http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&id=1920625
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Chad Ford chats in SportsNation today at 1 p.m. ET.
One team is 4-1 and a contender for the Eastern Conference throne. The other is 1-4, and sinking fast in the wild, wild West.
Each has an All-Star small forward who has been an integral part of the team's success in the recent past – now it's time to trade them for each other.
Without delay, Kings GM Geoff Petrie and Pacers GM Larry Bird should pick up the phone, call each other and offer to rekindle talks of a Peja Stojakovic for Ron Artest trade.
Here's why:
* * *
Predrag Stojakovic
Forward
Sacramento Kings
Profile
2004-2005 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
5 16.0 4.0 1.6 .346 .909
In Sacramento, Stojakovic's heart is not in it. After the team let Vlade Divac go this summer and turned the leadership of the team over to Chris Webber, Stojakovic wanted to bolt.
Through his agent, David Bauman, he asked to be traded, claiming he no longer felt comfortable on the team.
Through a month of training camp and the first two weeks of the season, it has shown. The trade request rankled the Kings, who got in several shouting matches with Bauman over the course of the summer. Stojakovic's teammates weren't pleased either. But it has had an even bigger effect on Peja.
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Anyone have espn insider???
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Chad Ford chats in SportsNation today at 1 p.m. ET.
One team is 4-1 and a contender for the Eastern Conference throne. The other is 1-4, and sinking fast in the wild, wild West.
Each has an All-Star small forward who has been an integral part of the team's success in the recent past – now it's time to trade them for each other.
Without delay, Kings GM Geoff Petrie and Pacers GM Larry Bird should pick up the phone, call each other and offer to rekindle talks of a Peja Stojakovic for Ron Artest trade.
Here's why:
* * *
Predrag Stojakovic
Forward
Sacramento Kings
Profile
2004-2005 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
5 16.0 4.0 1.6 .346 .909
In Sacramento, Stojakovic's heart is not in it. After the team let Vlade Divac go this summer and turned the leadership of the team over to Chris Webber, Stojakovic wanted to bolt.
Through his agent, David Bauman, he asked to be traded, claiming he no longer felt comfortable on the team.
Through a month of training camp and the first two weeks of the season, it has shown. The trade request rankled the Kings, who got in several shouting matches with Bauman over the course of the summer. Stojakovic's teammates weren't pleased either. But it has had an even bigger effect on Peja.
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Anyone have espn insider???
Here's the thing, of the four most interesting made up trades that people came up with for Peja this summer (most interesting to me), only one seems as interesting/possible now:
1) Peja for Artest -- even this summer I said I wouldn't be interested unless Jonathon Bender was thrown in the deal too -- did not trust Artest and Bender might have as shot to replace Peja's offense. Now Artest is asking for time off to go record a rap album. How about we don't get the unfocused nut?
2) Peja for Kirilenko -- seemed unlikely the Jazz would be interested even this summer (which says all you need to know about Peja's MVP status), now with Utah's hot start and Peja's cold one, its impossible.
3) Peja (and presumably Doug/Martin) for Marion and Johnson -- again a trade idea predicated on the theory that Phoenix wanted to unload Marion's bloated contract and didn't really know how good Johnson was, and would be interested in bringing in Peja to balance the lineup. And again, with Phoenix's hot start, and Peja's cold one, even if it was ever possible, its not now.
4) Peja for Pierce -- predicated on Danny Ainge being an idiot perhaps. In any case, who knows whether its still possible.
Bottomline, even if we wanted to make a move, getting value would be very tough at the moment -- Peja certainly isn't upping his trade value right now. May never have been higher than last year just BEFORE the playoffs began. Been all downhill from there.
1) Peja for Artest -- even this summer I said I wouldn't be interested unless Jonathon Bender was thrown in the deal too -- did not trust Artest and Bender might have as shot to replace Peja's offense. Now Artest is asking for time off to go record a rap album. How about we don't get the unfocused nut?
2) Peja for Kirilenko -- seemed unlikely the Jazz would be interested even this summer (which says all you need to know about Peja's MVP status), now with Utah's hot start and Peja's cold one, its impossible.
3) Peja (and presumably Doug/Martin) for Marion and Johnson -- again a trade idea predicated on the theory that Phoenix wanted to unload Marion's bloated contract and didn't really know how good Johnson was, and would be interested in bringing in Peja to balance the lineup. And again, with Phoenix's hot start, and Peja's cold one, even if it was ever possible, its not now.
4) Peja for Pierce -- predicated on Danny Ainge being an idiot perhaps. In any case, who knows whether its still possible.
Bottomline, even if we wanted to make a move, getting value would be very tough at the moment -- Peja certainly isn't upping his trade value right now. May never have been higher than last year just BEFORE the playoffs began. Been all downhill from there.
T
Not for Artest...
Did you hear about Artest's current troubles in Indiana? He has missed two games and might even miss another. Would you trust a guy who can't even get his act together and be competitive??? Anyways, AK-47 is the best defender in the NBA, not Artest, so I would rather trade Peja for Kirilenko.
Did you hear about Artest's current troubles in Indiana? He has missed two games and might even miss another. Would you trust a guy who can't even get his act together and be competitive??? Anyways, AK-47 is the best defender in the NBA, not Artest, so I would rather trade Peja for Kirilenko.
