Re: How can we make the trade work?

[bird <bird@pixi.com>]

>bird wrote:
>
>>  LA likes picks, though, and we do have that one from Denver -- Derek
>  > Anderson for the pick and cap trash?
>
>Well I like this scenario (Denver pick plus Barros and cash for Derek Anderson
>in a sign-and-trade). Derek Anderson is a natural born big guard with solid
>off-guard ball distribution skills (career 3.5 assists). Relatively speaking,
>I think Tariq and Mercer fall more in the tweener 2/3 class.

You don't really have to sell me on Anderson -- of all the players 
being tossed around, he has the most talent.  Since the three-way was 
killed by LA because they don't want to take on more contracts, 
though, I guess they wouldn't go for taking on Dana's.  Makes sense 
-- the Donald doesn't want to pay anyone for not playing.  Only -- 
what happens to DA then?  If the Clipps don't want to take a player 
in return then they lose him for nothing, in which case he'd take the 
$2mil to go to the Spurs to play on a contender, I guess.  Unless, we 
could offer LA the Denver pick, and cash, and when/if that doesn't 
work, both first rounders next year (yikes!) and maybe the Clipps 
bite.  I think Pitino would do that deal.

Maybe the Clipps wouldn't mind taking on another contract (maybe they 
balked at taking on Barros' _and_ Keon Clark's) because they have 
another deal that gets rid of a few contracts, but they're unlikely 
to take just our cap trash, even for only one year.  And that's 
pretty much all we have.  The thing with the Clipps is, the Donald's 
motivation is just not the same as everybody else's.  He just wants 
to get 12 guys who can play (not well, literally just play) and pay 
them as little as possible.  Picks are ideal.  Maybe they best thing 
the Donald and hapless Baylor can get for DA are our two first 
rounders next year.  I guess the salaries would have to match, but we 
might be able to sign DA for 2 or 3 times what the middle class 
exception is now: $4.5 - 6mil.  (Can a team even sign-and-trade for 
two future picks?)

That's quite a price.  I guess something like this would signal a 
"damn the future, full steam ahead" kind of thing happening.  Like 
some others, I'm wondering where the big name free agent is this 
year.  Bimbo Coles?  Wahad?  Nice additions, but I think Pitino has a 
higher appreciation for Wahad than I.  Haywoode Workman?  Randy 
Brown?  Geez Louise.  It's either the CBA-types _or_ these guys, not 
both.  Why is Derek Anderson the best and brightest of what we can 
hope for?  Maybe player movement won't be very intensive/prevelant in 
August, but if other teams with similar cap issues are making deals, 
then I'm thinking Il Duce ought to spend more time getting those done 
rather than giving Ron Mercer life lessons.

>I guess it is a shame we could lose a chance to get up to two picks from that
>group, but I also think it is doubtful that Pitino is slick enough to pull off
>a "I could have sworn I said we'd make the playoffs in FIVE years".
>That means I think you will see at least one of our 2001 draft picks traded on
>August 1st. Pitino seems to ambivalent about draft picks or adding more young
>players. If there has been any one predictable theme to Pitino's otherwise
>erratic GM policy, it has been this since day one.

I think you're right -- plus I think he could easily trade away both 
of them for a quick fix.  Now, if that quick fix works, well and 
good, but a good chance of it _not_ working out will not stop Pitino. 
I don't think he prizes picks either, and getting Anderson or Wahad 
or O'Neal is worth it.  Maybe the pick(s) go for someone like 
Anderson or an even more talented unknown-at-this-point.  If they go 
for a guy like Wahad, we're in a world of hurt.

>     I don't mind if Pitino stays on after this season. I don't think fans
>should beat him over the head about the 3-year playoffs promise as long as he
>starts making smart basketball decisions in the longer term interest of the
>team. "Seven years to build a championship caliber basketball club" (the
>second part of his original promise) still sounds almost realistic.

Almost.  But after 3+ years, the only improvement I'll take are wins, 
translating into the #8 seed (or better), or narrowly missing out on 
it.  I don't think you need to continue with the experiment after 
that.  I'm only worried that Pitino might cripple the future to reach 
that goal.  It'd be nice to reach the goal, and have a little 
something stored away, too.

Regards,

Bill