aldridge rumor: van exel/dampier for shandon anderson, mutombo, and kurt thomas

Good trade for Knicks. More caproom relieved. I don't know who's going to come in at power forward for them, but Van Exel will be a good backup, and Dampier is a solid center.

 

I wouldn't do this trade if I was Golden State!

 

Speakin of Blazers game... WOW Ratliff is a stud! Shades of him on his tear when he was with the Sixers before he got traded. The man is blocking everything in sight. Excellent trade by Blazers.

 

I only caught the tail end by I didn't hear Aldridge mentioning Van Exel. He also said that Sheed is probably headed to Detroit, it'll be a three team trade so Detroit will have enough money to sign Okur but it didn't mention who else will be involved in the trade.

 

It was just on SportsCenter with DA, and Van Exel was mentioned along with Dampier to go to the Knicks. Any way he could play along side Marbury like he did last year in Dallas.

Line Up:
PG Marbury
SG Van Exel
SF Tim Thomas
PF Kurt Thomas
C Dampier

with Penny, Mohammed and Othella off the bench, at least until Houston is ready to come back. Man, to be a shooter on a team with Kurt Thomas and Dampier to get rebounds and score a little.

Basically, I am trying to decide if I should pick up Van Exel off of the waiver wire.

 

oops ... didn't see the Kurt Thomas part of that trade ... my fault

 

I just don't see where GS gets cap relief. Kurt can, and likely would, opt out. But Shandon is still arguably playing with the ugliest contract in NBA history and Mt Mutombo is older than the hills with at least one more year to go on his deal. NVE's contract is thru after next season and ED is an opt out candidate this summer.

So, where's the cap relief and/or talent infusion for Warriors? Or is this example #1,239,775 of why they are lottery quicksanded?

 

If this goes down, how was Isiah Thomas in the span of essentially a month able to completely revamp in a very good way a Knicks lineup that Scott Layden only managed to continually screw up. Why is everyone bending over for the Knicks?

 

A team with Nick Van Exel, Stephon Marbury, Allan Houston, and Tim Thomas on the perimeter with Erick Dampier inside backed up by Nazr Muhammad will win the East. Stephon Marbury is the best player in that conference, Jermaine O'neal included.

 

If Layden would have offered expiring contracts, two Euro lottery talents, and two draft picks ... cats would have bent over quick.

Thomas isn't making great trades, but he's not as delusional as Layden, believing that McDyess was going to turn things around.

Isiah Thomas, if this trade goes through, has built a solid, Eastern Finals-caliber team in just a few months.

But he's also up to his ears in bad contracts, with no youth on the horizon, and no draft picks to play with.

He has always been an astute judge of talent, that cannot be questioned.

But please, wake me when he's pulled off a trade that puts them on the level of the Spurs/Lakers/Mavs/Timberwolves.

And, no, dumping Dampier for Rasheed Wallace in the summer doesn't count.

 

Well, it's going to be hard for him to pull a trade that puts him on the level of those teams for the reason you mentioned, bad contracts. I disagree about not having any youth over the horizon, Marbury and Tim Thomas is some great, young talent to build around. If it was as easy as making the same offers that Thomas made Layden would still have a job. You can't take away from Thomas' accomplishments, in the span of a month or so he has built a Finals caliber club, especially if he can dump Shandon's contract, and Mutombo and Kurth Thomas for Van Exel, whose contract expires after next year, and Dampier, at legit, quality big guy who is young and fits in with the younger, leaner New York Knicks.

 

If they do this deal, I'll bet they line Thomas up at the 4, and start Penny at the 3 much of the time. Thomas has long envisioned a team with a lead guard and 4 guys who are all long and athletic and sort of interchangeable. He loves guys like Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington, Marcus Camby, Tim Thomas, Tracy McGrady, etc.

I'm not sure if he'll ever get the team of his dreams, but it will be interesting to watch him try, and if he ever does, fun to see if his idea works.

 

why in the hell would golden state do this trade?

 

Better than J. O'neal, J. Kidd, T-Mac I doubt it.

 

That's what GS fans ask themselves after EVERY trade. Seriously.

OK, that would be Antawn Jamison, Dampier and Jiri Welsh for Kurt Thomas, Shandon Anderson and Mutumbo?
The last two with years and big $$ left on their deals.

Compromising pictures with barnyard animals comes to mind...

 

Darft picks, McDyess, Eisley, KVH, Doleac, K. Thomas, Mutombo, Anderson, Weaterspoon

for

Marbury, Tim Thomas, Dampier, NVE, Hardaway, Mohammed, Norris

Nice makeover if the Dampier/NVE deal goes through. Honestly, I dont think I have ever seen a team in a span of one season do the kind of moves the Knicks are doing. They are making moves with no regard for the Luxary Tax/Cap Space or draft picks.

That would leave the team with only 4 players that started the year on that team in Houston, Williams, Sweetney and Harrington.

In the "Eastern conference" these moves in my opinion are very good and put the Knicks in position to contend. Remember, "rebuilding" is NEVER an option for NY, they can only "reload".


BTW, I still dont see the reasoning for the NVE/Dampier trade from Golden State's perspective. The only "good" asset there is Kurt Thomas and he will probably leave GS after this season. What do they gain here? Seems all they get is Anderson's and Mutombo's contracts! Yikes!

 

Word is that Detroit has found a 3rd team in the Wallace deal. The Pistons want to get rid of Atkins in any deal they make but the Hawks dont want to take him on. Word is that Boston might be the 3rd team getting Atkins plus perhaps Corliss Williamson and then sending Chris Mills expiring contract to the Hawks.

 

To clear cap space for Yao, of course...

 

I don't see this deal happening for the principals that were named. I really cannot see how GSW gets any benefit. Doesn't it actually put them in a worse cap situation? And, a worse talent situation?

Swopa, we need your input.