Posted by SugarRayRichardson:
Why would Jerry West give up an expirirng to take one of the most overpaid players in the NBA who also brings a ton fo baggage with him?
OK, I'll try to explain. You're probably right in the end btw. They probably want to just let Jones' contract expire and go from there. Smart move. Safe. Can't go wrong. But consider Marbury (or Francis, whichever) teamed with Pau Gasol, Mike Miller, Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift. You don't think West has ever given this trade scenario some thought, even a little esp. after Stoudamire went down last season with the knee and might not be 100% to start this year? Don't kid yourself. Both Marbury and Francis make huge money, yes, but the LENGTH of their contracts are at this point reasonable enough to take a gamble on for a team that thinks it's close imo (only 3 years left for both including this season). Making a trade for Marbs or Franchise at the beginning of their contracts is way too much to take on, even if it would fill a need, but at this stage with their contacts ending soon (08/09)? Shit, if I thought I was close and had a difficency at the PG position I'd consider it.
Think Brian Cashman making the move for Bobby Abreu at the trade deadline when he knew the Yankees were close and wasn't sure about Sheffield's status. "I owed it to the players who've fought this far and this hard to make a move like this," Cashman said, if I remember him correctly. Turned out to be the right move, even though the Yanks layed an egg in the playoffs. The Yankees took on some money, sure, but they got a player in his prime to fill an immediate need. And it payed dividends. Ditto Omar Minaya with the Mets. He took on a lot of salary but he has put together a team that's in a position to go to the World Series. Every team in professional sports sooner or later gets to a point where they have to weigh their options regarding taking on salary to get the team over the hump and I'd be willing to bet that Jerry West might think his team is damn close to that point.
Hey, the Gizzlies are pretty good as is. You watch, opening night will be a dogfight (provided we bring a max. effort and our A-game, otherwise we'll get run right out of their gym). But make no mistake, Marbury or Steve Francis are MAJOR, MAJOR upgrades over the current crop of PGs they have running that team now. You may not like both of those guys personally and their reps have been tarnished a little lately and with good reason but nobody can dispute the fact that they are both top-flight, all-star caliber PGs still in their prime.
Either one would immediately upgrade the point for Memphis:
Stoudamire - Very small, past his prime, plus we're talking a sugically repaired knee here at a late stage in his career (Marbs and Francis are about 4 years younger).
Chucky Atkins - gutty, but again, small and a little older. I've always though of him as more of a perimeter scorer/undersized 2-guard than an true PG anyway.
Lowry - A rookie. He needs time.
And who the hell is Junior Harrington?
You get the idea. I'm not saying it's gonna happen but who would fault Memphis with such a move? I wouldn't if I was a Memphis fan. Provided Gasol's healthy, trading for Marbury or Francis automatically makes the Gizzlies one of the top teams in the West.
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