That’s the rumor you’re hearing on the internet right now. At celticsblog, the posters are giddy with delight at picking up an all-star forward without having to surrender the #5 pick in this year’s draft.
And rightly so. From Seattle’s perspective, this really smacks of a desperation move. Ratliff is an aging shot-blocker who would have been a nice pickup 5 years ago, but he’s coming off a season when he missed 80 of 82 games. Gomes is a 6’7” forward who spent more time at PF than SF last year, and his defense is even worse than Rashard’s, at least looking at it statistically.
To be fair, Gomes is only 24 and is an above-average shooter from deep, something the Sonics will need this year if they deal away Rashard and are unable to find a veteran 2-guard to help Ray Allen. And, unlike Lewis, he seems capable of scoring from close range, despite the fact he’s 3 inches shorter than Rashard, which means he gets more free throw opportunities. And, unlike Lewis, he’s a decent rebounder, especially when you consider the difference in height.
In total, the Sonics would improve their rebounding, gain a bit of a presence inside ... and be even worse off offensively than they are now. The #1 pick for 2008 sounds great when you consider how bad the Celtics are, and if they played in the West I think I’d be all for the deal.
But the Celtics play in the Eastern Conference, which means they are – like Dan Quayle – a heartbeat away from screwing everything up.
If my options are this deal or the Shane Battier deal, Kirilenko, or Shawn Marion, I would definitely tell Danny Ainge thanks, but I’m going to have to take this other call.
Now, if Danny wants to include this year’s pick ...
Ugh! I was hoping this joke of a package would've been contained to the RealGM nonsense. Now it's everywhere! Oh well, tis the season I guess. Doesn't take much to spread a rumor this time of year. I big ol' thanks to Hoopshype for pouring gas on it. (eye roll)
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention that Gomes is incredibly cheap ($600,000ish) compared to Rashard. Ratliff's deal will be done at the end of the year, and then it's clear sailing. It's an important part of the whole deal.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of sense would it make to do a sign & trade deal for an expiring contract?
ReplyDeleteAs long as there aren't any solid pieces(like the #5 pick or future 1st rounders and a guy like Delonte West) coming our way as well, we might just let Lewis walk for nothing.
I mean, Ryan Gomes and a mid to low 1st rounder(that team would feature Lewis, Paul Pierce and Al Jefferso and should do some damage in the east) isn't enough to take on §12 mil of added salary.
So as long as they don't add something more to this offer, we shouldn't do that deal.
BTW: I don't see where Ryan Gomes should help us. He's a tweener forward that would compete for minutes with Wilcox, Collison, Petro, Durant, Wilkins and Gelabale.
We'll at least people in Boston have stopped with the crap offers for the 2nd pick. Get over it.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the team with the right trade fit for the Sonics is Indiana. O'Neal wants out, the team is ripe to be rebuilt.
O'Neal would be a great pick up for us. In my judgement, he is the perfect compliment for the Wilcox/Collison combo. Plays good inside defense, shot blocker, plus still runs the floor well enough to play the up tempo game that Ridnoir, Wilcox, and Durant excell at.
How about we put an offer out for O'Neal for Lewis (if he agrees), Watson, Wilkens, and maybe one of the 2nd round picks. A front court of O'Neal, Wilcox, Durant with Collison rotating Wilcox and O'Neal to keep them under 35 minutes a night to keep them fresh and Swift/Petro, Gelabale comming off the pine.
Combine that with Ridnoir and Allen back court... that is a dangerous team in my judgement. That would at least put us in 5-8 playoff seed in the West.
The only trouble with Indy is they've already got Mike Dunleavy under contract for $9 mil a year for the next 4 years. If it wasn't for that, the deal would be great, even if the Sonics had to include another pick and/or Petro or Swift to make it happen.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally on board with getting O'Neal, but I just don't see it happening with Indy's current roster. Maybe Bird will just swallow the fact the Dunleavy deal was a mistake, but I'm doubtful.
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