JJ + Smoove + JO = Championship?

Diesel · January 21, 2008

OK, now that it's obvious that Bird will do exactly what he said and that's get rid of JO... Let's put some Atlanta spin on the move.... What if Atlanta were to trade for JO?

Would JO + JJ + Smoove be enough to compete with Boston/Detroit in the east?

Hold on to your butts...

How does this trade strike you:

Incoming Players

Jermaine O'Neal

6-11 PF from Eau Claire (HS)

15.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.5 apg in 31.3 minutes

Outgoing Players

Lorenzen Wright

6-11 C from Memphis

1.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.3 apg in 11.3 minutes

Tyronn Lue

6-0 PG from Nebraska

6.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.8 apg in 16.6 minutes

Al Horford

6-9 PF from Florida

8.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.3 apg in 30.9 minutes

Speedy Claxton

5-11 PG from Hofstra

No games yet played in 20

The trade breaks down to Al Horford for Jermaine Oneal and Cap Space.

I can see:

JO, Smoove, Marvin, JJ, and AJ as our 5 going into the playoffs.

Can that team win?

How about the matchup with Boston?

How about the matchup with Detroit?

coachx · January 21, 2008

Easy no for me.

capstone21 · January 21, 2008

You would give up Horford a rookie who may turn into a better player then JO for a broken down player like O'Neal who can not stay healthy, has an outrageous contract , seems to be taking a downward turn with his career and is considering taking the rest of the season off. We already have our Speedy. Why do we make it worse by taking JO...and giving up Horford no less?

Admin · January 21, 2008

Add to that JO will probably sit out the remainder of 2008 now I really, really wouldn't do this deal ... not that I would have had he been playing but certainly not now.

gsuteke · January 21, 2008

Report: Pacers' O'Neal says he may sit out rest of season

ESPN.com news services

Updated: January 21, 2008, 9:45 AM ET

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The Indiana Pacers might have to try to qualify for the playoffs without one of their top players.

O'Neal

Center Jermaine O'Neal, who has been sidelined with a bruised left knee, told The Indianapolis Star for Monday's editions that he is willing to sit out the rest of the season to make sure his injury heals properly.

"That's really the prime option for me," O'Neal told the newspaper, referring to sitting out the rest of this season. "We're going to rehab now like it was the summer, with an extensive rehab. If that consists of a month or the rest of the season, I need to take the necessary steps to not come back on something that's not really healthy.

"That's the thing we have been saying. It's OK, but it really hasn't really been OK."

The Star reported that Pacers team president Larry Bird wasn't available for comment. On Saturday, the team issued a news release saying O'Neal would miss at least two weeks.

Last week, O'Neal said he was not fully healed from knee surgery to repair torn meniscus cartilage last April. He said he's surprised the healing process has been so slow.

O'Neal said he had trouble during last Wednesday's practice, but he started that night against Golden State. He left the game with 2:58 remaining in the first quarter after going scoreless and committing four turnovers in the first 9 minutes.

He is a six-time All-Star who averaged 19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks last season, but has missed 89 games over the past 3½ seasons because of injuries, illnesses and suspensions. He has missed eight games this season.

"What's more important right now is doing the things necessary to get back healthy and also not have to get my whole damn knee replaced in 10 years," O'Neal told the Star.

The Pacers (18-23) are currently a half-game behind the New Jersey Nets (18-22) for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

RyanChambers · January 21, 2008

JO=Speedy

Diesel · January 21, 2008

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