RE: Toronto's needs

[John Lyell <Jlyell@concentric.net>]

Assuming Toronto would be even willing to accept this deal we would be 
stupid not to jump at it.  A Billups, McCarty & Barros, & Thomas move would 
probably be more acceptable to them.  They are not going to give up their 
top draft picks for nothing. They can get better players elsewhere. I am 
sure Jerry West would be very interested in both Camby & Stoudamire willing 
to offer Van Exel & possibly Campbell or Horry also.  We need to move 2-3 
 of Barros, Minor, Brown, Declercq, Thomas, & Jones.

I personally would consider the following:

Billups & McCarty for Nash & Ceballos

Adds a point & a proven scoring 3.


Billups & McCarty for Stoudamire,  or Billups, McCarty, Declercq & Barros 
for Stoudamire & Camby.  Im

Stoudamire
Mercer
Walker
Camby
Knight


An impressive lineup but maybe too risky with Stoudamire, Camby & Walker 
all up for FA in the next 2 years and I doubt the Celtics could afford them 
all.


Portland is looking for backup point & center support.

Billups or Brown or Barros & Declercq or Ellison for Kelvin Cato & Alvin 
Williams

Cato adds a defensive shot blocker who can leap, and Williams a 6'4" 
defensive 1/2 player who looked good at the point the other night.



Excerpts from Portland team report.

The big problem Portland has is that its two most fragile players -- point 
guard Kenny Anderson and center Arvydas Sabonis -- play positions where the 
Blazers have the most trouble with depth.

Behind Anderson is Crotty and rookie Alvin Williams. Behind Sabonis is 
rookie Kelvin Cato. Anderson is already beginning to wear down and Sabonis 
will soon show signs of wear and tear because he's playing too many 
minutes.

NOTES, QUOTES, ANECDOTES

Williams is developing into quite a player, for a man taken in the second 
round of the draft.

He practically won Wednesday's game at Minnesota single-handedly and did an 
outstanding job in the fourth quarter at Toronto -- where he put Raptors' 
point guard Damon Stoudamire in jail with his defense.

Williams played both guard spots in the fourth quarter against the 
Timberwolves and had eight points, two rebounds, two assists and no 
turnovers in 10 minutes. He made four straight free throws inside the final 
3:52 to help the Blazers hold off a late Minnesota rally.

"Alvin Williams was aggressive," Dunleavy said after the game. "He didn't 
look like any rookie tonight. He's just a terrific defender. He paid the 
rent tonight!"

Williams is emerging as a huge surprise as a rookie -- a player able to 
fill in at both guard spots. While his shooting hasn't always been 
consistent, he's been able to play without hurting the team. He doesn't 
turn the ball over much and has been a demon on defense.

At Toronto, Williams cut off Damon Stoudamire's penetrations in the fourth 
period, without being called for the usual fouls that dog rookies.

He'll have to continue to make big contributions because Anderson and 
Crotty are both nursing leg injuries.





On Sunday, November 30, 1997 6:52 AM, Dorine Pratt [SMTP:norine@sover.net] 
wrote:
> Right now, Dana is probably our most dependable 3 point shooter and 
Ellison
> our best center.  We'd better have someone to take their places who's
> better before we think of getting rid of them.
> Dorine
>
> Warwick Janetzki wrote:
>
> >
>
>
>
> >
>
>
>
> > They may be interested in some of the players that we have so
> > uncerimoniously deemed untradeable (Dee, Pervis, Dana, Minor). They
> > currently have Zan Tabak at center and may like to acquire Pervis to
> > bulk up that position.
> >
> > Also they'll need a point guard that fits their system and Dana does
> > that nicely.
> >
> > How about a Dana + Pervis + #1 pick for Stoudamire + Camby (or someone
> > near the end of their contract)
>