(link deleted per DJ) - Thanks!

can someone (DJ/Isles/Martin/Andrew) post Chad Fraud's comments about draft trades? Thank you!

[Edited by - caseloads on 10-06-2007 3:03 PM]

caseloads - delete the link in your post b/c it's messing up the screen.

Draft notes and rumors
posted: Friday, June 8, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: Insider NBA

Here are a few trade rumors along with updates from the NBA workout scene:

• One possible destination for Ron Artest this summer? Houston, to be reunited with his former coach Rick Adelman.

I'm told the Rockets have been quietly putting out feelers about Artest, and the price might be right. I hear it would cost the Rockets Bob Sura (he has only $1 million in salary protection next year), Kirk Snyder, Vasilis Spanoulis and this year's first-round draft pick.

With Artest entering a player option year on his contract in the summer of 2008, it may be time to take the risk.

• The Celtics' Danny Ainge traveled to Los Angeles on Wednesday to take a look at Yi Jianlian in a private workout. Yi worked out for nearly two hours in a gym by himself and then spent several hours with Ainge.

The same drill was repeated on Thursday with the Atlanta Hawks GM Billy Knight. On Saturday the Bulls will get a look at Yi.

The feedback from the workouts has been positive. Yi looks great in that environment. The question is whether he has the toughness to play that way when you put nine other players on the floor.

Next, Yi's camp will sit back and gauge feedback. If none of those teams commit to drafting Yi, then Sacramento likely will be the next team to visit.

If Boston is passing on Yi, I think that means we might see a trade coming. There's talk that the Suns -- to slash payroll -- might be willing to take the No. 5 pick, Theo Ratliff's expiring contract and Delonte West for Shawn Marion. That would make Paul Pierce happy.

With the No. 5 pick, the Suns could replace Marion with Yi, Jeff Green or Al Thornton. In the Suns' system, all three of those guys could play the four.

Another dark horse in the Yi sweepstakes might be Portland, which is trying to get another top 10 draft pick. As I've mentioned before, the Bulls seem like a possible trading partner, with Zach Randolph involved.

Can you imagine the huge front line of Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Yi? Wow.

• There have been questions about Big Baby Glen Davis' weight.

He's worked out in Philly and New Jersey, and team sources say he came in just a hair under 300 pounds (298, to be exact).

But he has a couple of factors in his favor.

One, he measured out at a decent height. Some predicted he could be as short as 6-6 in socks. Instead he measured 6-7¾ in socks, meaning he's 6-9 in shoes.

Second, Davis also recorded a body fat of less than 12 percent. That's actually not too bad, given his size.

Said one NBA scout, "He is not fat like Rodney Rogers or Tractor Traylor, but just big. He should have played D-line on the football team."

I can't believe that the Suns are even considering trading S.Marion...

Posted by Solace:

Posted by Swishfm3:

I can't believe that the Suns are even considering trading S.Marion...

Same here.

It's really quite simple. Phx success is tied to Nash and really no other player on that team. Nash has about 2 yrs left of elite play why bottom out when Marion has peaked as a player? Phx is one of the few exceptions where they can rebuild on the fly without taking a major hit. When Phx went to the WCF 2 yrs ago without Amare, just traded Joe, and without Kurt, Marion had played some of his worst post-season basketball at the time. What I'm getting at, Phx has a system/roster that can lose a key piece(s) without taking a major hit. Phx even if they beat SA still had to play Utah in the WCF so let's not anoint them to the Finals, meanwhile they went to the WCF 2yrs ago and took it to a game 7 with less on the plate.

Posted by TrueBlue:

It's really quite simple. Phx success is tied to Nash and really no other player on that team. Nash has about 2 yrs left of elite play why bottom out when Marion has peaked as a player? Phx is one of the few exceptions where they can rebuild on the fly without taking a major hit. When Phx went to the WCF 2 yrs ago without Amare, just traded Joe, and without Kurt, Marion had played some of his worst post-season basketball at the time. What I'm getting at, Phx has a system/roster that can lose a key piece(s) without taking a major hit. Phx even if they beat SA still had to play Utah in the WCF so let's not anoint them to the Finals, meanwhile they went to the WCF 2yrs ago and took it to a game 7 with less on the plate.

I don't think you can use Joe Johnson as an example. I don't think people thought Joe Johnson was as good as he turned out to be. He was undervalued. Frankly, I think Diaw and a high pick from Atlanta will prove out to be a good trade for the Suns in the long run. As for Nash's time at the top of his game, I agree... HOWEVER, isn't the whole point to win a championship? Why do you short circuit that when you're that close? Marion is the difference between being a 55 win team and a championship team, IMHO. As I've also said before, if you're thinking of trading Marion, you should also think of trading Nash... since the point is a championship, and you're not winning one without both players.

[Edited by - Solace on Jun 10 2007 5:05 PM]

Posted by Solace:

Posted by TrueBlue:

It's really quite simple. Phx success is tied to Nash and really no other player on that team. Nash has about 2 yrs left of elite play why bottom out when Marion has peaked as a player? Phx is one of the few exceptions where they can rebuild on the fly without taking a major hit. When Phx went to the WCF 2 yrs ago without Amare, just traded Joe, and without Kurt, Marion had played some of his worst post-season basketball at the time. What I'm getting at, Phx has a system/roster that can lose a key piece(s) without taking a major hit. Phx even if they beat SA still had to play Utah in the WCF so let's not anoint them to the Finals, meanwhile they went to the WCF 2yrs ago and took it to a game 7 with less on the plate.

I don't think you can use Joe Johnson as an example. I don't think people thought Joe Johnson was as good as he turned out to be. He was undervalued. Frankly, I think Diaw and a high pick from Atlanta will prove out to be a good trade for the Suns in the long run. As for Nash's time at the top of his game, I agree... HOWEVER, isn't the whole point to win a championship? Why do you short circuit that when you're that close? Marion is the difference between being a 55 win team and a championship team, IMHO. As I've also said before, if you're thinking of trading Marion, you should also think of trading Nash... since the point is a championship, and you're not winning one without both players.

[Edited by - Solace on Jun 10 2007 5:05 PM]

Agreed. The smart move for them would be to trade Diaw for a young player or a high draft pick. Diaw is making serious money and with Amare back, they don't really need him as much. Trading him for an expiring contract and a draft pick would probably get them under the luxury tax and give them 2 more years to try and reach the finals.