Re: Trades

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

Well, I would generally say that good trade speculation is when some
people on the list like the trade and some people think it sucks.
If everyone likes the trade, it's usually too good for the Celtics
to be remotely possible. If everyone hates it, it's no fun to talk
about. So I'll try not to take too much offense at you characterizing
it as "very foolish" or "making no sense."

No question that Pierce is better than Anderson or Olowokandi. 
But the trade is for both of them and a probable top 3 pick. Note
that the top 3 pick could potentially be better than Pierce all
by himself. Olowokandi could become a top center, which is worth
more than any non-Jordanesque shooting guard. And Anderson is not
too far behind Pierce statistically. Is the total return you get
from the three potentially very good assets you receive enough to
compensate for one very good asset? That's a "maybe" that you
can argue about. The risk is greater but so is the upside. 

> Jerry West can afford to take risks because he has so many players to back
> him up. So Rice did not work out in LA. It doesn't look like to me it has
> hurt them any. If the Celts trade Pierce and it doesn't work out, they will
> have no one of trade value left and no wins to show for it. I think the
> chances of Pierce becoming one of the top 3-5 players in the league are a
> lot better than Anderson or Olowokandi becoming one. I'm sorry, but, this
> type of trade would make no sense.
> 
> Shawn Niles