walker's value

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@nyc.rr.com>]

I think the Antoine debate has become the equivalent of the Nature
vs. Nurture question.  It has been going on forever and will never be
settled:  Mark Berry's grandchildren will be telling Joe Hironaka's
descendants that Antoine's stats are deceiving, and so on.  But
Mark makes some pretty damn good points, however.  I
have always been in the Joe, pro-Antoine side but now I
am finally beginning to waver.

I don't want to trade Antoine yet.  BUT:

Antoine, if I'm not mistaken, is no longer a base year player,
which means we can get value for him.  No matter what you
think of Twon as a player, he's still a marquee guy who's never
been injured, and who has get great talent.  And don't under-
estimate the willingness of GMs to think that they're organizaton
or their coach can make it happen, that the guy just needs "a
change of scenery."  In Antoine's case, it might even be true.
Who would have thought that Atlanta could acquire SAR for
a draft pick and Lorenzen Wright?  Or that the Nets could get
Stephon Marbury for Sam Casell and a bag of Funyons?  If
we decide to move Antoine, we stand to get another max guy.
Which one?  Well, it depends on who is available.  If, for example,
a guy like Tim Duncan makes it clear that he is going
to move on, he will be traded for the best available talent, and that
could be Antoine.  Now, it's not realistic in Duncan's case, or any of the
top five-type guys, but I could definitely see us getting a player of
Rasheed Wallace's caliber, or even one of these guys:

Chris Webber
Dikembe Mutumbo
Grant Hill
Lamar Odom / Darius Miles
Gary Payton
Jermaine O'Neal
Baron Davis
Elton Brand
Shawn Marion
Or maybe a top two pick in next year's draft.

Josh