Trade details and Dr Jack

[Peter Delevett <pdelevett@xxxxxxxxx>]

Cavs returned the second-rounder Boston gave up in the
Jumaine Jones trade: 
www.nba.com/celtics/news/trade_031215.html

Jack Ramsay, Obie's father-in-law, writes on ESPN that
"Williams' intangibles are Boston's greatest loss." He
also writes, "O'Brien will need to use all his
coaching skills to harness Davis' potential."

I myself have mixed feelings. This package of players
was pretty much Boston's most marketable commodity.
Wasn't this the rumored package the team had
supposedly offered for Mobley and Griffin? In terms of
pure talent, what Boston got is comparable to that
deal. The Celtics simply had to add a second scorer to
be competitive long-term. And while I worry about the
effect of this trade on our defense, Mihm is averaging
1 block (and 6.4 rebounds, which would almost tie him
with Baker for second on the Celts) in just 17.8
minutes per game; Yogi is averaging a block in only
9.5 minutes per game. (Kendrick Perkins fans should
expect to see a lot more DNP-CDs.) 

We will certainly miss Eric's low-post scoring; it
will be interesting to see if Mihm can regain the
inside touch that made him the best college big man in
America a few years ago. And from an emotional
perspective, I'll be sorry to see Williams and Battie
go; they were part of the core of what had been the
most succesful Celtics team in a decade. That team is
long gone, though, so I guess it was time to move on. 

Davis may well turn into Walker II, but maybe the
experience of being traded will humble him somewhat.
If not, his salary is certainly less of an anchor than
Antoine's, and he's locked up for a while. It will be
very interesting to see how Obie finds PT for Pierce,
Davis and Welsch. We may see less of James.

Coming off a five-game win streak seems like an odd
time to make a trade. Maybe you're dealing from a
position of strength, though, vs. one of weakness. 


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