I like Allen Iverson. He’s a Hall of Famer that is still putting up great numbers and paired next to Paul Pierce would add excitement and a winning atmosphere in Boston immediately. I’m just not ready to sell the farm to get him. Thankfully, I don’t think we have to.
Bidding teams are dropping by the hour. Let’s review:
- Denver: Karl says no thanks (also here)
- LA Clippers: Sterling says he’s not a good fit (can’t find the link)
- Minnesotta: Glenn Taylor says he can’t afford him
- Dallas: Cuban says nope
- New York: Isaiah isn’t interested either
So that leaves Boston and,… who? Danny Ainge needs to be aware of the market and not bid against himself.
The Sixers would probably do a deal for Theo, Jefferson, Telfair, and West. If that is the best offer we can get, I say pass. Let the Sixers sweat. Let them look around for something else.
I don’t mind dealing Telfair and West since they are largely unnecessary on a team with Iverson and Pierce. I have two major problems with the above deal. First, it means giving up Al Jefferson, who is a low post scorer that is just now starting to break out. And I’m not just talking about last night. I’ve been saying he’s close all year and I believe that.
Second, it means having an even more disjointed roster than we had before. Who knows how long Perk and Candy are going to be out? If we deal our last real big man, we are left with a starting frontcourt of Gomes and Scalabrine. We become a totally perimeter oriented team.Â
Jumpshooting teams can beat anyone on any given night (when they are hot), but the law of averages says that many nights the more balanced team will win out.Â
Besides, what will Wally do in that lineup? I tend to think that Pierce will willingly give up some shots to play with Iverson (he did with Walker), but what about Wally? Does he become the glorified Kyle Korver of this team? Unless you can get a very good big man for Wally, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
So here’s my plan (that I’m sure will get ripped to shreds):
Offer Wally, Telfair, and West for Iverson. I know it is a low ball offer, but the salaries work and you have to start somewhere. When they reject that offer, sweeten it with a lottery protected draft pick. They might find that they can’t do better than that deal and just pull the trigger.
It sounds like the Sixers are not that interested in Wally. Fine. Find a 3rd team to take him. You mean to tell me that we can’t find a contending team that couldn’t use a scorer like Wally on their team? Denver could use him. The Clippers could too. Not sure what they’d be willing to give up for him, but that’s not our problem. Leave that to the Sixers to figure out.
If they still won’t do it, with Wyc’s sign-off we could offer to take back salary in the form of Dalembert. Wally, Theo, Telfair, and West for AI and Dalembert works. That deal saves the Sixers somewhere in the neighborhood of $44M in future dollars. The Celtics might have to pay luxury tax dollars to resign Jefferson and Green in future years (provided the live up to their potential). But if the team is winning and putting fans in the seats, it might be worth it for Wyc and the owners.Â
Perhaps I’m falling into the trap of overvaluing our “tantelizers.â€Â  But I also don’t want to fall into the trap of thinking that having two stars automatically puts this team into the Finals. The Sixers thought that when they traded for Webber a couple years ago, and where did that get them?
I’d be willing to give up a lot for Allen Iverson. I just don’t want to give them Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, or our first round pick unless it is lottery protected. Those are deal breakers for me. I hope they are for Ainge as well.
Don’t bid against yourself Danny.
Update: It looks like the Bobcats will get into the bidding. They can offer the type of cap savings that we can’t because they are under the cap and don’t have to match salaries. If Jordan wants AI, I don’t think we can beat the bid they can offer. (So I hope we don’t try)