Knickknacks: the Bonus Mutombo Edition
by Duck Shoe
HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 8, 2002, 8:30am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_794.shtml

Why? That's all I want to know. Why? Can someone, anyone, please tell why?

A hypothetical scenario: You have a basketball team. You are in charge of the roster moves for said team. You have many power forwards, shooting guards and point guards. You have one center named Travis Knight who is basically useless. Someone calls offering to take your useless center, one of your two starting power forwards and one of your three backup point guards, and is willing to give you one of the top 5 centers in the League in return, what do you do?

a) TAKE THE DEAL YOU MORON!
b) TAKE THE DEAL YOU MORON!
c) TAKE THE DEAL YOU MORON!

So many tough choices. I'm not sure which one I would choose, but Scott Layden apparently saw past all those options and chose secret option F: Pass and sign someone who is essentially the same as your useless backup.

In a word....huh?

I don't get it. I've been wanting to believe that there is some rational thought somewhere in the mind of Scott Layden, and the McDyess trade gave me hope. It showed me he was capable of doing something. I had a feeling that the McDyess deal was a small part of a big picture; it turns out that the feeling I had was just the result of some recurring gastrointestinal problems, problems which seem to recur every time I read about anything Scott Layden does. Maybe there's a connection.

For those who still don't know, blunderkind GM Scott Layden could have had Dikembe Mutombo for Kurt Thomas, Travis Knight and Charlie Ward. That's 2 bad contracts gone. Two roster spots created. A legitimate center acquired. All that at the expense of a point guard we don't need, a center we don't want, and a power forward who was made expendable by Layden's previous trade. Why wasn't the trigger pulled? Let's go over possible reasons:

1) Ward is the starting PG.

Nope. The full exception is still available, and Jeff McInnis would probably take it if Layden asked nicely and pointed out the roster the Knicks would have. If not McInnis, some other point is sure to jump at the chance to make it to the Finals.

2) Knight is too valuable.

Hold on, I just fell out of my chair because I was laughing too hard.

3) Thomas is worth more than Mutombo.

This may be true at this stage, but who cares? The Knicks need a center. Regardless of how the players compare head to head, if you can upgrade your center spot and all it costs you is your second best power forward, it's a good idea to take the deal.

4) Layden is a moron.

I think I hit the nail on the head. Layden's offseason grade goes from a B for the McDyess trade to an F for this botched deal. The grade is appropriate, for I have a few choice words starting with the letter F that I would like to say to Layden right now....

It's only a rumor, calm down. I cant believe, Philly would do this deal.
even if it was true, Layden must know something we don't.