good thread Anyone has that has something "positive" or "good" to say about trades...please post here.
This trade is going to be a good thing, regardless of the pain. *** AMENDMENT I *** Trade number 2, Mapp & picks to Chicago for Stoitchkov & Kovalenko is a big steaming pile of rhinoceros dung.
[SOUND OF BREEZE BLOWING THOUGH AN EMPTY ROOM].................................................................................[/SOUND OF BREEZE BLOWING THOUGH AN EMPTY ROOM]
I don't like anything about the trades... except for getting rid of Moreno. We should cut bait with Etch too, but definitely not Pope or Mapp. What a joke.
I think a lot of good things havebeen said about the Metrodonkey trade. This second one, unless Stoichkov is playing for about 24K this season, I don't like it.
Metros trade = painful but necessary Proposed Chicago trade = insane (unless it's just Mapp and 5th pick or lower for Dema, and NO Hristo).
I'm crossing my fingers that Stoichkov is being brought mainly as a coach... and that most of his salary will therefore not count against the cap. As much as I'm concerned about our personnel maneuvering, I can't honestly believe that we would possibly make a move for Stoichkov if it was going to have more than a minor cap impact. After all, I don't think he was currently under contract from the Fire... which means that dumping him does not free up any cap space for them. This means that DCU must have actually requested that MLS sign him so the Fire could move him here, which leads me to think he was signed mostly in a coaching capacity. Anyone with info on this?
I thought of another good thing. I do not need to watch Moreno walk his lazy ass up the field for 30 games.
Trade #1 is excellent. Trade #2 I'm questioning-will make up my mind what to think of it if/when it happens. Today is the first I've heard of trade #2.
Given the current data we have, I am guessing that to be Dema. But you are right, there is more to come.
I tend to agree with you. While trade #1 is distasteful to me because of my admiration of Jaime and Eddie, I think it is necessary to get some excellent new talent in. Trade #2 is downright unpalatable because there is no excellent new talent involved. We are getting a has-been and a thug for a potentially excellent player and a draft pick. Such is the curse of not having a developmental squad for the excellent young talent we have drafted and then dumped. I am getting more depressed by the minute as I read these rumors. Winoman
DC United as it existed at the end of the 2002 season is broken. It doesn't work. Time to change it up. This team showed little all year. It was sub-mediocre in a league that strives for mediocrity. Some folks won't be happy with changes short of bringing Bruce back and making the deals necessary to bring back the 1998 squad. Any trade that brings some character to the team is a huge plus. Jamie and Pope are not leaders on the field. Nice, talented guys who have done lots for the club, yes. Leaders, no. I felt througout the season that the only players to lead the team were Olsen, Rimando, and Nelson. I want to see the whole evolution of the offseason before I judge the moves. Many more trades will come (as soon as they get started), and some outside talent will be uncovered (maybe)....but I'll reserve my judgement on the offseason as a whole, not the little steps along the way.
I think Stoichkov is worth the price of admission. If this alleged deal goes through, I need to renew my season tickets. I love his fire and his lethal left foot. I think Marco will have some company in taking corners and free kicks. Hristo's will get in the box in a hurry. I can't wait to see his long diagonal crosses on a rope right to Quaranta and Olsen on the overlap. I also like Dema with his versatility. I see him as a strong d-mid who can come forward with a much larger payoff than Ritchie could.
There are a lot of good players in the world. Ray Hudson will probably find two of them. The Metros trade will allow us to sign them. Ray doesn't seem to be able to develop young talent. I disagree with people who say he only likes experienced players. Our lineup last year as well as all his praise for Bobby and Q1 proves that wrong. However, Ray doesn't seem to be able to mold raw talent into a finished product. Mapp, then, would not be of much value to us. Ray, I imagine would have a good relationship with Stoitchkov. I also think Stoitchkov's presence will have an effect on Marco's tendency to demand the ball. Bobby and Q1 both have mentors. Next year both oldies retire leaving us with more cap room. Kovalenko is everything we needed last year - versatility, never-injured, tough, a two-way player, experienced without being old. We don't need to trade Mapp, but the Fire need to clear salary space so I seriously doubt we are going to take on a max salary player for them or trade them one of our high draft picks. It's possible Hristo resigns at a much lower salary or most of his salary is filed under coaching or Chicago agrees to pay a portion of his salary, knowing that DC and NY are probably the only teams they can trade Hristo to and paying half his salary is better than paying all of it. And anybody who says we are mortgaging our future is exaggerating. Justin Mapp was not the future of this team. Even if he turns out to be a national teamer, we've still got at least four other young national teamers on our roster (Convey, Q1, Olsen, Rimando) the youngest national teamer on El Salvador plus the #1 pick in the draft. And, of course, we'll "win" Freddy Adu in a special lottery in a couple years. For me, though, I'm not sure any of this makes up for losing Pope.