The Perpetual NBA Thread

**Kanut** · January 27th, 2006 01:05 PM

MINNEAPOLIS -- The struggling Minnesota Timberwolves shook up their roster Thursday night, sending swingman Wally Szczerbiak to the Boston Celtics for guard Ricky Davis in an exchange involving seven players and three draft picks.

Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed and two conditional second-round draft picks are coming to Minnesota, and in exchange the Celtics are getting Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi and Dwayne Jones and a future first-round draft pick, the teams announced.

The Wolves were in need of a spark after losing their last two games by 20 points or more.

"Through this trade, we've become a much more athletic team," Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said in a statement. "With Ricky Davis, we've added one of the more talented shooting guards in the NBA -- both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Plus, with Davis and Trenton Hassell together on the court, we'll have a great defensive presence at the 2-3 positions."

McHale planned a conference call for reporters Thursday night.

"It was a tough decision to trade Wally," McHale said in the statement. "He has been the ultimate professional and a very good player for us through the years. I wish him nothing but the best of luck with the rest of his NBA career."

The Celtics said they were glad to get Szczerbiak.

"We are ecstatic to acquire a player of Wally Szczerbiak's quality to complement Paul Pierce and our young talent base," said Danny Ainge, the Celtics' executive director of basketball operations. "In Wally we are receiving an All-Star player who is playoff tested and who has been a winner at all levels."

Davis, a 6-foot-7 guard, is the Celtics second leading scorer, averaging 19.7 points per game, and the 7-0 Blount is the team's third-leading scorer at 12.4 points per game.

Banks, a point guard and former first-round draft pick, was made expendable by the development of Delonte West.

The 6-7 Szczerbiak is averaging 20.1 points, second on Minnesota, while the 7-0 Olowokandi, a former first overall draft pick, is averaging 6 points. He had been a big disappointment for the Wolves, who signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2003.

---Kandi has got to be one of the biggest 1st pick flops

**wren** · January 27th, 2006 01:13 PM

time to trade for ricky davis and blount for my fantasy team.

**theveed** · January 27th, 2006 01:23 PM

FXT why so? Ricky will flourish in Minnesota... Blount... nobody should bother with him in the first place hehe.. .j/k

**Altis6453** · January 27th, 2006 01:23 PM

What the hell was Ainge thinking?!? :mad: I can understand the trade for Sczerbiak. But to give away Justin Reed AND Marcus Banks for Olowakandi and Dwayne Jones? WTF? He's got to be one of the worst GMs in the league right now. Remember, he pulled the trigger on a 3-way trade that eventually sent Rasheed Wallace from Atlanta to Detroit. Result? One NBA Championship Ring. Hay.

**wren** · January 27th, 2006 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by theveed

FXT why so? Ricky will flourish in Minnesota... Blount... nobody should bother with him in the first place hehe.. .j/k

trade for him...i want him on my team for the same reason you stated.

. blount should do well too, next to garnett, bargain pa sya.

**theveed** · January 27th, 2006 01:36 PM

Blount is a lazy-a$$ center, hehe... anyways...

Can you guys believe that a dunce like O-Tag still gets the tantrums hehe

Jazz suspend Ostertag indefinitely
January 26, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Greg Ostertag was suspended indefinitely by the Utah Jazz on Thursday for his conduct after a loss to Seattle.

The center did not show up for practice Thursday morning, a day after playing less than 10 minutes in a 113-94 loss to the SuperSonics.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We did not tell him not to come to practice," said Kevin O'Connor, Jazz vice president for basketball operations.

Ostertag's agent, Jeff Austin, did not return messages from The Associated Press on Thursday. Ostertag told The Deseret Morning News on Thursday that he had told O'Connor he wouldn't be at practice.

O'Connor, who would not elaborate on what got Ostertag suspended, said he told Ostertag that wasn't acceptable and he was expected at practice Thursday morning.

O'Connor planned to meet with Ostertag and coach Jerry Sloan to get the matter resolved soon.

Sloan and Ostertag have had several clashes since the Jazz took Ostertag out of Kansas in the first round of the 1995 draft.

Ostertag has played in 41 games this season, his first back in Utah after spending a year in Sacramento. He played his first nine seasons with the Jazz.

Utah plays at Dallas, where Ostertag is from, on Saturday and hosts San Antonio on Monday. The Jazz already have a shortage of players because of injuries and had just 10 players available against the Sonics.

**ILuvDetailing** · January 27th, 2006 01:50 PM

I hate a center that averages 4rebs and 3TOs, maybe playing with Garnet will improve that.

Ricky Davis will benefit most playing with Garnet.

IMO I think the 1st round pick from the Wolves will be key, if they fail to make the playoffs (big possibility) that will be a lottery pick. Olowokandi will be cap relief and won't be resigned. Marcus Banks isn't progressing like the Celts had hoped and basically they've given up on him, Justin Reed is a good player but they already have Orion Greene and Delonte West, medyo overloaded na sila at guard. Mark Blount is somewhat of a bust, averaging 3TOs and only 4rebs not what your looking for from your starting C, and the emergence of Perkins made him expendable.

I'd reserve my judgement on Ainge for now, he had a good draft this year and last year, lets see what happens the next few years

**theveed** · January 27th, 2006 01:57 PM

Wala din draft pick ni Ainge eh, I was hoping that they'll play Gerald more since Tony Allen is injured... Oh well...

**ILuvDetailing** · January 27th, 2006 02:02 PM

What about the future first round pick from the Wolves? next year ba yan?

Anyway the Celts have enough young blue chip prospects, now its time to develop them.