"need an impact player"

[Mark Piotrowski]

>
>
>I think this pick is too high to take either one of these guys...but 
>i do believe they need another big man or point guard. I would take 
>williams mid first round and simmions late...but we are in the 
>lottery and need an impact player.
>
>Raj
>

i agree that we need an impact player -- but am increasingly afraid 
that we'll be picking between Foye, M. Williams, Splitter and S. 
Williams.... none of whom excite me to the point of wanting to keep 
the pick.

Thusly i'm increasingly interested in what we could get for the #7 
pick -- particularly from a team hungry for an infusion of players. 
of course it's too early, w/ the Draft Lottery still to be held in 2 
weeks, but there was an interesting idea over at Celtics Blog (i.e. 
not taking credit for it...but it intrigues me):

Trading #7 pick & the MIN pick (which is lottery protected until i'm 
eligible for a midlife crisis) for Sebastian Telfair.  (The money 
would have to be worked out -- perhaps by including a 3rd 
team...others suggested Allen and/or Gomes would be the POR request 
but i wouldn't give either up for Telfair)

Reportedly the only member of the POR front office and coaching staff 
that was that high on him was/is John Nash -- who's on his way out. 
I think POR may finally blow it up and two top 7 picks would let them 
put a stamp on the team right away.  W/ Blake and Jack starting ahead 
of him POR is in a position to lose Telfair but still have players at 
the 1 spot.

There are some concerns about Telfair to be sure -- his shot 
primarily -- but no more IMO than anyone we'll get at #7.

I hope people see -- with guys like Billups, Diop, Diaw, etc. -- that 
a change of scenery (i.e. teamates, coaching staffs, etc.) CAN do a 
player well.  Telfair is 20 years old and still maturing.

Telfair seems like the kind of "buy low, sell high" guy Ainge might 
take a chance on and can develop into a true PG -- a backcourt of 
Telfair and West might be the poor mans/2000s equivalent of 
Thomas/Dumars -- undersized but very talented.

(the other) mark