Don't get me wrong, Odom is one of my favorite players as well. But IMHO Jordan > Kobe Pippen > Odom Harper > Artest I think Ron Harper is one of the most underrated players of all time. And yes, I have a thing for ex-Clippers.
I doubt we are in the running, but I would be all over the deal Chad Ford mentioned. I dont like to trade 1st round picks, but losing a pick and Head would be tempered if you got someone like Fred Jones in the Artest package. He is still young and can be a decent contributor. Johnson would be nice too just to give us a decent backup PG.
If it were to happen, I would be willing to take bets on how long before there is a blow up, must see TV
i agree 100%. the trade makes sense for both teams. indianna can get better offers but that's not to say that this isn't a good one. adding a couple of shooters to the rotation would help indianna this season. two ending contracts will help them afford to spend the MLE this summer. our draft pick and luther head will help long term. foster-harrison jo-pollard jax-granger wes-head tinsley-jask IMO the 3pt shooting will really help them. as for us, i would also consider moving artest if we could get bibby.
Our one hope is that the Pacers need to shed salary; for a small/medium market team, they're shelling out big bucks for their players. But would they take Luther Head and an unprotected #1 and, say, Wesley? It crossed my so-called mind that we could facilitate a 3-team deal with Denver, but would it be worth bolstering Denver with Artest if we got Watson and Nene (who can't play this year)? Or Andre Miller (smart point guard)?
They save $25 million in luxury tax and salary next year if they take back expiring contracts for Artest and Croshere. I'm not sure if the owner of a team in one of the league's smallest markets wants to run his team like Mark Cuban.
They still need to come up more from the basketball sense than just lux tax savings. At least toss them luther and/or a pick. They're not just going to give Artest away.
But since the organization and the players have publicly said they don't want him on the team, this gives teams leverage. I think pacer's bottom line is: salary match, no long contracts, no disruption to team chemistry. so that leaves a lot of options open. I don't want Artest. the risk of disruption to team chemistry, which is already fragile, is too high.
Indiana came into this season as a championship contender and aren't about to let those hopes dies just because a bonehead like Artest pulls the rug out from beneath the team and demands a trade. Walsh/Bird will obviously want to prove Artest didn't get the best of them and even though they are in a position needing to make a deal, they also have the option of waiting until the very last minute before the trade deadline so teams like Denver, Minnesota, and either LA team's can panic & cave into Indiana's demands. At least, that is how I would see at is a GM even though Indiana is struggling, I would still have enough confidence in a competetant team and a great coach like Carlisle to be patient.
We just don't have the players to trade for him. Indiana has stated they're not gonna get lowballed. I imagine him going to Denver since they're so deep or maybe Lamar Odom from LA. Iniana won't take a bunce of scrubs for an All Star who can do it all.
For the most part I think Artest is a fool. he is selfish, a lose cannon, a team killer, he could ruin a potentual title winning side. BUT I just have this feeling that if he finds his place he would just tear it up once again. I think we are desperate for someone with "angry young man" syndrome.
I realize the idea from a monetary aspect but the point is the Pacers are run by some of the most brilliant and respected figures in the business. They came into this season as a championship contender and aren't about to let those hopes die because Artest has decided to sabotage their season, again. As GM's, they must show proper poise and perserverance to show the rest of the league a player isn't able to destory a team's season like this. Getting relatively equal talent in return is a must. After last season especially with the Vinsanity and Baron Davis deals, GM's are learning the, "Trade a superstar for far inferior talent with short-term contracts" route is more likely than not to come back to haunt you. Not to mention, when those deals were made last year neither New Jersey nor Golden State were in the same type of deep-playoff-bound boat Indiana is in. Devean George is not a difference maker. I don't care what he did when teamed up with Kobe & Shaq, he's still a career 6 PPG, 3 RPG, $5 million a year kind of guy who probably isn't any better than Indiana's rookie, Danny Granger. Sure, George has an expiring contract but we're talking about a trade predicated on dealing one of the rarest, most elite talents in the league for a bench player like Devean George. That, my friend, is pure highway robbery. I don't care how you slice. ......and Indiana being located in a small market is irrelevant, they're already top 5 in the league's highest payrolls. I highly doubt if this Artest saga never took place and Indiana was playing out of their minds that Walsh/Bird would be scrambling to trade any bloated contracts.
Minnesota has been tied to Szczerbiak trade rumors for at least a couple of years now. He makes $10 million this year, $11 million next, $12 million in 07-08, and $13 million in 08-09. To move him for expiring contracts is not out of the realm of possibility. Les Alexander would have to commit to paying a luxury tax (something he previously said he would not do) next year to take on his overpaid contract, which is the number one reason why Chad Ford's hypothesis will probably not happen. Also, Croshere will cost Indiana about $20 million in salary and luxury tax next year - you don't think they would be eager to get his contract off the books? Golden State missed the playoffs last year, and New Jersey got swept in the first round, after they traded expiring contracts for star players. I doubt if either will make any noise this year, or get to the second round.
Well, there's a reason Minnesota has been tied to Wally World trade rumors for years now. McHale knows he overpaid for a good, but not max contract worthy player. He is just too one-dimensional. He's just like Jalen Rose: max contract for an excellent scorer that contributes little else when their shots aren't falling. Which leads to the question of would he be a good fit as a Rocket. I don't like it. Like I mentioned before, he's too one dimensional. Sure, it would be nice to have another dynamic scorer but he's a poor defender that isn't quick enough to guard SG's. He plays the same position as T-Mac so having them on the floor at the same time presents unfavorable matchups defensively. The better defender of the two is easily T-Mac but I don't want him to move back to the two, he's too effective as a three. Golden State and New Jersey would both be in the playoffs if they started today with NJ being a #2 seed. They may not make any noise in the playoffs but that takes nothing away from the brilliant and rewarding trades they both pulled off last year. They've certainly made a difference and improved in GS's case.
