Re: No trades!

[bird <birdwl@earthlink.net>]

On Saturday, February 9, 2002, at 02:24 AM, gh18@juno.com wrote:

> Forston was could not defend.  Therefore, he does not fit the prototype
> power forward to compliment Walker.  The power forward must be able to
> defend not only in the post, but on the perimeter.  Again, I repeat
> Mchale and Maxwell type power forwards.  Forston will give you 13
> rebounds, but his man will score 20 or more points and have 10 rebounds

Of course Fortson could defend.  He was one of the few players to defend 
Shaq well when he played in Denver.  He did get many "bull in a china shop"
  fouls, but that's the way NBA refs are: the more you're around, the less 
likely they'll call those kind of fouls on you (i.e. Vitaly Potapenko).  
Fortson's problems here were more about Pitino using him at center for 
10-15 minutes a game and injuries than his own lack of talent.  You're 
probably right that a McHale- or Maxwell-type player would complement 
Walker best and be best for the team (for which team *wouldn't* these guys 
be an upgrade? Precious few), but the point is, no one in the Boston 
Celtics organization is waiting around to move Antoine Walker to the small 
forward position.

> Do you remember the great trade "Vitaly for the eighth Pick in the
> draft"?  You do not trade to slightly improve.  The trade must be
> significant and the player must be able to come in and make a difference.

Lot's of teams trade to slightly improve, Greg.  Some teams, like the Suns,
  actually make trades to get worse (well, that may not have been the *plan*
, but that's sure how it worked out.)  As I said in my original post, I 
agree with you, in that I think the team ought to be patient, develop 
talent, then trade for/acquire as many missing pieces as possible.  There'
s a "strike while the iron's hot" mentality among some folk here: they 
seem to think that if the C's don't win a championship this year, it's 
never going to happen.  A team can keep the iron hot by developing talent 
into assets which can then be used to acquire better players, or players 
that play positions you need to fill, though.

It's very easy to look back and say a trade was foolish, though.  At the 
time of the V trade, the C's really needed some sort of inside presence: I 
believe we were looking at Andrew DeClerq and Travis Knight in the middle 
-- *shudder* -- and V, for all of his own faults, is an upgrade over both 
those guys combined, almost.  Now, if only we could have avoided giving up 
a draft pick when the team was clearly mediocre and therefore going to 
draft low, now that would have been something.  Too bad.  Spilled milk and 
all.  I guess the only thing the team could do is offer V for Andre Miller 
straight up, and when that didn't work, finally get the hell over it.

But that, too, is really not the point.  The point is that the Celtics 
aren't planning on acquiring a "prototype power forward" in order to move 
Antoine Walker to the three -- trade speculation on the internet 
notwithstanding.  So suggestions about how we ought to acquire this guy or 
that guy, or how we might talk Cornbread or the Black Hole out of 
retirement (hey, that's just crazy enough to work!) aren't grounded very 
much in reality.  I guess trade speculation in the internet rarely is, 
though.  I, myself, would like to see Walker at the three.  Not gonna 
happen.

Bird