Thursday, February 24, 2005

Trading Spaces (and Malcontents)

Wednesday night I apparently missed a great deal of chatter on two of the bigger trades to be made this past year. I unfortunately was watching my beloved South Carolina Gamecocks spot the Tennessee Volunteers a 26 point halftime lead, before storming back and having a chance to win within the last minute of play. Imagine my surprise when I got in my car just in time for a Sports Center update on ESPN Radio and heard that Randy Moss had been traded to the Raiders for and Chris Webber was going to the 76ers for a bag of potato chips. These two trades involve two of the most talented yet troubling teammates in recent sports history.

Let’s make sure we have this straight, neither one of these guys are terrible people who don’t deserve to be playing sports. They both have had a few minor run-ins with the law, but then again who hasn’t? Oh yeah, me. But they are first and foremost terrible teammates. Chris Webber has had a share of trouble with teammates in all 3 of his professional stops. Even when he was in Washington and he was playing with college teammate and “best friend”, Juwan Howard, the two of them failed to get along. Now trouble with Peja Stojakovic has led to his demise in Sacramento. Randy Moss’s troubles have been outlined and rehashed time and time again. This guy got thrown out of Florida State and Notre Dame (two of the harder football programs to get thrown out of). And this season had his share of stupidity played out during the Minnesota Vikings playoff run.

This is now the third time Chris Webber has been traded since he began playing in the NBA (not counting his draft day deal for Anfernee Hardaway). First, after one tumultuous season with the Golden State Warriors he was traded to the Washington Bullets. In four seasons with the Bullets/Wizards he helped lead them to a robust 146-182 record and one playoff series 1st round loss. After an Al Gorish success in Washington Webber was then traded to Sacramento, where he has helped them become one of the most underachieving teams in the history of sports. Never has this team made it to the NBA Finals despite being the one of the most talented teams in the league. Now Webber joins the under-talented Philadelphia 76ers and one of the hardest guys to play with, Allen Iverson. Hey, Iverson is a great player and I am a fan, but watching C-Web and AI scream at each other during a critical juncture of the playoffs is going to be comical. People will love to say that these two will put there ego’s aside in order to help Philly get to the finals because they have a legitimate chance to do so. However, there is nothing in either one of their history’s to show that they will be able to do this.

Randy Moss is now and Oakland Raider. Was there ever a better fit in the history of sports? I think not. Randy Moss epitomizes everything the Raiders are about. The swagger, the bravado, the not paying attention to rules and regulations & lastly the not winning, all things Moss and the Raiders thrive on. Good thing I read all the comments by soon to be Vikings owner Reggie Fowler about how Moss was going to be a Viking for life. In the end the Vikings actually got some value back from the Raiders. Linebacker Napolean Harris will help the shaky Viking defense. The number 7 overall pick can never hurt either. There are some very good receivers in this years draft to help try and replace Moss. Also the Vikings could use help on the defensive line and players like Dan Cody or Erasmus James could be a good pick for them. In the end the Vikings will be better off and Moss will get to do and say whatever he wants under Al Davis and his puppet Head Coach Norv Turner.

1 Comments:

Blogger THE INNOVATOR said...

Gentlman, I would agree that the Knicks trades were totally ridiculous. Again there is no bigger fan of that awful organization than myself. And Isiah Thomas is an awful executive, but somewhat sticking up for him Scott Layden had driven this thing farther into the ground than a subterranian probe.

Layden left the Knicks organization like Hiroshima on August 7, 1945 and then Isiah was told to fix it quickly. And Isiah is not doing so well at it. But what can you expect from a guy who bankrupted the CBA and ran the Raptors into oblivion.

Lastly, Josh I know you are a Fab Five fan and a C-Webb fan but even you know when it is all said and done with this guy is a hack. He is a liar, a cheat, has a poor attitude, and has always been in it just for himself. Also, I have come to despise the Sports Guy, he is just another ESPN chrony who's act is getting played way to thin with me personally.

2:02 PM  

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