1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

[Sun Sentinel] Heat trade is great - in a video game

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by Yaowaming, Aug 5, 2005.

Tags:
  1. Yaowaming

    Yaowaming Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2002
    Messages:
    674
    Likes Received:
    0
    http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...05aug05,0,210751.column?coll=sfla-sports-heat


    BERARDINO: Heat trade is great - in a video game
    Published August 5, 2005


    Shaquille O'Neal took a pay cut for this?

    You mean to tell me the Big Socialist gave back $25 million in future earnings just so Heat President Pat Riley could surround him with a couple of defense-optional, certifiable ball hogs in Antoine Walker and Jason Williams?

    Which championship is Riley gunning for again, NBA or PlayStation 2?

    If this were the great brainstorm, the Heat would have been better off letting Shaq keep his money and running out the same team that fell short by a few botched possessions of the NBA Finals two months ago.

    Give Riley points for degree of difficulty in pulling off the largest trade in NBA history. But just because he found a way to involve five teams and 13 players doesn't automatically make this deal a masterstroke, as some media cheerleaders are portraying it.

    How many basketballs do they play with again in the pros?

    And what's the over/under on Shaq eye-rolls per game this year? You know, when the ball doesn't come his way on more than two straight trips down the court?

    How about Dwyane Wade? What happens to his touches with these new guys on the scene?

    As for Stan Van Gundy, how is the coach-until-further-notice supposed to keep this strange brew from boiling over? This goes way beyond Tweak and rolls nearly out to Overhaul.

    So you didn't like Eddie Jones? Thought he clutched up in the clutch a little too often? Found him too soft for a championship contender? Found him vastly overpaid?

    Fine. Those are all valid points. And change is inevitable. Healthy even.

    But just wait until you get a load of the new guys.

    You've heard of Big Shot Bob down in San Antonio? Meet 3-Jack 'Toine. He never met a long-range shot he couldn't take (and usually miss).

    Riley raves about Walker's size and versatility and promises he won't have to be a "volume shooter" the way he's been everywhere else. Van Gundy, straining credulity, calls Walker an "underrated defender."

    Walker tried to say all the right things at Thursday's news conference, but he also sounded quite reluctant to chase small forwards on defense and admitted he hoped to be the third option on offense.

    How long before he starts pumping up the volume?

    And you're ready to kick chatty vagabond Damon Jones to the curb after one dream season? Heat fans will be begging for the return of the Donkey after the first few times they see Williams throw wraparound passes into the fifth row with the game on the line.

    Do the names Bobby Jackson and Earl Watson mean anything to you? Those were the workaday point guards the coaches in Sacramento and Memphis trusted more than Williams in the fourth quarter.

    And we haven't even gotten to Williams' destructive personality. This is the same guy who was fined for allegedly shouting racial slurs at a group of Asian-American fans during a game in Oakland four years ago.

    Seems Eminem isn't retiring after all. He's just bringing the Anger Management Tour to the Triple-A.

    Give Williams comedic credit for making light of Papermate-gate, his locker-room dustup with a Memphis columnist last season. This week's mock apology was cute, but it won't mean much if Williams can't handle the heat (or the Heat) in a real NBA market.

    The troubling evidence goes way beyond the anecdotal.

    Walker has spent a full season on a winning team just three times in his nine-year career. He has been a featured player on 15- and 13-win disasters.

    Just once has he played on a 50-win team, the '03-04 Mavericks, but that also happened to be the only season when he averaged fewer than 35 minutes per game.

    So less of Walker is more? He'll be better coming off the bench behind James Posey and Udonis Haslem? For $53 million over the next six years, shouldn't the Heat be getting more than a sixth man?

    Williams, too, has been better in smaller doses. His three highest win totals have come in the only years he failed to average at least 30 minutes.

    This is the fourth trade for Walker in the past 22 months. Williams has been traded twice, including the Mike Bibby deal in 2001 that transformed the Kings from curiosity to contender.

    How about the playoffs? What can the Heat reasonably expect from these two when it matters most?

    With Walker, the Celtics came within two wins of the Finals in 2002, but his teams have gone 1-3 in playoff series since. Williams is 1-5 in playoff series, and his last three trips ended in sweeps.

    You say Riley isn't finished yet? The Heat might still use its midlevel exception on Michael Finley or Allan Houston to help on the wing.

    Great.

    When's that PS2 tournament start again?

    Mike Berardino can be reached at mberardino@sun-sentinel.com.
     
    #1 Yaowaming, Aug 5, 2005
  2. KaiSeR SoZe

    KaiSeR SoZe Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2003
    Messages:
    8,395
    Likes Received:
    39
    It's better than last years team and thats saying something because if they develop the right amount of chemistry then..damn
     
    #2 KaiSeR SoZe, Aug 5, 2005
  3. YallMean

    YallMean Member

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2003
    Messages:
    14,277
    Likes Received:
    3,807
    I think the desert Sun burned this guy's brain. It's a great team on paper, yeah, buy you dont have to diss them like it's fact. Full of bullcrap.
     
    #3 YallMean, Aug 5, 2005
  4. rockbox

    rockbox Around before clutchcity.com

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2000
    Messages:
    21,644
    Likes Received:
    10,555
    Most teams that are good on paper are usually pretty damn good. They may not win a championship but they don't suck either.

    The lakers from 2 years ago came a Malone injury from a championship.

    Charles, Dream, and Clyde got us to the WCF and were a bear hug away from facing the bulls.

    The mavericks look good on paper and they usually win 55+ games and got to the WCF 2 years ago before Dirk got hurt.

    Sactown looked good on paper for the last half decade and they didn't lose in the first round until this last season.

    When Rasheed was added to the Pistons, everyone was criticizing them for chemistry but they managed to pull it together to win a championship.



    My point is in NBA basketball unlike most other team sports, you can not overcome lack of talent. Teams with the best players usually win. You can normally pick who the EC and WC finals teams are before the season starts without much error.

    Miami will be scary this year, no doubt.
     
    #4 rockbox, Aug 5, 2005
  5. KellyDwyer

    KellyDwyer Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2001
    Messages:
    3,660
    Likes Received:
    85
    Good call.
     
    #5 KellyDwyer, Aug 5, 2005
  6. Hakeem06

    Hakeem06 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2003
    Messages:
    1,855
    Likes Received:
    3
    i have to agree with the guy. this team isn't better than last year's team in miami. everyone has to realize there is only ONE BALL on the court not 3 or 4. and face it jason and toine need the ball in their hands to be "effective" if you can call chunking up a bunch of horrific 3's a game "effective". i want the ball in Wade's and Shaq's hands 100% of the time. not just 50%. and if you say these guys will change, you're fooling yourselves. both have had changes of scenery and didn't really change. 'toine being the 3rd option for more than one posession a ball game is called a miracle. this isn't going to work and as a rockets fan i'm happy there is one less championship contender.
     
    #6 Hakeem06, Aug 5, 2005
  7. Rocketman95

    Rocketman95 Hangout Boy

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 1999
    Messages:
    48,946
    Likes Received:
    1,365
    I think playing with someone like Shaq will greatly influence how Walker and Williams can effect a team. I look it at as a similar situation as Rodman going to Chicago and Jordan keeping him in check to a certain extent. If nothing else, he wasn't a distraction to the team itself. I can't see Shaq letting that happen in Miami. Pat Riley either.
     
    #7 Rocketman95, Aug 5, 2005
  8. Williamson

    Williamson JOSH CHRISTOPHER ONLY FAN
    Supporting Member Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2002
    Messages:
    15,276
    Likes Received:
    18,496
    It may or may not work, but some of the things this guy said were outright false. It seems like he hasn't watched Jason Williams play since he was in Sacramento.
     
    #8 Williamson, Aug 6, 2005
  9. vwiggin

    vwiggin Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2002
    Messages:
    1,951
    Likes Received:
    2
    The best-case scenario is if Shaq sits out for part of the season next year. He is ALWAYS hobbling towards the end of the season; Shaq needs to recharge and heal before banging against the likes of the Wallaces, Duncans, and Stoudamires.

    Having Walker means that while Shaq is out, the Heat can still be a very dangerous team (at least .500 anyway). When Shaq comes back, Walker will hopefully recognize that he needs to step down. Even if Walker doesn't stop jacking up the shots, Gundy can still play Shaq-Wade for the first three quarters and put in Walker-Wade for the last quarter.

    The most f**ked up thing is that Riley gives Gundy this incredibly hard puzzle to work with AFTEr having undermined his authority. If Gundy can pull this off, I think he deserves coach of the year mentions. :)

    I really hope this works out for them. If the Rox can't win a championship next year, I hope the Heat wins it. It will shut Kobe up and give Mourning the ring he richly deserves.
     
    #9 vwiggin, Aug 6, 2005
  10. RocksMillenium

    RocksMillenium Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2000
    Messages:
    10,018
    Likes Received:
    507
    This trade was fine. People keep saying everybody needs the ball but Walker did fine in Dallas in a reduced role. There will be 3 guys taking the bulk of the shots, Shaq, Wade and Shaq. Williams will handle the ball. This team is FAR better then last year's team on paper and probably will be better period. Chemistry will be an issue early because of the new faces, but once they gell watch out!
     
    #10 RocksMillenium, Aug 7, 2005
  11. RocksMillenium

    RocksMillenium Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2000
    Messages:
    10,018
    Likes Received:
    507
    I completely agree! :)
     
    #11 RocksMillenium, Aug 7, 2005
  12. tiger0330

    tiger0330 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2003
    Messages:
    4,759
    Likes Received:
    63
    Why all the love for Alonzo and the Heat, he deserves an NBA championship no more than a 100 other guys in the league. I lost respect for AM when he trashed the Nets after they took the chance on him after his kidney operation.

    The Heat are just another franchise trying to win by buying a championship and raising ticket prices so the average joe can't afford to see their games, I'd rather have the Celtics win it and bring back the glory of that storied franchise.
     
    #12 tiger0330, Aug 7, 2005
  13. Deuce

    Deuce Context & Nuance

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2001
    Messages:
    26,577
    Likes Received:
    35,648
    I dont know if the Heat's trade will pay off or not but I think they had to do it. The team as assembled might have been able to compete for a championship next season. But their window was closing a bit. I think with this trade their championship window opens for a longer stretch.

    If nothing else the team got younger, more athletic, more versitle and in general the team gained assets. They have more assets now to work with IF the team as currently assembled doesnt work out, they can make moves.

    I think what this trade does more than anything is give the team another scorer. In the playoffs when Shaq or Wade were hurt it was 1 on 5. Now with Walker, they get a guy that can command a double team in the low post when Shaq is out. It gives them another legit post threat...and one that can pass the basketball to set up his teammates. I think this is very important.

    It was a high risk, high reward type trade that is worth making. Kudos to the Heat for doing it.
     
    #13 Deuce, Aug 7, 2005
  14. deadlybulb

    deadlybulb Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2002
    Messages:
    1,350
    Likes Received:
    69
    #14 deadlybulb, Aug 7, 2005
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Share This Page

Toggle Width
Style
ClutchFans Original

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Rockets Content

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now