What were they thinking!!???

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

Just kidding... I love this trade!

Lots of thoughts, so I'll try to organize them:

1.	Ray's criticism... Yes, they still butchered the draft and, no, they
didn't get a big man or point guard. But at least they realized the mistake
with JJ and turned him into something useful.
2.	I've been as hard on Wallace as anyone, but I was so pleased to see
his quotes today about "why not go for it?" That was my point yesterday. The
East is wide open. Yesterday, they had no chance. Today, I think they do.
I'll still be tough on Wallace because he blew the last draft, but this was
a great move.
3.	Rogers and Delk... Great additions. If you play Rogers at forward
alongside Antoine, one of them is going to be guarded by a small forward-and
that's a major mismatch. Both guys can step out and hit the three, both can
post up smaller guys. Plus, Rogers can give you backup power forward
minutes. As for Delk, all the "microwave" comparisons are dead-on. He's a
tweener guard who can absolutely fill it up. All those open looks Strickland
and Palacio couldn't knock down? Delk will knock them down.
4.	The financial aspect... Obviously, the Celts don't make the deal if
it doesn't help the luxury cap situation next season. That means Rodney
Rogers likely is gone, unless he takes a sweetheart deal. But they have Delk
locked up, which means they don't have to worry about Strickland after the
season. It also makes Forte awfully expendable, because I can't imagine
he'll be better than Delk in basically the same role. Best-case scenario,
Forte turns into a Delk. I'm guessing we see Forte shipped out either before
the deadline or after the season.
5.	What we lose... I think this is a pretty clear indication of the
organization's feelings about JJ. He'll probably be a 10-year NBA player,
but never more than a role player. As for the pick, this trade should
de-value it even more, because the team certainly got better. Like I said
during the Bryon Russell rumor-I have no problem giving up a pick, if it
will help the team. The Russell trade was selling the pick to save money.
This one helps the team.
6.	Added benefit of Rogers and Delk... They're used to playing off of
other guys. They've been bench players/fourth options behind Marbury, Marion
and Penny. They know how to fit in and get their offense in the right spots.
I think that's important.
7.	This puts some pressure on Pierce and Walker. We've heard a lot
about how they don't have any help and they have to shoot so much because no
one else can score... Well, now they have help. It's up to them to involve
these guys and create shots for them. I think this really should help
Antoine in particular.
8.	The downside... Here's the only legit criticism in my mind: This
trade doesn't address the glaring need on this team-big man-and it takes
away a little of their roster flexibility in making a trade for a big man.
But short of that, it strengthens the team and buys them time to make that
move.
9.	Omar Cook... What a great way to fill the roster spot. Is he a sure
thing? No. But he's that rare "true point guard." Can he hit a jump shot?
No, but neither can Tinsley or, for that matter, Jason Kidd. The value of
these kinds of guys is in the shots they help their teammates make. I can't
think of anyone more worth a look than this guy.

Summary... Great deal. I think a lot of posters are overvaluing Johnson and
undervaluing the guys we just picked up. These are legitimate, impact NBA
players. The Celts suddenly have a bench. They suddenly have other scoring
options. They suddenly have a backup power forward. They have a shot in the
East. I really believe that. Will that be true next year? Who knows and who
cares? This year, it's wide open. Kudos to Wallace.

Mark