Re: Ainge can check Antoine off his list

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "celtics list" <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2003 12:59 PM
Subject: Ainge can check Antoine off his list


>       Ainge can check Antoine off his list
>
>       By Steve Kerr
>       October 20, 2003
>
>
>
>
>       The day Danny Ainge moved into his new office as GM of the Boston
> Celtics, he knew he wanted to trade Antoine Walker.

That's why he was hired.
>
>       The thought was that Boston would never win with Paul Pierce and
Walker
> dominating both the ball and the team's salary cap. With Monday's trade of
> Antoine to Dallas (along with Tony Delk, in return for Raef LaFrentz, Jiri
> Welsch, Chris Mills and a first round pick next year), Ainge accomplished
his
> goal of moving the mercurial Walker.

Excellent move.
>
>       The question is, will the trade make the Celtics better, both this
> season and in the future?

How can it miss?

>
>       In LaFrentz, Jim O'Brien has a big man who can step out on the floor
and
> make threes - something the Boston coach loves. Of course, that's what
Walker
> did too.

Yeah, you should have added the bottom paragraph into the top one..

>
>       The difference is that Raef is a pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop type
> shooter whereas Antoine wants the ball in his hands. Perhaps now the
Celtics'
> offense will open up a bit, and allow more players to be involved. But
this
> trade doesn't dramatically change the team's look.

I think it does....you prune a bush to get more flowers

>
>                   ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>       It's a risk for the Celtics to take on LaFrentz's contract however,
> which has six years and $60 million remaining. Walker will be a free agent
in
> two years (he makes $14 million per year), so the Celtics could have
realized
> valuable cap space simply by letting him play out the string.

And Pierce would be 2 years older....

>
>       Still, Walker wanted an extension - something Ainge wasn't going to
> offer - and the chemistry of the team could have suffered. And Ainge could
> hardly wait around and watch his team tread water for the next couple of
> seasons without doing anything. There weren't going to be many offers for
> Walker, so this was the best the new Celtics boss could do.

His options were expiring fast....

>
>       As for Dallas, this move makes no sense other than for cap reasons
(Mark
> Cuban made a trade in order to save money? Say it ain't so!). The Mavs
> unloaded a guy they didn't like much who has six years left on his deal.
>
>       But they added a player who needs the ball in his hands, and if
there's
> one thing the Mavs already have plenty of it's players who need the ball!
> Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Antawn Jamison provide
plenty of
> scoring. I don't see the logic in adding Walker to that group.

You see, things aren't as clear as day and nite...

>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
> sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx