Re: sums it up

["Cecil Wright" <cecil@hfx.eastlink.ca>]

So which scenario do we pick?  Seems to me that the author says that this
trade amounts to:
#1.  JJ and our #1 for Delk...or
#2.  JJ and our #1 for Delk and Rogers which provides outstanding scoring
punch off the bench.....or
#3.  JJ and our #1 for Delk, Rogers and cap room.....or
#4.  JJ and our #1 for Delk, Rogers and the financial flexibility to go
after an impact player (Duncan, O'Neal or Kidd)

I don't know about you but I think that #4 is pretty damn important and if
this deal allows us to find a big man or a primetime PG, this will have been
a great deal.  But most of all, I want to thank you for not using caps to
holler at us which you have been doing quite a bit of lately.

Cecil

----- Original Message -----
From: "Troy Hash" <troyhash@kih.net>
To: "celtics list" <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2002 10:32 PM
Subject: sums it up


> This is from todays basketball.com news.  I think this pretty much sums
things
> up in a nutshell.
>
> The Trade Front:   The tenth pick in this season's draft and a first round
> pick in the upcoming one for reserve guard Tony Delk?  In essence that is
the
> trade Boston made when they shipped Joe Johnson, Milt Palacio, Randy Brown
and
> a conditional 2002 first round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Delk and
forward
> Rodney Rogers.  Rogers is a free agent after the season and chances are
good
> that Boston will not re-sign him when his contract expires.  What to make
of
> this trade?  Probably helps in the short term as Boston seeks to return to
the
> playoff for the first time since the  1993-94 season.  Delk and Rogers
provide
> some outstanding scoring punch off the bench, which has been a glaring
> weakness for Boston this season.  Long term however, the trade works in
only
> one way, and that is financially.  Boston's ownership, as are many
ownership
> groups around the league, is extremely concerned about the luxury tax that
is
> looming on the NBA horizon.  In short the Celtics' will not pay it and
this
> trade does much to ensure that fact.  Boston will be drastically reducing
> their payroll after the season, as the shuffling of players in this deal,
as
> well as the five players on the current roster, including Rogers, that
will be
> free agents after this season trims roughly $9-$11 million off the team's
> salary heading into the offseason.  With Paul Pierce's mega deal kicking
in
> next season, he is scheduled to break $10 million for the year, Boston was
> looking at a player payout in excess of $52-$55 million which would put
them
> close to the luxury tax threshold if it was instituted.   With point guard
> Kenny Anderson's contract set to expire after next season, the Celtics
will
> save another $8-$10 million possibly putting them at roughly $40-$42
million
> in players salaries heading into 2003-2004.  Whether that savings will be
used
> to entice a free agent big man like Tim Duncan or Jermaine O'Neal or an
> All-Star playmaker like Jason Kidd or rather be used to line the pockets
of
> the ownership remains to be seen.  Expect the latter given majority owner
Paul
> Gaston's desire to run a very profitable business as well as the
realization
> that the Celtics are a publicly traded company.
>
> Unfortunately the financial implications meant trading away a very
talented
> basketball player in Joe Johnson.  The local and national media towed the
> company line stating that the Celtics were down on the smooth player out
of
> Arkansas.  That he lacked the confidence and intensity to excel at this
level.
> However, the apparent lack of confidence was largely due to head coach Jim
> O'Brien's poor use of the promising rookie.  O'Brien's system is the
> antithesis of Joe Johnson's game as it requires perimeter players other
than
> Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce to clear out the side for the two
co-captains.
> Johnson's immense talents were wasted in such a system and consequently
his
> free flowing game and skills withered.  He sums it up himself.  "They have
two
> All-Stars (Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker) out there, so it was kind of
tough
> to be assertive with the type of game we were playing. Instead of me
trying to
> come out and be more aggressive, I had to play my role. But I feel good
about
> this trade."  The Suns will make full use of Johnson's immense talents and
> will be the better for it.  Three years down the road, the Suns' gain will
be
> the Celtics' loss.  If only it were the other way around. - RaSi
>
> TOP
>
>
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