Tuesday Insider

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West Coast Trade Talk

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Will the Warriors finally clean house? | Jerry's Big Deal | Will the Clips abandon ship? | Sonics dilemma: Now or Later? | Will Trader Bob strike again? | Peep Show

Monday, we broke down five teams in the East that are looking to wheel and deal before the Feb. 20 trade deadline. Now it's time to turn our gaze to the West, where the Warriors, Clippers, Grizzlies, Sonics and Blazers must make some crucial decisions about the future of their franchises.

Last season saw several blockbuster trades happen right before the trade deadline. Of course, the prevailing sentiment right now is that teams want to wait to get closer to the Feb. 20 trade deadline before making commitments. But expect to hear a lot of wild stuff over the next six weeks. Insider has been poking around the league for the past week, looking for where the trade action will be this winter. . .

Will the Warriors finally clean house?

It's tough to be a fan of Garry St. Jean and the Warriors after years of ineptitude, but last summer, the franchise finally got something right. Hiring new head coach Eric Musselman has almost single handily revitalized the franchise.

Without any major personnel additions, the Warriors are showing signs of life. Antawn Jamison is rebounding nicely from a woeful campaign last year. Erick Dampier finally is resembling the center the Warriors hoped he'd be when they traded for him six seasons ago. And Gilbert Arenas has developed into a potential star and, more importantly, into a pretty nice point guard.

Most of the credit has to go to Musselman, whose combination of unorthodox motivational techniques and tireless effort have inspired a team that was in desperate need of inspiration. The Warriors are no longer the Washington Generals. And, if you're a long suffering Warriors fan, right now that's enough.

But Musselman is capable of much more. He was a successful GM in the CBA and has a good feel for what it will take to take this team past respectability into contention. Will St. Jean listen? The Warriors, with their boat load of young talent, could be one of the most active teams at this year's trading deadline if Musselman gets his way. But St. Jean will have to eat a rather large slice of humble pie to make his coach happy.

The truth is no one on this team is safe. Jamison is a base-year player, making him almost impossible to move. And Musselman has no desire to move either of his big men, Dampier and Adonal Foyle. Together, they are one of the most lethal shot blocking duos in the league. That's tough to replace.

But after that, anyone is fair game, including the team's last two lottery picks, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Jason Richardson. The problem with Dunleavy is that his style of play doesn't fit the team, and as long as Jamison is around, he isn't going to see much time at his natural position, small forward.

Richardson is more complicated. The team still believes that he has wonderful upside, but the more he plays, the more the flaws in his game are exposed. Richardson spends way to much time trying to knock down jumpers on the perimeter. He rarely puts the ball on the floor and doesn't get to the free throw line like the team would like him too. He's a poor man's Vince Carter, but given the state of Carter and the Raptors right now, that's really not saying much.

And then there's Arenas. The team loves him but knows it may be difficult to re-sign him this summer. Arenas will be a restricted free agent, and because the Warriors are over the cap, they can only match an offer up to the mid-level exception. If he is offered more, and the Nuggets seem to be hot on his trail, the Warriors will lose him for nothing.

Danny Fortson

Forward-Center

Golden State Warriors

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

15 3.1 4.3 0.7 .390 .625

Of course, Danny Fortson can be had for a just about anything. Bobby Sura and Chris Mills have relatively cheap contracts if they need to be included for salary-cap reasons.

So what can the Warriors do? Priority No. 1 one is finding a home for Fortson. He's racking up DNP's with regularity now. For a guy who was ranked fourth in the NBA in rebounding, he's been very patient. He won't stay that way forever. If the Warriors can't get something done by February, he could start causing a ruckus. With five years remaining on his contract, that's the last thing the Warriors need. The Warriors will have to sweeten the pot to get a deal done for Fortson.

Where could he wind up? The Bulls might be willing to part with Jamal Crawford, Marcus Fizer and Eddie Robinson in return for Fortson and Dunleavy. The Sonics need low-post muscle and would consider swapping Calvin Booth straight up for Fortson. The Blazers have shown interest in Fortson as well, though with their recent hot streak, they may be loathe to add another combustible personality to the mix.

The Grizzlies could be another potential trading partner. Jerry West coveted Dunleavy during the draft and could be able to piece something together that would send Stromile Swift and Shane Battier to the Warriors in return for Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. Battier fits Musselman's frantic style, and Swift is the type of athletic low-post player the Warriors have been searching for.

St. Jean's gamble is paying off

Ailene Voisin / Sacramento Bee

Dunleavy still holding hope

Brad Weinstein / San Francisco Chronicle

Jerry's Big Deal

Jerry West promised us some big draft-night wheeling and dealing, but when the smoke cleared the Grizzlies had promising rookie Drew Gooden in the fold and a couple of international free agents few had heard of. The additions of Gooden and rookie Gordan Giricek have both proved to be savvy moves, but we expect more from Jerry.

Now that he and new coach Hubie Brown have had some time to evaluate the talent on this team, will the Grizzlies stumble out of hibernation and get more aggressive as the trade deadline hits? There's very little incentive for the Grizz to under-perform this season. The Pistons will get Memphis' first-round pick unless it happens to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Grizzlies do pick up Houston's first-round pick, but the way the Rockets are playing, that probably won't be in the lottery.

The Grizzlies are capped out for a couple more years, meaning if they want to make a major jump in the standings, they'll have to do it via trade. There are plenty of candidates.

Stromile Swift

Forward-Center

Memphis Grizzlies

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

30 8.5 5.2 0.7 .447 .733

Stromile Swift has been on the block since the moment West walked in the door. Despite all the nice stories you keep reading about Jason Williams being Hubie's right-hand man, the Grizzlies would move Williams in a heartbeat. Shane Battier is expendable. Lorenzen Wright is available if they can get another big man in return. And there's even suggestions around the league that Pau Gasol is available if someone is willing to take Williams with him in a package deal.

The most talked about potential deal of the summer, Swift for the Magic's Mike Miller, doesn't look like it's going to happen. With Grant Hill day-to-day for the rest of the season, the Magic feel that they can't afford to lose Miller. Swift for Mike Dunleavy makes more sense, but right now the Warriors would want more than just Swift.

The floodgates really open if West and Brown decide that Gooden, not Gasol, is their power forward of the future. Gasol is so coveted, one GM told Insider, that West likely would have his pick of any top young prospect in the NBA with the exception of Yao Ming and Amare Stoudemire. Why would the Grizzlies move him if he's so good?

The problem is the Grizzlies need help almost everywhere, but their two-most promising players happen to play the same position. Eventually, Gooden may be able to move to small forward (he's struggled there so far) or Gasol may be able to move to center (he'll need to add another 30 pounds). Is West that patient?

In six weeks we'll know the answer.

J-Will's new way a key to success

Ronald Tillery / Memphis Commercial Appeal

Will the Clips abandon ship?

How high were expectations for the Clippers this season?

GM Elgin Baylor had to address the media Monday to explain that coach Alvin Gentry's 12-22 record wasn't enough to get him fired. In any normal Clippers season, 12 victories by Jan. 1st would be considered a coup.

But this year is different. The Clippers have as much young talent as any team in the league. They have three all-star-caliber starters and three other players who have that potential. The Clippers came up just short in its bid for the playoffs last season and most experts felt that the addition of point guard Andre Miller would put them over the top.

The Clippers' poor play prompted Baylor to address the team Monday. He even went over some videotape with the players to point out what the team is doing wrong.

"We brought up certain issues, certain things, that we're not doing as a team," Baylor told the L.A. Daily News. "I think they're basic, fundamental things. There is nothing extraordinary that they have to do. They have to defend the pick-and-roll, block out, a lot of basic things."

Isn't that supposed to be Gentry's job? Baylor was quick to dispel rumors that the organization is considering firing Gentry and replacing him with assistant Dennis Johnson. However, he didn't let Gentry off the hook completely.

When asked if he was considering any coaching or personnel changes, Baylor responded, "At this point and time, no. We expect to get better."

"When you look at your rotation of eight and nine guys, and each game you have three or four guys out, of course it makes a difference," Baylor said. "But I just think we have enough depth to be able to cover for the injuries. That's why we have those players here. We're just not playing well. We're not playing good basketball."

While Clippers aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, they will have to go 33-15 the rest of way to finish 45-37 and have a legitimate chance to make the postseason. As talented as this team is, that may be too much to ask.

All of this leaves Baylor in a very difficult position. Almost every key player on this team is hitting the free-agent market this summer. Owner Donald Sterling has never forked out the cash to re-sign a top player. Baylor was hoping that a stellar performance this season would convince Sterling it was time to pay up. Now that the Clipps are stumbling, does anyone honestly expect Sterling to start writing $80 million checks to guys like Michael Olowokandi and Miller?

If Baylor is lucky, Sterling will pay to keep one or two of these players around. The top candidate to get the cash is Elton Brand, the Clippers' steady center. Ironically, right behind him is the Clippers' most enigmatic player, Lamar Odom. Odom is a Sterling favorite. Baylor feels that he has more talent than anyone on the team. Off-the-court issues and injury problems have limited his effectiveness the past year, but now that Odom's back, it's clear who the floor leader of the team is. If Odom stays healthy and drug free, expect them to do what it takes to keep him around.

Andre Miller

Point Guard

Los Angeles Clippers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

33 15.9 3.8 7.6 .416 .781

That leaves Miller, Olowokandi and forward Corey Maggette as the odd men out. In Olowokandi's case, his fate was probably sealed last summer when the two sides couldn't come to terms on a long-term deal. The Kandi man was furious with the Clippers' offers and has sworn that he won't be back. Olowkandi took the Clippers one year tender, meaning that he can't be traded this season. Unless the Clipps can work out a sign-and-trade this summer, he's gone.

Miller and Maggette will both be restricted free agents this summer, which makes things a little more interesting. Sterling won't have the money to give them the big contracts they'll likely command. The Clippers could try to orchestrate a sign-and-trade this summer, but it's risky. If Miller or Maggette get an offer sheet, they could bolt and leave the Clippers with nothing.

That scenario has led to speculation that Miller and Maggette may be available now. With the strong play of rookie Marko Jaric, Keyon Dooling and the ball handling skills of Odom, some in the organization feel that Miller is expendable. Maggette's game has also blossomed, but he's a man without a position as long as Odom's healthy. Quentin Richardson's name has also come up in recent trade speculation.

The question on everyone's mind is not whether Miller and Maggette are available, but will the Clippers actually pull the trigger? The organization has a reputation of dangling players, but never committing to anything.

If Baylor can get a promising young big man to replace Olowokandi, he'll more than likely pull the trigger. If he can't, this year's Clippers, like so many teams before them, will never be anything more than a big tease.

Baylor: No plans to replace Gentry

Joe Stevens / Los Angeles Daily News

'Season in [censored]' puts Gentry in peril

Art Thompson III / Orange County Register

Clippers are a sinking ship

Mitch Lawrence / New York Daily News

Sonics dilemma: Now or Later?

The Sonics are stuck in neutral. Whether they hit the gas or throw it in reverse is a question on just about everyone's mind these days.

The team was supposed to be in rebuilding mode this season, but strong play by Gary Payton, Rashard Lewis and third-year guard Desmond Mason has them winning games. Enough games, in fact, to qualify for the playoffs. But not enough to make them a serious threat to the top contenders in the West.

With Payton getting older, and several of their younger players maturing, Wally Walker and company have a difficult dilemma in front of them. The team is probably a power forward away from being a serious threat in the West. However, if they pull the trigger on a trade in February, the team will lose some much-needed cap flexibility this summer.

The dilemma, as does most things in Seattle, centers on the future of Payton. The Sonics decided to ignore Payton's requests for a contract extension this summer, and Payton's agent, Aaron Goodwin, has promised that they'll pay. The team maintains that it wants Payton to retire as a Sonic, but owner Howard Schultz has been wooing free agent Jason Kidd for over a year.

If the Sonics are convinced that they can land Kidd, they'd be crazy to do anything now. If they're not (and they shouldn't be), it makes sense for them to start thinking about this year. The Lakers are vulnerable. The Kings and Mavs are great, but they aren't unbeatable. A tough low-post rebounder and defender would solve almost all of the team's problems. And the Sonics wouldn't have to give up much in return.

Kenny Anderson

Point Guard

Seattle SuperSonics

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

21 3.7 1.9 2.9 .420 .900

The Sonics have the silver bullet when it comes to trade talks. They have Kenny Anderson, a $9 million a year point guard, sitting on the bench. Anderson is in the last year of his contract, making his trade value as high as just about any all-star in the league.

Teams like the Heat, Pacers, Bucks, Raptors, T-Wolves, Warriors, Grizzlies and Wizards would bend over backwards to get their hands on him. Not only does Anderson have the ability to help a team in the playoff hunt right now, he almost guarantees that it'll be a player in the hot 2004 free-agent market.

Decent low-post veterans like Brian Grant, Lorenzen Wright, Kurt Thomas, Danny Fortson and Antonio Davis or young studs like Kwame Brown, Stromile Swift,and Tim Thomas are there for the taking. All Walker has to do is make up his mind.

McMillan stands by roster changes

Percy Allen / Seattle Times

Will Payton hang around with Sonics?

Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune

Will Trader Bob strike again?

The Blazers are here on reputation alone.

Over the next six weeks you'll see the Blazers attached to almost every trade. Why? Paul Allen can afford to make stupid deals and Bob Whitsitt has a history of pulling the trigger before Allen comes to his senses.

But, finally, the team is living up to its potential. Rasheed Wallace and Bonzi Wells have emerged as leaders. Players such as Derek Anderson, Dale Davis and Scottie Pippen have accepted their roles. Young players like Zach Randolph and Qyntel Woods are emerging. And even Damon Stoudamire has managed to keep his mouth relatively shut on the end of the bench.

Coach Maurice Cheeks said he no longer worries about doling out playing time, a task that had become a chore earlier in the season, when he found himself spending more time calculating who had played how many minutes than coaching the game.

"It's not about how hard it is to figure out," Cheeks told the Oregonian. "We have guys who can play, and even the guys who don't play can play. We have found a rhythm and we are sticking with that."

Why mess with a good thing? Because that's what Whitsitt does.

Damon Stoudamire

Point Guard

Portland Trail Blazers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

21 6.1 2.7 3.0 .331 .700

The Blazers certainly have an excess of talent to move. They'd love to be rid of Stoudamire once and for all. Stoudamire told N.Y. reporters on Sunday that he was still holding out for a trade.

"That would be great," Stoudamire told the N.Y. Post. "I would love to play here. New York has always been the Mecca of basketball to me, and if that would happen, I would look forward to that."

He's not the only weak link on the team. Jeff McInnis and Antonio Daniels have managed to underwhelm just about everyone. Dale Davis is more trouble than he's worth. And Ruben Patterson is about one more stupid move away from jail time.

Do any of those guys have enough juice to spur any type of major trade interest? Hardly. The guys everyone wants, Wallace, Randolph and Wells (he's a base-year player), aren't available. Given Stoudamire's huge contract, McInnis' major ego and Patterson's enormous rap sheet, the Blazers, for once, may just stay pat.

In Daniels, Blazers get yet another contributor

Jason Quick / Oregonian

Stoudamire: Bring Me To NY

Mark Hale / New York Post

Peep Show

Knicks: Forget about the latest report in the New York Daily News claiming that the Knicks are in hot pursuit of Mavs big man Raef LaFrentz. LaFrentz signed a seven-year, $69 million contract last summer, making him a base-year compensation player. For trading purposes, LaFrentz makes $7.2 million this season, but the Mavs can only take back $3.6 million in return.

Lakers: Phil Jackson said he's working with GM Mitch Kupchek to see if there's a trade out there that would help the Lakers get more athletic up front. "I've been saying this for as long as I've been a coach," Jackson told the L.A. Times. "At this time of year, you have to be ready to help our ballclub. If we can help ourselves, we'll help ourselves. We feel like we need to be more athletic."

Raptors: GM Glen Grunwald said the team isn't contemplating a coaching change or a trade at this time. "Obviously, as a team we're not getting it done," Grunwald told the Toronto Star. "As an organization we're not happy where we're at, we have to identify what the issues are and how we can fix them." The Raptors have lost 11 straight games.

Mavs: The Nelsons are at it again. The most cosmopolitan team in the league is on the verge of adding a second Frenchman to the roster. This time it's veteran swingman Antoine Rigaudeau, a 6-foot-7 shooter. Rigaudeau, 31, is technically a free agent, meaning he can sign with any team. The Mavs are working to buyout his contract with Virtus Bologna in Italy. "Having faced him in the Olympics and overseas, he's a 6-7 player with versatile skills, and he can handle the ball," coach Don Nelson told the Dallas Morning News. "I don't think it's any secret that we have great respect for his ability." Rigaudeau is averaging 10.6 ppg on 57 percent shooting in Euroleague play.

Rockets: Glen Rice is bumping heads with Steve Francis over the number of shots Rice is getting in the Rockets' offense. "We have great players on our team, and like I've always said, for this team to get to that next level, we have to use each and every individual on this team, because right now we're not that good yet," Rice told the Houston Chronicle. "When we're that good [a legitimate playoff force], then yeah, we can just rely on two or three guys. But right now, we can't." Francis doesn't see it that way. Francis said the last thing the team wants to do is interrupt the flow of the offense by getting bogged down in setting up specific players for a certain number of shots. "You can't do that. I have to make sure everybody gets the ball. ... You just have to analyze the situations, the match ups, and take it from there."

Pacers: Coach Isiah Thomas has dropped second-year point guard Jamaal Tinsley out of the starting lineup in favor of veteran Erick Strickland. "It's not about Jamaal, it's about our team," Thomas told the Indianapolis Star. "I just feel we need a little change to get us through this period. Change is not always bad and change is not permanent. . .I like Jamaal Tinsley. I like him a lot. He's good for our basketball team. We can go a long way with him. We'll protect him when he's having a hard time and when he's doing good we'll roll him out there."

Sonics: Starting center Predrag Drobnjak will opt out of the final season of his three-year, $1.6 million deal, his agent, David Bauman, confirmed to The News Tribune on Monday. Drobnjak is making $526,000 this year, and is scheduled to make $639,000 next season. "He's definitely opting out," Bauman said. "If he had only one leg that was healthy, he would make more money next year in Europe than he would if he stayed in his current contract. I am certainly planning to send Wally (Walker) and Rick (Sund) a letter in June to let them know that Peja will be opting out of the third year of his contract."

Magic: Grant Hill missed his fifth consecutive game Monday night, still struggling through pain in his left ankle. When Hill does come back, there will be a new set of guidelines to try to ensure he can make it through the season. The team will limit him to 20-25 minutes each game. Hill has averaged 30.4 minutes in 26 games this season. "Right now, I do believe we should try and limit his time and use him as a 20-25 minute player," coach Doc Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel. "Even if it stayed at that for the rest of the year, if doing that kept him out on the floor, we'd take it. It's not what we want, but we'd take it."

T-Wolves: The team activated Wally Szczerbiak on Monday. "Wally went full-go and felt pretty good. Knock on wood, he might be over the hump as far as the foot [and] the pain," coach Flip Saunders told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Now it's just about getting his wind back." How soon? Don't be surprised if the fourth-year swingman plays this week. He and Saunders consider his status "day to day," and Szczerbiak said Monday: "I'm certainly not ready to play [tonight] or the next day. I want to get some more practices in."

Bucks: Toni Kukoc, who has missed 17 games after having surgery on his right thumb, is keeping his fingers crossed that this might finally be the week that he can return to practice. "I'm hoping," Kukoc told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I'm hoping to be close. Somehow, I'm hoping that it will be less stiff so I can practice." Kukoc could be ready to play again as early as Friday.

Pistons: Center Zeljko Rebraca will remain on the shelf for at least another week, as the team placed him on the injured list Monday. The move was made to allow Rebraca time to adjust to a third change in medication to help regulate his heartbeat. "What he has is atrial fibrillation, a very common irregular heartbeat," Ben Paolucci, the Pistons' team physician, told the Detroit News. "Not only is it very common, it's compatible with life. You aren't going to die from it. But you may not be able to play basketball, because it leaves you feeling tired and without energy. The primary treatment is medication, but the problem is, for the medication to be effective and alleviate the medical problem, it has a side effect. It makes you drowsy and lethargic."

Knicks sizing up LaFrentz for deal

Frank Isola / New York Daily News

Jackson Sure of a Glaring Problem

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

Grunwald standing pat

Doug Smith / Toronto Star

Frenchman close to signing on

Eddie Sefko / Dallas Morning News

Rice wants Rockets to spread out shots

Michael Murphy / Houston Chronicle

One more big worry for Sonics

Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune

Lineup shuffle puts Strickland on court

Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star

Hill's balky ankle still pain for Magic

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Wolves activate swingman Szczerbiak

Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star Tribune

The Buck report

Tom Enlund / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Rebraca sits a little longer

Chris McCosky / Detroit News