My Take on Proposed Twon Trades

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

new Hoopsworld column, just posted:

It's not every day that a dream comes true, or nearly does. And yet, who can
say if invisible wings were not beating overhead for the Celtics when Jay
Williams crashed on his motorcycle last week? Some weeks ago, I expressed the
wish that the Celtics might trade Antoine Walker for Jay Williams and Marcus
Fizer; it seemed a fair value at the time, although I felt the usual
misgivings about trading a player with Antoine's courage and spirit. You
almost never win when you trade guys like Antoine. If his body were worthy of
his heart, he would be the MVP every year. But the Celtics have gone about as
far as they can with Antoine, and he's not going to get any better than he is.
So I hoped we could get an all-star-type talent at point guard in Williams,
and in Fizer a serviceable replacement for Antoine's skill set at forward. The
idea of also acquiring a mid-level lottery pick in an obscenely deep draft was
beyond my wildest imaginings.

And yet that, if the NBA grapevine is to be believed, is what was on the table
when Williams took his tragic tumble. Who knows if it was true? But rumors
persist that some kind of deal is in play or on the table involving Antoine
and one of our picks for a good player and a high lottery pick. I think it has
to be done. But I'm a little wary about who we are looking at.

The two deals I've heard talked about are: Walker and one of the picks to
Toronto for #4 and Antonio Davis; and Walker and a pick to Miami for #5 and
Brian Grant. Both are appealing, except for one thing: the player the Celtics
are said to covet with the high pick is Chris Bosh.

And that's what makes me nervous. Chris Bosh is exactly the opposite of
Antoine in every way, and that's not necessarily a good thing. So many
multi-skilled, ultra-quick seven-footers have entered the league in recent
years, each compared to Kevin Garnett, and each one bound to be manhandled by
the rough trade lurking in NBA playoff lanes. Like their original, who stil
has never proven a damn thing in the NBA, these skillful stringbeans
inevitably end up shooting jump shots, finishing breaks with high-flying
uncontested dunks, and blocking just enough shots to suggest how much better
they could be on defense.  They almost never have the will to power.  And sure
enough, Bosh is considered a model citizen, eminently coachable and
fundamentally sound. Unlike Antoine, who has lived and breathed basketball
since childhood, Bosh is a well-rounded individual who is also a member of the
National Honor Society and the National Society of Black Engineers. But does
that mean that he will bring the fire and fury needed to dominate in the NBA?
Because if we are trading Antoine Walker, we need a guy who can make things
happen.  Like the cruel sherriff in First Blood, NBA power forwards will pin
that phi beta kappa key to Bosh's liver.  And it's not like the Celtics will
have a surfeit of tough guys to watch Bosh's back.

I like Bosh's fluid game and quick ups too.  But can a player ever acquire
toughness or fire? I don't think so, any more than he can acquire a forty-inch
leap or a seven-foot wingspan. So if the Celtics do make a bold move to change
the team -- and don't they have to? -- I would hope they would take T.J. Ford
rather than Bosh any old day. Ford is the only player in this draft I've seen
really impose his will on a game; his work on that Texas team reminded me of
the Indiana State Sycamores more than a little bit. He has the speed and the
talent and the desire to create his own scoring opportunities, and the skill
and vision and willingness to find them for other people as well. I think of
him as a one-man wrecking crew destroying the stagnant fetid pool of the Jim
O'Brien offense. At his worst, he will be a much more effective version of
Tony Parker; and at his best, he could be the best point guard to enter the
league since Isiah. He's that good. If you get the chance, watch his
performance vs. Kansas: Kirk Hinrich is almost certainly the second best guard
in the draft, and he looked like just another guy next to Ford.  He's already
as good a passer as Jason Kidd was coming out of college.  Bottom line:  the
guy's a wrecker.

As for Bosh, I'm not sure that I would even take him ahead of a blue-chip
beast like Mike Sweeney, who looks guaranteed to impact an NBA frontcourt, and
soon. Of course, I could be wrong about Bosh, and he could be a Duncan in the
wings, in which case we should move heaven and earth to get him; but if we are
giving up a player with Antoine Walker's guts, we had better be sure.  Antoine
has made a lot of trade proposals look pretty dumb in retrospect.  This might
be another one.