David Aldridge on free agency

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The column includes this mention of the Celtics:

I know the Donald loves Lamar Odom
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3327> , but I still
don't believe he'd match an offer sheet for the talented but occasionally
straying forward. Sounds like Elton Brand
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3324>  is the Clips'
priority. If the Celtics do figure out a way to trade Antoine Walker
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3112> , they should
make a play for Odom's still-young bag of skillz. ...

See, this is the kind of thing you'd have to consider with any Antoine
trade. Let's say they trade Antoine for Terrell Brandon's retiring contract.
Suddenly, they have the room to use the mid-level exception. If you land a
guy like Odom with the exception, you've effectively traded Antoine for a
younger, better, cheaper player. Aldridge is just speculating, of course,
but it is a great illustration of the need to not judge an Antoine trade
strictly on the players that come back in return.

One more thing on Antoine: I'm convinced that the reason Ainge is so eager
to trade Toine is because he knows that as long as Antoine is with the
Celtics, the team's style of play won't change. Could he wait a year to
trade Antoine? Probably, and it would be easier to accomplish then. But that
would be a year wasted in Ainge's efforts to remake the style of this team.
They'd be delaying the start of that process by a year. I don't think he
wants to do that. I think he wants to see a different style this season, and
I think he recognizes that it won't happen with Antoine around.

Mark

http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/aldridge_david/1576175.html
<http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/aldridge_david/1576175.html>