12/26/24
January 26, 2006
Seven players: , three draft picks, and the Timberwolves and Celtics both mix up their rosters. The biggest pieces of the puzzle are Ricky Davis and Wally Sczcxcqxrbiak, plus the Celts pass the Blount and get the Candy-Man in exchange.
posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 10:40 PM - 29 comments
Shuffling the deck doesnt improve your hand in basketball. Thats why guys like Larry Brown will always eventually win. ITS NOT ABOUT THE PERSONNEL ITS ABOUT THE COMMITMENT TO WORK AS A UNIT. A team with great role players and a coaching philosophy that mandates team will always be successful in the long run. Trading players with the same basic ability. Why waste time. To justify your job. GM'S get rid of them
posted by hoopwisdom at 10:48 PM on January 26, 2006
Ricky is more athletic and and a better all-around player than Wally, so the Wolves did well there. KG might be able to scare Blount into playing a little better - hell, he's well rested after playing about 11 minutes this season in Boston. I don't really get it from the Celtics point of view. They give up a near All-Star in Ricky and get an outside shooter and the friggin' Kandyman?
posted by dusted at 11:40 PM on January 26, 2006
Well, it seems like the Ron Artest trade has done the opposite of what was expected. Instead of a lull, there is a madness now to trade star players in hopes of getting the better end of the deal. However, for every Pacers (good side) come a Kings (bad side). Boston did acquire astronomical talent, but it is peobably the lone missing piece of the puzzle for them. The TWolves got the Kings end of the deal.
posted by Joe88 at 11:43 PM on January 26, 2006
I don't understand the Celtics' trading Davis and Blount. I'm surprised. But sometimes shake-ups lead to better teams, so I'm reserving judgment until I see how the guys work together. Still, I liked Davis.
posted by swerve at 12:45 AM on January 27, 2006
What a one sided deal...Boston is CLEARLY making room for Gerald Green here with this deal. There's no other way of saying it. Danny Ainge is clearing the way for that youth movement. They've got some good young pieces. I just hope that they don't alienate Paul Pierce in the process of all this. He's the soul of this team right now (and has been for over 6 seasons) and I sadly fear that he's next out the door in Boston.
posted by chemwizBsquared at 01:21 AM on January 27, 2006
hoopwisdom shuffling the deck can vastly improve a team especially when the chemistry is really bad(like it has been with the Twolves)and Davis is exactly the type of player that Garnett needs as his right hand man hes has an amazin' stroke at times and is 10,000 times more athletic than World could ever be but the big thing in this trade to me really is the addition by subtraction of getting rid of olowakandi in the few games ive seen blount in he seem to be all about the muscle and rebounding and doesnt throw up sum retarded looking hook shot every time he gets the ball the Twolves also got draft pics 3 i think soooo this was an excellent trade for them hopefully they also start giving Mccants more minutes he could give them alot more if they leave him on the floor more often im a die hard Twolves fan yes so im biased but this was an excellent trade
posted by humans1 at 04:07 AM on January 27, 2006
Of all players listed as 'center' and with at least 300 minutes played, Mark Blount is easily the weakest rebounder. He also has the worst turnover rate in the bunch. He's become a 'shooter' this year. He fouls 3X as often as he blocks a shot.
posted by mike goodman at 05:23 AM on January 27, 2006
Wally is more than just an outside shooter. I love the guy's game. That said, the t-wolves got a good deal here and its about time they did something. Blount gives the Wolves a lot more in the middle than they were getting from the Kandy man.
posted by daddisamm at 05:34 AM on January 27, 2006
Wow. As someone who watches a good amount of Celtics games (not as much this year because they've tanked), I'm really sad to see Ricky go. He's an awesome talent and a likeable player. Banks is a terrific defender who I doub t will ever be a starter in the NBA. The initial trade reports were Blount for Kandy straight-up, which would have been brilliant for the Celtics: they were on the hook for a couple more years and a lot of coin; Kandy is done at the end of this year. Pluis Blount is the most frustrating big man I've ever watched.
posted by yerfatma at 06:34 AM on January 27, 2006
Boston did acquire astronomical talent I'm assuming you already know who they're going to draft with that pick. Otherwise, I'm lost as to how Wally is so much better than Ricky that it qualifies as "astronomical". I just hope that they don't alienate Paul Pierce in the process of all this. Last year I would have agreed, but this year Paul has been suprisingly even-keeled. The team can't really get worse, so I don't think this should alienate him. Unless it does.
posted by yerfatma at 07:10 AM on January 27, 2006
I'm really sad to see Ricky go. He's an awesome talent and a likeable player. Isn't Ricky Davis the clown that shot a miss at his own goal in order to grab the rebound and secure a triple double when he played for Cleveland? Just sayin'.
posted by geekyguy at 07:43 AM on January 27, 2006
maybe so mike goodman ive only seen two celtics games ....against the sixers and against the cavs and blount played good in both while his stat sheet probly wasnt all that impressive he played with alot of energy and had sum big dunks as well as chasing after loose balls AND Hopefully Mchale can teach him a thing or two the Twolves are still going to start griffin at center anyways
posted by humans1 at 07:52 AM on January 27, 2006
Paul Pierce is the star of the Celts, Ricky Davis tried hard to steal that thunder albeit with a much improved attitude this year. Enter Wally world and his flawed belief he should have had equal billing with Garnett. Chances are, he will be a thorn in Pierce's (no pun intended) side as well. Thanks for mr. goodman pointing out that Blount is one of the worst rebounding big men ever. Ever.. Timberwolves sorta win I guess.
posted by gradys_kitchen at 08:44 AM on January 27, 2006
Pluis Blount is the most frustrating big man I've ever watched. Oh, don't worry. Olowokandi will be glad to swipe that title.
posted by cobra! at 09:09 AM on January 27, 2006
Hard to do: Blount was going to be here for another two years. Michael's gone after May. Isn't Ricky Davis the clown that shot a miss at his own goal in order to grab the rebound and secure a triple double He did arrive with that rep. Nothing he has done in his time here has ever matched up with that. He's been a good guy, accepted being the 6th man last year, etc. I heard him interviewed during a Summer League game right after his wife had their first child. He definitely does not match up with the media portrayal. Shocking, I know. I'm not guaranteeing he won't ever do something crazy again, but he's been a solid citizen here. Also, he just turned 25 or something. I always forget how young he is.
posted by yerfatma at 09:48 AM on January 27, 2006
Has anyone seen the contract figures ($ and years) for the players that changed hands? I would be curious as to how this works out from a cost-shedding perspective or if either team is now handcuffed with a bad contract for a number of years.
posted by holden at 10:57 AM on January 27, 2006
Blount signed a six year $42M deal in 2004, so, yeah, you might want to call those shackles, not handcuffs. Here's Boston's salaries and Minnesota's.
posted by redsnare at 11:11 AM on January 27, 2006
Thanks for the link redsnare. So looks like Boston is out from under Kandi after this year, but is stuck with Wally for the next three at 11-13MM per (which is about what Davis and Blount together would have cost them).
posted by holden at 12:40 PM on January 27, 2006
Oh Christ, no one told me that. Fucking A. Hope somebody wants him. It's that or we team him with Brian Scalabrine as the Great White Nopes.
posted by yerfatma at 01:21 PM on January 27, 2006
Shuffling the deck doesnt improve your hand in basketball. Thats why guys like Larry Brown will always eventually win. ITS NOT ABOUT THE PERSONNEL ITS ABOUT THE COMMITMENT TO WORK AS A UNIT. Well, to be honest the most important trait to have on a basketball team is talent. Not to suggest that coaching and attitude aren't important, but they don't trump talent. Larry Brown has a load of talent on that Detroit team - the lunchbucket mentality is great for the press, but they're a collection of All-Stars. This isn't guts and glory football or hockey or some of the other sports where this idea of 'heart' and commitment go a little further. You have 24 seconds to put the ball in the hoop. The Bulls had cancerous Rodman, The Pistons had Laimbeer, The Lakers had Kobe - assholes all. But what a collection of talent - them and around them. In that respect, the T-Wolves got the better of the deal. Davis can have more immediate impact than anyone else traded. And the Kandyman is a cancer.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:35 PM on January 27, 2006
Hey, yerfatma, what's going on with Ryan Gomes? Any reason why they don't list his salary on HoopsHype? Doesn't look like he's played much at all this season, either.
posted by redsnare at 03:29 PM on January 27, 2006
My father went to PC. My maternal grandfather loved PC. I attended Rick Pitino's basketball camp the year Pitino went to the Knicks (we met Pitino for 5 minutes during his Very Special Announcement that he was leaving). As such, I have a special place in my heart for any PC player1. All this is to say: Ryan Gomes is not playing very much because . . . he's not playing very much. He was a great player in college, we all heard how he was a steal in the draft (i.e., how if Gerald Green hadn't been available at #18 they would have taken Gomes there instead of at #51), he's the last player to leave practice2, he plays well. And Doc sits him. I'm starting to come around on the Boston Sports Guy's take on Doc (nice guy, bad coach). 1. To the point where I still keep track of the remnants of PC's last baseball team, Lou Merloni, John McDonald and one other guy. 2. "I think Ryan Gomes should be getting more minutes. When I go to practice, he's always the last one to leave the floor, and when he was getting into games, it seemed like the number of good games/good contributions outnumbered the shaky ones." - Shalise Manza Young
posted by yerfatma at 05:45 PM on January 27, 2006
Well, the college and pro games are so much different. In college, a good team of five players who don't rely on individual skill has the ability to knock off a team of athletes and score some upsets. In the pro's...its ALL the 1-on-1 game nowadays. Everyone's all about challenging manhood. (of course its refreshing to see a team like Detroit and San Antonio...but those are few and far between) Now, tying back into the thread, what other deals can we forecast in the coming weeks?
posted by chemwizBsquared at 05:56 PM on January 27, 2006
That's the kind of incisive analysis I've come to expect from SportsFilter.
posted by yerfatma at 07:34 PM on January 27, 2006
I think Olowokandi, will have to go along way to out-cancer Mark Blount. It was also interesting to hear Danny Ainge say last night that Justin Reed was thrown into the deal simply to make it fit the salary constraint.
posted by yerfatma at 03:01 PM on January 28, 2006
i like this one for thw wolves.
posted by Barry-from-H-town at 07:53 PM on January 28, 2006
I keep waiting for the Ainge-ification of the Celts to pay off, and it just...doesn't...quite...make it. Not sure if this trade was necessary, or will turn out to be good for the team. I dare say the main purpose was just to get rid of Blount. As starved as we Boston fans have been for a big man since the Robert Parrish era (Vin Baker? Joe Klein? Greg Kite?), if Blount had just not been a dick and played hard, he would have been loved by the Celtic faithful and had a nice, pedestrian, middle-of-the-road NBA career.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 09:26 PM on January 28, 2006
I agree with weedywhatever..... "In that respect, the T-Wolves got the better of the deal. Davis can have more immediate impact than anyone else traded." Not so sure Kandiman is a "cancer", he's way too benign (impotent) for that label. I'd call him a wart. While I love Wally's aggressive game, which is considerably toned down after missing most of last year with injuries.......T-Wolves get better with this trade, if ever so slightly. Both teams still need help. My dream team would be if Wolves somehow got Adam Morrison to fill the 3 spot next year. But I'm just dreamin. Prediction: Garnet goes down in history as best player never to win a championship (in good company with mailman, sir charles, etc).
posted by old school at 09:40 AM on January 29, 2006
But the big question for all of you T-Wolves and Celts fans is...good or bad? It kind of seems like a wash to me.