Re: Fortson for Patterson/Maxwell? Sign Jahidi White?

["John Lyell" <johnlyell@hotmail.com>]

Patterson & Maxwell for Fortson is interesting. I like Patterson as a
defnsive 3.  Maxwell's career has been up & down.   I still like John
Amaechi, he may come cheap but neither him nor White have the defensive
potential Foyle has.




----- Original Message -----
From: <Thndrblt31@aol.com>
To: <Bos3332@aol.com>; <johnlyell@hotmail.com>; <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Monday, May 29, 2000 8:10 AM
Subject: Fortson for Patterson/Maxwell? Sign Jahidi White?


> This article just mentions the idea of trading Ruben Patterson and Vernon
> Maxwell for Fortson.  I'd do this trade in a second.
>
> And everyone has been talking about Adonal Foyle, what about Jahidi White?
> He looks to be better than Foyle.
>
> -------------------------------
>
> GM FOR A DAY: It might not be popular, but Sonics would be wise to trade
> Payton
>
> Frank Hughes;
>
> I know this is not going to be the most popular decision, but if the
Seattle
> SuperSonics' future were up to me, I would trade All-Star point guard Gary
> Payton.
>
> I know, I know, he is probably one of the top five players in the league,
he
> has been in Seattle his entire career and he has been the Sonics'
personality
> for most of the past decade.
>
> But there are several factors that go into this decision.
>
> The obvious one is Payton's volatile personality. He seems to be at the
> center of every controversy the Sonics have, and at a time when they are
> trying to develop young players, it is in their best interest not to have
him
> influence them.
>
> That's not the main reason. No, all great players have quirky
personalities,
> and their teammates must learn to cope.
>
> The thing I keep coming back to is this: With Payton having the best
season
> of his career, the Sonics won 45 games and could not get out of the first
> round of the playoffs.
>
> I can't imagine that Payton can play any better than he did this past
season.
> He was terrific. He averaged almost 24 points, nine assists and six
rebounds
> a game, and he led the league in 3-point field goals.
>
> That suggests two things: As cold-hearted as it sounds, the Sonics have
> gotten the most out Payton they possibly could. And his trade value is sky
> high.
>
> Why wait for Payton to possibly break down? He will be 32 years old next
> season. His body has taken a lot of wear and tear. And if he breaks down,
he
> is going to break down quickly and in an ugly fashion. Gary Payton is not
> going to play sporadically. He will want to play as many minutes as he can
> for as long as he plays, whether it is for the good of the team or not.
>
> The Sonics are trying to develop a team for the future in Seattle. They
need
> to understand that the team is a few years away from competing for a
> championship, and that the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers
are
> well ahead of them.
>
> More than likely, the Sonics are not going to vie for a title in the next
> three years, at which point Payton's contract runs out and he has said he
> will retire.
>
> And then what? After the team has relied on Payton for the next three
years,
> he retires and none of the players has learned how to be the go-to guy,
> because Payton has held that role for so long.
>
> Instead of that, trade Gary now, develop a core of talent that will be
here
> for a long time, grow together, and when it comes time for them to chase
the
> title, have the players in place to do it, each of whom knows what role he
> plays with the team. Losing Payton in three years will only serve to set
back
> the organization another few seasons, while getting nothing in return for
his
> talent.
>
> So here is what I propose to do.
>
> Call the Toronto Raptors and offer a sign-and-trade deal that would bring
> Tracy McGrady and Doug Christie to Seattle in exchange for Payton.
>
> The salaries would match. Payton will make at least $12 million in the
coming
> season, and McGrady stands to earn a contract starting at $9 million
either
> from Toronto, Orlando or Chicago. Christie will make $3.5 million, which
> would get the salaries within the required 15 percent to execute a trade.
>
> The Raptors have coveted a point guard since they lost Damon Stoudamire,
and
> getting Payton to play alongside Vince Carter and the front court of
Charles
> Oakley, Antonio Davis and Kevin Willis is enough of an enticement to have
> them agree to the deal. McGrady likely will bolt anyway, and Christie is
> upset with Raptors coach Butch Carter. Plus, Christie is from Seattle.
>
> The difficult part would be to persuade McGrady to agree to come to
Seattle.
> He is building a house in Orlando, where he is from. But perhaps the
allure
> of having his own team, or at least sharing it with another youngster such
as
> Rashard Lewis, would be appealing enough. Plus, Washington, like Florida,
has
> no state income tax.
>
> For the Sonics, it would give them two young stars, assuming they can
re-sign
> Lewis. Lewis will turn 21 next season, as will McGrady. They are virtually
> interchangeable at the shooting guard and small forward spots. Imagine
their
> talent level when they both are 25!
>
> In addition, Christie is eligible for free agency next summer, as is
Horace
> Grant. With the salary cap going to an estimated $40 million, this would
give
> the Sonics one big-time free agent to add the mix.
>
> Plus, if Vin Baker is able to return to at least a close simile of the
player
> he once was - and that seems more likely if he gets away from running mate
> Payton - that would give the Sonics three legitimate stars next season.
>
> Surrounded by talented role players such as Christie, Brent Barry, Lazaro
> Borrell and Jelani McCoy, it would give the Sonics a nice nucleus upon
which
> to build their future.
>
> You notice I didn't mention Ruben Patterson. Patterson did a lot for the
> organization last season, at a time when there was a serious question
about
> the small forward position.
>
> But Patterson prefers not to play a backup role, not after the type of
first
> half he had. There are many teams that covet Patterson, and I would like
to
> strengthen the depth of the Sonics' frontcourt.
>
> If the Sonics package Patterson and Vernon Maxwell and Greg Foster,
perhaps
> they could get a player such as Danny Fortson from Boston in another
> sign-and-trade scenario; or perhaps a Jahidi White from Washington; or
> possibly Samaki Walker from San Antonio. Or, if they are desperate,
> Washington's Ike Austin.
>
> What about the point guard? Christie played the point when the Raptors had
> their most successful run of the season. Barry played point guard a lot
last
> season, allowing Payton to slide to shooting guard. Both those options
would
> give the Sonics a backcourt that includes a 6-foot-5 or 6-6 point guard
and a
> shooting guard who is 6-8 or 6-10. They would be challenged defensively,
but
> nobody could match up with them.
>
> And if that doesn't work, the Sonics still have Emanual Davis, who is a
true
> distributor, or Shammond Williams, who is more of a shooting guard but who
> has great ball-handling skills.
>
> And there are other free agent point guards on the market this season,
most
> notably Greg Anthony. He probably would come back to Seattle to start.
> Miami's Anthony Carter? Tell him he starts, and he may come running.
>
> When the Sonics hired coach Paul Westphal, they said their goal was to
> develop young players for the future while staying in the playoffs.
>
> This strategy does both, and in the long term will give Seattle a better
> chance at a championship.
>
> - - -
>
> * Reach staff writer Frank Hughes at 253-597-8742, ext. 6120, or
> frank.hughes@mail.tribnet.com
>
> - - -
>
> SIDEBAR: Twelve free agents to watch
>
> A list of some of this summer's top free agents. Teams can begin talks
with
> free agents June 1, and they can sign them Aug. 1.
>
> 1. Tim Duncan, center, San Antonio Spurs: 23.2 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 2.23 blks
>
> Any team that can pry him away from the Spurs is an instant title
contender
>
> 2. Grant Hill, forward, Detroit Pistons: 25.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.2 assists
>
> The artist formerly known as the next Air Apparent is looking for a winner
>
> 3. Tracy McGrady, forward, Toronto Raptors: 15.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.3 assists
>
> He's young, athletic, and might want to take his show south of the border
>
> 4. Eddie Jones, guard, Charlotte Hornets: 21 ppg, 4.2 assists, 4.8 rpg
>
> Underrated all-around player who always seems to be on the cusp of
greatness
>
> 5. Tony Kukoc, forward, Philadelphia 76ers: 14.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg; 4.7 assists
>
> An enigma at times, but always a scoring threat with championship
experience
>
> 6. Jalen Rose, forward, Indiana Pacers: 18 ppg, 4.2 assists
>
> Dethroned Reggie Miller as Pacers' best player. Question is, will he stay?
>
> 7. Rashard Lewis, forward, Seattle SuperSonics: 8.2 ppg (limited playing
time)
>
> Numbers don't tell his story. Poise and potential make him key free agent
>
> 8. Tim Thomas, forward, Milwaukee Bucks: 11.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg
>
> Scored 20 points in 20 minutes against New Jersey in March
>
> 9. Jahidi White, center, Washington Wizards: 83 blks, 7.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg
>
> Could be a defensive presence in the right situation
>
> 10. Tim Hardaway, guard, Miami Heat: 13.4 ppg, 7.4 assists
>
> Even if Heat makes finals, he might be too expensive, and too old, to
bring
> back
>
> 11. J.R. Rider, guard, Atlanta Hawks: Kicked off team in midseason
>
> Talented, yes. A head case? Definitely. Will some team take a chance?
Count
> on it.
>
> 12. Anthony Carter, guard, Miami Heat: 6.3 ppg, 4.8 apg, 1.2 spg
>
> Hustler turned pro has turned heads this spring. Stock keeps rising.
>
>
> 05/21/2000
>