Re: Should have got rid of all of them..

[bird <birdwl@earthlink.net>]

> From: "Cecil Wright" <cecil@hfx.eastlink.ca>
>
> Keep in mind that, regardless of what you may think of Pitino, he tried 
> to
> acquire Jermaine O'Neal and Alvin Williams.  I remember that much of the
> sentiment at the time was "Alvin who?"  But if you have seen both of 
> those
> guys play this year, I think it's a foregone conclusion that they would 
> have
> made an enormous improvement on our team this past season.

Good point, Cecil.  I'm also reminded of the Rodney Rogers for Tony 
Battie trade, the merits of which are debatable, but Rogers' talent 
isn't.  (OK, he did have a mediocre/borderline lousy year, but isn't he 
trying to get playing time behind Shawn Marion?)  He did have a breakout 
year right after that trade was nullified.

I'll confess that I thought Alvin Williams was a third-string type point 
guard, and while I still think a team can get more for a healthy Danny 
Fortson (well, maybe not anymore...) than he and Sean Marks, Williams 
has become a good player and is now starting at both guard positions 
(not at the same time...) for the Barneys in the playoffs.  We did need 
a point guard.  And still do.

Seeing O'Neal play throughout the season made me increasingly think that 
the three draft picks for him would have been a good idea, too.  At the 
time I thought it was too much, but not by all that much.  It speaks 
volumes about the dearth of big men in the league that a guy like 
Jermaine O'Neal would be worth three first-round draft picks.  I'm 
thinking that almost any GM in the NBA would give a non-critical bodily 
appendage to get a starting quality player around 6'11", 260 lbs.

Regards,

(The Celtic "Tird",
  Celticus "tirdius")
mailto:celtictird@yahoo.com