My cousin Vinny

[Kestas <kestutis.kveraga@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I know y'all been anxiously awaiting my opinion on the trade, since there's 
been hardly any mention of it on the list :)
Seriously, though, I think everything that could be said about it pretty 
much has been said. The one thing that crossed my mind looking at this 
trade and that I haven't seen mentioned, is that this trade seems like a 
trade that would be made by an owner who's getting ready to sell his team 
in the next couple of years.
Consider this: Thanksdad avoids the tax this season, saving millions in the 
process, slices another mil or so off the payroll for this year, and a few 
mil next year, again coming under the (higher) luxury tax threshold if 
minimum-wagers are used to fill out the lineup. If Vinny does reasonably 
well in the beginning, he's got a team with three stars that can compete 
for the EC title in the short term, thereby increasing the team's value. He 
already raised the ticket prices and Baker will be used to justify these 
increases, at least until he bombs.   Afterwards, who cares if the team's 
cap is anchored down by three max contracts? Wallace, Pond Scum and 
ThanksDad are obviously living in the moment. They won't be around to clean 
up the mess if this momentous gamble fails.

As for Vinny himself, I mostly expect him to fit like an overweight Mercer 
with Pervis Ellison's health and Kenny's contract. I'd put the chances of 
that at about 80-90%. This year he might tantalize us with remnants of his 
game, occasionally leading us to believe he will actually work out for us, 
kind of like Kenny and Pervis did in their first seasons with us. I think 
Oliver Miller could do for us what we expect Vinny to do, but for 1/20 of 
the cost, no risk of a long-term contract, and no illusions about his ever 
getting in shape. He'd be a better fit, too, and would cause an uptick in 
the earnings of the local fast food industry all by himself. As it is now, 
all we can do now is hope that Baker finds a new lease on his basketball 
life, for - like Bill Bird said - hope is all we have left.
Kestas