Ahhhhhhh! Blazers trade Wallace/Person for Dickau/Ratliff/Rahim!!

[slinslin]

http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/Blazers_Roster_Moves-99272-41.html



Ratliff/Stepania
Randolph/Davis
Abdur-Rahim/Miles/Patterson
Anderson/Woods
Stoudamire/Dickau/Cook

The East officially SUCKS.

And the Hawks will have more cap than the Suns. Luckily the Hawks are probably also one of the least attractive markets for FAs.
Do they have more than 2000 fans?

 

[elindholm]

Can Wesley Person be traded again so soon? I can never remember what those rules are.

I like the trade for Portland. I've always felt that Abdur-Rahim is underrated -- heck, Shawn Marion puts up good numbers for a terrible team too, and no one holds it against him -- and if Ratliff can stay healthy, Portland has an exciting front court.

Atlanta won't re-sign Wallace (even if they try), so basically they give Abdur-Rahim away for free for the privilege of rebuilding. Sort of like the Suns did with Marbury, but I didn't like that trade either. Rebuilding appeases the fans who love to fantasize about the unknown future, but it rarely results in as good a team as you could have had if you'd stuck with your core.

 

[slinslin]

So can we consider Portland a playoff lock for next season already?

Lakers, Wolves, Spurs, Mavs, Kings, Blazers all look like locks and the Rockets are likely as well.

We better make some big improvements in the offseason.

Hopefully Atlanta got enough to stay ahead of the Suns in the lottery hunt. We need that high pick.

I would probably have liked to trade Marion and White for Rasheed.
But it looks like this deal is better for the Blazers. Stupid Hawks.

 

[elindholm]

Lakers, Wolves, Spurs, Mavs, Kings, Blazers all look like locks

Probably. But actually, I could see the Lakers falling off that list if things don't go well for them this year. Bryant could leave, and Malone and Payton could decide to retire rather than repeat the experience. I don't expect that to happen, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.

That said, I agree that it will be quite some time before Suns fans can be optimistic about being candidates for the postseason.

 

[Ryanwb]

The NBA should go to a playoff seed system to compensate for the lack of power in the East. Otherwise the Suns will never have a chance for the title if they ever get their **** together

 

[slinslin]

Is Brandon coming off the books as well? He retired didn't he?

The Hawks are looking at closely 20M$ caproom this offseason.

Exactly what I didn't want. Wallace going to a team that will get significant cap room because of his expiring contract.

 

[fordronken]

Originally posted by elindholm
Lakers, Wolves, Spurs, Mavs, Kings, Blazers all look like locks

Probably. But actually, I could see the Lakers falling off that list if things don't go well for them this year. Bryant could leave, and Malone and Payton could decide to retire rather than repeat the experience. I don't expect that to happen, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.

That said, I agree that it will be quite some time before Suns fans can be optimistic about being candidates for the postseason.

I'm almost positive that the second year on Payton's deal is player option and that Malone's deal is just a one year veteran minimum. Translation: if things suck they could both play somewhere else next year.

Potential Laker lineup for the '04-'05 season:

Fisher
George
Fox
Medvedenko
O'Neill

 

[slinslin]

Potential Suns lineup

Amare/Voshkul/Lampe
Malone/Okafor
Marion/Zarko
Kobe/JJ
Payton/Barbosa/Vujanic

LMAO

 

[scudney]

Portland did a really good job at getting good players for sheed. Thats a pretty scary front court of ratliff/zach/rahim. And as far as i know, none of the players portland acquired have had any kind of legal history, which is something they wanted.

Any thoughts where sheed will go next year? given the current trend of the east sucking, i'm guessing somewhere in the west. Perhaps if denver doesn't resign camby, they'll go after sheed and move nene to C

I wouldn't be too woried about atlanta getting any free agents over phoenix, so this trade doesn't really bother me

 

[slinslin]

I hope we can dump White on the Raptors or some team for expiring contracts so we can concentrate on getting Eisley to the Bobcats with a couple of our future first round picks.

Looking at our roster right now I am not sure we have enough spots for 2 rookies.

Guys I definately want on the active roster next season:

Amare
JJ
Marion
Voshkul
Barbosa
Vujanic
Zarko
Lampe
top5 pick

On the bubble: Casey Jacobsen

+ 2 FA signings (Camby/xxx)

= 12

 

[Chris_Sanders]

A pretty good trade for Portland. However, I think their backcourt is very very weak (and short).

 

[DevonCardsFan]

Originally posted by Chris_Sanders
A pretty good trade for Portland. However, I think their backcourt is very very weak (and short).

But what a nice front trio in Randolf/Abdur Rahim and Ratliff, I don't think the Blazers could have got any more value then they did for Rasheed. Bad trade for the Hawks though, I don't see them signing any better players then they gave away for the cap space, come off season.

 

[Chaplin]

I think this trade made our going after Kobe all the more possible now.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Question:

Any predicitons on SAR's fantasy value now?

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by thegrahamcrackr
Question:

Any predicitons on SAR's fantasy value now?

I would guess if anything his production might drop.

Ratliff will be injured within a month. Print it.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Thats what I am thinking


Sheed should get a nice boost though.

 

[scotsman13]

well i guess you can write portland out of any playoff picture. they now have sheerf. this guy has had the curse of being the best player never to make the playoffs. somehow i dont think is going to change in portland with the jailblazers. he will get hurt or get busted for drugs.

 

[George O'Brien]

Is that all the Hawks could get for Ratliff and Abdur Rahim - a salary dump?

I apologize for being critical of the proposal to give Googs and White, etc. for Ratliff and Abdur Rahim. I had not idea just how crazy they are in Atlanta. Now I will admit that there is no such thing as an absurdly idiotic trade.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

It is no secret that the Hawks were looking for a salary dump. They have been looking for that for the past year.

Glenn Robinson for Terrel Brandon's contract.

With a new ownership group, they have been wanting to tear it all down and rebuild. For what Atlanta was attempting to accomplish, this is actually amazing. The reason why they never traded SAR or Ratliff was they would only trade them if both of them could be moved, otherwise they wouldnt gain enough cap space to make it worth it. So they are able to move 2 max contracts for expiring deals?? That is amazing.


Although, Ratliff will more than makeup for Randolphs defensive shortcomings, and SAR finally will get to be the complimentary player instead of the main man. Portland will definitely be interesting, so much for them being a max FA player in 2005 I am guessing though.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Originally posted by fordronken
O'Neill

O'Neal

 

[fordronken]

Originally posted by Brian in Mesa
O'Neal

No, I meant Eugene O'Neill.

 

[capologist]

I’m getting a little tired of everybody wanting to give Charlotte two draft picks, cash, Al McCoy, the Gorilla, and their first born son for taking Howard Eisley off our hands. This obsession left “excessive” and “ridiculous” in the dust long ago and is now passing “absurd.” Sure, the guy is overpaid, but he’s not that bad. Let’s keep a little perspective, folks.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Originally posted by fordronken
No, I meant Eugene O'Neill.

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by capologist
I’m getting a little tired of everybody wanting to give Charlotte two draft picks, cash, Al McCoy, the Gorilla, and their first born son for taking Howard Eisley off our hands. This obsession left “excessive” and “ridiculous” in the dust long ago and is now passing “absurd.” Sure, the guy is overpaid, but he’s not that bad. Let’s keep a little perspective, folks.

First, the Suns cannot offer more than $3 million and a draft pick; so the gorilla is safe.

Second, the obsession with Eisley has to do with what it would take to get more cap space to go after Kobe. Marion cannot really be dumped and trades are hard to to. Moving White without a way to replace him to sign Kobe would leave the Suns extremely small. This leaves Eisley as most obvious target.

How valuable is a draft pick? The Kobe fans say using draft picks to get Kobe is fine because he is a super star which none of the picks are likely to become. On the flip side, the Suns have a record of doing an above average job at drafting players. So the value of the picks may be underestimated because no one knows who is being given up.

One problem I've had in this discussion is that no one has presented an alternative use of the cap space if Kobe is not available. Giving up a draft pick for cap space that isn't used is a dead weight loss.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I still think that Marion is valuable irregardless of his contract.

If Marion was exposed in the expansion draft I think he would be selected.