In the wake of a certain poster's allegations of information regarding Francis' promotion to GM or demotion to prima dona, I got to thinking about what kind of team we could have if we started from scratch as, A) If Steve really is pulling a power play ( Big, big if, imo) then I don't want him here...Had to live through the George Bell incident in Toronto way back, don't want another athlete/management situation) and B) I like to do this kind of thing, and here is what I came up with... 1) Trade Steve Francis, future obligations to Chicago for Bulls ist pick this year, '04, and Travis Best. Why Rox...Pick up potential Francis replacement in J-Will, unload headache rolleyes: had to be said) in Francis..again, IF..and add future 1st. Why Bulls....Get sure fire All-Star pg to run show instead of potential one, as Krause wants more now, less later. Doesn't lose all that much on later 1st rounder as A) Bulls expect significant improvement, and B) already owe Rox 2 2nds or 1st soon, this just ups the ante. 2) Trade Kelvin Cato, Cuttino Mobley, Travis Best to Toronto Raptors for Keon Clark, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alvin Williams, 1st rounder '03. Why Rox...Get great role players to fit in with future stars. Alvin Williams makes the perfect backcourt complement to Jay-Will, as at 6-5 he plays great D, can make up for some of JW's 'pure point' shortcomings, is a gamer, and is clutch, plus he doesn't need the ball a lot to be happy. Clark gives us a starting 4 with the post offense that Ming might not have yet, the shotblocking to make coming inside a no-go against the Rox, and the athleticism to further excite the crowds..Also, can shift to backup 3-4-5 spots as Griff develops.And, last but not least, we bring back Dream to tutor/back-up Ming. His year in Toronto has allowed him to accept a back-up role, Ming already looks up to him, and who better to teach Yao how to develop as both a newcomer to the NBA, and the U.S.A..Added bonus: Tear-jerking reconciliation with the Dream and H-Town, and he retires a Rocket, as he should. Plus, we get a pick next year to cover the potential loss of ours, and if Stevie's gone, we don;t want his best friend around moping. Why Raps...Gives them the legit no. 2 scorer they need( as well as a good friend on Carter's), and they can play VC at 3, have Mo-Pete as their 6th man, and get Frank Williams or Dan Dickau as their pg with the 20th pick. Cato will be an adequate if not better C out East... 3) 3-team deal...Charlotte, L.A.Clippers, Houston... Houston gives up...Maurice Taylor, Kenny Thomas, 15th pick, Chicago's 1st '04...gets...Lamar Odom. Charlotte Gives Up....Baron Davis...gets...12th pick, 15th pick, Kenny Thomas, Mo Taylor, CHicago's 1st pick '04. Clippers give up....Lamar Odom, 12th pick....gets...Baron Davis. Why Rox....Get the SF they covet, also another playmaker to account for JW's less than Stockton-like team game. Final piece to the puzzle, plus an ideal complementary player. Why Charlotte...Are rebuilding, this gives them an excellent start while only giving up one piece...Get 2 mid-level picks in a deep draft, plus another 1st down the road, and 2 decent to good role players up front. Wouldn't want an Odom back, as they'd be in the same situation as with Baron... Why Clipps...Get the stud PG they want, AND keep their 8th pick, while doing the inevitable Odom trade. This deal could essentially work the same if you substitute Andre Miller/Cavs for Davis/Hornets, but I think this one is the better fit. Also, filler would have to be included to round out the salaries... What are we left with? C) Yao Ming, Hakeem Olajuwon PF) Keon Clark, Eddie Griffin SF) Lamar Odom, Glen Rice, Terrence Morris SG) Alvin Williams, Oscar Torres PG) Jay Williams, Moochie Norris, Tierre Brown I like the way this team fits. We have everything, shooters, playmakers, defenders, rebounders, shotblockers, inside scoring, outside scoring, mid-range scoring, stars, role players, youth, experience, clutch players...Some of you are going to bemoan the Alvin Williams thing, but the guy's a player, just maybe not a true creating PG, but he's clutch, works his ass off, never complains, plays really tough D, is 6-5, quick, tough as hell, and would be the perfect role player this otherwise star-laden team needs, plus his PG experince offset JW's lack thereof. The more I look at this team, the more I like it. Our starting 5 would be 7-5, 6-11, 6-10, 6-5, and 6-3, and our other primary players would be 7-0, 6-10, 6-8, and Moochie. Plus we have several guys ( Clark, Griffin, Odom, Morris, the Williams' and Torres) who can play multiple positions, something Rudy loves....So, what do you think?
Trade #2 is a total rip-off for the Rockets. I don't think Tor would trade Clark straight up for Mobley. Also, being as luxury tax conscious as they are, they wouldn't want any part of Cato's long-term contract. Tor would probably rather have Clark at the SAME PRICE as Cato. Not to mention, that they would probably rather have Olajuwon and his shorter contract than Cato and his long contract. Next, Alvin Williams is a better player than Travis Best. There really is no reason for Toronto to make this deal. No offense. Trade #3 makes absolutely no sense for New Orleans. They are moving to a new city, and really need a marquee name/draw. They have it in Baron Davis. Why trade it for insignificant mid-1st round picks and a 6 ft 7 PF? Cha doesn't need any more PFs. Also, the Rockets would be way overtrading for Odom. While the Clippers wouldn't be trading much to get Baron Davis. Honestly, Lamar Odom is a middle of the road SF, probably the least significant position in basketball. While Davis has elevated himself into a Top 5 PG.
Don't believe that BS. Stevie is not making those demands, please don't waste your time. He has not even had that much time to think about it. We probably knows more about Ming than he does at the moment. He is not in a position right now to make a decision like that and even worst to make a statement like that.
1) i wouldn't even think about judging steve based on heresay from a third or fourth party, which may or may not be total crap anyways. this is even more important considering all the drama involved with getting ming and posturing. 2) it is not so simple as to just say here is jay williams he can replace steve. francis is a proven multi-talented nba stud, an all-star. williams may reach that level or maybe not, but either way a straight up change sets us back 2 years minimum.
