Re: Get a pick for Pervis at least!

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

Alex wrote:

Well, the price of the pick would be taking on a bad contract ofsome sort.
And then you get to develop your new high school talenton the bench for four
years while he gets disgruntled about playing time. Then if he's any good,
you have to pay him $71Massuming he doesn't take off to a warmer city. With
that said, it has paid off with Garnett and Kobe. McGrady, I'm not so sure
about. If Toronto loses him, it's not so great; they spent a #9 pick on him
and really didn't get that much production. But the new rookie contracts
make it more palatable. Still, none of the really successful guys went
outside the top 10,and I don't think we get a lottery pick for Pervis.

Have to disagree here and side with Josh. McGrady is a big-time talent about
to explode. Al Harrington is showing signs in Indy and Rashard Lewis, a
second-rounder in the Pierce draft, is about to supplant Ruben Patterson in
Seattle's starting lineup.

And if we're going to avoid talented players because "when their rookie
contract is up, we have to pay them $71 million", then let's just close shop
now. I'd love to land a high-schooler who develops so well that he becomes a
max contract player.

As far as taking on a bad contract, well... what's one more. We're never
going to be a factor in free agency. That's why I laugh at the suggestions
that we keep Pervis till the end of the season to get his cap room. Or, if
we don't keep Fortson, at least we get his cap room. Take both these guys
off our books and we're still millions over the cap. Forget about cap room.
We don't have any and won't for years. If Orlando offers Derek Strong and a
mid-first-rounder for Pervis, just to clear their cap, we'd be insane not to
take it. Strong can take Pervis' place on the bench and we can use the pick
to draft the best player available, high-schooler or no.

Mark