Stars want easy way out
Sean Deveney /
Posted: 17 hours ago // front-end hack to remove postedTime from Rumors page until a better way can be determined if (document.URL.indexOf("/name/FS/rumors") != -1) document.getElementById("postedTime").style.display = 'none';
What better way to announce to the world, "I've failed but I want to blame someone else," than by lodging a trade demand? This is especially true for star players or, at least, for players who are paid like stars.
Tracy McGrady, for example, demanded a trade out of Orlando this summer, and got one. McGrady's message to the world was clear: "I'm not going to win with the Magic, and I don't want to be here for the hard work of rebuilding, so put me someplace where other people have already done the work." That's the essence of most trade demands.
Baron Davis shot just 39.5 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from the 3-point line last season. (Gregory Shamus / GettyImages)
True, some organizations are simply not run well, and players may get tired of changes in management and coaching. But players are well-paid by teams and well-supported by fans —shouldn't they have some obligation to face a team's situation and try to be part of fixing it, rather than whining for a trade when things go badly?
And shouldn't players who are paid to be the focus of their team accept some responsibility when things go wrong? Orlando, for example, was never able to cobble a decent lineup around McGrady—that's the organization's fault—but McGrady should have been a better leader last season when the Magic was in its early season freefall. Instead, he seemed to slip into numbness.
Early this month, word leaked that Hornets point guard Baron Davis was looking for a trade out of New Orleans, and his agent confirmed that he was fishing for deals. Indeed, it was a rough year for the Hornets. The Jamal Mashburn situation spiraled out of control. They slipped from 47-35 to 41-41 and were bounced from the playoffs in the first round. Their hire of coach Tim Floyd to replace Paul Silas proved to be a joke.
But rather than tucking in his tail and looking to blow out of town, maybe Davis should look in the mirror. His conditioning has long been an issue for the Hornets, and though he was in better shape last season, he was still slightly overweight and still missed 15 games. Davis shot just 39.5 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from the 3-point line, but that did not stop him from taking 20.9 shots per game, second in the league. And he ranked eighth in the league with 3.2 turnovers per game.
What's more, says one Western Conference scout, "He never gave Floyd a chance. I remember watching him one game he would get the play from the sideline, then would go out and do whatever he wanted anyway."
This from the Hornets All-Star point guard? This from the guy New Orleans is paying a max contract? Isn't Davis at all accountable for what has happened to his team?
Peja Stojakovic of the Kings also lodged a trade demand this summer.
"You could see this year, late in the year, we didn't have good chemistry and didn't play good basketball," Stojakovic told The Associated Press. "I just think that the team had [its] chances, and opportunities are closing, and the team needs new players."
What Stojakovic does not mention is that, once again, he proved to be a playoff bust. After shooting a nifty 48.0 percent during the regular season, Stojakovic shot 38.4 percent in the postseason and was 3-for-12 with eight points in the Kings' elimination game. Bad chemistry? 3-for-12 from your leading scorer generally does not help chemistry.
After shooting 48.0 percent during the regular season, Peja Stojakovic shot just 38.4 percent in the postseason. (Rocky Widner / GettyImages)
The most recent trade demand, though, is also the most absurd: Vince Carter told the Toronto Star he wants out. This is a franchise that, for better or for worse, has catered to Carter. After a thrilling playoff run in 2000, when Carter and the Raptors were within one shot of the East finals, it looked like the Raptors were a team on the rise. Carter was eligible for an extension that summer, and to get him to sign, the Raptors had to show him they were willing to spend to keep the team together.
Well, they spent. Alvin Williams, Jerome Williams and Antonio Davis got rich deals worth about $150 million combined. The Raptors even took a chance on washed-up center Hakeem Olajuwon.
All this was to persuade Vince to sign a six-year, $86 million extension. He signed it, and nothing has gone right in Toronto since. Jerome Williams and Davis have been traded, Olajuwon played just 61 ineffective games for Toronto and Alvin Williams has struggled to stay healthy. Toronto has gone through three coaches since.
Toronto is still trying to dig out of the bad contracts it got into in order to keep Carter in 2000. If the team has been unable to sign quality players to put around Carter, then it's Carter who should shoulder some of the blame. He's the reason the team overspent in the first place and his contract takes up more than a quarter of the cap space.
And Carter has changed his game from the high-flying, aggressive dunk machine he was early in his career to a much tamer, more cautious game. He's earned a reputation as a softie, afraid to attack the rim and as his slate of injuries (especially to his knees) gets longer each year, his usefulness on the court drops. Like Davis, he is being paid a max contract — it behooves him to play like a max contract guy, and if he doesn't, that's not the fault of the organization.
The Raptors have so thoroughly built themselves around Carter that he is synonymous with the franchise. So, if he claims that the franchise is no good he is, in a way, saying, "Vince Carter is no good."
Wouldn't it be nice if, instead of shooting off his mouth about a trade, Carter said something like, "I'm overpaid, and I didn't play particularly well last year. Hopefully I can do a better job for the organization." I won't hold my breath. Sean Deveney is a staff writer for Sporting News. Email him at sdeveney@sportingnews.com.
Sean Deveney /
Posted: 17 hours ago // front-end hack to remove postedTime from Rumors page until a better way can be determined if (document.URL.indexOf("/name/FS/rumors") != -1) document.getElementById("postedTime").style.display = 'none';
What better way to announce to the world, "I've failed but I want to blame someone else," than by lodging a trade demand? This is especially true for star players or, at least, for players who are paid like stars.
Tracy McGrady, for example, demanded a trade out of Orlando this summer, and got one. McGrady's message to the world was clear: "I'm not going to win with the Magic, and I don't want to be here for the hard work of rebuilding, so put me someplace where other people have already done the work." That's the essence of most trade demands.
True, some organizations are simply not run well, and players may get tired of changes in management and coaching. But players are well-paid by teams and well-supported by fans —shouldn't they have some obligation to face a team's situation and try to be part of fixing it, rather than whining for a trade when things go badly?
And shouldn't players who are paid to be the focus of their team accept some responsibility when things go wrong? Orlando, for example, was never able to cobble a decent lineup around McGrady—that's the organization's fault—but McGrady should have been a better leader last season when the Magic was in its early season freefall. Instead, he seemed to slip into numbness.
Early this month, word leaked that Hornets point guard Baron Davis was looking for a trade out of New Orleans, and his agent confirmed that he was fishing for deals. Indeed, it was a rough year for the Hornets. The Jamal Mashburn situation spiraled out of control. They slipped from 47-35 to 41-41 and were bounced from the playoffs in the first round. Their hire of coach Tim Floyd to replace Paul Silas proved to be a joke.
But rather than tucking in his tail and looking to blow out of town, maybe Davis should look in the mirror. His conditioning has long been an issue for the Hornets, and though he was in better shape last season, he was still slightly overweight and still missed 15 games. Davis shot just 39.5 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from the 3-point line, but that did not stop him from taking 20.9 shots per game, second in the league. And he ranked eighth in the league with 3.2 turnovers per game.
What's more, says one Western Conference scout, "He never gave Floyd a chance. I remember watching him one game he would get the play from the sideline, then would go out and do whatever he wanted anyway."
This from the Hornets All-Star point guard? This from the guy New Orleans is paying a max contract? Isn't Davis at all accountable for what has happened to his team?
Peja Stojakovic of the Kings also lodged a trade demand this summer.
"You could see this year, late in the year, we didn't have good chemistry and didn't play good basketball," Stojakovic told The Associated Press. "I just think that the team had [its] chances, and opportunities are closing, and the team needs new players."
What Stojakovic does not mention is that, once again, he proved to be a playoff bust. After shooting a nifty 48.0 percent during the regular season, Stojakovic shot 38.4 percent in the postseason and was 3-for-12 with eight points in the Kings' elimination game. Bad chemistry? 3-for-12 from your leading scorer generally does not help chemistry.
The most recent trade demand, though, is also the most absurd: Vince Carter told the Toronto Star he wants out. This is a franchise that, for better or for worse, has catered to Carter. After a thrilling playoff run in 2000, when Carter and the Raptors were within one shot of the East finals, it looked like the Raptors were a team on the rise. Carter was eligible for an extension that summer, and to get him to sign, the Raptors had to show him they were willing to spend to keep the team together.
Well, they spent. Alvin Williams, Jerome Williams and Antonio Davis got rich deals worth about $150 million combined. The Raptors even took a chance on washed-up center Hakeem Olajuwon.
All this was to persuade Vince to sign a six-year, $86 million extension. He signed it, and nothing has gone right in Toronto since. Jerome Williams and Davis have been traded, Olajuwon played just 61 ineffective games for Toronto and Alvin Williams has struggled to stay healthy. Toronto has gone through three coaches since.
Toronto is still trying to dig out of the bad contracts it got into in order to keep Carter in 2000. If the team has been unable to sign quality players to put around Carter, then it's Carter who should shoulder some of the blame. He's the reason the team overspent in the first place and his contract takes up more than a quarter of the cap space.
And Carter has changed his game from the high-flying, aggressive dunk machine he was early in his career to a much tamer, more cautious game. He's earned a reputation as a softie, afraid to attack the rim and as his slate of injuries (especially to his knees) gets longer each year, his usefulness on the court drops. Like Davis, he is being paid a max contract — it behooves him to play like a max contract guy, and if he doesn't, that's not the fault of the organization.
The Raptors have so thoroughly built themselves around Carter that he is synonymous with the franchise. So, if he claims that the franchise is no good he is, in a way, saying, "Vince Carter is no good."
Wouldn't it be nice if, instead of shooting off his mouth about a trade, Carter said something like, "I'm overpaid, and I didn't play particularly well last year. Hopefully I can do a better job for the organization." I won't hold my breath. Sean Deveney is a staff writer for Sporting News. Email him at sdeveney@sportingnews.com.
