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Hawks Should Enter Artest Sweepstakes

Authored by Patrick J. Austin - December 13, 2005 - 5:58 pm

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Ron Artest, one of the NBA’s premier players, if officially on the trade market. He’s demanded to be moved and it appears the organization will grant this request. A number of teams are salivating at the chance to nab Artest, and the Hawks need to be one of them. I’m not saying the Hawks should trade for Artest and keep him. He doesn’t fill any positional need and the idea of Ron hanging around our young talent isn’t very appealing. I am saying we have the pieces to entice Indiana and we could turn Artest into something we really need—a true point guard. After numerous hours on the RealGM trade checker, I’ve devised a three-team deal that makes perfect sense for all parties involved… Hawks receive: Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse Hawks send out: Al Harrington and Tyronn Lue Pacers receive: Al Harrington and a future first round pick(from Dallas) Pacers send out: Ron Artest Mavericks receive: Ron Artest and Tyronn Lue Mavericks send out: Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse Why this trade should go down: The Hawks finally get a true point guard in Devin Harris. This kid is oozing with talent and has the potential to be an all-star. Furthermore, he has great handles, court vision, and looks to get his teammates involved. In addition, we get Jerry Stackhouse, a player who can provide some offensive firepower when fully healthy. He does have a year left on his contract, but that just means the Hawks would have a nice trading piece next summer or at the ’06 trade deadline. The Pacers would like to get back equal value for Artest and someone who can step in right away and produce. Al Harrington fits that profile perfectly. He is best friends with Jermaine O’Neal, is familiar with the Pacers system, and has even said he wouldn’t mind returning to Indiana. He’s shown he can produce as a full-time starter (averaging 17ppg & 8rpg this season) and hasn’t even reached his prime (still only 26 years old). The Mavericks would instantly catapult to serious title contenders after this deal. They say defense wins championships, so acquiring the best perimeter defender in the game will obviously get you a step closer to the big show. Just imagine a perimeter combination of Josh Howard and Ron Artest. To say that’d be a suffocating defense is an understatement. Yes, they deal away a very promising young talent in Devin Harris but Mark Cuban wants to win a championship now, and let’s not forget they have a very talented player in Jason Terry to hold down the one spot for the foreseeable future. Of course, this trade probably makes too much sense for it to actually come to fruition; but I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Hopefully Bruce Levenson, the Hawks part-owner who posted on RealGM a few months back, reads my articles (hey, it’s possible).