Milwaukee Bucks Blog - The Bob Boozer Jinx : Joe Smith

Mo Williams trade: Cavaliers get their shooter - but how did the Bucks do?

J.D. Mo — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:56:00 GMT

Photo Illustration: Jeremy Jannene

Mo Williams had to be one happy-go-shooting point guard Wednesday after the Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City finalized a trade that sent Mo to the Cavs and brought point guard Luke Ridnour from OK City to the Bucks.

To make the trade happen, the Bucks sent forward Desmond Mason to OK City and accepted the final year of former Buck Damon Jones' contract at $4.5 million.

Also coming to Milwaukee is 34-year-old journeyman forward Adrian Griffin from OK City (still nameless out of Seattle). In addition to Mason, OK City receives Cavs forward-center Joe Smith, a Bucks fan favorite (2003-06) many had hoped would be coming back to Milwaukee in this trade.

Why is Mo happy? The Bucks best shooter last season leaves a lottery team where his growth as an offensive player caused rifts, and goes to a title-contending team where pushing the ball and shooting jumpshots will be a big part of his job description playing with Lebron James.

That the Bucks had to add more than Mo into this trade (Mason) and take Jones off the Cavs hands was no surprise.(See yesterday's post). The Cavs had balked at taking on Mo's 5-year $43 million contract and $8.35M salary, and needed more incentive. This trade had to get bigger in order to happen, and Bucks GM John Hammond stepped up to absorb the messy side of it, all but guaranteeing that the Bucks would be viewed as the team that got the worst end of this deal.

BUCKS: The fact that Hammond was willing give up Mason while taking Jones' contract shouldn't be interpreted as a statement that coach Scott Skiles thinks Luke Ridnour is his answer at point guard. It is, however, a statement that Hammond and Skiles could not foresee moving forward with Mo. It also says fairly loudly that Mason, never the type of game-changing small forward who delivers wins, was expendable on the Richard Jefferson Bucks. Bucks GM Hammond didn't say much in the official Bucks press release, but offered this comment to JSOnline's Charles Gardner when it was suggested that the Lebron-Mo combo could be explosive:

"At the end of the day, you have to evaluate your own situation," Hammond said. "Does it help us, first and foremost? The evaluation was that it did."

How does it help the Bucks?: Gardner didn't ask but I'll fill in.

1) The trade removes a potential headache in Mo. This is not a criticism of Mo as much as it is a recognition of bad blood that exists on the Bucks roster from previous losing seasons. It was apparent at the games that Mo no longer had much tolerance for "the Michael Redd show" and invested part of his final season as a Buck in proving to anyone who cared that he was just as prolific a scorer as Redd. Bucks fans have seen quite enough of the Mo-Redd backcourt, and Hammond and Skiles were wise not to reboot it for one more run. In Brewhoop's estimation, Mo was "the odd man out" when it became clear that Redd was staying after the Jefferson trade.

2) The trade relieves the Bucks of Mo's 5-year, $43 million contract. Ridnour is a two-year, $13M commitment. In trading Mason and Mo, the Bucks cleared out about $14.3M in salary while taking in $12.7M - an immediate $1.6M more in wiggle room under the luxury tax limit, most of which they used to sign Francisco Elson the day of the Mo trade. The Bucks remain about $2M under the luxury tax limit and could free up another $1.7M by cutting Griffin, whose salary is not guaranteed. Next year the Bucks will save $2.36M (the difference between Mo and Ridnour's salaries) but the big benefit comes in 2010, when Ridnour's contract expires and the $9.3M Mo is set to be paid becomes free and clear -- giving the Bucks some room to grow.

3) Acquiring the 27-year-old Ridnour, a point guard in Scott Skiles' image, takes Ramon Sessions out of the fire next season. Sessions, 22, is a focus of Bucks development but has only seven starts under his belt and may need some more time to grow into the starting point guard position. He may not need more time, but that's something for Skiles to sort out in preseason, knowing that he has Ridnour at his disposal and veteran Tyrone Lue behind them. And Jones, if he's allowed to suit up.

4) Ridnour could find an NBA rebirth of sorts in Milwaukee; and in Skiles, he couldn't ask for a better point guard coach. He's not a player Bucks fans have had much of a chance to see (Seattle's national NBA profile having been about as high as Milwaukee's) but Ridnour thrived early in his career as Ray Allen's backcourt mate. He started his second season in the league, as the Sonics won the Northwest Division and routed Sacremento from the playoffs before falling to the eventual champs, the Spurs. Ridnour averaged 11.5 pts, 7 asts that year, and drew comparisons to "a young Steve Nash." But Ridnour lost his starting job to Earl Watson in his fourth year, and last season played 20 minutes per game in a backup role. He was the small (his 6' 2" listing is generous), flashy point guard Sonics fans loved but knew wasn't good enough, or something like that.

Ridnour is a member of the 2006-08 Olympic Senior Men's Basketball program (33 players) and last summer Seattle tried to trade him to Atlanta for the #11 draft pick but the deal fell through (the Hawks eventually traded for Mike Bibby). He reminds me of a smaller version of Scott Skiles, who became an effective NBA point guard with Shaq in Orlando. Ridnour does like to pass and he's fun to watch, even when he's falling down trying to guard Toronto's Jose Calderon (see yesterday's post).

Today we have MiniShaQ's mix, "Lucky Luke Ridnour: Future of the Sonics" ... the "young Steve Nash" interview is at the end.

A couple of other notes: I don't know, obviously, what the roster plans are for Damon Jones or Adrian Griffin. I assume Jones won't be on the active 12-man roster (barring injury, how he could he be with three point guards already on the roster?) and may be further removed still. Trading Jones, however, may be next to impossible.

With Griffin, it's more difficult to say. The Bucks could send 2nd round draft pick Luc Mbah a Moute to the D-League (and/or Joe Alexander if he struggles) and Griffin could fill a stopgap reserve role at small forward. If they release Griffin, however, the Bucks would have $1.7M more to play with under the luxury tax limit should another trade come along or if free agent help is needed.

Whatever pans out with the Bucks new forward, you should read shamsports Adrian Griffin player bio.

Mo Williams trade brewing (and stalling) with Cleveland and Oklahoma City

J.D. Mo — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:21:00 GMT

The Cleveland Cavaliers' quest for backcourt help for Lebron James continues ... With Michael Redd apparently unavailable for the time being, Cavs GM Danny Ferry has set his sights on Bucks point guard Mo Williams, first reported Sunday in the News-Herald of Northern Ohio, a Cleveland area daily.

The Cavs want scoring, and that's our Mo. He was one of the top shooters in the NBA last season, 2nd only to Utah's Kyle Korver in 2-point jumpshooting with a .508 percentage (Korver, Mo and 2-time MVP Steve Nash were the only players in the NBA above 50%). Mo led the Bucks in three-point shooting (38.5%) and free throw shooting (85.6%), averaging 17.2 pts, 6.3 asts per game.

Yet while Mo was the Bucks best shooter last season, he leaves a lot to be desired as a floor general and playmaker -- and he's terrible defender with a five-year, $43M contract. This doesn't make him coach Scott Skiles' kind of point guard. And Cleveland has been knocking.

News-Herald writer Bob Finnan speculated that trade talks may have begun with Cavs point guard Delonte West and two Cavs 2009 expiring contracts -- former Bucks Joe Smith and Damon Jones. West, a restricted free agent, is in a contract dispute with Cavs GM Danny Ferry, and has been offered a "take it or leave it" minimum offer -- $2.8 million for one year. A sign and trade deal sending West to the Bucks with a higher salary would break the impasse.

I watched a lot of Cleveland Cavs playoff basketball. West was acquired from Seattle in the three-team Ben Wallace-Larry Hughes trade and had been on the team only two months -- yet he had stepped in and was doing yeoman work running the offense with Lebron, playing scrappy defense and hitting key shots. He started all 13 playoff games as the Cavs ousted the Wizards and pushed Pierce, Garnett and Allen to the final minute of game seven. Mo Williams for Delonte West and Smith, the crafty 33-year-old forward-center with a soft shooting touch, works for me.

But apparently Bucks GM John Hammond and Skiles are not interested in West. Too much like Mo, probably. Enter Oklahoma City (the team that left its name in Seattle), one of the teams that have reportedly been involved in talks with the Cavs r.e. forward-center Anderson Varejao. (The Bucks have also been one of those teams). OK City, as luck would have it, has a corral of point guards that Scott Skiles could like -- draft pick Russell Westbrook, last year's starter Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour, the point guard during the Ray Allen years in Seattle.

After days of speculation centering on Watson and the possibilities for a larger trade involving power forwards Varejao, OKC's Chris Wilcox and Charlie Villanueva, who do the Bucks reportedly want for Mo Williams? Luke Ridnour, the third stringer, fallen on hard times since the departures of coach Brian Hill and Ray Allen. With the Sonics last season, West played more minutes per game than Ridnour prior to being traded. The Mo trade would reportedly send Mo to Cleveland, Joe Smith to OK City and Ridnour to Milwaukee. Setting aside for a moment whether or not this deal works within NBA rules ...

Luke Ridnour???

That had to hurt. I can understand how Skiles sees a little bit of himself in 27-year-old Ridnour, but

... Luke Ridnour???

And people say Mo is a bad defender ... But hold on. This trade is now stalled. Apparently, ESPN league sources say, Cavs GM Ferry is "balking at taking on Williams' contract. OKC and Milwaukee are ready to do the deal. The trade is not dead, but I'm told as of right now it has stalled."

At least someone came to their senses. I don't think, however, that this was ever "the trade." The salaries don't match. ~~The salary amount going out from a team in a trade has to be within 15 percent of the amount coming in. Trading Mo's~~ ~~$8.35 million salary~~ ~~requires that the Bucks take in at least $7.1M but not more than $9.6M.~~ ~~Ridnour's salary is $6.5M~~ ~~- $600,000 short. OK City is not taking in enough with~~ ~~Smith, whose salary is $4.8M~~ ~~-also about $600,000 short. OK City is under~~ ~~the salary cap~~ ~~and can take over 15 percent of a salary, but they can't undercut.~~ Cleveland and Milwaukee are both over the cap, and the Cavs are over the luxury tax threshold.

The Cavs need to find at least $2.3M to send out in order to take on Mo's contract. This trade could work if the Cavs sawed Delonte West or Damon Jones in two (I'm assuming they would choose Jones) and sent half a player and contract to Milwaukee and half to OK City. Barring that, they could send 1st round draft pick J.J. Hickson, a 6' 9" forward to either team, and fill in the other team's gap with Tarence Kinsey, an athletic 6' 6" guard built to play D whom the Cavs signed this month. After all that, the Cavs would still be $200,000 short of being within 15 percent of Mo's salary. Going deeper to the Cavs bench, guard Billy Thomas or center Lance Allred would cover it.

By now, Danny Ferry is no doubt cursing Larry Harris for paying Mo too much last summer. The Cavs have an $85.5 million payroll, some $13M over the luxury tax limit. Because Cleveland is over limit, the Cavs would have to send a dollar-for-dollar tax to the league based on how much additional payroll Mo's contract adds. As this deal lays now, the Cavs would pay Mo his salary plus about $1 M to the NBA -- a total of $9.3 million. For this privelege, they would give up Smith, a key role player in their front court rotation, and possibly three players including the 1st round draft pick -- after pinching pennies with Delonte West.

No wonder Ferry's balking and the deal is stalled. The price is high. Keep in mind that the Cavs can stand pat and still know that they are a contender for the title. The only team in the East that has proven it can beat Lebron in a playoff series is the Boston Celtics. Would Mo make the difference? Or would a healthy Boobie Gibson serve just as well? Cleveland and Ferry may have picked up the phone to get the ball rolling on this trade, but they're good enough as a team to risk nothing by waiting to see how the season unfolds.

And Luke Ridnour? Here he is in better times, the 2005 playoffs against Sacramento. This must be the guy that Hammond and Skiles are hoping to acquire:

Playoff Props: Spurs Horry clean or dirty? Plus, more "What ifs" for Bucks fans

J.D. Mo — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:32:00 GMT

I'm finally ready to say it: This is not the Spurs year.

I've avoided blogging about the Spurs-Hornets series, which has come down to Game 7 in "the hive" in New Orleans tonight, because every year that I count the Spurs out, the defending champs manage to count themselves in. Pass on props to say, Manu Ginobli's magicianship or Tim Duncan's fundamental genius in the post, and the Spurs stumble. Talk up Bruce Bowen's defense and he fouls out.

I may be jinxing the Hornets, but I like the chances of Chris Paul and gang closing out the Spurs, if only because Paul's Hornets have been great at home (like all of the teams still playing this past weekend) and the officials will be all over the Spurs -- thanks to Robert Horry's illegal pick into airborne Hornets forward David West's ailing lower back. This is a context thing that goes back to last year when the Spurs bullied past the Suns in the Western Finals after Horry body-checked Steve Nash into the scorers' table (the Suns lost Amar Stoudamire in the aftermath for leaving the Suns bench). And now it's Horry again in a tight series with a controversial, if not dirty, play.

Or was it? Clean it was not -- Horry was called for a foul. But how dirty was it? Check it out:

The "What ifs" of the Larry Harris era: It was difficult to watch the Celtics-Cavs series and not think "What if the Bucks hadn't _________ ?" (Fill in the blank.) All told, there were five ex-Bucks on the Celtics-Cavs rosters. Big forward Joe Smith and guard Damon Jones for the Cavs; for the Celtics, guard Eddie House and Sam and Ray.

Game 7 featured a strong performance by House, who brought energy and experience and great shooting off the bench for the Celtics in the first half. In the second half, House, Ray and Rajon Rondo rotated in and out, taking care of the ball and leaving the game-saving for Paul Pierce (41 points). In 71 minutes, the three Celtics guards turned the ball over only four times (boxscore). The Celtics as a team turned it over only 10 times, to 14 by the Cavs. Game.

Bucks fans may vaguely remember House from the 2004-05 season. The Bucks picked him up in Dec. 2004 off the waiver wire and he played five games in a deep reserve role during the Bucks 9-20 start, logging a total of 42 minutes. I saw him against Philly in 2004, the game in which Allen Iverson went off for a Bradley Center record 54 points in a blowout of the Bucks, featuring atrocious defense by Bucks starting guards Mo Williams and Michael Redd. House looked pretty good firing threes off the bench, hitting two and scoring eight points in 17 minutes (boxscore).

House was waived in January, in favor of guards Erick Strickland, in his final year as a pro, and point guard Mike James, traded to Houston for Reece Gaines at the trading deadline. James would start for Toronto the next season while Gaines stuck around at the end of the Bucks bench for another year. Gaines hasn't played in the NBA since. Also on that 2004-05 team was 36-year-old Kendall Gill, in his final season as a pro.

Most Bucks fans would probably prefer to forget that season, the year of waiting for TJ Ford to recover from his spinal injury. Mo Williams (from Utah) and James (from Detroit) had been signed as free agents to fill in for TJ, who had no replacement because Harris had let TJ's backup, Damon Jones, go to Miami in free agency -- on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. By the second month of the season, Harris was still looking for guards on the waiver wire (Eddie House), who was just as good as any of them, yet didn't fit into Harris' equation at all, if Harris had an equation or a plan.

Can we finally say, as Bucks fans, that the T.J. Ford project was a waste of time? Injuries, free agent signings, a string of journeymen guards wearing Bucks uniforms. It was all so ... bad.

Ernie Grunfeld/Larry Harris didn't need to be shrewd to simply say "stop" after the 2003 Ray Allen trade and hold on to Sam Cassell, who had three years left on his contract. To a team trying to fill a void left by trading Allen, and with Gary Payton leaving in free agency, a veteran floor leader like Sam "I Am" was a necessity. It's not as though the Bucks were in rebuilding mode - Michael Redd, Tim Thomas, Desmond Mason and Toni Kukoc were coming back. Sam was 34-years-old, but the clown prince of basketball would play 218 games over the final three years of his contract. It defied all reason to opt for a rookie point guard going into the 2003-04 season.

But that's what the Bucks did. GM Grunfeld stayed on after the firing of coach George Karl, through the drafting of TJ -- and a week later swung the Sam Cassell/Ervin Johnson for Joe Smith trade. Almost as if to say, "we might have made a mistake," one of Larry Harris' first moves as GM was to get even more point guard help, signing Damon Jones to a free agent contract. The other guards were Strickland and Brevin Knight. Jones would lead the 2003-04 Bucks in assists.

With a rookie and Jones at point guard, Redd took over the offense. Forward Tim Thomas was a little more than disgruntled by mid-season and was traded for Keith Van Horne. TJ went down for the season with 26 games to go. The Bucks down the stretch squandered the #4 playoff seed and round one home court advantage, falling to 6th and a first round matchup with eventual NBA champion Detroit. None of this occurs if Sam Cassell is a Buck. But Sam "I Am" was busy making the All-Pro team in Minnesota, and, with Kevin Garnett, leading the T-Wolves to the best record in the league and the Western Conference championships.

What if the Cassell trade never happens?

The immediate benefit is no rookie point guard or string of undersized free agent point guards for three years. Some of those players are effective journeyman pros: Damon Jones, Mo Williams, even Mike James. TJ Ford, too. But the differences between them are slight. Case in point Sunday: Eddie House, not TJ Ford or Damon Jones, played a key role in winning a playoff game seven, to say nothing of Reece Gaines. It was as if Larry Harris was a kid in the little point guard candy store, trying different flavors of the same type of player.

Immediate problem number one is at power forward. Keep Sam and there is no Joe Smith. No great loss there. As steady rollin' as Joe is, he played only 2/3 of the games while a Buck and Harris gave up on him in 2006, trading him for Ruben Patterson, whom Harris let go a year later. Another waste. But the 2003-04 Bucks need a power forward (the Bucks were still paying millions to two PFs whose playing days ended in 2003, Anthony Mason and Jason Caffey.) Luckily, there are two players in the 2003 NBA draft (the Lebron draft) who can help: Nick Collison, a 6'9" forward out of Kansas, picked #12 by the Supersonics; and David West, five years away from being victimized by Robert Horry, 6'9" out of Xavier, drafted #18 by the Hornets. Hindsight being 20/20 and West the more athletic player, averaging 20pts and 9rbs per game for NO this season, the Bucks draft West over Collison. While West develops, the Bucks fill the void with journeyman veterans, and there are plenty of those in the NBA. The Bucks had one in 2003-04, Brian Skinner.

Cassell, Redd, Thomas, West, Mason, Kukoc, Skinner -- this is a playoff team, one that's good enough for a four spot but not good enough to beat Indiana or Detroit in conference semis. The Bucks still have a couple of problems. The centers are Joel Przybilla and Dan Gadzuric. Instead of trading Pryz to Atlanta, the Bucks hang on to him. They also hang on to Skinner heading into 2004-05, as they have no 2004 draft pick. At this point, Kohl is probably over the luxury tax because Caffey and Mason are still on the payroll. The Bob Boozer Jinx at work.

Cassell also presents a problem. He's a free agent in 2006, and would likely leave Milwaukee. Sam's happiness is a fleeting thing. Harris has to figure out how to get value out of Sam in a trade before it's too late. Good thing Timmy and Dez are around. Sam/Timmy or Sam/Mason is a nice package for any number of teams. Dallas is looking to move Michael Finley. Finley's expensive, but Sam/Timmy balance it out, and Harris has until February to make the deal. 2004-05 probably isn't a playoff year, and it's a good year to fall into the lottery. The Bucks are looking forward to 2005-06 when Caffey and Mason are finally off the books. Sometime during the year, Sam/Timmy are traded for a scoring small forward and possibly a reserve guard or PF. No danger of the forward being Bobby Simmons -- too much value in the Bucks package. Best option is Finley.

2005 draft, the immediate need is point guard now that Sam is gone. Center is the secondary need. This is a good thing because Deron Williams and Chris Paul are in the draft, and the Bucks are lucky. They don't get the #1 pick in the lottery but are lucky enough to get Deron Williams (like Utah, the Bucks have Deron rated higher than Chris Paul; it couldn't be helped). The future looks bright.

The big men are still a problem, and Zaza Pachulia is now in the mix. With no Bogut coming in, the Bucks match Atlanta's 4-year/$14 million offer to Zaza and keep him. Przybilla's still on the team and Gadzuric needs to be signed, but not for six years/$36 million. Maybe the Bucks don't keep all three. There's less money for free agent Redd, too, because the Bucks are paying the scoring small forward (Finley?) received in the Cassell trade. Besides, Cassell never allowed Redd to take over the offense and become a gaudy 25-ppg scorer. The reason this ever happened at all (it shouldn't have) was that Redd took advantage of rookie and free agent point guards, and inexperienced coaches. Sam has had a reality-inducing impact on Redd's game, and the Bucks save up to $20 million on Redd's 2005 contract.

The 2005-06 Bucks: Rookie Deron Williams PG; Michael Redd SG; Michael Finley SF; a developing David West PF; a goofy bunch of non-scoring centers but Zaza looks better and better, and he can shoot. Off the bench, Damon Jones/Mo Williams/maybe somebody like Marquis Daniels (from Dallas); Toni Kukoc is in his final year and the Bucks still have Desmond Mason. No, it's not a mighty bench, but the nucleus of the team with Deron at point is good enough to upset the Cavs in round one of the playoffs. Terry Porter, by the way, is still the coach. He even wins some 2005-06 Coach of the Year votes.

Bucks fans are downright optimistic about their team. They prove it by buying tickets. At the 1-4 spots, the Bucks have one of the better starting groups in the league. The Bucks and Cavaliers are the up and coming teams in the East, with the Baby Bulls and Wizards struggling to keep up. David West is becoming a force. Some observers say the team has "good chemistry" and should contend for years if the right piece or two is added. The 2006 draft is a lousy one, but the Bucks don't have a great pick anyway. A good big man would be nice, and that's something to work on.

Overall, the Bucks-o-sphere is a happy, happy place. ....

All because the Bucks held onto to their veteran point guard, Sam "I Am" Cassell, just a little while longer.

Playoff Props - What's up Doc?

J.D. Mo — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:19:00 GMT

After another surpisingly out-of-synch playoff performance on the road by the Boston Celtics, Celtics coach Doc Rivers finds his team in a difficult situation with its starting point guard, 21-year-old Rajon Rondo. Rondo finished with zero assists in Game 3 against the Cavaliers on Sunday and was thoroughly outplayed by the Cavs' Delonte West.

Rondo's not ready to help the Celtics win it all; that was all too clear Saturday night. On Doc's bench is the answer: the clown prince of NBA guards, Sam "I Am" Cassell, offensive genius. Yet Rivers has been slow to pull Rondo when things are going badly.

At one point in the 3rd Quarter of Saturday night's game, the ABC cameras found West on defense, playing one of the saggiest one-man zones I've seen in the NBA. He wasn't even guarding Rondo, clogging the paint instead to make life difficult for KG and Paul Pierce. As the minutes passed, the Celtics struggled to cut the lead to 15, then watched it fall back to 20. No team in the NBA would dare to not guard Sam Cassell. Yet Sam sat. Rivers finally went to Cassell at the start of the fourth quarter and the Celtics pulled to within 12, but could get no closer.

With Rondo in the game, Paul Pierce fought for shots and Ray Allen scarcely shot at all, turning playmaker when he did get the ball. Unselfish play by Ray, but that's what Rondo should have been doing, instead of driving the ball at Big Ben Wallace, Z-Ilgauskus and Lebron James. Is Rivers worried about deflating Rondo's confidence in the playoffs? Or is it a team chemistry thing because Sam is the new guy? Whatever the case, Rivers has been far too much of a players' coach where Rondo is concerned, and it's part of the reason the Atlanta series went to seven games.

It doesn't seem to matter when the Celtics are playing in the Garden, but on the road, Rivers has to be quicker to go to Sam when the offense is struggling. If Sam, at 38, wears down, go back to Rondo, but don't give Rondo the reins in the 3rd Quarter on the road -- unless Doc is willing to sacrifice a championship for an "experience" playoffs for Rondo. If the Celtics fall short of the NBA Finals (they're by no means a shoe-in for conference finals) Rivers failure to make game adjustments will be the first thing called into question.

Trust in Sam, Doc. You won't be sorry.

Steady rollin' Joe The Celtics-Cavs series is THE one for Bucks fans. There are future Bucks to watch in Cleveland's Danny Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak ( I finally spelled it right - I think) -- How you doing on that Michael Redd, trade, Lebron? And there are ex-Bucks to watch in Ray and Sam "I Am", and, coming off the Cleveland bench, Joe Smith (Damon Jones is on that bench too, but rarely leaves it).

Joe had a steady-rollin' game Saturday - 24 minutes, 17 points on 7/8 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 fouls. Smith made a couple of more shots than he normally would, but as Bucks fans know, his game was not that different than it ever was. Smith doesn't force anything, takes good shots, rebounds, plays D and gives his team a chance to win, though he won't be "the guy" winning it.

Smith, 32, came to the Bucks from the T-Wolves in the 2003 trade for Sam Cassell and Ervin Johnson. It was Ernie Grunfeld's last trade as GM, which coincided with the drafting of point guard T.J. Ford. Two weeks later, the woeful era of GM Larry Harris began. Smith started at power forward for two years, averaging 11 pts., 8 boards per game (which makes him one of the more productive power forwards in Bucks history). The following year, Smith came off the bench behind Jamal Magliore and Andrew Bogut, but was hobbled with injuries for much of the year - no doubt the effects of the Bob Boozer Jinx at work again at the Bucks PF position.

"Slickless" Larry eventually traded Smith to Denver for forward Ruben Patterson in Aug., 2006, trade #5 in a series of six dubious Larry trades that left Charlie Villanueva as the only player resource standing. Apparently Harris, never known for his patience, didn't feel like waiting for Smith to fully rehab his knee. The Bucks let Patterson go to the LA Clippers as a free agent in 1997.

In other words, in true Slickless style, the Bucks got nothing for Joe Smith. By the transitive property of the tradelines, this also means the Bucks got nothing for Sam Cassell, who, when he was traded for Smith in 2003 was under contract with the Bucks for another three seasons (at about $6 million per year) -- and should not have been traded at all.

What if the Bucks kept Sam? Instead of drafting T.J., the Bucks draft a forward in 2003 (say, David West). Terry Porter, in his first year as coach, has a leader on the floor in Sam (who was 2nd Team All-NBA 2003-04), and a developing big forward instead of injury prone Smith. Michael Redd's development as a scorer is more natural and team-oriented, and Redd never becomes the black hole or the $51 million, three-year contract problem that he is now. Sam controls the offense; Redd's contract extension doesn't get insane. Tim Thomas is happier (for a while anyway), the Bucks win more and there's less for Slickless Larry to foul up in 2005. Terry Porter keeps his job. Let's stop there, as it's beginning to look like this topic would be better as a post of its own.

In the meantime, Sam "I Am" fans have the Celtics-Cavs series, and Joe Smith and Ray Allen too.

And there's this, which I found whilst surfing around today. It's samcassellonline.org, the unofficial Sam Cassell website, created by a few of the LA Clippers faithful. Now that's good stuff.