Insanity in Bay Area Newspaper

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Warriors could have it made in the trade

CHRIS MULLIN HAS spent a lot of time around the Warriors' office in recent weeks, and with good reason.

No, he's not thinking about firing coach Mike Montgomery. Not yet, anyway.

Rather, he's preparing to cash in on a distinct advantage the Warriors enjoy over most NBA teams this month.

A high lottery pick, expiring contracts, young talent, several affordable contracts in the $5 million range ...

With many tradeable players and assets residing in Oakland, the road to a big-time, league-wide deal before the Feb.24 deadline just might go through Golden State.

No, you're not going to get Jason Richardson or Troy Murphy. Probably not Andris Biedrins, either.

And I'm guessing you don't want Adonal Foyle, Zarko Caparkaba or Luis Flores.

But the Warriors have a lot more to offer than that.

The question is: Are Mullin and Rod Higgins, both rookies in their current roles, creative and savvy enough to put together the best possible deals, ones that might involve three or four teams?

Here are the key possessions the Warriors could afford to surrender — and at least one possible destination for each — if the right offer were to come their way:

-Clifford Robinson: He's
the most likely Warrior to go because, other than Dale Davis, it makes the least sense to keep him.

Robinson is a free agent at season's end who won't be back with the team next season. And while an expiring contract ($5.3 million) is good, it means a lot more to a team trying to get under the salary cap, which Golden State cannot do.

The Heat would die to add a defensive-minded sidekick up front for Shaquille O'Neal, but the Warriors have no interest in the asset Miami is dangling (Eddie Jones). So the key will be finding a third team that could throw a shooting guard into the mix (Latrell Sprewell or Jalen Rose?) that would attract Miami and allow Mullin to pluck teenager

Dorell Wright from the Heat.

In any deal, the Warriors also have two nice potential throw-ins — Eduardo Najera ($3.8 million) and Calbert Cheaney ($1.6 million) — to help make the numbers add up.

-Dale Davis: He's Robinson times two in terms of expiring contracts ($10.1 million) but divided by two in terms of ability to help his new team.

One reason Mullin probably will wait until the eve of the deadline to make a deal is expiring contracts are most attractive to teams that have put up the white flag on the season.
Once a team gives up on this season, it starts thinking about next season, and what better place to start than the free-agent market?

At this early stage, the Bucks would seem to be as likely as any team to start planning ahead, especially with star Michael Redd scheduled to become a free agent.

He has given no indication he has any intention of returning to the Bucks, so it would behoove Milwaukee to deal him and the biggest, longest contract possible in an effort to become one of the summer's prime players.

If Milwaukee also has grown tired of Keith Van Horn, who stands to make $15.7 million next season, the Bucks could deal him and Redd to the Warriors for the expiring contracts of Robinson and Davis — which would push them more than $20 million under the cap in the off-season — Mike Dunleavy and a future first-round pick or two.

The Warriors also are a good third (or fourth) team to get involved if the Hawks, as expected, deal Antoine Walker at the deadline. Atlanta would be looking to get cap space in return — Walker makes $14.6 million — and the contracts of Robinson and Davis match that almost perfectly.

Atlanta could send Walker to Minnesota, which could
ship Latrell Sprewell to Dallas, which could provide the Warriors with two young players (Marquis Daniels and Devin Harris?) and an expiring contract (Alan Henderson?). The Hawks would receive Robinson and Davis from the Warriors.


-Mickael Pietrus: Presuming no major deal is made, Mullin will be looking at a team next season heavy in guards but light up front, especially with Robinson and Davis no longer around.

It could get even further lopsided following a draft featuring a lot of talented little guys.

That's why trading Pietrus, who has tremendous potential, makes some sense — but only if the Warriors get a quality big man in return.

Like Golden State, the Nuggets have little interest in dealing their best young talent, Nene. But Kiki Vandeweghe's club is so strong up front with Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby, he must consider parting with Nene, especially if he could acquire immediate guard help that would add a dependable weapon to a resurgent team making a playoff run this season.

Pietrus for Nene. It could help both teams.

-Derek Fisher: Say what you want about Fisher, he has been almost exactly as advertised. Above all, he's a veteran presence that a coach
feels comfortable having on the floor down the stretch.

And remember this: The Warriors didn't offer Fisher more money per season than his other primary suitors (Seattle and Houston). They just offered more years. So it's not like his annual salary is a deal-breaker.

Dealing Fisher wouldn't be easy, but Mullin would be wise to start with the Rockets, who wanted him in the first place and whose coach (Jeff Van Gundy) is the old-school type.

The price might be right for a Rockets club looking to be a postseason factor. All the Warriors would ask for in return is Juwan Howard, who immediately would be the club's best low-post presence.

-Their 2005 first-round pick: It would seem there's no way Mullin is going to give up his lottery seat, but everything has a price.

First you must ask yourself: Ideally, what would the Warriors acquire with their high first-round pick?

The answer, obviously, is A star.

OK, so what if a team were to offer you a proven star for the pick? Wouldn't you at least have to consider it?

Consider this: The Celtics deal Paul Pierce and Gary Payton to the Warriors for Robinson, Davis, Speedy Claxton and the No.1 pick unprotected.

The Warriors get their
star — a 27-year-old to build the franchise around — and a hometown hero to man the point guard position for a couple years. For that, they give up two guys who are leaving at season's end, a decent young point guard and a pick that could turn out to be as low as No.6 by the time all is said and done.

Isn't that a good deal?

Meanwhile, the Celtics would get a young point guard to run the floor with blossoming talents Tony Allen and Al Jefferson, a legitimate shot at winning the lottery and sufficient cap relief to pursue Redd or Ray Allen over the summer.

Isn't that a good deal?

Now, ladies and gentlemen, you see why Mullin is hanging around his phone.

Stay tuned.

You can e-mail Dave Del Grande at

dave@angnewspapers.com.

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Atlanta could send Walker to Minnesota, which could
ship Latrell Sprewell to Dallas, which could provide the Warriors with two young players (Marquis Daniels and Devin Harris?) and an expiring contract (Alan Henderson?). The Hawks would receive Robinson and Davis from the Warriors.




Am I the only one shocked by the insanity of this suggestion?

Our PG of the future, a young solid 2, and a great contract (coming off the books) for a head case that is no better than FInley....


Oh Bruthah...

[grndmstr_c]

I'd be shocked except that stupidity of this sort is far from rare.

[Poindexter Einstein]

This article got nutso when it started explaining how Cliff Robinson can get swapped for Dorell Wright. Puh-leeeeeese.

He doesnt even posses a VAGUE idea of cap limits on trades (a 2 way with a rookie, a 5M Robinson, and a 14M Rose?)

The Dallas angle, randomly giving away Daniels and Harris (along with contributor Henderson) for the headache named Sprewell, is idiotic.



Who is the moron that wrote this drivel? This is as stupid as it gets.