A clever rumor from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News cites a source who indicates the Bobcats rushed their deal for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell through in order to leave enough cushion before the deadline to flip the new players. The trade deadline is February 19.Players acquired by trade during the season cannot be packaged with another player in a second trade until 60 days have passed. The Bobcats completed the Diaw/Bell trade last Wednesday, which gave them 70 days until the deadline.
But where on Earth could Diaw and/or Bell be headed? Alan Hahn of Newsday has the predictable suggestion.
The Knicks were very much interested in acquiring both Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, but with Mike D'Antoni now in New York after a bitter divorce from the Suns, they were not going to come directly from Phoenix. [...]And scene. If this happens -- any of the old Suns to N.Y. for Curry -- Charlotte's moves begin to make sense and infuriate all the more. Jason Richardson is a phenomenal scorer, the best the Bobcats had by a big margin. Curry's only attribute is scoring. It's just like Larry Brown to prefer a post scorer to a guard gunner.
Another source has said the Bobcats have maintained interest in Eddy Curry, who has yet to play this season because of a bone bruise in his left knee.
And while that's good basketball theory, he's ignoring that Curry (who he dealt with in N.Y.) is a huge defensive liability who cannot rebound or block shots, while Richardson was a tough dude with a good spirit and some floor skills. No one on the planet could argue the Bobcats would win a Richardson-for-Curry trade. But then again, no one thought Charlotte won the Diaw-for-Richardson swap either.
