i think that the sixers just shot themselves in the foot. here is my analysis of this whole thing: nets: how can you defend your conference championship after winning it all last year? by getting the best center available in the east. as James C had said, a front court lineup of mutumbo martin and jefferson is arguably the best in the east. and this also gives kidd the much needed big man he wanted. granted, mutumbo is not a scorer, but his defensive presence is great. sixers: deja vu. it's ironic and stupid how this offseason the sixers went after or traded for the same guys that they had but traded away or let go. first was larry hughes and now this. i seriously don't think iverson will give van horn warm hugs and sweet kisses and i doubt iverson likes the idea that the starting center in the paint is the same guy that they didn't bother to give money to in the first place. overall, van horn better lives up to that old nickname of his (the truth) and can score more points in a game than he did most of the finals.
I think the Nets could have gotten more for Mutombo. They probably couldn't have gotten a capeable center along with a scorer but they could have gotten a better scorer. I would almost rather have Harpring than KVH or maybe try to sign Donyell Marshal.
Van Horn was drafted by the Sixers but didnt want to play there. He forced the trade to New Jersey. I cant understand why the sixers would trade for him again.
Do you guys think that their frontcourt is better than Atlanta's frontcourt of Ratliff, Shareef, and Big dog? I know you guys don't like Shareef but try not to be biased.
i actually forgot about their new acquisition. so thanks dirty! hmm that would make a difference but then again you have to factor in that ratliff has been pretty fragile as of late and nazr mohammad is sorta inconsistent. right now i see 3 eastern teams that have a good front court: new orleans- campbell, brown, mashburn new jersey- mutombo, martin, jefferson atlanta-ratliff, abdur rahim (i like SAR), robinson
Ah, did NJ have any offense to spare? Defense wasn't precisely the problem. And if they acquired Mutombo to beat Shaq... well, it'd suck for them if they play Dallas or Sacramento instead. And, besides, we all saw Shaq make Deke look pathetic 2 years ago. Deke is declining more quickly than Shaq. Good move for Philly, though. They get rid of an aging has-been and get a young scorer and a passable center.
Ah, did NJ have any offense to spare? Defense wasn't precisely the problem. And if they acquired Mutombo to beat Shaq... well, it'd suck for them if they play Dallas or Sacramento instead. And, besides, we all saw Shaq make Deke look pathetic 2 years ago. Deke is declining more quickly than Shaq. Good move for Philly, though. They get rid of an aging has-been and get a young scorer and a passable center.
Well, this trade does have one point of interest for Rockets fans: Richard Jefferson will get his chance to play in the starting lineup and try to prove how good he is and can be. I don't think they'll miss Van Horn that much, though this deal makes them weak at the small forward spot beyond Jefferson. Mutombo is an improvement over MacCulloch, but also comes with a hefty price tag and a much older date on his birth certificate. He'll help hold down the middle, but he's not really the type of impact player to keep Kidd in NJ. It's an improvement for both teams, especially if Iverson can learn to share the ball, but it still leaves each team with a hole or sticking point in their lineup - depth for the Nets at the swing positions, defense for the Sixers. It's obvious, though, that the Nets' window for winning is now...especially if Kidd leaves.
Bad move for both teams. It's amazing, really. I'm not sure how they did it, but I think both teams managed to get slower .
This is nuts. Philly just traded Ratliff and Kukoc for Mutumbo a year ago. Isn't McCullough/Van Horn pretty much the same thing as Ratliff/Kukoc?
I think this a VERY bad trade for Philadelphia, and not too bad of a trade for the Nets. Philly pretty much just threw away any chance they have of doing any damage in the eastern conference next season. The main reason that team managed to be succesful was because of defense, not because of Allen Iverson. Now that they've gotten rid of guys like Mutombo, Hill, and Lynch, this team has no D. The trade would have made more sense if Van Horn was younger and still had potential to fill, but from what I can tell he's already on the downside of his career. As for the Nets, this was a good trade, because it's likely Jason Kidd won't even be back after next season. They might as well go for it all right now, and I think this definitely gives the Nets a better team going into next season. Richard Jefferson fits the Nets style of ball more than Van Horn anyway. Not a good move for the future, but a good move for the present by the Nets.
It may have a lot of buzz but little probability. Martin, Jefferson and Kittles barely make 1/2 of KG's $25M. Assuming Kidd & Deke are untouchable, the only other contracts NJ has to make up the $12m gap are all under $3m. Do you think the TWolves would take 4 or 5 of these contracts? Would the Nets gut their team? Aaron Williams - $2,700,000 Jamie Feick - $2,600,000 Lucious Harris - $2,640,000 Jason Collins - $1,147,440 Brandon Armstrong - $930,720 Brian Scalabrine - $512,435
The rumor out of Philly is that the Sixers are looking to move Van Horn to Utah for Karl Malone. Regardless, the Sixers are not going to be one of the powerhouses in the East. They will have 0 low post game with either Malone or Van Horn/Coleman/Macculloch, and probably one of the worst defensive front courts in the NBA period. With a guy like Iverson, the Sixers are best suited with guys like Greg Buckner (who they have) and a Ben Wallace type who are both defensive minded, scrappy around the basket, and can get some cheap ORB's and tip ins. Van Horn is a decent 3 point threat, but he is a big liability on defense and will be even more hesitant to produce on offense with Allen Iverson on his team. I don't see how having Van Horn will be any more helpful to Philly than having a guy like Walt Williams. I think they should find a way to pick up a guy like Walter McCarty, he would be a good fit in Philly for sure. With their current lineup, Philly might sneak in at the 7th or 8th seed spot in the East, but might miss the playoffs totally.
Apparently the Knicks dragged their feet on trading Kurt Thomas, Charlie Ward, and some other scrub for Mutombo (this was last week). Layden balked because of Mutombo's age. That guy should be fired, but woe to the poor slob who inherits his job, trying to undo all his mistakes. An $85,000,000 payroll and NO CENTER (well, he just signed Michael Doleac, a real force in the paint). Knicks won't even make the playoffs, and Jersey got even better.
The Sixers were asking for Kurt Thomas and Latrell Sprewell. Naturally Layden balked at that one but had no reason not to consider Thomas, Ward and Travis Knight - unless he knew that the Sixers had a deal to move Coleman and just didn't want to help the Nets get better. You have to consider your own team first but maybe he was just scared of helping the Nets too much. Giving them a decent PF like Thomas would have facilitated a Coleman for Glenn Robinson or Keith Van Horn deal. He may have been too worried about the other teams to fully consider what he was passing up. Knicks: Mutombo, McDyess, Spoon, Houston, Ward That woulda been a pretty nice squad. Of course the Sixers can still trade Coleman's ending contract but the time has passed where GRob could be had from the froncourt-needy Bucks. Coleman still could have been traded straight up for Van Horn but either move moves Spree to the SG spot and Iverson to the point. I no longer fear the Nets OR Sixers in any way. We may have lost Clark and Childs but we played both these teams very well and our former problems have changed, weakening the match ups in our favor. Sometimes is pays to stand pat. Although I'd clearly like to try and make our team better, we just don't have the pieces to make any serious deals and I'm kind of happy watching these East trades that in some ways actually make the teams involved worse. Boston got Baker - iffy - but now has no PG NJ now has Mutombo but he cant keep up with them Philly has a weaker C and Van Horn who wont shine with Ivy Milwaukee got Kukoc and a pick, Tim Thomas doesnt scare me Atlanta got GRob but is still small at every spot and has no D Only the Knicks got better with McDyess but are still flawed at the 1,3 and 5. Indiana, Detroit and New Orleans are smart for not making any trades IMO.
Why is it always bias with you? Most guys probably forgot about that trade. Hell, I know I did. The East sucks.
