I guess the silence means that there ARE no trades on the boards. No hope no future.

TRADE 1
Antoine Walker to Chicago; Donyell Marshall, Marcus Fizer, Jerome James and Eddie Robinson to Boston; Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Seattle; Vladimir Radmanovic, Brent Barry, Eric Williams and Bulls' No. 1 to Atlanta

Antoine Walker
Forward
Boston Celtics
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
78 20.1 7.2 4.8 .388 .615



Why the Bulls should do it: It appears that the Bulls have settled on the three young players they intend on building around -- Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford. Now it's time to think playoffs. The addition of Scottie Pippen this summer was a move in the right direction, but adding Walker to the mix finally propels them into playoffs. In return the Bulls must give up three bench players, which shouldn't be hard to do. They've been trying to dump Robinson's contract all summer and neither Marshall nor Fizer has the talent that Walker does. Walker's ability to handle and pass the ball are perfect in the triangle offense, and spies in Chicago claim that Walker, a Windy City native, is in the best shape of his career after intensive workouts this summer. A front line of Chandler, Walker and Curry will be among the biggest and most versatile in the East. Put them together with Crawford and Jalen Rose and the Bulls should make plenty on noise this season. The downside? The Bulls lose some depth on the bench by dumping Fizer and Robinson.

Projected Starting Five:

PG Jamal Crawford
SG Jalen Rose
SF Tyson Chandler
PF Antoine Walker
C Eddy Curry

Why the Celtics should do it: Danny Ainge claims that he hasn't been shopping Walker, but the rampant trade rumors surrounding Walker suggest that where there's smoke there's fire. The Celtics' problem the last few years has been depth. If Walker or Paul Pierce are having off nights, the team was doomed. Not anymore. Marshall and Fizer are both versatile enough to play the four or three. James is the closest thing to a center the Celtics have had in a long time, even if he is a project. And Robinson's athleticism should be a nice complement in the backcourt to rookie point guard Marcus Banks. The downside? Cap flexibility. The Celtics were due to have Williams off the books next summer. Marshall and James have two years left on their contracts. Robinson has three. Fizer will be a restricted free agent next summer. Can the Celtics afford to pay him?

Projected Starting Five:

PG Marcus Banks
SG Eddie Robinson/Kedrick Brown
SF Paul Pierce
PF Donyell Marshall/Marcus Fizer
C Tony Battie/Jerome James

Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Power Forward
Atlanta Hawks
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
81 19.9 8.4 3.0 .478 .841



Why the Sonics should do it: Despite having three 7-footers collecting more than $15 million in salary next year, the Sonics lack a real power forward or center who can command double teams in the post. Without one, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis can't get the open looks they need to knock down the big shots. While Abdur-Rahim isn't a classic four, he's the best guy available. He's young, athletic, rebounds and can score in the paint. The Sonics actually flirted with acquiring him two years ago in a swap for Gary Payton. A core of Allen, Lewis and Abdur-Rahim is about as good as the Sonics are going to get given their cap restraints. The downside? The Sonics give up a lot to get him. Radmanovic still has the trappings of a star, but he just can't get enough minutes behind Lewis. Barry has played a big part in the Sonics' success the past two seasons, but he's a free agent next summer and the team can't afford to keep him. And for all of James' problems last year, he's still has upside in the middle.

Projected Starting Five:

PG Antonio Daniels
SG Ray Allen
SF Rashard Lewis
PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim
C Vitaly Potapenko

Why the Hawks should do it: Cap space. New owner David McDavid is going to want to come and put his stamp on the team sooner rather than later. Abdur-Rahim isn't the problem in Atlanta, but he also isn't a guy you build around either. Radmanovic is a restricted free agent next summer and Barry and Williams are unrestricted free agents. If the Hawks pulled the trigger on the deal, they would be roughly $10 million under the cap next season, assuming they re-sign Terry. Radmanovic is the key to the deal. He's young, versatile and should have a breakout year in Atlanta given plenty of playing time at the three. Barry could also turn into a valuable asset down the road. His ability to swing between both guard positions should help Terry's game. The downside? The apathy in Atlanta over the Hawks is already rampant. Will dumping Rahim, a Georgia native, drive the 15 fans the Hawks have left away?

Projected Starting Five:

PG Jason Terry
SG Brent Barry
SF Vladimir Radmanovic
PF Theo Ratliff
C Nazr Mohammed

Trade 3
Raef LaFrentz and Michael Finley to Portland for Dale Davis, Ruben Patterson and Bonzi Wells

Michael Finley
Guard-Forward
Dallas Mavericks
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
69 19.3 5.8 3.0 .425 .861



Why the Blazers should do it: Because removing one bad apple won't be enough to change the karma in Portland. If the Blazers can also dump Wells and Patterson, they have, over night, changed the character of this team for the better. Finley is an all-star-caliber swingman without the baggage or inconsistency that Wells brings to the table. LaFrentz isn't the tough interior defender that Davis is, but when given the minutes, he's one of the best shot blockers in the league. The downside? The Blazers lose a little on the talent, but the gains in chemistry should more than make up for that. Forget about cap space. Both LaFrentz and Finley are locked into long-term deals.

Projected Starting Five:

PG Derek Anderson
SG Michael Finley
SF Kwame Brown
PF Zach Randolph
C Raef LaFrentz

Why the Mavs should do it: The Mavs are one of the most exiting teams, offensively, in the NBA. But they lack the toughness on defense to get deep into the playoffs. Mark Cuban and Co. have struck out in every attempt to get a blue collar big man. This is the best they can do. Davis may not do much on offense, but he's a relentless rebounder and a tough low-post defender. The Mavs will also upgrade their backcourt toughness. Wells is one of the most physical two guards in the league and Patterson has made a living shutting down athletic swingmen. The downside? Do you really want to mess with a good thing? Will the upsurge in toughness kill the great chemistry the Mavs have? Losing Finley is a high price to pay.

Projected Starting Five:

PG Steve Nash
SG Bonzi Wells
SF Dirk Nowitzki
PF Dale Davis
C Shawn Bradley

Trade 5
Erick Dampier and Danny Fortson to Memphis for Wesley Person and Brevin Knight

Erick Dampier
Center
Golden State Warriors
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
82 8.2 6.6 0.7 .496 .698



Why the Grizz should do it: Jerry West is getting impatient. He wants to win this year and he's willing to pay the price to do it. The Grizzlies' biggest need is in the middle. Dampier isn't an all-star but he's a big, tough rebounder and shot blocker. And, he's probably the best big man available via trade. Fortson's contract is terrible, but he is one of the premier rebounders in the league and a small price to pay for adding a legit big man like Dampier. The downside? Forget about cap room for the next four or five years and start saying luxury tax.

Projected Starting Five:

PG Jason Williams
SG James Posey
SF Mike Miller
PF Pau Gasol
C Erick Dampier

Why the Warriors should do it: GM Garry St. Jean didn't take my advice last week when I implored the team to make the trades necessary to keep Gilbert Arenas. Fine. Without Arenas, the Warriors don't have a shot at making the playoffs in the West. If that's the case, why not raise the white flag now, get a couple of bad contracts off the books and start over again next summer. Person and Knight are both in the last year of their contracts. The trade would put the Warriors roughly $13 million under the cap next season and allow them to pursue a top-flight point guard via free agency. It also would put them at the bottom of the standings in the West and give them an excellent shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NBA draft.

Projected Starting Five:

PG Speedy Claxton
SG Jason Richardson
SF Antawn Jamison
PF Troy Murphy
C Adonal Foyle

My take on the trades...

TRADE 1 - I actually like this trade. Chicago would be downright scary. What Boston loses in Walker they gain in depth. Seattle would have their Big 3. Atlanta...well..Is Radamanovic that good?

TRADE 2 -I would not give up on Kwame just yet, even though a lineup of Arenas, Stackhouse and Sheed does seem promising.

TRADE 3 - Terrible trade for Dallas. Great trade for Portland.

TRADE 4 - Excellent trade for the Pacers. Not sure how I feel for Cleveland and Philly.

If Cleveland really needs to get trim some fat on the backcourt, I would call Cleveland GM and tell him to hold onto Wagner and trade Sweetney for Wagner come December. Obviously you would need to add some players to make it work.

If Washington were to make this trade (and I don't think Blazers would be stupid enough to do it in spite of policy), they'd be a vastly improved team... with Gilbert, Sheed and Stackhouse...

... if only WE still had Ernie... what might have been!!

Posted by NYKBocker:

Actually, if we trade KT for Wagner and Mihm it would work right now.

Cleveland projected starting 5
C-Big Z
PF-KT
SF-Miles
SG-Ricky Davis
PG-LeBron James

NYK projected starting 5
C-Mihm/Lampe
PF-Spoon/Sweetney
SF-KVH
SG-Houston
PG-Wagner

It would make us weaker in the frontline but our PG situation would be resolved.

Uh, I'm sorry, how would our PG situation be resolved? Who would be our PG? Wagner is NOT a point guard, and he will NEVER EVER be one. He's an undersized shooting guard. Period. Ward or Eisley, either one, is twenty times the PG that Wagner could ever hope to be, and that should tell you a lot.

Why do you think Smush got so much playing time in Cleveland last year? CLE thought they could teach Wagner to be a PG, and he just flat out couldn't do it. Some guys, like Arenas, can pick up PG skills with hard work, but most 2-guards cannot.

Also, if Ernie was such a great GM why did we not win a championship with him? Why did MIL suck so bad, despite the hype as to their talent? Perhaps it was player chemistry? And whose job is it to pick the right guys for the team? GM. Ernie is a "decent" GM, not at all what I'd call great. "Great" GM's put together championship teams. If your team doesn't win it all, you don't get to be called "great".

True dat, he didn't exactly set the world on fire in Milwaukee. That being said, he's a 1000 times better than "the architect".

Posted by Pike:

If Washington were to make this trade (and I don't think Blazers would be stupid enough to do it in spite of policy), they'd be a vastly improved team... with Gilbert, Sheed and Stackhouse...

... if only WE still had Ernie... what might have been!!

Well you can Thank Jeff Vandummy for that! The lil weasel, he was the one to run GRUNFELD out of town.