almost everyone was hating on cato a few years back, now there are people hesitating to trade him for artest hypothetically? I'll take a chance on artest, if the rox are going to be big next yr, they have to take chance.
If we can get Artest and Tinsley for Cato, I'd go find a peanut vendor to be backup center. I think people underestimate Cato, and I think Artest is a kook, but even I wouldn't pass up on a deal like that.
Well, my whole scenario is based on Bird not liking these guys and being willing to dismantle his current team...but chances of that happening are below 5 %, I would say. I have to figure out a more realistic potential scenario...but in any case, I think a third team would have to be involved.
SJC- If Indy has the trade exception I've heard they have, it would be no problem. I never really looked at the numbers, but they should have an exception equal to the difference of Miller/Mercer minus Ferry/Pollard (I believe that's all that was involved in that)? A ~3mill trade exception should suffice. I think CK put it best. Cato at best will play 15-18 mins. a game. Artest on our team could very possibly play 30-35 mins. Eddie and Mo have both slid to the 5 before. There's 96 MPG between the 4/5 slots. If Yao plays 35 mins, and Eddie/Mo 30.5 apiece, that's 96 mins. right there. That's how I'd suspect it split up down the stretch, possibly with Yao playing more than 35 mins. Basically, you'd want a depth guy, your Oakley/Sean Rooks/Cherokee Parks type or the like. On my team, I'm much more interested in who's starting at the 3 for the next half decade than who's playing the 10 minutes or so behind Yao. But that might just be me.
Yes, exactly! I'd like to have Artest, but Yao MUST have a competent backup, and Cato is as good as they come.
i've never been that huge on artest simply b/c he can't hit a 3 and will allow D's to key on francis and yao and i love the change of pace and energy cato brought as yao's backup and think we'll miss it again this year until yao is really ready, but there's no way i pass up this deal. it's all about long term and artest has proven he can lock down anyone and we are in need of a 3 and cato will never get big minutes in the future unless yao is injured and you don't pay 7M dollars to someone in case of an injury. so i'm definitely for this deal. cat and artest guarding the perimeter with people having to look for 6'11 natural shot blocker eddie griffin and some 7'5 dude named yao ming at the basket. not only would steve's bad D not be noticed, we wouldn't even need it. just tell him to post at halfcourt and we'll throw outlets for one on zero fast breaks all day. and artest only costs 7M a year for legitimate starting talent and he's locked up for 5 years someone said. do this deal if it's offered CD! but i don't think it will be offered (of course if indy was really going to take brent barry, i think cato is just as valuable since they don't have miller around anymore).
I can't believe people earlier in the thread were turning this down. This trade is so lopsided, it's a no-brainer. Sure we lose depth, but you don't pass up a trade for one of the league's top swingmen just for the luxury of keeping an overachieving backup center whose stock could fall again at any time.
I agree with you and I would probably do the deal. What concerns me is Artest's temper issues. They just seem so bad that it could be a real detriment. On the floor he's a gem. I just don't see us winning a title this year so I think you get the best players you can and worry about backups when the time comes. Still, Yao simply could not be a 40-minute a game player last season. I wonder how Cato will react to playing under Van Gundy also. Will Van Gundy keep him in great shape and focused all the time? I think it's going to take Van Gundy really seeing his team in action before he knows who he can work with and who he can't (or prefers not to).
Besides, the issue of backup C can easily be resolved if we throw in Rice, while they throw in Jeff Foster and Danny Ferry, am I right? Danny Ferry would be released of course. Cato, Rice for Artest, Ferry, Foster, trade exception Does that work? I know that Ferry's contract is a non guaranteed 4M, and the exception is (According to you guys) 3M. There's 7M right there. I think they may have to throw in another player. I'd love to make this deal. Artest is probably the best defensive perimteter player in the league, and last season he showed that he can make a high % of his shots as well. The good thing about his offense is that he always gets it in the flow of the game, he constantly cuts to the basket, and is very unselfish. IMO, it would add another dimension to our team. I would do it in a heartbeat, even if it had to be a one-for-one deal.
This makes me have second thoughts about it, but what happens if Yao gets exhausted like he did at times last year?
can you believe how happy i am that no one has suggested throwing jermaine o'neill into the deal? if it happens, it'd be a steal, but i bet the pacers could easily get a higher offer from someone else.
I have not had my ADD meds today so I did not read all the posts, but... Did anyone mention that should Artest be moved to Seattle, what is their SF situation going to be? Artest in front of Lewis? Maybe we could swing a deal and give up Mobley and a 1st round pick * to get Lewis - *insert additional scrubs to make numbers work)
Did Artest have problems being allowed to stay on the court/bench before Isaiah Thomas became his coach? All I remember him for is being an intense player who broke MJ's ribs in a pickup game. Then, suddenly, he's Duane Thomas.
I don't think the D keying on Francis is too big a deal. After all, supposedly the offense is supposed to run through Yao this year anyway. And even if they double on Francis or cut off his penetration, I think Artest would be smart enough to cut to the basket for an easy oop or layup. I like this deal: Artest has a defensive/enforcer/thug-mindedness that we see in Cato, but on a smaller scale. Sure we lose a backup to Yao, but that backup is making more than most of the team. Once we get rid of him, the only two contracts we can complain about are Moochie's and Mo's. Good trade.
Sir Jackie Chiles the backup center in the deal that Sane proposed is Jeff Foster.I had suggested sending Artest to Seattle while getting Brent Barry for us and Indiana getting Cato.Artest could a backup to Lewis and at times start ahead of him.
The way Cato played last season, many of us said he would be attractive in the East. His trade value may be as high as it's going to get. So if you can get a quality starter at a position of need for him, you do it. Personally, I think we'd be lucky to get 34 minutes a game out of Yao this season, so you're taking a chance. And Artest has issues, no question. But the dude is, what, 24? Sometimes you've gotta roll the dice. And it would be a boot in the a** to the team, which they could use. Imagine what practices would be like with this guy. I bet Van Gundy can. Everyone thought Spree was a madman. Maybe a change of scenery is just what Artest needs? I would do it. You get someone cheap to throw in behind Yao and help cover with Taylor and EG. And in return you get someone to play havoc with the star 2's and 3's. Hey, why not? Make it a hell yes.
