Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Ouch. Double ouch. Part II: The Beacon Hill Institute is all over the map (see accounts here and here). It says that the DNC generated a total $156.7 million for the city. But it says that figure is offset by an approximate $142 million hit due to a loss of commuter and tourism business, Sail Boston, the U.S. gymnastics event etc. So the net gain was: $14.8 million. ... But isn’t that still $14.8 million ABOVE the offset numbers? Right? If someone gave you $142 million but then quickly offered you $156.7 million in exchange for that $142 million, wouldn’t you take the $14.8 million gain and scram? ... Setting aside whether any of its numbers are accurate, the BHI is trying to have it both ways: knock the economic benefits of conventions in general by using, well, standard convention numbers. And it still can’t make the numbers add up. ... For me, I’ll take the BHI report with a big teaspoon of Kosher salt while rereading Tom Keane columns and awaiting Sam Tyler’s verdict. ... Coming soon to Hub Blog: The Transfer of Wealth Theory of Prepaid Wine-and-Dine Events, i.e. Back Bay caterers win, North End restaurateurs lose, etc.
‘As the Celtics world turns’: Reader No. 1 on the Celts trade:
“Pluses:
“-- Even on the downside, Payton is a plausible #2 to take the offensive load off of Pierce (Paul’s solo act last year was the main drawback of the Antoine trade.)
“-- Ainge let Doc Rivers make the right call on Marcus Banks (see the Hub Blog archives for a prescient call on Marcus.) Admittedly, Chauncey Billups offers a cautionary tale to those who would trade a young talent of imprecise fit for a surly point guard on the downturn... but 2004 Marcus Banks is no 1998 Chauncey Billups.
“-- Ainge knows how to accumulate poker chips. He couldn’t have done this deal with Mike James instead of Chucky Atkins as the future Laker Point Guard. Incidentally, since Danny has developed a specialty in trading for contracts of players who won’t actually play here -- Chris Mills, Lindsay Hunter, Rick Fox -- is it too late to swap Ricky Davis for Terrell Brandon?
“Minuses:
Beyond the obvious problem with Payton’s age and apparent playoff decline, I’d argue two bigger problems:
“-- As in prior Danny Ainge trades, especially the Ricky Davis Night Before Christmas special that cost us Eric Williams and eventually, Coach O’Brien, team and personal chemistry appears to be a mere afterthought in dealmaking. Payton took below-market money to play with Shaq, not Mark Blount and will surely try to engineer a financial reward for his hardship. And only Global Warming will bring Fox to the New England shoreline (too bad; The Improper Bostonian would have loved him, and he was an intelligent hardworking player.)
“-- What is the future of the Boston Celtics? Atkins, Banks and Mihm are spare parts. But they were acquired to fit a particularly style of play. Is that style changing? If so, to what? There’s cap space clearing out for a year from now, but where are we going from here? Or put another way: how and when is Danny going to cash those accumulating chips?”
Hub Blog’s response -- Reader No. 1 noted in an aside that I didn’t explain my misgivings about the trade. Here’s my main misgiving: Read prior paragraph.
‘As the Celtics world turns’: Reader No. 1 on the Celts trade:
“Pluses:
“-- Even on the downside, Payton is a plausible #2 to take the offensive load off of Pierce (Paul’s solo act last year was the main drawback of the Antoine trade.)
“-- Ainge let Doc Rivers make the right call on Marcus Banks (see the Hub Blog archives for a prescient call on Marcus.) Admittedly, Chauncey Billups offers a cautionary tale to those who would trade a young talent of imprecise fit for a surly point guard on the downturn... but 2004 Marcus Banks is no 1998 Chauncey Billups.
“-- Ainge knows how to accumulate poker chips. He couldn’t have done this deal with Mike James instead of Chucky Atkins as the future Laker Point Guard. Incidentally, since Danny has developed a specialty in trading for contracts of players who won’t actually play here -- Chris Mills, Lindsay Hunter, Rick Fox -- is it too late to swap Ricky Davis for Terrell Brandon?
“Minuses:
Beyond the obvious problem with Payton’s age and apparent playoff decline, I’d argue two bigger problems:
“-- As in prior Danny Ainge trades, especially the Ricky Davis Night Before Christmas special that cost us Eric Williams and eventually, Coach O’Brien, team and personal chemistry appears to be a mere afterthought in dealmaking. Payton took below-market money to play with Shaq, not Mark Blount and will surely try to engineer a financial reward for his hardship. And only Global Warming will bring Fox to the New England shoreline (too bad; The Improper Bostonian would have loved him, and he was an intelligent hardworking player.)
“-- What is the future of the Boston Celtics? Atkins, Banks and Mihm are spare parts. But they were acquired to fit a particularly style of play. Is that style changing? If so, to what? There’s cap space clearing out for a year from now, but where are we going from here? Or put another way: how and when is Danny going to cash those accumulating chips?”
Hub Blog’s response -- Reader No. 1 noted in an aside that I didn’t explain my misgivings about the trade. Here’s my main misgiving: Read prior paragraph.
