Re: Cleveland game, Rasheed trade, etc.

[Ryan W <ubiquitous_am_i@xxxxxxxxx>]

> As for the Rasheed trade... Very interesting deal.
> The Blazers got great
> return in terms of talent in Shareef and Ratliff.
> This is a good example
> of the value of an expiring contract and the
> willingness to take on
> contracts someone else doesn't want. In terms of
> talent and baggage, you
> wouldn't think Rasheed would command Shareef and
> Ratliff. But with the
> Hawks looking to dump salary and the Blazers willing
> partners, they were
> willing to send out a ton of talent for two players
> (Rasheed and Wesley
> Person) they won't re-sign after the season. 

Mark, 

Hate to beat a dead horse but....why didn't we do the
very same thing with Antoine?  Why didn't we wait
until the last year of his contract (which would have
been next season--don't give me that crap about his
option to terminate his contract after this year, he
would have never done it...well, with Danny I guess
you never know) and then ship him off to some other
Atlanta-like franchise looking to clear cap room
(there seems to be one every year)?  

The simple fact was that Danny had made his mind up to
trade Antoine the day he got the job (and that's why
he so blindly gave him away for less than he was
worth).  That's why he implored him to get in
shape...so he could improve his trade value.  And
that's why he was traded before the season
began--Danny thought an in-shape Antoine was the
best--and apparently only--way to get something decent
in return for Antoine.  But let's face it:  we
could/should of gotten more had we done what Portland
did; threatened to let him walk while letting him play
out the string until some team, desperate for caproom,
came a calling.  But, no, we had to start the
rebuilding process a year earlier (and I'm not even
mentioning the powerhouse we would have been if the
Antoine trade didn't go down, but the Davis trade
does).

Again, let's face it.  We've regressed to Pitino,
except without the charm (say what you want about
Rick, but at least he was a charming guy).  People
forget that winning takes time.  All of a sudden,
we've got the 4th youngest roster in the league, with
only one player who has been to the playoffs (Walter
is dead to me and Blount as well).  How long do we
want to wait for Ricky and Jiri and Marcus and
Kendrick to learn how to win.  It only took Antoine 5
years (and he had Paul).  It only took Pierce 3 years
(and he had Antoine).  I'm afraid we're in for another
long rebuilding process, with many games like last
night where we could/should of won, yet, due to youth
on the team, we end up losing.  I don't know about
y'all, but that prospect is not appealing (of course,
if we win the lottery and grab Okefar, who will have
as much an impact as Duncan, Mourning, or Robinson
did, then I suppose I'll be eating my words)...

Mind you I'm not arguing that the old O'Brien team was
going to win-it-all.  All I'm saying is that we could
have rebuilt this team in Danny's image WITHOUT
regressing as much as we have.  Antoine did not have
to be traded until next year (if at all--but let's let
that argument die).  Williams and Battie could have
been dealt at the deadline, thereby allowing us to get
some more wins (or God-forbid, develop into a winner)

Ryan  



P.S.  Let's lay off Marcus.  He's a rookie.  He's
playing for his second coach in the last 3 months. 
There isn't a player on the roster to help him become
a better, NBA-ready point guard.  He will be fine with
time.  The Billups comparision is helpful in
illustrating one thing:  you don't trade or give up on
players with obvious natural skills.  Add that to the
fact that Marcus has an inner fire to succeed and grow
as a player (unlike, say, Walter)....



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