the trade

[Mark Piotrowski <markp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

thought i'd chime in after a 2 year absence.

I'm guardedly optimistic about the results of the Baker trade.  Don't 
know what else to do really.  It certainly isn't the trade I would 
have done, but I also have thought that the one thing the C's 
desperately needed was size (although it depresses me that the 
Battie/Baker/Walker frontline sounds like it won't happen).  I'm 
willing to wait and see how it works.

I think too often we as fans ignore how things like team chemistry, 
etc. work since they don't show up in the boxscore.  Its what lead 
people to say the Hawks (by adding S. Abdur-Rahim, Ratliff, Kukoc, 
etc.) were going to be better than the C's last year.  On paper it 
looked like it was possible/probable.  Who knows, Baker & Pierce 
could become inseperable, best of friends.  Or walker & baker.

That being said the thing about this trade (and the Rogers/Delk for 
JJ/Palacio/#1 trade which i generally liked) that worries me the most 
is that the front office doesn't get this very simple point that Pete 
stated so well:


> How can you improve your team if your already spending the salary cap on
> three players. Heck we can't even afford to draft people for crying out loud.
> The draft is the BEST way to get cheap talent, and the only way the Celts
> could win a championship.
This may not have been true in the past, but now with the Rookie Pay 
Scale drafting well & wisely is *THE* key to being competive -- 
especially for a team like us who has Maxed out 2 players.  I like 
that we're building around Pierce & Walker, but with their salaries, 
Wallace has to shift gears to building the best supporting cast 
possible.

In today's NBA the 2 best ways to do that affordably is picking up 
guys who run out of options elsewhere and give them short term deals 
with a chance to build up their value (i.e. Erick Strickland, last 
year's Miami Heat, Minnesota for a while; I know its a totally 
different situation but the Red Sox under Duquette were really good 
at doing this (Nomo, Saberhagen, etc).).  Problem with this is its 
not reliable.  We lucked out on ES last year and might not get so 
lucky this year.

The more reliable way is through the draft.  And given the influx of 
foriegn talent and early entry guys and HS players, even with mid-1st 
round picks you can get decent players who can fill a solid role off 
the bench (and eventually start) very cheaply (Tinsley, B. Haywood, 
M. Doleac, Speedy Claxton, Mo Pete, Devean George, etc.)

It worries me that Wallace doesn't seem to GET THIS, the value in 
drafting cheap talent and letting them grow into solid NBA players, 
even stars.  Its almost like if they don't become Paul Pierce, he 
says "Get rid of 'em".   I mean it took folks like Delk, Rodney 
Rogers, etc. to grow into they players they were that caught 
Wallace's eye.  Of course you have to have a coach that will play 
those rookies and 2nd year players enough so they can develop.

Well can't wait for the season to start!

Mark Piotrowski