive repertoire, and defensive/rebounding ability to be all-star
material in a few years. True, he will never be a shot-blocker, but all
that *should* mean is that as a team we should gamble that much less on
defense. Who was the shot-blocker on the early 70s Celts? Yet they still
managed to compete for titles, even beating Kareem's Bucks.

My vote is to keep this team together except for some judicious (and
probably impossible) pruning of contracts: Waltah, Eric Williams and
Battie. Keep the youthful core together (VP, DF, AW, PP, AG along with last
night's MVP KA). If necessary find a coach who knows how to exploit the
players' strengths.

-TomM
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 10:00:41 -0500
> From: "Berry, Mark  S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
> Subject: I'll throw this out there...
> 
> The list is slow, so...
> 
> The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Hawks may be willing to
> trade Dikembe Mutombo in a package that would bring a young star player
in
> return. Now, we've reportedly been talking to them about a Fortson deal.
How
> about we expand that and make it Toine, Fortson and whatever cap fillers
we
> need to include, for Mutombo and Henderson? They may want VP, in which
case
> I'd ask for Jimmy Jackson.
> 
> I know Pitino said Walker won't be traded, but he couldn't have known
> Mutombo would hit the market. He's said we need to get bigger and more
> athletic at the PF and C spots. Well, Mutombo and Henderson fit that
> description.
> 
> Any thoughts?
>  
> Mark