Shoot the J

When the season came to close for the Phoenix Suns last year, the team had a problem.

They had a player, small forward Shawn Marion, who by all accounts was unhappy with his role. The rumour was the team was going to trade him in the off-season before that unhappiness infected the team, a team that aspired to win a championship and couldn't afford to have one of its most talented players moping in the corner.

But Marion was not traded during the summer, and instead he festered on the Suns roster for half a season - playing well, mind you - until finally the team could take it no more and shipped him to Miami for Shaquille O'Neal, the once-dominant but now sluggish centre.

It was spun as addition by subtraction. As it turns out, it was subtraction by division, and the Suns exited the playoffs with little resistance.

Guard exchange seems inevitable

A similar situation now faces Bryan Colangelo, the Toronto Raptors general manager who ran that Phoenix team a few years back. TJ Ford, one half of the team's point guard equation, wants to remain a starter and has chafed at coming off the bench.

Unfortunately, his backup, Jose Calderon, has thoroughly outplayed him and is now a free agent (albeit a restricted free agent) capable of commanding a starter's salary. Starting Ford will hurt the team; starting Jose will hurt Ford, and so hurt the team.

Wisdom suggests Colangelo should trade him before he pulls a Marion and drains the joy out of a squad still reeling from its season-ending tailspin, and that he should do it sooner rather than later.

But here's the question: What exactly is the going rate for a point guard with a history of spinal injuries and a newfound reputation as a ‘me-first’ chemistry killer?

Finding the right mix

Relax, people. This is the world of professional sports. Nearly everyone making seven figures has a perceived attitude issue. The trick is to find players who have issues that, in the right setting, might disappear or actually work to their advantage. Rasheed Wallace was considered a head-case in Portland, but in Detroit he's a firey leader. Mike Dunleavy Jr., once considered passionless, now seems 'steady' to fans of the Indiana Pacers still reeling from the days of Ron Artest.

The trick to dealing any player is to find another team both willing to take a chance on them and also in possession of a similarly confounding player, preferably a player who might blossom in a new environment.

That's the trick, but it's a tricky business. Here are a few names to keep in mind when the summertime player shuffle begins.

Quentin Richardson, New York Knicks.
Attitude problems? Check. History of injuries? Check. Overpaid? Check. Coming off a career-worst year? Check. Wait a minute …why would Toronto make this deal again? I suppose Richardson's fearless shooting and athleticism would be a plus, but then, he'd have to show up in shape. It occurs to me now that Colangelo already had Richardson once and traded him. He's probably unlikely to want to revisit that deal again. Verdict: No thanks. How about Jamaal Crawford?

Nene, Denver Nuggets.
Talk about risk. Ford's a risk for a career-ending injury every time he steps on the court. Nene is recovering from testicular cancer and has spent most of his career injured. But Nene would give Toronto the bruising big man it craves, and Denver could use a true point guard. Verdict: Unlikely. Word out of Denver is that the team wants a big guard to team with Allen Iverson, not another sub-six-footer.

Ford plus Kris Humphries to Seattle for Nick Collison plus one of Luke Ridnour/Earl Watson.
Seattle is no doubt hoping to win the NBA draft lottery and then take Memphis point guard Derrick Rose, but if they don't, perhaps they might consider swapping one half of their unhappy and underwhelming point guard duo. This would be a downgrade for Toronto either way, so perhaps the Raptors would hold out for the accompanying Hump-for-Collison swap, giving them a more consistent rebounding big man. Verdict: I think both Colangelo and Seattle GM Sam Presti would view this as a sideways swap. In other words, not worth the paperwork.

Cuttino Mobley, LA Clippers.
The Clips have talent, they just can't stay healthy. Which makes Ford a natural fit. Actually the fit here has to do with need: LA's starting point guard is Brevin Knight, a player who is very similar to Ford, though older and slower. Mobley, on the other hand, has fallen out of favour and only started 30-something games last year, but he can still score. Again, as a third guard providing instant offence, he might fit with the Raptors style of play. But like Ford, his contract is a bit much: he's owed about $9 million US each year for the next two years. Verdict: A downgrade for the Raptors, but one that might be worth it.

Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls.
Like Toronto, Chicago has a point guard who just finished a terrible season. For Hinrich, the problem was shooting. As in, he couldn't. He also got in the interim coach's doghouse. Hinrich's other problem is he's a tweener; not quite the floor general to be a point guard, and too poor a shooter to be an off-guard. But with his persistent defence and consistent effort, he'd be an excellent third guard in a three-guard rotation. Verdict: Whether the Bulls would want to have anything to do with TJ is another story. But maybe if Toronto threw in some extra bait - their first-round draft pick, for example - perhaps the Bulls could be convinced. It's not as if Chicago has a history of logical personnel moves, either.

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