Could Ainge get Bonzi Wells for "a 50 cents on the Dollar" type of deal?

[CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx]

And get Jeff McInnis thrown in as part of the deal?  Battie ($4.4M) and Chris
Mills ($6.6M) and for McInnis ($3.3M with one more year left at $3.6M next
year) and Wells ($6.84M with one more year left -- team option for $8M next
year).

C's save about $1M in salary which helps cushion them from the luxury tax hit
this year and would also have the option to not pick up Bonzi's option for
next year if it doesn't work out and jettison $8M in salary while getting a
serviceable PG like McInnis in return for Battie.


<A
HREF="http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/10695
05790209410.xml">Cheeks says he's had it with insubordination from Wells</A>



Cheeks says he's had it with insubordination from Wells

And Blazers general manager John Nash would "be more amenable to" a trade for
the volatile guard 11/22/03

JIM BESEDA


Maurice Cheeks is angry.

And here's the upset: Cheeks might be angrier at himself than he is at Bonzi
Wells, whose epithet-laced remarks to his coach after being yanked from
Monday's game at Dallas led to the Portland guard's suspension and reinforced
the
Trail Blazers' national reputation as a squad of bad actors.

In the volatile coaching business, one of the hardest lessons to learn is to
trust your instincts. Then, if you get fired, at least you can look in the
locker room mirror on the way out of Dodge (or Orlando) and say you did it
your
way. (Interesting comment in light of the current C's situation)

As he increasingly asserts himself as a head coach, Cheeks is coming around
to the view that he can be more decisive in dealing with his temperamental
roster. He just didn't do it in time with Wells -- and that's his own barbed
and
critical conclusion, not an editorial judgment.

"I'm a little (upset with) myself, because I kept letting it go," Cheek said
before the Blazers faced the Houston Rockets on Friday night at the Rose
Garden. "I didn't really sleep a whole lot after Monday's game. We got in
late, I
got up early, and it just bangs on my head that I give one guy that kind of
leeway."

But those days are over, Cheeks insists. He said he isn't going to tolerate
any more of the insubordination he has endured from Wells during his two-plus
seasons as coach of the Blazers.

"I will coach him, because it's my job to coach him," Cheeks said. "But I've
let things fester, and whatever leeway I gave him before won't be there
anymore. It's another sensitivity issue. Well, that sensitivity that I had,
it's not
there anymore. "At some point you have to get past talent. He has talent. So
what? There are a lot of people who have talent. I think we have to push it to
the side, because sometimes you can have less talent and do more things with
it."

Coach and players clash all the time, in every pro sport. This week alone,
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers deactivated outspoken wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson,
and the Denver Broncos suspended defensive lineman Daryl Gardener -- both for
actions deemed detrimental to the team. The Cheeks-Wells rift might not be
irreparable. But Blazers general manager John Nash has been in touch with at
least
12 teams, trying to gauge whether he can get a decent trade offer for Wells.

"Several teams expressed an interest in Bonzi early on, but we never were
able to achieve anything that was in our best interest," Nash said. "But we
weren't really looking for a Bonzi deal earlier, and now I think we'd be more
amenable to one."

Nash said there is no reason to think that the situation will prove
disruptive to the team. "Maurice is supposed to coach, and Bonzi is supposed
to play
and take direction," Nash said. "I don't have any reason to believe that won't
be the case into the future, but should it not be the case, then we'll have to
take appropriate action."

Where does Wells stand on all of this? He hasn't made his views known. He
essentially was banished from doing anything with the team since Tuesday
morning,
so nobody has seen or heard from him since. Or if they have, they aren't
talking. Cheeks said he is looking forward to today's practice and seeing not
only
how Wells interacts with him, but also how Wells interacts with his
teammates.

"I'm actually sitting high in my seat right now because of him," Cheeks said.
"I think it's long overdue and I love the seat I'm sitting in right now.

"The one thing about the players in there, I give them the utmost respect.
Things have happened where I've stood behind each one of them, no matter what
they've done. And I've probably looked stupid on several occasions when I
stood
behind them and backed them. I don't know if some of the guys really
understand that."

Jim Beseda: 503-221-8380; jimbeseda@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    


Player      Team Restriction                        Expiration
Chris Mills   Boston Recently was traded               20th December, 2003

Please Note: The above item(s) may prevent the trade from occuring.

If you would like to see if this trade would work after all of the
expirations have concluded please press Continue

Portland trades:

SG Bonzi Wells (14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.1 apg in 35.0 minutes)  
PG Jeff McInnis (10.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 4.6 apg in 27.5 minutes)

Portland receives:

PG Chris Mills (10.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 4.6 apg in 27.5 minutes)  
C Tony Battie (5.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 apg in 22.6 minutes)

Change in team outlook: -18.8 ppg, -1.7 rpg, and -6.5 apg.


Boston trades:

PG Chris Mills (10.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 4.6 apg in 27.5 minutes)  
C Tony Battie (5.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 apg in 22.6 minutes)

Boston receives:

SG Bonzi Wells (14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.1 apg in 10 games)  
PG Jeff McInnis (10.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 4.6 apg in 12 games)

Change in team outlook: +18.8 ppg, +1.7 rpg, and +6.5 apg.


TRADE ACCEPTED

Due to Portland and Boston being over the cap, the 15% trade rule is invoked.
Portland and Boston had to be no more than 115% plus $100,000 of the salary
given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade
satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

You have been assigned Trade ID number 1303698

Talk about it on the <A
HREF="http://www1.realgm.com/boards/viewforum.php?forum=2";>Trade Board</A>

How to use Trade ID: Go to <A
HREF="http://www.realgm.com/";>http://www.realgm.com</A> and enter the trade id
into
the box provided on the left menu bar, then press go.    


CeltsSteve