Phil Jasner: Trade deadline rumblings for Sixers
By Phil Jasner
HERE'S WHAT YOU REALLY need to know about the NBA trade deadline:
It's Feb. 18 at 3 p.m.
Between now and then, you will read and hear dozens of rumors involving
the 76ers. Some will have validity, others will not. Remember, there
are Web sites devoted to having something different every day. I'd be
more inclined to pay attention to ones in which people actually sign
their names and take responsibility.
In world of trade talk, chatter rarely lives up to hype
I hate trade columns.
Weeks of speculation that almost never pan out and aren't anchored by
any kind of reality. If it's not an agent looking to place his
client(s) somewhere else, it's a GM, on orders of his silent owner,
looking to create a market for a player he wants to to ditch. Even the
"truth" of something, like Team A is shopping a player, is normally
calculated by Team A for its own self-interest. Plus, almost everyone
is lying this time of year; the teams that are really looking to do
something deny it even when they're caught red-handed.
Hate them.
But you love them, and I get that. Nothing beats bar talk (How good
would the Cavs be with Jamison?), and it's fun when it's not your job
to check out every rancid, ridiculous rumor. But we are within two
weeks of the Feb. 18 trade deadline, so I guess spending a few minutes
dipping into the water isn't going to kill me.