Deal Sucks

[Diesel]

Again, who offered the deal.. was it Walsh...

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Jermaine O'Neal said he'd like to see the Pacers acquire Bonzi Wells or Al Harrington for Artest.

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Reporters ran the name Al Harrington up and down the flagpole however, I don't know if there was ever anything concrete other than us having a player familiar with their system and friendly with JO...

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While Artest remains on the inactive list, the Pacer executives Donnie Walsh and Larry ... trade partners to a handful of teams in the Western Conference.

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BUT, i get the feeling that Walsh didn't want to face Artest 4 times a year for the next 3 years... or give a team like Atlanta a helping hand.

PLUS

IF we had gotten Artest, where does he play. YOU do know he prefers SG.

[exodus]

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BUT, i get the feeling that Walsh didn't want to face Artest 4 times a year for the next 3 years... or give a team like Atlanta a helping hand.

PLUS

IF we had gotten Artest, where does he play. YOU do know he prefers SG.

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The reason they worked so long on a 3 way is that BK simply wouldn't take Artest. Walsh obviously wanted Artest gone, the sooner the better, and they wanted (and still want) Al.

Remember that they were a playoff team last year and Al certainly would have given them help right away.

And Artest wouldn't have played here at all if we had traded for him.

[Diesel]

Bk wouldn't take Artest true... but somewhere in that same mix was the feeling that Walsh didn't want Artest in the East. NY would have taken Artest... You won't make me believe that Isiah would not have taken Artest. I think NJ might have taken Artest also.

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Artest told the Star he wouldn't mind playing for New York or Cleveland. He's from Long Island City, N.Y., and former Pacers assistant Mike Brown is Cleveland's head coach.

"If I go to the West Coast,

I would come back to New York after my contract is up,

" Artest told the Star.

"I would go to Cleveland. I wouldn't mind coming off the bench behind LeBron James. There's a lot of players I wouldn't mind coming off the bench behind."

James appreciated Artest's interest. Artest shut him down in Indiana's 98-76 win on Thanksgiving Day.

"You've got to be flattered because he knows we're an up and coming team," James said. "Any team in this league could use a guy like Ron Artest."

Jackson said the Pacers didn't foresee Artest's desire to leave.

"I think it shocked us all," Jackson said. "Ron's his own man. You really can't tell what's going through his mind ... I'll see him down the line, I'll still give him a hug and still tell him he's my boy."

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers will recover, in part because they got used to playing without him last season.

"You're never going to be as good a team in terms of manpower without a guy like Ron Artest," he said, "but the reality right now is we don't have him. We've been through situations where we had to adjust before and we'll do it again."

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Interesting that no deal could be found with either of those teams? I'm sure we would have taken Gooden and a first if they would have taken Artest. BUT Walsh didn't want his team to see Artest in the playoffs.. Bottom line.

[exodus]

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Walsh didn't want Artest in the East

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That is true. However I think when this nonsense first started Walsh was like......

and everything I read indicated they were willing to trade him straight up for Al. Then when they started looking at 3 way trades Indy was only looking to send him out west.

You have to take advantage of opportunities when they appear. Otherwise you end up with Lo Wright as your center.

[mdawg]

BK is just doing his job, helping Indy win a title. Isn't he the Pacers' GM?

[Guest Walter]

Then keep MW or Childress, trading the other to get a credible center prospect, sign Speedy or Banks and drafting Roy!

Roy/Speedy

JJ/Roy

Artest/MW

JS/MW

ZaZa/center prospect/?

That's a team short a defensive post specialist only. Tough defense across the board save the center position.

W

[AHF]

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I certainly realize that you know more about this area than I do.

However, I was thought that what we do even now has a bearing on how the appeals process go. Because the carrying out of the contract was cut and dry. We didn't meet the deadline so Belkin gets a chance to buy the team. It's really the grace of the court to hear our argument. I would just believe that our owners wouldn't want to disrupt those graces by continuing to upset Belkin to the point that he would have evidence that we're not trying to adhere to the court ruling and try to paint the A.S. owners as a group who continuously try to break the rules.

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The appeal is going to turn based on the appellate court's interpretation of the language of the contract. Any breach of that contract would have happened in the past and the current actions of ownership would not be relevant except as to argue potential harm if Belkin won and the case got remanded and he demanded specific performance of the buyout rather than the right to buy the teams.

[deester11]

In reality, this offseason has been one blunder after another. From drafting Shelden at #5, to this stupid deal. I can't say for sure who we would have gotten, but I'd have taken the option of a Nene and a pick over the summer, versus what we're getting now. I want to support BK, but I'm off the wagon. I'm a Hawks fan first....but our owners and GM should be ashamed of what they've done this offseason.