Some saw the trade a year ago as a tossup. But Boston's Wally Szczerbiak has been hurt, and Ricky Davis and Mark Blount are starting for Minnesota, giving the Wolves an advantage so far http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16672124.htm Looking back on it, Ricky Davis knows who can claim victory one year after the Timberwolves' big trade with the Boston Celtics. "Minnesota definitely won on the trade," Davis said. "We still have three players from it. They have two. Wally's hurt. Olowokandi's not really playing. We're fighting for the playoffs, and they're fighting for a draft pick." And maybe Davis is right. At the time of the trade, some analysts called the seven-player trade a tossup, saying that both teams received some pieces that would benefit their clubs. But looking back on the deal now, as the teams meet today for the first time this season, the Timberwolves might have benefited the most so far. On Jan. 26, 2006, the treading-water Wolves traded Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a future first-round draft pick to the Celtics in exchange for Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks and Justin Reed and two conditional second-round picks (2006 and 2008). It was one of the most significant trades in Wolves history. Szczerbiak, a longtime fan favorite in Minnesota and the centerpiece of the deal, has been hampered by injuries since joining the Celtics, including recurring ankle sprains this season. He is listed as day to day after spraining his left ankle last week. Olowokandi is stuck on the bench, and Jones is no longer with the team. Boston has yet to cash in the first-round pick it received from Minnesota. For the Wolves, Davis and Blount have been mainstays in the starting lineup since the trade. One of the two second-round picks received turned into promising rookie Craig Smith. But the Wolves didn't take advantage of two of the assets gained in the deal. Marcus Banks left via free agency last summer, and the Wolves received nothing in return. In addition, the Wolves didn't use their $4.2 million trade exception, which expired a year after the trade. They could have used it to absorb a higher-salaried player. On the court, the Wolves and Celtics haven't won as much as either team had hoped. Minnesota is four games under .500 this season, and the injury-riddled Celtics have lost a franchise-record 17 games in a row. In addition to Szczerbiak's sielining sprained left ankle, Boston was without all-star Paul Pierce, who returned Friday night after missing 24 games with foot and elbow issues. Davis isn't surprised by the Celtics' woes this season. "You trade away me and Mark Blount, that's the heart of what was going on, besides P (Pierce)," Davis said. "Me, P and Mark Blount was pretty much the heart of the team, and Raef LaFrentz. You trade that away, and J-Reed and Marcus Banks, that's the whole team, a veteran team at that. So now they've got young guys, and they're going through it (hard times)." THE THINKING BEHIND THE MOVE Wolves general manager Jim Stack said many factors played a role in the trade, including his organization's desire to add players with more manageable salaries while addressing various positions on the roster. The Wolves wanted to address the center position but didn't think they could do so in free agency unless they overpaid for the talent available in the summer of 2006, general manager Jim Stack said. In Blount, who is averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, the Wolves added an excellent midrange shooter who might already be the best center in team history. Olowokandi clearly didn't have a future in Minnesota — he was in the last year of his contract and had had issues on and off the court with the Wolves — so he was expendable. "To get a guy like Ricky Davis, who we felt like had established himself as a scorer and a guy who could maybe pass the ball and could rebound as well, for about half the (annual) salary of Wally, I thought was something we had to move forward with," Stack said. Szczerbiak makes $11 million this season, Davis about $6.3 million. Davis has just one more season remaining ($6.8 million next season), while Szczerbiak has two more and $25 million remaining. Szczerbiak is averaging 15.5 points on 41.3 percent shooting and 3.2 rebounds in 30 games (19 starts). Davis is averaging 16 points on 46.7 percent shooting and 3.8 rebounds through 49 games, all starts. The only game he missed was because of a suspension he received from the team after he refused to re-enter a game. Davis' contract is somewhat attractive because of the relatively low salary and length tied to it. But Blount's contract is unwieldy. After this season, he's signed through 2009-10 with about $22 million remaining. "We feel like we've addressed several positions, and we have more salary cap flexibility, I guess, as well," Stack said. Of the two lesser players Minnesota received, Reed still is around, playing spot duty when called upon, mostly as a hustler and defensive specialist. Banks was made the starter down the stretch last season over Marko Jaric as the team considered the possibility of making him the point guard of the future. But Banks signed with Phoenix this past summer (five years, about $21 million) after the Wolves brought free agent Mike James on board with a long-term deal to be the starter. MOVING FORWARD The Wolves used one of the second-round picks acquired in the Boston deal to draft Smith 36th overall this past summer, Stack said. The Wolves also have a second-round pick coming in 2008. Boston won't get its first-round pick from the Wolves until 2009 at the earliest. If the Los Angeles Clippers receive a conditional first-round pick from Minnesota this season to fulfill the Jaric sign-and-trade deal for Sam Cassell, then the Wolves would have a first-round pick in 2008 and then send their 2009 first rounder to Boston. The pick traded to Boston is lottery protected, Stack said. Critics say the Wolves have given up too many first-round picks via trades in recent years, but Stack said he feels the organization has laid the foundation for a promising future via the needs addressed as a result of the Boston trade and by drafting Rashad McCants, Randy Foye and Smith the past two years. The Wolves also received a 2007 second-round pick and cash by trading Bobby Jones to Philadelphia on draft night last year. "We feel like we've managed dividends already," Stack said. "I'm confident that if we determine we want to get into the (first round of the) draft this year, there's enough teams with multiple first-round picks, which I've already laid a little bit of groundwork with during this period, that if we need to get in this draft, we'll be able to do it." Regardless of all else, the Wolves remain inconsistent on the court, despite a coaching change last month. Dwane Casey, who was charged with making the transition following the Boston trade, is gone. Team management cited the season's inconsistency. But not much has changed under successor Randy Wittman. The past week alone highlighted the ups and downs. After losing by 28 points Monday night at Houston, the Wolves bounced back with a 28-point victory at home over Golden State. Then two nights later, Minnesota dropped a game in overtime at Memphis, which had the NBA's worst record at the time. Still, the Wolves remain optimistic, despite a 3-11 slump. "I think we're in a great position right now," guard Troy Hudson said recently. "We're not too far out of the playoffs. We're right in the hunt. On this end, things are working out pretty well. In Boston, if Wally hadn't been hurt so much this year then they'd have a better record. I think for us it's working out. It didn't work out for them entirely." Davis said he doesn't understand why Boston made the move, but he still looks forward to playing against his former team. He has a word of caution for the Celtics, too, for the game at Target Center. "I want to come in and pound on them," Davis said. "I'm not going to let them up." --

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