11/05/24
August 17, 2004
Lakers trade Gary Payton and Rick Fox for Chucky Atkins, Chris Mihm and Marcus Banks:
The mighty have not fallen, they have collapsed.
Can anyone even think of a multiple all star (in _any_sport) who's value has fallen so quickly over the course of one lousy season?
Gary Payton for CHUCKY ATKINS, people? Last year's NBA Live wouldn't have allowed it.
posted by forksclovetofu to basketball at 04:12 AM - 13 comments
Of interest, according to this article on the trade, the Celtics are sending Jumaine Jones in place of Marcus Banks. Also, they've apparently signed Tom Gugliotta.
posted by blarp at 06:51 AM on August 17, 2004
Of course, if I read things more carefully, I'd have noticed that the Celts got Banks back in the original nytimes article. Oops.
posted by blarp at 06:53 AM on August 17, 2004
The real question is: does it matter if GP reports? The Celtics won't be winning anything this year and they're looking to shed salary. So next year they'll have more cash and a better pick.
posted by yerfatma at 07:49 AM on August 17, 2004
in other news: The Celtics still suck.
posted by lilnemo at 01:18 PM on August 17, 2004
Yeah, but the season after next they could at least make some noise in the East. They're not contending for years; I'll take a year of rookies getting their feet wet for a few years of interesting basketball. Whether Paul Pierce feels the same . . .
posted by yerfatma at 02:56 PM on August 17, 2004
I'm glad The Glove is pissed. I think it serves him right.
posted by Bag Man at 05:21 PM on August 17, 2004
Back to the question at hand: Can anyone even think of a multiple all star (in _any_sport) who's value has fallen so quickly over the course of one lousy season? This is a question of epic AskSpoFi proportions. I don't know that there is any single athlete who's dropoff in productivity could match GP's over the past season. Maybe its the lack of mid-afternoon siesta talking, but I just can't come up with any. I'll admit, going into last season, I was pretty pumped about the prospect of 4 HOFers in the lineup. Sure, there would be some issues that needed to be settled: Would Kobe play anywhere near his capabilities in light of his legal "situation"? Who would be the alpha dog of the squad? What would the distribution of minutes be like? How many games can this squad win? But the meteoric fall of GP's skills was most certainly not on the agenda. Hey, I'm not gonna cry "False Advertising!" or anything. Even before the season I conceded that GP was bound to be a step or two behind. I mean, what do you expect from a PG in their 30's? The answer of course being 10-12ppg, 4-5apg, 2-3rpg. :P But even then, I thought that playing with 3 other HOFers would help cover GP's inadequacies. Instead GP's faults shone through the protective barrier of playing with 3 HOFers. How do you do that? GP went from a can't miss HOFer, to trade fodder; a guy who went from indispensable to expendable. Garish, indeed. I hope Gary rethinks his stance on Boston, and does something to reestablish the reputation he built over 13 years in Seattle.
posted by lilnemo at 06:00 PM on August 17, 2004
Really, I think Gary is just as confused as everyone else about where the hell his game has gone. Did you see him on the sidelines during the finals after Phil finally realized that, no, this was not going to get better and he better sit down for good. The look on Gary's face just seems to cry 'what the fuck? How can this be?' He's about a week and a half from either comng to grips with it, or commiting himself and spending a few years just staring at his hands while shaking his head.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:36 PM on August 17, 2004
It's a sad, sad, sad sight. He was the greatest to ever wear the Sonic jersey. Now he's going out like a sucka.
posted by vito90 at 12:14 AM on August 18, 2004
Are those Kobe's fingerprints on this trade?
posted by yerfatma at 07:02 AM on August 18, 2004
It's a sad, sad, sad sight. He was the greatest to ever wear the Sonic jersey. Now he's going out like a sucka. Your point is well taken, but don't every forget the X-Man. I would also add that the Glove is an excellent trash talker, perhaps one of the best ever. However, it seemed, even before he signed with the Lakers, his skills diminished and he became bitter and resentful. This loss of his skills and bitterness seems to have culminated during his time with the Lakers. I think the Glove was a sucka long before this trade.
posted by Bag Man at 02:06 PM on August 18, 2004
...but don't every forget the X-Man... What about Nate McMillan? Or "Downtown" Freddie Brown? John Johnson? Lenny Wilkins? Sikma?
posted by lilnemo at 03:07 PM on August 18, 2004
Will Payton even report to Boston? "If it goes down, I'll quit. I can go on and do something else. ... Boston is going to lose out on this. They ain't going to get (nothing). It's about respect. They (the Lakers) didn't respect me. Why should I respect them?'' And Ainge has completely overhauled this Celtic Squad. Not sure what I think about them yet.