Trading Away a Friend

[Jive]

Now everyone knows that the NBA is a business and trades happen. However, what personal impact could a trade make to a certain player? Instead of losing a position or a "glue guy" what about losing a friend.

Jack - friend to Bosh
Belinelli - friend to Bargnani
Weems - best friends with Derozan
Jack, Weems and Derozan like play video games
Even Banks looks right on the bench:


I feel Derozan would be pretty bummed if Weems got moved.

Do you think losing a friend to a trade would effect a player on the court? Does Brian Coangelo takes that into consideration when proposing trades scenarios?

[Apollo]

Good idea for a thread, we hardly ever talk about such things on these boards.

They said on air that Evans and Turkoglu hang out a lot. I'm sure the pro level is just like any level, you have lots of friends on your team.

[JibbaJabba34]

I think it may effect a rookie like DeMar or a foreign player like Turkoglu or Bargnani. Bosh may not be as upset if Jack was traded as he has been in the league for a while now and has seen many players come and go and as long as the team got better with the trade, he'd be ok with it.

Every player/person is different. As much as the NBA is a business and trades are part of the business, I'm sure it's hard to see any teammate go if they are a good friend. How it effects their play on the court is really a crapshoot.

[James Ballswin (Realizar)]

Tom Friend wrote a great article last year for ESPN detailing Chauncey Billups's life story -The Disposable Superstar

Here's how Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince reacted when they heard that Billups had been traded:

He begins packing at the team hotel, when there's a knock on the door. It's Hamilton and Prince, the trio together one last time. They embrace, cry, laugh and reminisce. They call Ben Wallace, a Cavalier now, and put him on speaker phone. Wallace tells them, "I told you how they are." Hamilton is the most affected of all. He has just signed an extension, and he tells Chauncey he wants to be traded now, that if he'd known they were going to trade Chauncey, he never would've re-upped in Detroit.

They keep talking about games, moments, shots. Hamilton has always told Chauncey he wants his toddler son to someday marry Chauncey's toddler daughter, and he brings it up again. At one point, Piper calls Chauncey's cell and Chauncey tells her, "Call me back. I'm talking to my guys." It goes on this way for three incredible hours that Chauncey says, "I'll never forget. We were, 'Wow, wow,' in disbelief. Just coming to the realization it was over.'"

Eventually, Chauncey tells them he has a flight to catch, and he walks out the door. The three of them enter the elevator, and Chauncey pauses to give Hamilton a last hug.

Hamilton breaks down, sobbing. Absolutely sobbing.

[JibbaJabba34]

Tom Friend wrote a great article last year for ESPN detailing Chauncey Billups's life story

Wow! Great find Realizar! Those guys were together for a while and battled together to win a championship. No doubt that it was really emotional when Billups was traded.

I wonder how Rip and Prince treated Iverson when he came to the team? You know how it is when you have a new co-worker fill in for an old co-worker that quit or was fired? There can be some resentment to the new employee if the old one was good at their job or a friend. The fact that AI never really clicked as a Piston and had a very short stay with them makes me believe that maybe his teammates didn't accept him like they did with Chauncey.

[photoman]

This is precisely why I think Toronto shouldn't mess with the roster at the trade deadline unless it's an exceptional trade.
After the wholesale changes this past off-season I want this team's key elements to stay as-is (except for POB and Banks)assuming Bosh resigns.
I truly believe we'll be the best team in the Atlantic for the next few years... a couple of years with the core here would be a thing of beauty IMHO.

[thomas1]

I really think this would have a double negative impact. The obvious one is losing a freind and the other is the inability to accept the new comers ala AI in Detroit. Now you can say that AI was the problem (ok by me) but I dont think his new teammates tried hard enough to intigrate him, but thats just me.
The other point I would like to make is that we have a lot of young players everyone of our wing players (save for Hedo and to a lesser extent Wright) is still learning how to play in the NBA Marco, DD and Weems all have ways to go before they reach their potential. I wouldnt want to give up on them before seeing how they develop. The same applies to Amir he is only 22 and can play the 2 forward positions and even the 5 at times. I wouldnt mind making a trade that would make us better but seeing how this team is gelling | would be extremely cautious given the negative impact that can be caused by a trade.

[Apollo]

Guys, at the end of the day if it makes the team better people will be on board. The Iverson/Billups trade was a blatant salary dump. Prince and Hamilton were used to winning, they were there to win. They lost their friend and their ability to be competitive. For example, lots of guys loved Charlie V but they were generally happy with the trade because they got the PG they thought they needed to be better. The same can be said about the trade involving Bonner. Who didn't like Bonner? It didn't matter because Rasho made them a lot better inside.

Players like to win above all else. If Colangelo can knock one out of the park then he should do it. You don't need tissues if you have wins.

[Tim W.]

Friends get traded ALL the time. GMs should never take that into consideration. I remember back when Antonio Daniels was on the Spurs and it was often written that he was Duncan' best friend on the team. I figured that meant he wouldn't get traded, but he was, and the season before Duncan became a free agent (when he was rumoured to be thinking about going to Orlando). Follow the example set by the one of the most successful franchises in the last 15 years.

Oh, and Jive, it's not `loosing' a friend, it's `losing' a friend. I don't know if it was a typo, but I've been seeing that a fair bit around here. Just a pet peeve.

[Apollo]

One question to ask is would Rip have been suggesting he would not have re-signed if Billups was a bench warmer struggling to stick on the team...

[Jive]

Oh, and Jive, it's not `loosing' a friend, it's `losing' a friend. I don't know if it was a typo, but I've been seeing that a fair bit around here. Just a pet peeve.

typo, thanks

[m5racer]

Good thing is that i dont think weems or Amir at least are going anywhere cause their have big impact with smallish contracts

[Apollo]

I think Johnson is on a contract year. Let's hope no one pays him based on potential. I want to see the Raptors keep at his real value.