RE: Paul's right

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

I think if you look through League history, it's very unusual for a team to
trade a rising young star for an established veteran and have it work out in
the long run.  Generally, that policy has been a disaster.  It's not that
Pierce is untradable; I just think that if you do trade him, it has to be
for another young player of comparable potential.  A straight up swap of
Pierce for (say) Dikembe Mutumbo or Allan Houston might pay dividends this
year and next year, but you aren't going to realistically be competing for a
title in that window anyway.  If you look at teams like the Lakers, the
Pacers, the Bulls, the Rockets, the Pistons, Magic's lakers, and our own
championiship teams of the 80s, all of those teams drafted the main stars.
That also why I am such a believer in the draft; I think its very rare that
a major player comes to a team through a trade or free agency, as with Moses
Malone in 1983 or Shaq a couple of years ago.  (The Jason Kidd/Mike Finley
trade would be another if either team could break through.)  

If we did trade Pierce, I would say trade him for a top pick in the draft.
The guys who can get you to the top are few and far between; generally, you
have to get them when they're still developing.  

Josh Ozersky	
Marketing Communications Specialist 
Corning Museum of Glass

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Berry, Mark  S [SMTP:berrym@BATTELLE.ORG]
> Sent:	Wednesday, September 13, 2000 10:08 AM
> To:	'celtics@igtc.com'
> Subject:	Paul's right
> 
> Paul M. said: 
> "And that just about explains everything. My God, both teams suck and
> apparently refuse to do anything about it." 
> 
> And he's right. The Lakers are willing to trade Glen Rice, the Sonics Vin
> Baker and Horace Grant, the Knicks Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston, the
> Bucks Glenn Robinson, the Hawks Dikembe Mutombo... but our guys are
> untouchable?
> 
> Look, we'd all love to trade "Eric Williams, Calbert Cheaney and the Utah
> pick" for Houston or Mutombo or whoever, but the truth is you have to give
> up something to get something. New York is willing to trade Patrick Ewing,
> Allan Houston and Marcus Camby for Glen Rice and Dikembe Mutombo. Does it
> guarantee they will be a better team? No, but the Knicks are willing to
> take
> the chance. And you could make an argument that four of the five players
> involved in that trade are better than anyone on the Celtics' roster.
> 
> Now, I know you have to look at the future and everything else, but what
> are
> we waiting for? The draft? Good luck. Free agency? It's dead to us. No, if
> the Celtics are going to get better, it's going to take bold moves.
> Everyone
> wonders why it's always the Knicks, Blazers, Heat, Suns and Lakers making
> the big moves. Well, it's because they have the guts to do it. Phoenix
> traded Michael Finley and Steve Nash, among others, for Jason Kidd, and
> they've never regretted it. Are Paul Pierce or Antoine Walker any better
> than Michael Finley? Then why should they be any more untouchable if a
> real
> talent comes available.
> 
> I don't know if it's Allan Houston or... whoever. But there are plenty of
> players out there who are better than our best. And some of them are
> available. But if Pitino keeps insisting these guys are "untouchable"
> we're
> going to be stuck with the same bad team for years to come.
> 
> Mark