Anyone Want a Poet-Center?

My friend Jeff pointed out to me that the obvious solution to the Wizards' Etan Thomas problem is for Ernie Grunfeld to work out a trade for him before he gets healthy enough for Eddie Jordan to put him back in the rotation and ruin things. Given that the team is basically fine with Thomas injured, I'd be willing to trade him for just about anything but we need $6 million in salary to match so it's a bit trickier than just dumping him off for a couple of undesirable draft picks or something.

Comments

The Ernie Grunfeld, moving players around like pawns?

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ezsearch.pl?search=gruenfeld

Posted by rea | January 23, 2008 1:31 PM

Is Willie Green's salary a close enough match that they can make a trade with the Sixers? Unfortunately, I suspect neither GM would, as they think more highly of their players than the rest of us do.

Posted by Dantheman | January 23, 2008 1:36 PM

Do the Wizards have a trade exception? Plus, if they're willing to acquire a player of similar skill level but different skill set such that it better fills a helpful niche, and they're really desperate to trade Thomas, I'm sure someone who's paying that sort of player $7M a year would be thrilled to trade. Most teams still value centers, any centers at all, pretty heavily.

Posted by jhupp | January 23, 2008 1:39 PM

To the Lakers for Vlad, I suppose. We need big men, you need not Etan Thomas. Contracts are the same length, though Vlad has an option for an extra year. Both are working their ways off injuries.

I think Vlad is a much better player than Etan, but he hasn't really showed it for the Lakers.

Posted by SomeCallMeTim | January 23, 2008 1:41 PM

The problem is that Etan is due $6M+ for this year and the next two. That's a fairly long term contract someone is trading for.

I don't think he's a Mid Level Exception guy, but he's signed for the next 2+ years at a salary over the MLE.

Posted by Al | January 23, 2008 1:43 PM

Maybe the Wiz would like Darius Miles from the Blazers? He does have a $8.25M salary this year and $9.0M next year though, and of course he hasn't played as he continues to try to recover from micro-fracture knee surgery....but the Wiz and Blazers would be trading roster headaches....

Posted by Tiparillo | January 23, 2008 1:44 PM

That link's connection to Etan Thomas is mysterious.

Posted by Antid Oto | January 23, 2008 1:49 PM

Why was there no Wire post this week??? or was there one that i missed?

Posted by sean | January 23, 2008 1:55 PM

The Warriors have a large trade exception from the Jason Richardson deal.

However, they already had an overpaid poet-centr under contract, and waived him just before the season:

http://www.adonalfoyle.com/FC_poetry_corner.shtml

So they might not be in the market for another one.

Posted by Swopa | January 23, 2008 2:02 PM

I'd be willing to trade him for just about anything but we need $6 million in salary...

What do you mean "we," white man?

Posted by Delicious Pundit | January 23, 2008 2:04 PM

I thought this was going to be a post about a place where poets could go hang out. If that question ever comes up, no, I don't want a poet center.

With regard to Eton, he is actually a nice guy, provided you are not a marginally more talented center starting ahead of him.

Posted by Njorl | January 23, 2008 2:09 PM

Please stop talking about the NBA!

Posted by bajsa | January 23, 2008 2:36 PM

Matthew seems unfamiliar with the concept of "bad contracts".

To trade Eton, you don't get draft picks back. You give draft picks away.

Posted by Petey | January 23, 2008 2:47 PM

I'm with Petey, Matt is soudnign liek a Yankee fan you thinks the rest of the league will trade them good players for their garbage.

3 years at 6 mil per? Why would any team take that on unless they are getting rid of an even worse contract? The Wiz will need to pay someone to take Thomas of their hands.

And forget Portland and Miles, Prichard is shrewdly getting rid of long term contracts, not taking them back, (check out the trades he makes, when he takes back a boat anchor like LaFrentz it is a shorter boat anchor than the one he sends out)

I suppose as long as Isaiah Thomas is running the Knicks there will be at least one GM stupidly taking on contracts, so mayeb the Wiz have some hope:-)

Posted by Eric K | January 23, 2008 4:10 PM

Does Washington need a backup/spot-starter point guard? Seems like Seattle's Earl Watson (due $13m over 2 years) might need a new home, and the Sonics are short on big bodies in the middle.

Posted by robsalk | January 23, 2008 5:02 PM

yes, I want a poet-centre, if you're asking

Posted by B | January 23, 2008 5:11 PM

I'm surprised Adonal Foyle could get to the end of a couplet without fumbling the pen out of bounds.

Posted by Alan in SF | January 23, 2008 5:11 PM

Sonics are short on big bodies in the middle

They are? Even with Kurt Thomas, Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison, and Johan Petro? (Not to mention Robert Swift coming back at some point.)

Posted by Al | January 23, 2008 5:18 PM

robsalk's trade makes no sense for either team.

Posted by Petey | January 23, 2008 5:25 PM

Bball players who blog are the next big thing (paul shirly, rod bensen, arenas, that new warrior guy) and a valuable marketing tool bringing in the spondulicks NBA owners are so concerned about. I propose that a new position be created, that of blog/_____. Blog/forward, blog/guard, or, in Thomas case, should he be able to provide tasty daily posts, blog/center. Since the Wiz already have Arenas, they should be looking to trade Thomas to a team lacking a blog/______. Perhaps the Knicks could be sold on this startling new vision.

ps. Didn't the warriors trade or give or loan Foyal to the Magic?

Posted by cw | January 23, 2008 6:19 PM

The Warriors bought out Foyle's contract, and he signed as a free agent with Orlando

Posted by Alan in SF | January 23, 2008 8:22 PM

Bball players who blog are the next big thing

Well, the wrong kind of bball, but:

http://yardbarker.com/author/column/19355

Posted by rea | January 23, 2008 8:26 PM