I have really been thinking about this one and i believe the only way to get garnett would be to give up david lee my favorite player, followed by balkman. But if it was proposed

Outgoing
Kevin Garnett
6-11 PF from Farragut Academy (HS)
22.5 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 4.1 apg in 39.5 minutes
Incoming
Stephon Marbury
6-2 PG from Georgia Tech
16.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.5 apg in 37.2 minutes
Channing Frye
6-11 PF from Arizona
9.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 apg in 26.3 minutes
David Lee
6-9 SF from Florida
10.7 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.8 apg in 29.8 minutes


Francis/Collins
Crawford/Nate
Balkman/Q
Garnett/Jefferies
Curry/James

Would you do that deal?

Or this one which I could see Isiah doing

Jermaine O'Neal
6-11 C from Eau Claire (HS)
19.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.4 apg in 35.7 minutes
Incoming
Steve Francis
6-3 PG from Maryland
10.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.0 apg in 26.3 minutes
Channing Frye
6-11 PF from Arizona
9.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 apg in 26.3 minutes
David Lee
6-9 SF from Florida
10.7 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.8 apg in 29.8 minutes


Marbury/Collins
Crawford/Nate
Balkman/Q
JO/Jefferies
Curry

Indy would do that deal in a heartbeat

Posted by Ira:

They're both very good rebounders, but Lee is better of the boards. Balkman is much better defensively. Both are good passers, but I'd give Lee the edge there. Also, by looking at what they do from the foul line, I think Lee has more potential as an outside shooter.

Actually Balkman per minutes is a better rebounder, Balkman is a better defender (showing the ability to guard 3 positions), Balkman is a better playmaker, is a better ball handler, a better slasher, has shown the ability to actually hit 3 point shots and shots beyond 15 feet, Balkman FTs have improved at a dramatic rate. While I like Lee, Balkman has displayed ability similar to Gerald Wallace.

Sometimes i think you are on drugs, the gerald wallace comparison is fair they have a very similar skill set, but balkman is not the better playmaker, he hasn't shown the ability to hit the jumper, Eddy Curry has shown the ability to hit the three too....

They are both very valuable and it would be stupid to trade either of them if your not getting back an allstar in return. Hustle players that play hard are not easy to find especially finishers, which they both are....

They're both players that winning teams need. Lee seems to be the smarter rebounder however. He really seems to know his angles and is more fundamental in that aspect. Balkman seems to just fly anywhere he can to grab one - which is not necessarily a bad thing. It often seems like he gets pushed around in the box. He is very good at ducking around the box out on the offensive glass though.
Look for Balkman next year. I would not be surprised to see him make a Lee like jump this offseason.
I remember Balkman hitting the few 3's he took early on this season on a fairly consistant note. I'm hoping with a summer of practicing his jumper, he can atleast develop a midrange...atleast to keep the defense honst.

I like both, I would not mind plugging in Lee at PF, and balkman at SF and then getting a big SG who can score. Both guys along with mardy are a jumper away from becomming very good players...

It's hard to believe Balkman is a rookie and playing so well. Sort of like Lee last year. I think we are in a great position with both of them. They both are intelligent players, Lee in particular has seemed to adapt quickly (ie. Free throw shooting and better numbers). So, let's see what Balkman brings next year. Balkman has been so solid, I can just imagine him next year. Lee will probably be solid like before (with more jumper in the O) but let's just hope his leg heals...

As others have mentioned, they can co-exist as I don't see them as needing to play the same position when their on the court at the same time. And with Balkmans flexibility guarding many positions, he's easy to get in the game (given that we need to put some offense out there with him).

Next year...

We definatly need a top tier, 2 way, outside shooting, SG. And a skilled shooting role player at G/F as insurance for Q.

I would say we can dangle Fyre, Nate, & the #23-25 pick to either move up in the draft to land one. Or get someone who is availabe and already out there.

We probably will have to buy-out Francis.

I see Lee and Balkman as hybrids forwards, with Lee more like a PF and Balkman more like a SF. Both of them are elite finishers.

Lee already proved this season that he's a starting quality NBA player capable of putting up a double-double w/o having plays called for him regularly. The only question mark on him is how long it'll take for his ankle to heal. I think his defense is average, but he makes up for it with his great tangible production. Pencil him in for 30mpg, and he'll get you 10ppg/10rpg, with a few assists, blocks, and steals. I think his good but not great size/athleticism as a PF limit his upside.

Balkman probably has higher upside as an NBA player. The only thing Balkman lacks compared to Lee are an inch or so of height and free throw shooting. Balkman's shooting form looks pretty good, so a lot of it comes down to confidence and more reps. Lee's FT% bumped up 58% as a rookie to 80% as a second year player. Balkman's a superior athlete and has the lateral quickness and anticipation to be a lock-down defender. He also seems to have guard-like ball-handling confidence. He seems very fast from end-to-end for a player his size. Really, everything we say about him is a lot like what we said about Trevor Ariza, but better.

Lee was our best player in the 2006 summer league games... and I think we'll see some new wrinkles in Balkman (and Mardy's) games. How Balkman progresses really has more to do with how much playing time is available with Jared Jeffries and Q-Rich also in the mix at SF. I think in many people's eyes, he's certainly a better fit at SF than Jeffries.

Maybe Jeffries should end up playing more PF/C instead.

I think both of these guys make excellent trade bait in the event a veteran big man or swingman becomes available... but it'd be nice to see both of them stick around here.

isn't Lee really a PF who has been almost exclusively playing SF since he got here, while Balkman has got to play his natural position much more often