We all know that the contracts of Karl Malone and John Stockton expire at the end of next season, correct? And that Stockton will retire (as he has nothing left to prove, he's not interested in playing for a lottery team)? And that, if The Mailman sticks around, it will only be for selfish reasons--it will only be because he knows that he's the best scoring option the Jazz have, that he'll be able to stick around for a while until he breaks Kareem's all-time scoring record--and these reasons will set the Jazz back 2-3 years.
So remember how the Celtics refused to trade their aging stars when they had a chance? When Bird and McHale quit playing, the Celtics had NOTHING TO SHOW for it--NOTHING! And they sucked for TEN YEARS as a result!
The Jazz don't need to let this happen to them, PERIOD! You're not going to get a LOT for these two guys--but you can get SOMETHING! Which is better than NOTHING!
And I ALSO think you can get SOMETHING--not much, but SOMETHING--for Donyell Marshall in a sign-and-trade. I mean, come ON, you don't want yr go-to guy to EVER be DONYELL MARSHALL, do you? And I LIKE Donyell Marshall!
SO! Here are THREE TRADES that the Jazz can pull off--three trades that ARE TOTALLY REALISTIC, three trades that TOTALLY WORK according to the salary cap trade rules--so start reading, peoples!
Trade #1: Karl Malone to the Orlando Magic; Mike Miller, Darrell Armstrong, Horace Grant, Patrick Ewing, Don Reid, Jerryl Sasser, and Jud Buechler to the Jazz
RATIONALE: The contracts of Grant, Ewing, Reid, and Buechler all expire after next season, they don't figure into the Magic's plans next year at all, really. Orlando needs help inside NOW, they need somebody who can score inside and rebound NOW. The Mailman's contract expires after next season, so Orlando has some options--they can go after a free agent big guy (Duncan, Jermaine O'Neal, Olowokandi, etc.) or they can re-sign The Mailman to a reasonable contract extension. WHATEVER. All Orlando is REALLY giving up here is Mike Miller--who they clearly don't like all that much, especially if Grant Hill is healthy, they don't want Miller taking minutes away from Hill--and Darrell Armstrong. BIG WHOOP.
AS FOR THE JAZZ: Every single one of those contracts expire at the end of next season except for the contracts of Mike Miller and Jerryl Sasser, who make a combined $4.4 mil in 2003-04. So the Jazz are still getting rid of a LOT of payroll in this trade--AND they're getting a nice young player (Miller)!
SO FAR, SO GOOD!
Trade #2: Donyell Marshall (sign-and-trade), Darrell Armstrong, and Greg Ostertag to the Sonics; Kenny Anderson, Desmond Mason, Vitaly Potapenko, and Joe Forte to the Jazz
RATIONALE: The Sonics are ECSTATIC about dumping the loathsome Vin Baker on the Celtics--but, let's face it, they suddenly have only the young Vladimir Radmanovic at the power forward position. I just don't think that's going to work. Donyell Marshall is a nice player, he excelled in the Jazz up-tempo offense--so he should be a perfect fit for the Sonics' up-tempo game, and he can be had for a GREAT price. The best offer Marshall can get from any team besides the Jazz is the midcap exception, around $4.6 mil. The Jazz can re-sign him to a slightly better offer--say, three years, $17 million. That's a GREAT PRICE for this guy! And Armstrong gives the Sonics a legit veteran backup combo guard--HE should be a great fit in Seattle, too. Ostertag's contract sucks, but so does Potapenko's--and Ostertag's contract is up after TWO years, while Potapenko's deal has THREE years to go. The Sonics hate to lose Mason, but hell, they already have their SG of the present and the future in Brent Barry. And they REALLY NEED to get a power forward.
AS FOR THE JAZZ: Like I said, you don't want Donyell Marshall as yr go-to guy EVER. And Darrell Armstrong isn't exactly a part of any longterm solution, is he? You're stuck with Potapenko's contract for three years, but he makes less money per year (although SLIGHTLY more overall) than does Ostertag. And YOU'VE FINALLY GOTTEN RID OF GREG OSTERTAG! The key here is, of course, Desmond Mason, who will be "the SG of the future" for this team. And, who knows, Joe Forte might develop into a keeper, too! Kenny Anderson's contract is up after next season, and he obviously won't be re-signed (at least not to a $9.2 mil/yr extension!). And KEEP IN MIND that Anderson will have a BIG YEAR next year, he'll come to camp in the best shape of his life, ready to play, totally focused--because he's playing for a new contract!
TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO!
Trade #3: John Stockton to the Clippers; Jeff McInnis (sign-and-trade) and Corey Maggette to the Jazz
RATIONALE: The Clippers are in DIRE NEED of a veteran leader. They are also in DIRE NEED of a point guard (I mean, come ON, this Marko Jaric kid isn't going to step right in and be a star, people!). They ALSO don't want to trade for either Baron Davis or Andre Miller--they're going to have ENOUGH problems trying to re-sign Michael Olowokandi AND Elton Brand AND Lamar Odom (AND... the list goes on and on). And DO NOT FORGET who the owner of this team is: Donald Sterling, the biggest cheapa$$ owner in the NBA. ANYWAY, this team needs to make The Big Leap Forward next season, enough hype, this team needs to make the playoffs, and I'm not talking the #8 seed here, either. John Stockton is EXACTLY what this team needs. And they give up nothing to get him, really--they weren't going to re-sign McInnis ANYWAY, and Maggette is a restricted free agent after next season, so the Clips are PROBABLY not going to re-sign him, either!
AS FOR THE JAZZ: McInnis isn't a star, he is what he is--a perfectly solid starting NBA point guard. And, like Donyell Marshall, the dude can be had for NOTHING--he's not getting an offer better than the midcap exception ($4.6 mil) from ANYBODY. And it's looking like he's not even going to be able to get THAT, to be honest! SO, the Clips sign him to a three-year, $14 million extension and ship him to the Jazz. The key here, though, is Corey Maggette--this guy will never be a star, but he's an incredible athlete, and he should be a starter-caliber player in this league for a LONG time.
Ladies and germs, HERE ARE YOUR 2002-03 UTAH JAZZ!
PG Kenny Anderson--Jeff McInnis--Raul Lopez
SG Desmond Mason--Joe Forte--DeShawn Stevenson
SF Mike Miller--Corey Maggette
PF Andrei Kirilenko--Horace Grant--Scott Padgett
C John Amaechi--Vitaly Potapenko--Curtis Borchardt
End of the bench filler dudes: Patrick Ewing (who could and obviously should retire before the season starts), Don Reid, Jud Buechler, Jerryl Sasser (who is obviously a BUST, people)
Total 2002-03 payroll: $44-$45 million
Keep in mind that the following guys' contracts expire at the end of the 2002-03 season, these guys won't be re-signed, obviously: Ewing, Reid, Buechler, Grant, Anderson. Total amount of money freed up when they leave: $19.7 million. DAMN! That's a ton of money!
And THESE guys will all be unrestricted free agents after next season, the Jazz will need to decide what to do with them: Corey Maggette and Scott Padgett.
Everybody else is locked up for at LEAST the next two seasons (i.e., the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons)! Take a look at that young nucleus one more time:
Andrei Kirilenko, Mike Miller, Desmond Mason, Corey Maggette, Jeff McInnis, Raul Lopez, Joe Forte, Curtis Borchardt, DeShawn Stevenson
That's nine guys--five of them (the first five on the list) look like they're all legit NBA players for the next 6-7 years, we'll see about the other four (the last four on the list). But what does this list look like without the above trades? Like this:
Andrei Kirilenko, Raul Lopez, Curtis Borchardt, DeShawn Stevenson
Now you tell ME which young nucleus is better!
And don't give me any of this "Hey, that's a nice young team, they should be able to make the playoffs" horse$hit--this new 2002-03 Jazz team SUUUUUUUUUUUCKS, you're looking at one of the 5-6 worst teams in the NBA here, people! BUT this isn't about NEXT season--this is about THE FUTURE! This is about avoiding the fate of the Bird-McHale Celtics! YOU GOTTA GET SOMETHING FOR MALONE AND STOCKTON (and MARSHALL, too) WHILE YOU STILL CAN! Do it!
Let's hear yr feedback, peoples! What do you think?
So remember how the Celtics refused to trade their aging stars when they had a chance? When Bird and McHale quit playing, the Celtics had NOTHING TO SHOW for it--NOTHING! And they sucked for TEN YEARS as a result!
The Jazz don't need to let this happen to them, PERIOD! You're not going to get a LOT for these two guys--but you can get SOMETHING! Which is better than NOTHING!
And I ALSO think you can get SOMETHING--not much, but SOMETHING--for Donyell Marshall in a sign-and-trade. I mean, come ON, you don't want yr go-to guy to EVER be DONYELL MARSHALL, do you? And I LIKE Donyell Marshall!
SO! Here are THREE TRADES that the Jazz can pull off--three trades that ARE TOTALLY REALISTIC, three trades that TOTALLY WORK according to the salary cap trade rules--so start reading, peoples!
Trade #1: Karl Malone to the Orlando Magic; Mike Miller, Darrell Armstrong, Horace Grant, Patrick Ewing, Don Reid, Jerryl Sasser, and Jud Buechler to the Jazz
RATIONALE: The contracts of Grant, Ewing, Reid, and Buechler all expire after next season, they don't figure into the Magic's plans next year at all, really. Orlando needs help inside NOW, they need somebody who can score inside and rebound NOW. The Mailman's contract expires after next season, so Orlando has some options--they can go after a free agent big guy (Duncan, Jermaine O'Neal, Olowokandi, etc.) or they can re-sign The Mailman to a reasonable contract extension. WHATEVER. All Orlando is REALLY giving up here is Mike Miller--who they clearly don't like all that much, especially if Grant Hill is healthy, they don't want Miller taking minutes away from Hill--and Darrell Armstrong. BIG WHOOP.
AS FOR THE JAZZ: Every single one of those contracts expire at the end of next season except for the contracts of Mike Miller and Jerryl Sasser, who make a combined $4.4 mil in 2003-04. So the Jazz are still getting rid of a LOT of payroll in this trade--AND they're getting a nice young player (Miller)!
SO FAR, SO GOOD!
Trade #2: Donyell Marshall (sign-and-trade), Darrell Armstrong, and Greg Ostertag to the Sonics; Kenny Anderson, Desmond Mason, Vitaly Potapenko, and Joe Forte to the Jazz
RATIONALE: The Sonics are ECSTATIC about dumping the loathsome Vin Baker on the Celtics--but, let's face it, they suddenly have only the young Vladimir Radmanovic at the power forward position. I just don't think that's going to work. Donyell Marshall is a nice player, he excelled in the Jazz up-tempo offense--so he should be a perfect fit for the Sonics' up-tempo game, and he can be had for a GREAT price. The best offer Marshall can get from any team besides the Jazz is the midcap exception, around $4.6 mil. The Jazz can re-sign him to a slightly better offer--say, three years, $17 million. That's a GREAT PRICE for this guy! And Armstrong gives the Sonics a legit veteran backup combo guard--HE should be a great fit in Seattle, too. Ostertag's contract sucks, but so does Potapenko's--and Ostertag's contract is up after TWO years, while Potapenko's deal has THREE years to go. The Sonics hate to lose Mason, but hell, they already have their SG of the present and the future in Brent Barry. And they REALLY NEED to get a power forward.
AS FOR THE JAZZ: Like I said, you don't want Donyell Marshall as yr go-to guy EVER. And Darrell Armstrong isn't exactly a part of any longterm solution, is he? You're stuck with Potapenko's contract for three years, but he makes less money per year (although SLIGHTLY more overall) than does Ostertag. And YOU'VE FINALLY GOTTEN RID OF GREG OSTERTAG! The key here is, of course, Desmond Mason, who will be "the SG of the future" for this team. And, who knows, Joe Forte might develop into a keeper, too! Kenny Anderson's contract is up after next season, and he obviously won't be re-signed (at least not to a $9.2 mil/yr extension!). And KEEP IN MIND that Anderson will have a BIG YEAR next year, he'll come to camp in the best shape of his life, ready to play, totally focused--because he's playing for a new contract!
TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO!
Trade #3: John Stockton to the Clippers; Jeff McInnis (sign-and-trade) and Corey Maggette to the Jazz
RATIONALE: The Clippers are in DIRE NEED of a veteran leader. They are also in DIRE NEED of a point guard (I mean, come ON, this Marko Jaric kid isn't going to step right in and be a star, people!). They ALSO don't want to trade for either Baron Davis or Andre Miller--they're going to have ENOUGH problems trying to re-sign Michael Olowokandi AND Elton Brand AND Lamar Odom (AND... the list goes on and on). And DO NOT FORGET who the owner of this team is: Donald Sterling, the biggest cheapa$$ owner in the NBA. ANYWAY, this team needs to make The Big Leap Forward next season, enough hype, this team needs to make the playoffs, and I'm not talking the #8 seed here, either. John Stockton is EXACTLY what this team needs. And they give up nothing to get him, really--they weren't going to re-sign McInnis ANYWAY, and Maggette is a restricted free agent after next season, so the Clips are PROBABLY not going to re-sign him, either!
AS FOR THE JAZZ: McInnis isn't a star, he is what he is--a perfectly solid starting NBA point guard. And, like Donyell Marshall, the dude can be had for NOTHING--he's not getting an offer better than the midcap exception ($4.6 mil) from ANYBODY. And it's looking like he's not even going to be able to get THAT, to be honest! SO, the Clips sign him to a three-year, $14 million extension and ship him to the Jazz. The key here, though, is Corey Maggette--this guy will never be a star, but he's an incredible athlete, and he should be a starter-caliber player in this league for a LONG time.
Ladies and germs, HERE ARE YOUR 2002-03 UTAH JAZZ!
PG Kenny Anderson--Jeff McInnis--Raul Lopez
SG Desmond Mason--Joe Forte--DeShawn Stevenson
SF Mike Miller--Corey Maggette
PF Andrei Kirilenko--Horace Grant--Scott Padgett
C John Amaechi--Vitaly Potapenko--Curtis Borchardt
End of the bench filler dudes: Patrick Ewing (who could and obviously should retire before the season starts), Don Reid, Jud Buechler, Jerryl Sasser (who is obviously a BUST, people)
Total 2002-03 payroll: $44-$45 million
Keep in mind that the following guys' contracts expire at the end of the 2002-03 season, these guys won't be re-signed, obviously: Ewing, Reid, Buechler, Grant, Anderson. Total amount of money freed up when they leave: $19.7 million. DAMN! That's a ton of money!
And THESE guys will all be unrestricted free agents after next season, the Jazz will need to decide what to do with them: Corey Maggette and Scott Padgett.
Everybody else is locked up for at LEAST the next two seasons (i.e., the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons)! Take a look at that young nucleus one more time:
Andrei Kirilenko, Mike Miller, Desmond Mason, Corey Maggette, Jeff McInnis, Raul Lopez, Joe Forte, Curtis Borchardt, DeShawn Stevenson
That's nine guys--five of them (the first five on the list) look like they're all legit NBA players for the next 6-7 years, we'll see about the other four (the last four on the list). But what does this list look like without the above trades? Like this:
Andrei Kirilenko, Raul Lopez, Curtis Borchardt, DeShawn Stevenson
Now you tell ME which young nucleus is better!
And don't give me any of this "Hey, that's a nice young team, they should be able to make the playoffs" horse$hit--this new 2002-03 Jazz team SUUUUUUUUUUUCKS, you're looking at one of the 5-6 worst teams in the NBA here, people! BUT this isn't about NEXT season--this is about THE FUTURE! This is about avoiding the fate of the Bird-McHale Celtics! YOU GOTTA GET SOMETHING FOR MALONE AND STOCKTON (and MARSHALL, too) WHILE YOU STILL CAN! Do it!
Let's hear yr feedback, peoples! What do you think?
