Davis trade

["Thomas Murphy" <tfmiii@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think this trade was a good risk to take. It infuses a great deal of
talent (troubled talent no doubt, but that is why it was available) at very
little cost. Both Eric Williams and Tony Battie were on the downsides of
their careers (in part due to age/chronic physical ailments) and neither was
terribly athletic, particularly for a team looking to run. Kedrick? who
knows? But I think Mark is right that Kedrick's potential as a player was to
become something like what Ricky Davis is now (without the headaches of
course). So in terms of athleticism, talent, and age I think Ainge wins this
one. Another nice aspect of this trade: we get taller. And those taller
folks are not broken (or breaking) down. While neither will be starting for
the Celts they do provide rebounding/box out fodder. And given the number of
big men we now have we can afford to wear down the opposing front line with
fresh, long and beefy legs, a luxury we haven't had in many a year.

The most important aspect of the trade though is how well Davis works out. A
new team can be an opportunity for a new beginning -- lets hope that is the
case with Davis, particularly since he is now on a team that appears to be
on the ascent. Integrating Davis in terms of chemistry is the key, and of
all the reasons I can imagine for Danny keeping OB around, the only one I
can honestly credit is the chemistry OB is able to generate with his
players -- so this is a chance for OB to justify ownership's faith as
represented by his guaranteed contract. I agree with Mark in that I think
they'll be bringing Davis off the bench to provide instant offense. He can
get plenty of minutes hoovering up the time previously allotted to Eric and
Kedrick (43.8 minutes a game, if you can believe it). Plus in Davis we have
someone who can give Pierce an opportunity to rest without too much of a
drop-off in offensive production. And if he doesn't get with the program and
starts having brain cramps on the court, he can be substituted for with
Jumaine Jones. And with Pierce, Davis and Jones you will have the luxury of
riding the hot hand for stretches during a game.

Unlike Antoine, Davis will neither be the entrenched veteran all-star in the
locker room, nor an irreplaceable fixture in the starting lineup. Pierce and
Welsch should continue to start and Jones and Davis will divi up the minutes
off the bench, with Davis getting the first crack but Jones there to keep
him honest. OB will have the full panoply of options to play carrot and
stick with Davis. A bad sign in my book would be seeing McCarty getting time
over either Davis or Jones -- these two (when healthy) should be able
relegate Waltah to the bench permanently. OB needs to be committed to
developing the chemistry both with Davis and with Jones or else things won't
go well for anyone.

Given a long-term perspective, I think that this is just the sort of trade
you want your GM to make: relatively low costs with the potential for very
high returns.

Cheers - TomM