One odd repercussion of the blockbusterAllen Iverson-Chauncey Billups trade is that Denver will no longer need the long-rumored services of Indiana exile Jamaal Tinsley.
A month ago, a spate of reports insisted Tinsley-to-Denver was awaiting the right moment, a sure-thing trade in the pipeline. Things never materialized, and Tinsley has spent the latent period working out in Atlanta while the Pacers rode T.J. Ford (and friends) into an upset of the World Champions.
With Denver out of the equation, how many teams still have a desperate need for a middling, high-priced (relative to the market) point guard signed through 2010-11?
Miami's Mario Chalmers has been rather good: few turnovers, decent shooting, high assist numbers. Can the Heat afford to take on Tinsley with Marcus Banks hanging on the bench and considering Chalmers might be better than Tinsley already? Probably not.
New York is too busy with its current bizarre point guard corps(e) to add another layer of dysfunction. Al Harrington-for-Tinsley makes too much sense to work in the real world, though Golden State's deceptively strong 1-2 start could incite the volatile braintrust to fix the team's biggest weakness. All told, Indiana might be stuck with Tinsley now. Let us not ignore small victories, though: so long as Stephon Marbury is a Knicks employee, Tinsley will only be the second-highest-paid third-string point guard in the league. Huzzah!
... And Jamaal Tinsley Goes Back in the Bucket originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
