RE: Trade the picks

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

Mark Berry and I have been talking offline, and we agree that
there's only one trade that makes any sense, and it has to happen
soon.  We trade Kenny and some picks to Minnesota for T. Brandon.
We need to get rid of him before he sinks us; I can see it happening
already.  I can't understand why Pitino doesn't sit him down...anyway,
pick-starved Minnesota is the only team that would take Kenny, and the
salaries match up.  TB will be as old as Grady by the time that are
competitive again anyway.  Kenny's energy level and selfish/anal play
are turning us into a halfcourt team when he's oncourt, and that can't
happen.  He has to go.  Anyway, that's how I would advise using the picks,
although I would keep a first rounder for next year, either ours or
Denver's, because of the talent coming out.

Josh Ozersky	
Marketing Communications Specialist 
Corning Museum of Glass

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Alexander Wang [SMTP:awang@MIT.EDU]
> Sent:	Monday, October 30, 2000 1:14 PM
> To:	celtics@igtc.com
> Subject:	Trade the picks
> 
> At 04:22 PM 10/30/00 +0100, Hironaka wrote:
> >It may be fair to say that future lottery-level draft picks (of which
> Boston
> >may have two next year) aren't things you dangle unless you are
> specifically
> >in a "final piece of the puzzle" situation, which Pitino emphatically is
> not
> >in. At this stage, I wouldn't want Pitino to trade either pick to "save
> >face" or to even to squeak into the playoffs.
> 
> If Pitino's job is on the line, he should have the right -- and good
> motivation -- to trade the surplus draft picks (Denver and Utah, or
> alternatively our own and Utah's if Denver's is better than ours) that
> he's
> accumulated in order to win right now. I mean, that is what the Boston
> fans
> are clamoring for, winning right now, playoffs this year, or he's a goner.
> He's not getting any credit for acquiring the draft picks -- most of the
> critics in the media either ignore them when discussing the trades, or
> dismiss their importance -- so he shouldn't be criticized for trading them
> away either.
> 
> My opinion is that you don't trade a lottery pick for a single season
> return -- say a guy whose contract is expiring that isn't likely to
> re-sign. I'd prefer that we trade the lower of our two potential lottery
> picks in any transaction. And I wouldn't like to see him trade future
> picks
> beyond the surplus ones unless it's for a young, promising talent. But
> beyond that, I think it would be more than fair for him to trade away the
> picks to make the team better now, since that it what he is being judged
> on. Maybe I'm biased because I'm tired of seeing the team lose.
> 
> The most recent trade idea on my mind is one that has been rumored since
> Pitino's arrival -- Mashburn to Boston. I think that it finally makes some
> sense now. First, Charlotte has mentioned plans of playing a frontcourt of
> Campbell, Coleman, and PJ Brown, which leaves Mashburn as a shooting guard
> or maybe a bench player. At the same time, they're intent on developing
> Baron Davis but Wesley's still a productive player. They've been playing
> them together in the backcourt, which is possible since they are big up
> front. Now Mashburn is not a shooting guard, so maybe he will not be a
> great fit. Second, his contract is expiring after this year, and Charlotte
> has a history of not wanting to pay its own free agents. The reason is
> probably because your own free agents have Bird rights and always demand
> above-market pay. So maybe they want to trade him at the deadline for one
> of our expiring contracts (Stith, maybe?) and our second highest first
> rounder next year pick.
> 
> Mashburn could be a good fit. He has experience being the third scorer
> after his time in Miami, and we have a great big hole at small forward for
> him to step into. Mashburn will like it because he's one of Pitino's
> favorite players and he'll escape getting lowballed or renounced by
> Charlotte, instead retaining his Bird rights on a team that actually would
> want him long term. Despite his experience in the league, he's only 27 and
> he looks like he's hitting his prime. Last season he was one of the
> league's better three point shooters, which is something that we're
> seriously deficient in.
> 
> I could see some problems. First of all, our salary structure may not be
> able to handle him, since we have to pay Pierce soon. Second, Charlotte is
> a probable playoff team and they generally haven't traded producers in
> midseason even when they're going to lose them, preferring to let them
> walk
> away. But if he's not fitting in well with them I think the trade makes
> sense for both sides.
> 
> Alex