WTF!! McCarty to be re-signed !?!?

["Thomas Murphy" <tfmiii@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Deal gives Celtics, Sonics some relief

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By Dr. Jack Ramsay
Special to ESPN.com


Economics had a lot to do with the Sonics-Celtics trade, for both sides.

Even though the Celtics are not going to re-sign Rodney Rogers, trading away
Kenny Anderson, Vitaly Potapenko and Joseph Forte allows them the room to
re-sign free agent Walter McCarty. [WTF!!! I can't BELIEVE this . . .  I
hope Dr. Jack got his meds mixed up ... I think it's time for some of my
own, Mr Beam!]

http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/ramsay_drjack/1408749.html

And the Sonics wanted to get rid of Vin Baker and hopefully free up enough
money to re-sign Rashard Lewis.

In return, the Celtics needed a big man off the bench, the role Rogers
filled. Without Rogers, the Celtics were able to do the next best thing in
getting Baker, although it's not exactly what Celtics coach Jim O'Brien
wanted. He liked to use Rogers against big centers. Rogers' 3-point shooting
ability was always a matchup problem for big centers like Dikembe Mutombo,
Alonzo Mourning and Todd MacCulloch.

On a positive note, Baker provides the Celtics with the post-up player they
lacked. Neither Paul Pierce nor Antoine Walker is an inside player.
Hopefully, Baker can be consistent and can return to his previous form, when
he averaged 20 points a game. For Baker, who has struggled with his
conditioning, this deal is a chance for him to start over.

Shammond Williams gives O'Brien another guard who can play the point, but I
think he will also use Tony Delk in that role. O'Brien also likes J.R.
Bremer, a rookie from St. Bonaventure, and thinks he can develop into a good
player. While Delk is a solid defender, he has been inconsistent as a
shooter and playmaker. Yet he will have an opportunity to show whether or
not he can handle the point guard role.

As for the Sonics, they had been unhappy with Baker for some time. Plus,
there have been rumors that the Sonics' ownership is feeling a pinch from
the stock-market decline and is looking to tighten its money belt. Trading
Baker and his contract is a step in that direction.

Adding Anderson may also allow them to seriously consider moving Gary
Payton, something the Sonics have been contemplating for the last few years.
I'm sure there is still a market for Payton, who remains among the NBA's
best guards.

Even if the Sonics dealt Payton, they still have a lot of young players in
Lewis, Desmond Mason, Jerome James, Vladimir Radmanovic and Predrag
Drobnjak. The cupboard wouldn't be bear by any means.

Anderson is entering his contract year, so I expect him to play well. The
Sonics are rolling the dice with Potapenko, who is coming off knee surgery
and probably won't be ready to play until December or January. Forte,
meanwhile, has little game experience. Although he has played well during in
summer league games, he is still an unknown quantity.

Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.