Trade Scal + Pruitt + 2nd Rounder for Jake Voskuhl ??

[Jammer]

Dumps Scalabrine's salary for the next two seasons ($3.2 + $3.4 million in 2009 & 2010).

Obtains another full sized center in case of injury to Perk or continued issues
with Scot Pollard's ankle.

Don't have to use mid-level to re-sign Jake this summer, can give him 8% raise
on his $3 million salary without touching mid-level. Can use part of mid-level exception,
if necessary.

Jake Voskuhl has the same agent as Eddie House, James Posey and PJ Brown.

Jake graduated UCONN, like Ray Allen, winning NCAA title in 2000.

Pruitt is not a rotation player, Voskuhl will fill a crucial need,
particularly against the large Western teams.

The trade is fair.

Milwaukee gains a point guard. Also, Charlie Bell has not really worked out for them like they hoped at shooting guard. Their 2007 #39 pick, Ramon Sessions of Nevada, has not played a minute of NBA action.

Instead of offering the Celtics 2008 2nd Round Pick, which is likely to be # 60, offer the Bucks the Celtics 2010 2nd Round Pick, which could be better.

The Bucks will lose Voskuhl this summer, most likely, for nothing, but they gain Pruitt, a future 2nd round pick, and take Scalabrine off the Celtics luxury tax hit the next two years.

The Bucks will have one xtra player if this trade happens.

But, they have a number of low salary guys that they could just send to another team with a trade exception if they ask for nothing in return ($10k, say).

[ParticleMan]

i don't think voskuhl helps us one bit. he is worse than pollard.

the main benefit is dumping scal's salary, but if the owners don't care, then i don't care either. i don't think dumping scal's contract is worth gabe pruitt. i think pruitt's value will increase, and scal's contract will increase in value as it gets shorter. this is a sell-low move, and one that doesn't help us. we need better players than jake voskuhl.

it may be by the end of the season pruitt is more valuable to us than voskuhl anyway. it's not like we don't need a good ballhandler.

[GoGoCeltics]

I'm not a big Pruitt believer, and I wouldn't mind getting rid of Scal, but I don't like this trade.

[Jammer]

i don't think voskuhl helps us one bit. he is worse than pollard.

the main benefit is dumping scal's salary, but if the owners don't care, then i don't care either. i don't think dumping scal's contract is worth gabe pruitt. i think pruitt's value will increase, and scal's contract will increase in value as it gets shorter. this is a sell-low move, and one that doesn't help us. we need better players than jake voskuhl.

it may be by the end of the season pruitt is more valuable to us than voskuhl anyway. it's not like we don't need a good ballhandler.

From what little I saw of Pruitt I see someone who has a pretty good shot, good basketball IQ, decent quickness to get open and penetrate for a mid-range jump shot (which he has).

Did I mention basketball IQ !!!

But, his handles right now are not point guard level as far as facing a press, double team, or even an in your face defender.

Even though he is quick, he is vulnerable to being pre-occupied with his defender, and when he turns to reverse direction, if another defender comes up on his blind side, they can pick him clean. Pruitt needs to learn to look before reversing direction, or have better control of the ball so that if he does spin into a help defender, he doesn't lose the ball.

Eddie House can't get out of that type of pressure either, but like I have been saying, House is no point guard.

ParticleMan: It wouldn't surprise me at all if Danny Ainge waits until summer to try to sign a backup center. Jake Voskuhl will be a free agent in July.

But there is only the mid-level, LLE, and vet minimum.

Kurt Thomas, who will be 36 in October, will probably get a decent one or two year offer to re-sign in Seattle, but who knows what he might do.

Brian Skinner will probably get a nice offer to stay in Phoenix.

Voskuhl is likely the Celtics best hope of a backup center, unless someone comes on the market who wants out, and the Celtics can put a package together that they'd be willing to give up.

[MaxwellSmart]

Before the start of the season, I actually thought having Scals would finally pay off--that he was the player that we could count on do all the dirty work and fill in the gaps when KG and the guys rested...BOY was I WRONG!---He is so horrible this year...I doubt any team in the league would be stupid enough to take his sorry butt of our hands.

[chakdaddy]

I don't get the love for Voskuhl, why is he any better than the next street FA?

The guy I'd target from Milwaukee is Gadzuric, they might be looking to dump his contract too.

[Ed Pinkney]

Voskuhl is very ordinary. He is a deep, deep bench player on the Bucks, I repeat the Bucks. Not the Spurs or Mavericks.

Pruitt has shown enough in limited opportunities that he is worth not just throwing away. If Scal is doing nothing with the playing time he is getting then give it to Davis and Powe.

[Jammer]

I don't get the love for Voskuhl, why is he any better than the next street FA?

The guy I'd target from Milwaukee is Gadzuric, they might be looking to dump his contract too.

As of January 2007 Milwaukee was looking to dump Danny G's (contract, that is). They actually like Danny, they just realize they goofed in signing thru 2011. After this season's $5.74 million, Milwaukee owes Danny Gadzuric $20.25 million over the next 3 seasons. Don't see the Celtics jumping for joy to grab Dan.

Although this summer, I wouldn't be surprised if the Celts try to sign Voskuhl (assuming they think Kurt Thomas is either too high priced, or doesn't have the legs).

[Jammer]

Voskuhl is very ordinary. He is a deep, deep bench player on the Bucks, I repeat the Bucks. Not the Spurs or Mavericks.

Pruitt has shown enough in limited opportunities that he is worth not just throwing away. If Scal is doing nothing with the playing time he is getting then give it to Davis and Powe.

[Jammer]

Please allow me to explain my desire to unload Scal.

Scal is 9 inches taller than Eddie House.

Much longer arms.

Scal doesn't rebound, doesn't generate assists, steals, or blocks,
and defenders go right thru him, although in a zone he seems more effective waving his arms than in straight up man to man D.

Scal's singular purpose is to be able to spread the defense, hit the 3 point shot, and guard a "Big" on the perimeter like Rasheed Wallace.

Prior to this season, Scal's career 6 year 3 point % was 34%, which is very respectable, and identical to James Posey's career average.

This year Scal is shooting 27.6% from 3, and an abysmal 31.6% overall.

That is abysmmal.

Keep in mind that Scal is just your power forward version of Eddie House, who has now lost the ability to knock down 3 point shots, which was his Singular purpose for being inserted into the lineup.

So, I don't dislike, or "hate", Scal.

He simply fails to serve a purpose at the percentages he shoots, since he contributes little of anything else.

[chakdaddy]

I don't see how dumping Scal really helps us though...why not wait a couple years until he'll be useful ballast for a trade when his contract is expiring. Trade now and we're giving up an asset to dump him, wait a couple years ago we could move him to get an asset.

[Zin5]

Scal would be fine as a 10th or 11th man on this team and he'll probably be that by the time the playoffs roll around. More importantly, he's a great character and clubhouse guy. Voskuhl's never been anything besides a backup big on bad teams his entire career. He'd get 2-5 minutes per game on the Celtics and it'd all be in garbage time. The guy's worse than Pollard and there are and will be more attractive options for a backup center.

Webber and Brown are infinitely better options now and I've been on the Chris Andersen bandwagon for a while. Unloading the last couple years of Scal's contract is not worth Pruitt, who I believe is our backup PG solution for years to come, and Scal's presence in the clubhouse. This team needs more than just a 3rd string center, it needs someone who can probably play 20-25 minutes at the 5.

[Jammer]

Scal would be fine as a 10th or 11th man on this team and he'll probably be that by the time the playoffs roll around. More importantly, he's a great character and clubhouse guy. Voskuhl's never been anything besides a backup big on bad teams his entire career. He'd get 2-5 minutes per game on the Celtics and it'd all be in garbage time. The guy's worse than Pollard and there are and will be more attractive options for a backup center.

Webber and Brown are infinitely better options now and I've been on the Chris Andersen bandwagon for a while. Unloading the last couple years of Scal's contract is not worth Pruitt, who I believe is our backup PG solution for years to come, and Scal's presence in the clubhouse. This team needs more than just a 3rd string center, it needs someone who can probably play 20-25 minutes at the 5.

That's deep.

I surrender.

You want to use Scal to obtain " a better asset",

and you think Pruitt is a solution at backup point guard.

The kid's quick, has a shot, and a basketball IQ.
Gee, sounds like a more athletic version of Eddie House.

Let's hope that Pruitt actually has, err I mean develops, the HANDLES to play point guard.

[Zin5]

That's deep.

I surrender.

You want to use Scal to obtain " a better asset",

and you think Pruitt is a solution at backup point guard.

The kid's quick, has a shot, and a basketball IQ.
Gee, sounds like a more athletic version of Eddie House.

Let's hope that Pruitt actually has, err I mean develops, the HANDLES to play point guard.

No need to overreact. I didn't say I wanted to use Scal to obtain a better asset, I just said he more suitable and would probably fill more of a need in the clubhouse than Voskuhl could fill on the floor. I don't think and didn't say Pruitt was the answer now either, I just believe he's the answer in following years. We still have that hole to fill at PG now.

Voskuhl at best would be the third option at the 5, behind Pollard and Perk definitely, and wouldn't even be able to crack the team's overall big man rotation with Davis on the bench and Garnett in the lineup. Baby would deservingly get more minutes than Jake at the 5 anyways. He'd basically be our 4th string center and 5th or 6th big. Even if you don't think Pruitt is anything special or more than a future backup 2, he's still not worth giving up, in my opinion at least, to just get out from under Scal's contract. Keep Scal and maybe trade him when he's an expiring, but right now he has more value to the Celtics as just a clubhouse guy than to any other team.

[ParticleMan]

Scal's value is low. As his contract shortens, his value increases.
Pruitt's value is low. As he develops, his value increases.

I see no need to rush to dump these guys to get someone like Voskuhl. i mean, if we got a good player in return, someone who could contribute 15-20 mpg, sure. i have no great love for pruitt or scal. but i just don't see how voskuhl helps us. i'd rather just play BBD those mins. or posey at the PF and KG at C. there are many better options on this team that we have now than throwing voskuhl out there. even if pollard is injured.

[return2glory]

Voskuhl sucks. Pollard is better IMO, and Pollard sucks. Why would you get rid of Pruit?

[Datruth345]

no

[I love heinsohn]

I have seen multiple sources indicate that the last year of Scal's deal ($3.4 million in 2009-2010) is NOT guaranteed. Can anyone confirm or deny this rumor that maybe only exists in my head?

Thanks

[canman1971]

I wouldn't give up a 2nd rounder for Jake, never mind an actual breathing human being.

[P2]

Why do people keep throwing in Tony or Pruitt just for the sake of making a trade for a bad player? It happens all the time!