Thomas/Stoudamire

["Greg Odegaard" <gmodegaa@longvred.rmc.com>]

Per the ESPN report it appears Isiah Thomas is leaving the Raptors for NBC,
a deal even his wife says he can't pass up. It is noted in the report, and
I have read before that Damon Stoudamire will only plan to stay in Toronto
with Thomas in charge.  If all these facts are true, I believe we should go
after Stoudamire, as  a "true" franchise PG.  Before you think I am saying
"dump" Billups, I am saying anything but.
I have read a couple of posts recently, that go into the thought that
Billups might be better suited as a SG.  Well how about this for a starting
line-up:

PG: Stoudamire
SG: Billups
SF: Mercer
PF: Walker
C: Knight
5 man bench:
McCarty, Bowen, Brown, Edney, DeClerq

I love this line-up, and KNOW, with patience and coaching the Celtics would
be in the NBA finals in 3 years.  PERIOD!

The concerns might be:

1. How to get Stoudamire, without giving up Billups; What about all this
money RP apparently was creatively freeing up with the Massenburg/Mills
deals.  The cap will grow significantly next year with the new TV deal. 
Woo him and sign him as a FA.

2. Can Billups excel at SG; Maybe but who knows if he can succeed at PG.  I
believe his body might be better suited for a pure SG.  At least we know
Stoudamire is a great PG, or at least is heading in that direction.

3. Can Mercer play SF and Walker play PF; I think they could very well
maybe 3 to 4 games out of 5.  There will always be some match-up problems
most games, and in those cases RP would juggle as needed.

4. Is Knight the "starting NBA" center for the future;  This is a real
problem with a smaller overall lineup.  Let us not forget we are probably
looking at a top 10 draft pick next year, and maybe we can draft then to
fill the long-term hole that Knight definately will not fill in every game.
 We need a big body center to play 20 minutes a  game and start maybe a
dozen games, especially with a defensive focus.
The FA market might also free up a quality big body to fill the gap.

I know this is lot to digest, but I would like to see a discussion on these
points, and whether you folks feel Stoudamire is a potential franchise PG.
I know Art Silva thinks so.

Comments?
Greg