[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

sweetney + 2 NY trade ideas

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 09:46:32 -0400
From: "Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: NY Daily News - Basketball - Antoine trade isn't dead yet

BOSTON - The proposed trade that would have brought Antoine Walker to New York
would have included Mike Sweetney, the Knicks' first-round draft pick.
According to a league source, the Knicks offered Sweetney, Kurt Thomas,
Charlie Ward and Frank Williams to Boston for Walker, the All-Star forward.
The trade was discussed after the Knicks made Sweetney the ninth overall pick
in last month's NBA draft.

Boston rejected the deal but may reconsider if it can't find a better offer
for Walker. Celtics GM Danny Ainge appears committed to trading Walker.
 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/story/100899p-91377c.html


Sweetney can't be be traded (according to RealGM) until Dec. 15 since he was just signed.

If New York is really hot to get Walker I wonder -- as someone mentioned earlier -- if we couldn't use the Walker trade to rid ourselves of Baker's contract. Something like:

Boston: Walker + Vin Baker

New York: Ward + Othella Harrington + (old friend) Travis Knight + McDyess (+ #1 pick?)

Good points: We'd be major players in Free Agency next year with McDyess, Ward, Knight and E. Williams all coming off the books; Or we'd be in a great position at the trade deadline to add talent from teams looking to get under the cap. It might be asking a bit much but a future #1 from NY would sweeten the pot. Having Ward allows us to ease Banks in (though i'd like him to be the starter by the all-star break). Harrington won't demand the ball on the offensive end, but will play as more of a true-PF. Baker is gone. Ainge was the coach, if i'm not mistaken, when McDyess signed with the Suns...maybe he could convince him to stick around for cheap when his contract is up.

Bad points: Major loss of scoring, heart and leadership with Walker gone. We'd be banking on Ewill, Delk, Battie and especially Kedrick to pick up the scoring slack.

Lineup:
PG:  Ward -- Banks -- Bremer
SG:  Pierce -- Delk
SF:  E. Williams -- Brown
PF:  Harrington -- Knight -- Hunter -- McDyess (inj.)
C:  Battie -- Perkins -- Sundov

That's 13 players + the inj. McDyess. Its a less exciting lineup but one that might be better able to get out and run. I guess I'm of the opinion that we probably won't get back the exact skill-set of Walker's in return, but you have to look at what you do get. In this case:

- major capspace for next summer (and a possible #1 pick)
- a true PF (who in 2/3 as many mins as Walker, averaged 1 less Reb.; and has a lifetime .502 FG% )
- a veteran rent-a-PG who provides us the luxury of bringing Banks along slowly this year.

---------------------
a 2nd NY trade
---------------------

I wonder, too if there isn't something that could be worked out as a 3-way with NY, Boston & Milwaukee. I know that TJ Ford looked nice last night but he's their only PG on the roster and NY has 3 (Eisley, Ward & Frank Williams).

How about this (actually I'm more impressed that I got this big a trade to work salary-wise than as an actual trade, but there are a few intriguing things about it):

Boston trades: Walker + Delk + E. Williams + Sundov + 2 #2 picks
Milwaukee: Kukoc + Mason + Jason Caffey+ Joel Pryzbilla + Marcus Haislip + #1 pick
NY trades: Latrell Sprewell + Charlie Ward + Othella Harrington + #1 pick

Boston gets:
Othella Harrington
Toni Kukoc
Jason Caffey
Marcus Haislip
Joel Pryzbilla
Milwaukee #1
New York #1

New York gets:
Antoine Walker
Anthony Mason
Tony Delk
Bruno Sundov
Boston 2nd rounder

Milwaukee Gets
Latrell Sprewell
Charlie Ward
Eric Williams
Boston 2nd rounder


Boston's Lineup:

PG:  Banks -- Bremer
SG:  Pierce -- (Strickland or other FA)
SF:  Kedrick -- Kukoc -- Haislip
PF:  Harrington -- Caffey -- (Hunter as 14th roster spot)
C:   Battie -- Blount -- Pryzbilla -- Perkins

observations:
- We arguably add more talent here with Kukoc, Harrington & Caffey
- Harrington & Caffey give us a PF-combo that averages 12 pts, 10 reb -- as we know rebounding is the key to instituting a running game
- If Kedrick doesn't pan out or has an off game(s) Kukoc is there to pick up slack
- We'd have to go after a FA guard (Strickland, Ira Newble, Piatkowski, Luscious Harris, Bryan Russell -- I will never welcome Jon Barry back though), though Kedrick could provide some mins behind Pierce with Kukoc at SF.
- We gain a marginal amount of capspace next year (Kukoc makes a little more than EWill), and Harrington, Pryzbilla & Caffey all come off the books the following year when we'd hope Perkins is ready to man the post (maybe allowing Battie to finally move back to PF)
- add 2 #1 picks

- Milwaukee gets a starting PG & SF (thought they have Desmond Mason)
- New York gets Walker + Mason back


I don't know that either of these makes Boston a better (or worse, for that matter) team next year, but they allow us to move towards changing the complexion of the team, which I think we all agree Ainge is trying to do. Given our talend I'd imagine that a lineup similar to the '88 celts (big frontline + PG, SG, SF (88-Brown, Shaw, Lewis, Gamble; 03 - Banks, Pierce, Bremer, Kedrick) ready to get out and run, run, run).