Trade rumor from ESPN.com

http://tinyurl.com/ygez4nw

Gues, thanks for this post. Great find! I've taken the liberty of inserting a poll above your post because of the potential importance of the news you've brought to us. Hope you don't think I'm trying to steal your thunder.

The guy brings an edge that is missing from the Celtic's right now. KG before his injury brought that attitude! Also he is strong on defense and could be the Posey type player we need to create a defensive stop.

112288

Not at all. This news is for all of us.

One question: Can GM's be arrested for unarmed robbery? This is not quite Gasol-esqe...but pretty close.

Danny, while you're at it inquire about Tyreke Evans (you know, a point that can actually shoot)

This is all very good. It shows that Danny is on top of his game and not sitting and just watching the world go by. This clears a lot of dead wood out although we loose Giddens. It shows that Celtic Management wants this title really bad!

112288

Aside from the obvious benefits of having a hard-nosed, skilled, veteran backup for Pierce (freeing Daniels for more exclusive guard duties), I'm thinking about the future.

As the team inevitably moves away from the Three Amigos model (which actually could be a movement in its infancy this season), I think it will become more Rondo/uptempo-centered. Both Daniels and Nocioni could offer several years of solid wing complements to Rondo in the open court. I know Nocioni can sometimes be a little careless with the ball, but that's sometimes partly a function of the system within which he's playing.

I'd be sorry to see Scal go because I've always felt he receives far too little credit for his ability to observe the fundamentals, play strong defense against bigger guys, and add stability to whatever unit he plays with. But, when Glen returns, and with the rather amazing surge by Williams, Scal would be the third backup big for KG, Perk and Wallace. In the event of an injury to a big, we'd miss him more than a lot of people would like to believe. But, at some point, a team has to plan based on accentuating the positive rather than contingency plans for the negative.

Sam

Sam, I agree with you on Scal. It's funny, because to the naked eye, most people would think we would be more upset about losing Giddens or Tony. Scal, though he doesn't exactly look the part, is much more valuable to the team than Giddens, a promising rookie with tools, though they are in need of sharpening, and Tony, injury prone yet still a veteran and waaaaay more athletic than Scal. I'd be a little sad to see him go, but I also think this trade would be well worth it. I wish we had more information to go on than a True Hoop Rumor though.

Here is the Kings team salary so you can see his contract numbers.

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/sacramento.htm

gyso

Kelly,

I agree. In fact, I hesitated in putting up the poll, not wanting to attach too much importance to a rumor. But, given the bad taste in our mouths from the past two games (or more), the news "Gues" brought seemed like a breath of fresh air—even as only a rumor.

Based on the first 12 responses to the poll, it does appear that there's a slim majority favoring the rumored deal, huh? (LOL)

Sam

Yeah it was definitely a rough weekend for Boston sports fans! I couldn't even bring myself to read the sports pages yesterday. If this deal happens, it would put us waaaaay over the top. It's hard to remember how good the C's really are when the last two games were so awful, but we really do have a very strong team and if we could bring in another solid bench contributor/scorer, I don't think any team can match up.

I figured we'd have one or two people who at least wanted more details, but apparently we are all on the same page!

How about those Hawks? Anybody think they are a title contender, or did they just get off to a hot start?

Kelly,

I think the Hawks have a great balance of players. Given their youth, they're likely to be durable. I'm not a huge Bibby fan, although the guy can pass; but I believe Rondo versus Bibby could very likely give the Celts an advantage in a seven-game series. But I think this will be a very exciting season for Hawks' fans.

As I said on another thread, I'm starting to wonder when a team has so many qualified rotation players that they start getting in one another's way. Not only for minutes but also in terms of figuring out roles, developing chemistry, etc.

If the rumored trade happened (probably a long-shot), the Celtics would have 11 bona fide rotation players. I don't remember that ever occurring before. I've already sensed that both Sheed and Daniels have been having some difficulties figuring out their optimal roles with this team. Might the dual additions of Davis and Nocioni (along with the hopeful continued development of Williams) muddy those waters even more? When does a plethora of qualified veterans become an embarrassment of riches? When is "over the top" not a good thing?

Sam

Tough one to call, even if it's a remote possibility.

I'd hate to see Scal go, but the thought of Nocioni in there for Pierce would let us use Daniels at the guard positions and keep a nasty edge to our defense with some pretty nice rotation possibilities.

Slight edge to go for it.

TA is no great loss. Never a particularly smart player, now chronically damaged goods. His value to the Celtics is exactly what Danny is using him for now. Trade bait.

JR is no great loss. I could see myself saying something different in a few years, but right now he's not ready for primetime. Still, Ray Allen is 34. Might be good having a 6'4", athletic replacement around learning the ropes from a true pro. I'd rather give them Walker, but I suspect his multiple knee surgeries would scare them off.

Scal is a loss. He's making $3.4M to play essentially the same role that Nocioni will play, who makes $7.5M this year and has a minimum of 2 more years after this one. Scal could probably be picked up next year, if we want him, for close to the vet minimum. 6'9" Scal can play 4, although that's not his best position. Can 6'7" Nocioni play 4?

Nocioni's playing almost 27 mpg this season. Would he be happy with diminished playing time? Scal sits so long he gets splinters and then comes off the bench like he's been a regular rotation player. Scal's a great influence in the locker room. I don't know Nocioni's rep as far as that goes, but he has big sneakers to fill in that area. In Nocioni's defense, he's a hard-nosed physical defender. God, I love Argentinean players! They're everything I wish Euros would be. Euros might be somewhat better pure shooters, but they play NO defense. Argentineans are defenders first and scorers second. Ginobili, perhaps the best known Argentinean, might be a flopper but he works hard at defense and just plays the refs too much.

We got killed in the playoffs against Orlando last year because we didn't stop the pic-and-roll. Our bigs didn't stop their point guard from turning the corner and penetrating. Scal is our best perimeter defending big man not named KG. His specialty, if I can pick out one thing, is driving off the ballhandler on a high pic-and-roll and giving our guy a chance to get around it and catch up. If Nocioni doesn't fill that job well, we're in trouble again.

I voted above that I approved the trade. Now that I've written this out, I'm not so sure anymore.

bob

A real no brainer!. Of course you go for it. I have always been a huge Nocioni fan. He is a very good defensive player. Shoots very well. He is a digger. This would be a great deal.

Go Celtics!