The Paul to Portland Rumor

Tis the season for trade rumors, and to be honest, I love it. Maybe I'm the male version of a gossip hound busy body. Maybe I'm just dying to be the first guy on the block to know what the next move is going to be. Regardless, I'm always an eager ear for new news.

On the other hand, I'm also wary of bogus trades and made up stories of rumored deals. To a large extent, I think that if I know about something, there's either a bad leak of information from the highest levels of the organization, or it's just not true.

So the latest buzz - which is all around the internet at this point - is the rumor that Paul Pierce (and our pick) may be offered to the Blazers for the 3rd pick (and Van Excel's contract - that could be waived for cap room). I can't tell if this one is real or made up. But for the sake of discussion, lets assume it was at least talked about somewhere.

Now, how you react to this trade typically shows how you feel about Paul Pierce. If you love him, you hate the trade and vice versa. I've become somewhat detached to Paul. I value him highly, but I'd understand if his time were up here - and I think he would too. So here is (I hope) a fair but quick pro/con on the deal:

Pro: The deal is supposedly to grab Chris Paul with the Portland pick. Since he is perhaps the best PG prospect in the draft since who-knows-when, it is tempting. The thought of him growing up in a C's uni getting the ball to Al Jeff and company is enticing in of itself. Then there's the cap room savings. You don't keep Van Excel in this deal, you cut him and use that money elsewhere. We are just under the cap with Walker and Payton leaving, if we dropped Paul's salary, we could offer a near max deal to Allen or Redd. If you look at as Pierce and #18 for Chris Paul and Ray Allen, it sounds a lot sweeter.

Con: But what if that doesn't work out? What if the new CBA rules prevent us from signing a major free agent with our newfound wealth? What if Allen and Redd decide they love home cooking and you have money to burn with 2 guys old enough to drive rental cars? And what happens if Paul, or any of the other young guns gets hurt or doesn't live up to our lofty expectations? We'd turn on Danny like a pack of wolves. We'd be the Clippers East and homey don't play that in Boston. Basically the biggest "con" of this deal is that the risks are too great. If all the pieces don't fall just right, its a disaster and will be seen as a panic move.

All in all, I don't see it happening. If you could promise me Ray Allen on a silver platter, I'd be all for it. Otherwise, I'd pass. But I'm always open to listening to the next rumor.

Update: From Peter May
As for the team captain, one league official said last week, ''Right now, there is no demand for Paul Pierce out there. None."

May also mentions that Danny plans to use the MLE and will work out guys like Villanueva, Gomes, and Simien before heading to Europe on a scouting trip.