Players On The Trading Block

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

Players on block as deadline nears
MATT STEINMETZ: TIMES COLUMNIST
Contra Costa Times

Salaries and attitudes have to be taken into consideration in trades



IT'S NO SECRET the Warriors are trying to trade forward/center Marc
Jackson these days. The whole idea behind matching Houston's contract
offer to Jackson back in October was so that they could perhaps move him
along in time and get something in return.

Now, whether or not the Warriors trade him right away -- they can't make
a deal until Jan. 15 -- remains to be seen. But make no mistake,
Jackson's gone. It will either happen between the 15th and Feb. 21, the
trading deadline, or sometime after the season. But Jackson's gone.

He's not the only player being talked about in the days leading up to
the deadline. A whole slew of guys are topics of conversation. So here's
a quick 10-man list of names you'll be hearing and some of the issues
surrounding them.


Gary Payton, Seattle: The Sonics are hovering around .500, a long way
from the elite teams but not doormats, either. It's hard to fathom
Seattle holding onto him because the Sonics aren't good enough to win a
title with him and can't really rebuild unless they move him.
The issue with Payton is that he's 33 and likely will want an extension
from the team that trades for him. But he's still arguably one of the
top two point guards in the league and could almost single-handedly
transform a team from an also-ran to a playoff team or playoff team into
a title contender.


Nick Van Exel, Denver: Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe would
love to move Van Exel, but who wants a pouty point guard who will make
more than $10 million per season until the year 2005? Yes, he can help
you win a few games by himself. But he'll shoot you out of games, too.
It would be difficult to imagine a team other than one that's
free-spending -- New York, Portland or Dallas -- making a deal for Van
Exel.


Rasheed Wallace, Portland: Yes, Wallace is on the cusp of superstardom,
but he's just as close to fading into the NBA periphery. He has yet to
show he has the maturity to become a top-flight player on a consistent
basis.
It doesn't help that he makes $14.4 million this season and that salary
goes up each year until 2004. And if Wallace is your team's best player,
your team is in trouble.


Raef LaFrentz, Denver: Word out of Denver is that Vandeweghe likes
LaFrentz but that former coach Dan Issel didn't. LaFrentz has a tendency
to disappear for long stretches and keep in mind, he's heading toward
free agency. You also know his agent, David Falk, is going to be a real
problem to deal with.

Damon Stoudamire, Portland: Horrible contract (he'll make more than $13
million in each season up to 2005) and he is a proven liability when the
stakes get high. He might be an upgrade at point guard for your favorite
team but he'll never get you to where you want to go.

Latrell Sprewell, New York: The Knicks are constrained by a lack of
talent and by being over the salary cap. Sprewell is one of the Knicks'
few assets and they very well may have to deal him if they want to
change the makeup of their team and outlook for their future.

Travis Best, Indiana: Best's name comes up almost on a daily basis. But
will he make your team discernibly better? No. He thinks he's a starter
but the problem is that his coaches apparently have never thought so. He
might be best suited to being your third guard off the bench but will he
accept that role? If you trade for him, you better have a plan, too,
because he's a free agent at the end of the year.

Jalen Rose, Indiana: Rose is a nice player, but he has an inherent
problem. He pretty much needs to be the No. 1 option on your team and
handle the ball a lot. But if Rose is the No. 1 option on a team,
chances are, the team isn't a great one.
His contract is downright scary and it runs through 2006. What Rose
really needs to start thinking about is coming to terms with being a
very good role player instead of a superstar.


Baron Davis, Charlotte: How nice would he look in a Warriors uniform?
No, Davis hasn't said he wants out of Charlotte but word around the
league is that he won't re-sign there and wants to come back West --
where he's from. If Hornets management believes this, it has to begin
thinking about moving him. And he would command a huge amount of
interest.

Tom Gugliotta, Phoenix; You must remember that the Gugliotta who is
available now isn't the Gugliotta who played five years ago. He is a
great guy but no more than a role player these days. And when you make
more than $10 million, you really need to be more than a role player.