Chess match

With all of the posturing by agents, private workouts, draft camps, mock drafts and rumors of draft-day promises, the days leading up to the 2006 NBA draft are like one big game of chess, and everyone’s playing.

NBA GMs, however, are playing chess 365 days a year. They're always managing the pieces on their chess board, always looking to improve their team, whether it be through trades, free agent signings, or the draft.

When it comes down to it, whether you are a success as a GM may have a correlation to how good a chess player you are. Three former Celtics are known to be pretty good chess players, and probably played a lot against each other back in their playing days. And all three happen to be current NBA GMs. Danny Ainge controls the pieces for the C’s, Kevin McHale for the Timberwolves, and Larry Bird for the Pacers.

So, what would happen if these three got together for one last game, but this time using players as their chess pieces? The article linked above holds this clue:

Larry Bird's favorite opening is f4, which is known as the Bird’s opening. It is not named after him, of course, but after a 19th century English master, Henry Bird.

Bird's opening, huh? Well, I admit, I’m not really into all of this chess lingo, and wouldn't be able to differentiate between an f4 and a B-52 if my life depended on it. So, I did some research. Turns out, the move of f4 may hold a clue:

Bird's Opening, 1.f4, addresses center control but not development and weakens the king position slightly.

AHA!!! So, if Larry is to stay true to his favorite opening move, he will look to "address center control," but not "development." What "the king position" translates to, I’m not too sure, but I think we’re getting somewhere ...

Now, everybody knows that Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal could probably be had for the right price. The Pacers are looking to dismantle a team that has had major chemistry issues recently, and O’Neal is their highest valued chess piece right now.

But if Larry is going to "address center control," then surely getting rid of your best center is not the best way to go about it. That wouldn't be staying true to Bird's Opening. Unless, of course, he trades his best center for one of equal of greater value ...

Enter chess player No. 2 into the game: Kevin McHale.

McHale's Timberwolves are a team in search of an identity. Kevin Garnett and a bunch of mediocre supporting players haven’t gotten them anywhere, and as Garnett ages, he is also getting restless. Sure, KG says all the right things about wanting to stay -- and win -- in Minnesota, but I get the feeling he wouldn’t object to a change of scenery. Garnett’s value will certainly drop as he ages, and if they’re not going to win with him NOW in Minnesota, why wouldn’t McHale try and get all the value he can out of his aging superstar, and completely retool the team?

However, trading Garnett for O’Neal would make no sense for the T-Wolves, since they’d be essentially swapping one All-Star veteran center for another, without addressing any of the other needs on the team. BUT, swapping O’Neal for Garnett would certainly make sense for the Pacers, as Larry would then be addressing "center control," obviously at the expense of "development" (Garnett’s about as developed as you can get). But if it doesn't make sense for the T-Wolves, where is this chess game going?

Enter chess player No. 3: Danny Ainge.

If there’s a deal to be made, Trader Danny always wants to have his hands in the pie. And with an All-Star forward involved, why wouldn’t he? After all, Paul Pierce is getting restless, and has made it known he would love to have either Garnett or O’Neal suiting up in Green beside him.

Well Danny, here's your chance! If Danny were to turn young studs Al Jefferson and Gerald Green from rooks into pawns, would it help bring O'Neal to Boston and Garnett to Indiana? Probably not, since I'm sure McHale would want more than two promising young guys for his only superstar. Plus, Danny would have to throw in a guy like Wally Szczerbiak to help balance salaries, and I don't know if McHale would be too keen on taking back the guy he traded away only six months ago.

No, this threesome needs another chess player. Someone with enough pieces to play, yet someone who is not a Grandmaster. This chess match needs someone who's playing checkers. Wait a minute ... Bird's Opening states that it "weakens the king position slightly" ... the king position ... That's it!

The Kings!

I've never read anything about Kings GM Geoff Petrie playing chess before, so maybe the threesome of Larry, Danny, and Kevin could pull a fast one on him! After all, the Kings may be looking to move point guard Mike Bibby, and the T-Wolves could sure use a point guard, especially now that former Celtic Marcus Banks looks to be headed to Los Angeles.

But how do we make all these salary figures work? More players are needed to complete the prophesy brought to us from Bird's Opening. With the NBA's complicated trade restrictions, especially with teams over the salary cap, consummating a four-team swap with such big salaries as this takes slightly more mathematical skill than it would to plot the orbits of all the planets in our solar system for the next million years.

However, RealGM.com's trusty trade checker is like a quick and easy calculator for complicated trades. OK, now, let's crunch some numbers and see how this chess game ends ...

I've got it!

When all the pieces are moved, here's what it looks like:

Celtics get: Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, and No. 17 pick (from Indiana)
Celtics give up: Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Dan Dickau, Brian Scalabrine, Raef LaFrentz, No. 7 pick.

Indiana gets: Kevin Garnett (from Minnesota), Brian Scalabrine (from Boston)
Indiana gives up: Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, No. 17 pick

Sacramento gets: Gerald Green, Dan Dickau, Raef LaFrentz, No. 7 pick (from Boston)
Sacramento gives up: Mike Bibby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Minnesota gets: Al Jefferson (from Boston), Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Mike Bibby (from Sacramento)
Minnesota gives up: Kevin Garnett

Successful Scenario!

Due to Indiana, Boston, Minnesota and Sacramento being over the cap, the 25% trade rule is invoked. Indiana, Boston, Minnesota and Sacramento had to be no more than 125% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

There it is! A trade that involves three former Celtics chess players, while fulfilling the prophesy of Bird's Opening by strengthening Indiana's "center position" (Garnett), but "not development" (giving up No. 17 pick) and "weakening the king position" (Dickau's Achilles’ and Raef's knees? That's definitely weakening the Kings).

McHale and the T-Wolves then get two good players Garnett (Abdur-Rahim, Bibby) and one filled with potential (Jefferson).

Danny and the Celts, they fill TWO of their needs (scoring All-Star power forward and veteran point guard) and move down in the draft (No. 17), where Danny seems to be more comfortable anyway. They also get rid of Raef's and Scalabrine's contracts, and jettison Dickau at the same time. Sure, losing Green and AJ hurts, but you have to give up something to get something. And they'd be getting a lot.

As for the Kings, well, they get a high draft pick as well as a potential superstar in Gerald Green. Although, they would have to take on the contracts of Raef and Dickau in the process ... but again, GM Geoff Petrie is playing chess with three experienced players here.

OK, I admit, it's a stretch. But if these former Celtic chess masters were to get together for one last game, and if the strategy of Bird's Opening was executed by Larry, then I don't see how the result can go any other way. All the evidence is there. If you don't like it, don't blame me. I didn't invent chess.