EG and Cat, according to Insider 'Trade Winds'

Best trade partner and deal is Bulls.

Consider this lineup

Yao/Cato/Meech
Fizer/Cato
Marshall/Jackson/Boki
Jackson/Piat
Steve/scrub

 

I just don't see us trading Mobley and EG right now UNLESS there is an obvious upgrade at either 2, 3, or 4. And by looking at that list we really don't get an upgrade...

 

more like the fantasy football dude who offers you McCardell, Batts, and Hilliard for the Colts' Ricky Williams....

 

Go to the EG thread... pg 11 or 12 I think.

 

I agree with your assesment, EG has alot to prove, but I think he has clearly shown enough flashes to have multiple teams interested, at least according to the rumor mill. Also, these guys have committed much worse offenses then EG has, at least to this point.

 

EG and Cat for Artest and Harrington. or Artest and Bender.

The upgrade is intensity. Enforcer + shooting. Thank you.

 

how bout just Griffin exception and picks for Artest.
Package of Cat Griffin Exception and picks can bring back no less than 2nd tier star sg or sf. Add Cato and that might be enough for O'neal and Artest.
I like it simple and not unreal though.

Francis 18ppg 4rpg 8apg
Cat 15ppg 3rpg 3apg
Artest 15ppg 6rpg 2apg
Cato 8ppg 10rpg 0apg
Ming 22ppg 12rpg 3apg

 

If they trade both of them nothing less than someone who can start would be a bad move!!

 

I think EG has more value than you guys think. There is always a coach/GM who thinks a change of scenery can help a talented player. Heck, Lamar Odom got near the MAX and he hasn't done squat on teams built around him.

I could see EG/Cat/trade exception/draft picks getting Abdur-Rahim or Ratliff if the Hawks come out the gates slow. I mean EG/Cat IMO is more valuable than Reaf(with bad contract)/Welsch.
Ratliff might be a good target since the Hawks have another reasonably priced center on the roster in Nazr.

 

Here you go raising my hopes again. SAR would be a perfect "third star" to match with Yao/Steve. The advantage he'd have as our third star would be that there would be less of a question of "how do you share one ball between them" than if our 3rd star is a 2 or 3. SAR would almost get enough points just on putbacks and feeds from Yao out of a double team to keep him happy. Plus, you could play them together at the beginning and end, while keeping one or the other on the court for most of the time in between, thereby always maintaining a strong inside presence.

I wouldn't be in a hurry to use the trade exception on Ratliff though. Two years ago, I would never have believed I'd be saying this, but after seeing Cato & Yao on the floor together lately, I'm not convinced Ratliff would actually be an upgrade over Cato for this team. The idea of adding Ratliff as a backup center to allow Cato more time at PF is intriguing, though. And it actually would make Mo more valuable, not less, because we could use him primarily in situations/matchups where we don't need a banger at PF.

Depending on how things play out this season, I might consider it after the season. If Boki can prove himself to be a viable rotation player at the 3 this year, an inside rotation of Yao/Cato/Mo/Ratliff and a 2-3 rotation of Pike/JJ/Boki/A. Griffin doesn't look too bad with Steve at the point. Still, I can't help but think that sometime over the course of the next year, we can get more from EG, Cat, and the trade exemption than a backup center -- even one with Ratliff's capabilities.