http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2001/0221/1099375.html This sounds like way too much on the Sixers end if you ask me. Mutumbo may be a tad better than Theo, but this team was the best team in the league for the majority of the season. Theo is young, was getting so much better every game, and from what I had heard had formed a great chemistry with the team. So they reward him with a trade to Atlanta? However, that to me isn't the issue. The Sixers may have trouble resigning Deke in the summer. Rat is signed long-term if I'm correct. Rat also has potential to get even better imho. And that's just considering the two centers. I know Kukoc hasn't been great in Philly, but he also is clearly the team's second best perimeter scorer behind Iverson. He is still capable of doing very well scoring wise when called upon, and is also a great passer, leader, and clubhouse guy. I know Deke is good, but do you mess up the chemistry of a really good team and trade away two vital parts of your team for him? I wouldn't go that far if it was my team. ------------------ "We're not settling for just getting in the playoffs." "We want a higher seed. There's no doubt. We expect to get in."-- Steve Francis President of the Mo Taylor and Jason Collier fan club! Teams win and lose games, not individuals. Draftsource.net ClutchTown.com
I heard baout this last night , I think Deke brings the 76ers all that Theo Ratliff is and More and Toni Kukoc does not fit in at all in Philly . ------------------
It is alot to give up. I'm guessing that if Philly does this they'd want to lock him up for a few years as a condition to the trade. Otherwise they'd be paying an exceedingly high price for a rental player. My guess is that Croce, Brown and co. are looking towards the NBA Finals with this move (if they make it). You can get by with an undersized C (really a shot-blocking PF) when you play in the East, but in the West it's a different story. They could use the 7'2" Mutombo if they go up against the Lakers, Blazers, Spurs, or Kings. You saw how big a difference made against the West in the All-Star game: all of a sudden they stopped driving the lane. Long-term this hurts the Sixers. Mutombo's got maybe 2 great defensive years left before he fades, while Ratliff is much younger. Unless of course his injury is worse than we think. Also, if you actually read the article it mentions the second player being Geiger, not Kukoc. Geiger is an unneccessary commodity if you've got Mutombo. Heck, he's pretty much a waste of cap space anyway this season. ------------------ In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.
There is no way I would mess up the team's chemistry for Mutombo, who doesn't have many years left anyway. ------------------
Ratliff is already as good defensively and offensively as mutumbo. He trails a little in the rebounding area(but who doesn't?) ------------------ Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion
One important thing is Ratliff is out for 4 weeks, and Philly wants home court in the East. Also Difembe would match up better, IMO, in the finals if Philly can make it that far. Dikembe, IMO, is the only player who can match up with Shaq if the Lakers make it. He is the most dominating defensive center in the game now. ANd no Ratliff is not nearly the player as Dikembe. Ratliff is a shot blocker and athletic. Dikembe is better offensively, although he is not a dominating offensive force like old Dream or Shaq.
Hell ain't NY offering RICE and CAMBY I think I would take that over Ratliff and Kukoc If I was Atlanta. Rocket River ------------------
The sixers are in the EAST. The record is inflated. Mutombo makes the Sixers a possible champion. Ratliffe makes them possible Eastern Conference Champs and no more. Mutombo gives them the perfect mix of offense and defense. I'd do it if Mutombo would sign long term. Mutombo seems to be agreeable in that area. Perfect trade for the Sixers. Mutombo can win a series all by himself. ------------------ humble, but hungry. [This message has been edited by PhiSlammaJamma (edited February 22, 2001).]
Who cares if it makes the Sixers a possible champion? It mortgages their future for one title run when the rest of their players are still young. I'd understand this if Iverson was 32... but he's not. The Sixers are going to have trouble clearing cap room w/him, as well. Mutumbo isn't going to be around that much longer, and instead of being a perenial contender for years, they're going to become a one-man wonder team again. ------------------ Why is it that everytime BC defeats a major conference opponent, that opponent promptly goes on a losing streak? PS. Notre Dame sucks
If Ratliff was healthy it would be too much. Anything can happen in a 7 game series especially after a team has been banged up in the west. How many games did LAL need last year? ------------------
This all about this year....nothing else. Croce has already said he'll sell the team if they win a champioship this year. He doesn't give a rat's ass what happens after that, as long he can find some sucker to buy them! Personally, I would much rather see them grab the ring than the fakers....failblazers.....(enter any other western conf chumps)....ect. ------------------
An interesting trade, but you have to look at all the angles. Kukoc has looked lackluster most of the season. He lost his starting role early on, he had some injury problems, and with the emergence of McKie and the play of Lynch, Kukoc has had a hard time fitting into a team that boasts a very potent offense, and needs a defensive presence. He is almost solely an offensive player. I say getting rid of Kukoc is good for Philly. Likewise, Atlanta needs all the help they can get on the offensive side. Ratliff is a nice player. He has some post moves, is a great shot blocker, and works well off Iverson double teams. Often I hear that he is a power forward, not a center, but I am not so sure he doesn't belong in the middle. Philly thinks they have a great chance to get out of the East, but Ratliff has had some problems matching up against the big West. Mutombo played in the West, and the East alike. He seems to have much better luck at guarding the Shaqs and the Admirals, Sabonis' of the league. Mutombo will give them a better chance against the Western centers, IF they get that far. Mohammed and Sanchez are not getting minutes, and may get a chance in Atlanta. I don't see Sanchez lasting....he may get waived. Add in McLeod with Mutombo, and you get a fairly capable player as well. He is getting almost 27 min. per game (before his personal problems, he was getting more), and gets about 10 points and 4 boards a night. I think Philly did well with this trade. In the end, you are judged by the almighty championship ring, so why not go for the glory rather than waiting? Mutombo obviously has some capable years ahead of him. ------------------ There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
I think the biggest angle of all here is Pat Croce's status. It's fairly obvious that the Sixers improve themselves in the trade for this year and maybe the next, but in the long term it will hurt not having a young, athletic player in Ratliff who was locked up for at least a few more years in his contract. But, that doesn't matter from Croce's standpoint, because he's made it clear that if Philly wins it all this year he is gone, so that's what he's banking on with this deal...short of this year, he probably doesn't give a damn. ------------------ P.S. This is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.
Good question Cat. I'd have to answer no. Ratliff, while definitely a talent, is undersized at the 5, and should Philly advance to the Finals could have been over-matched by the likes of Shaq, Duncan, or even Robinson. Kukoc doesn't fit Philly's defense-oriented style. Mutumbo, of course, is a slight upgrade defensively, and a significant upgrade in rebounding and intimidation. However, Kukoc provided a nice offensive spark off the bench that must be replaced, especially on a Philly team lacking scorers. Also, Ratliff was a more advanced offensive player than Mutumbo, capable of providing consistent low-post scoring. I do think it was a great trade for Atlanta, however. I have a feeling that both of these players will be trade bait in the summer (Ratliff is Houston?) as Atlanta continues rebuilding. ------------------
I don't think losing Kukoc was that big of a deal. He hasn't done much at all this season and Roshown Mcleod ain't no slouch either. this trade is basically the youth of Ratliff for the greater skills of Mutumbo. ------------------ snap crackle pop
Even though I don't like the trade, Dikembe will make them a contender this year and next. They can be more then a champion in the East. They can win the NBA championship. Dikembe through his career has ALWAYS given Shaq problems with his size, power, defense, and shot-blocking. If the 76ers get to the Finals they can win the NBA title. I had the Knicks as the favorite, but the 76ers are the favorites. But come 2 or 3 years from now, or potentially this summer, the 76ers will come to regret this trade if they don't win a ring. Ratliff has the making of a very good center in years to come. And for those who say that Ratliff is undersized at the 5, people said that about Charles at the 4 spot, and Zo at the 5 spot. If you're talented, you can get it done. ------------------ Dream a deadly Dream. . . [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited February 22, 2001).]