Insider on another possible Celtics trade

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here's the latest from Insider on a possible Celtics trade. This one is
OK... nothing great, nothing terrible. Mills for Corliss Williamson and
Detroit's first-rounder. Williamson is decent bench player, but he's a
situational small forward. He does bring you some toughness and
attitude, two qualities this team is sorely lacking. BUT ... and it's a
big but ... he has three more years on his contract. Not wild about
that, and I'm not sure just a Detroit first-rounder is enough. Does
Detroit own any other picks? If they'd talk about Carlos Delfino, I'd be
more interested.



Mark





Around the league
GMs were busy here in Los Angeles. Only one trade was actually finalized
here, but several others are in the works. It appears that many GMs,
especially in the East, are now feeling pressure to respond to Thomas'
moves. The Knicks are now a force to be reckoned with and a few teams
are going to have to get their act together if they're going to keep up.
Here's the buzz from L.A. over the weekend.

Rasheed Wallace
Small Forward
Atlanta Hawks
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
45 17.0 6.6 2.5 .442 .742




One more theory why the Knicks traded Van Horn is worth investigating.
Two sources at the All-Star Game Sunday night told Insider it was also a
move to clear the way for Rasheed Wallace this summer. According to the
sources, the Knicks are far and away Wallace's desired final destination
-- even if he has to take the five million mid-level exception to get
there. The Knicks will try to work out a sign and trade with Atlanta
this summer, but if that falls through . . . expect Wallace to become
the final piece of Thomas' puzzle anyway this summer.

Pistons GM Joe Dumars may be the most motivated GM left to make a deal.
The Pistons have to clear around four to five million in cap space to
have enough room to re-sign restricted free agent Mehmet Okur this
summer. There were numerous theories flying around L.A. speculating what
Dumars would do.
The three most popular had him moving Corliss Williamson to Chicago for
Marcus Fizer and Kendall Gill; trading Williamson to Boston for Chris
Mills and a Pistons' first-rounder; and Chucky Atkins to Orlando for
Tyronn Lue and Gordan Giricek. Of the three, you've got to believe that
the Orlando scenario is the most attractive to Detroit.
The Sonics were happy to see that Ronald Murray could still drop 20
points in game -- albeit in the defenseless NBA Rookie Challenge. It
appears that the team is now serious about making a move using Murray as
the bait. With Ray Allen the permanent fixture at the two and Antonio
Daniels and Luke Ridnour the future at the point -- Murray is expendable
and he's got a ton of trade value. The same holds true for Yugoslavian
Vladimir Radmanovic, who never has appeared to play up to his potential
in Seattle. The team already tried to package the two, along with one of
their struggling centers and the expiring contract of Brent Barry to
Atlanta.
The Hawks decided to make a deal with the Blazers instead. That may be a
mistake in the long run if the Hawks can't turn their $20 million in cap
room into a real free agent. The Sonics obviously want a big in return.
Is anyone else willing to play let's make a deal? The Mavs would do
something in a heartbeat, but the Sonics are reluctant to take back
either Antoine Walker or Antawn Jamison -- both of whom (especially
Walker) were being shopped hard by the Mavs over the weekend.

There's so much talk about an Aaron McKie-for-Jerome Williams swap, and
it looks like it's bound to happen. Williams' critical comments toward
his teammates, even though justified, probably sealed the deal in
Chicago. Not sure how it helps either team in the long run, but the
truth is that both sides are looking for anything to shake things up.

There was also a little draft buzz in the air here in L.A. when
18-year-old Latvian 7-footer Andris Biedrins showed up at the All-Star
Game with his family and NBA agent Bill Duffy. Biedrins, who many scouts
compare to a taller version of Andrei Kirilenko, is the subject of an
intense recruiting war among several of the top international agents.
Many scouts believe he's a lock for the top 10 if he enters the draft
this year. Biedrins got the royal treatment, including tickets for his
entire family and a pass to the NBPA party featuring Snoop Dog on
Saturday.
Insider ran into Biedrins at the party and then into his family at the
game Sunday night. All of them looked completely overwhelmed by the
intensity of All-Star Weekend. The word from the family is that Biedrins
wants to be in this year's draft, though his mother told me she's
concerned he's a little too young to "live this life."