Will Al Harrington Be Swapped for Jamaal Tinsley?

Its no secret the Warriors are in desperate need of backcourt relief after Monta Ellis' injury.  This is evidenced by general manager Chris Mullin flying out to Chicago to view comeback hopeful Shaun Livingston in a private workout session.

Midway across the States, the Indiana Pacers are also in need of a few materials, primarily three-point shooting and an athletic power forward.

Taking these two requirements into account, I created a trade that both teams could benefit from. 

I crunched the numbers, and an Al for Jamaal trade wasn't exactly allowed by NBA measures. So to make the trade work, I threw in additional pieces to the trade to make the salaries intertwine.

The trade scenario:

Golden State sends Harrington, Kosta Perovic, and cash to Indiana for Jamaal Tinsley and Jeff Foster.

Harrington averaged 13.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 0.2 BPG while playing in all but one game for the Warriors last season.

Al came over along with Stephen Jackson in the infamous deal for Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy that helped shape the Warriors franchise into the fast paced offense today.

Kosta Perovic, the seldom-used Croatian forward, averaged 1.4 PPG and 1.9 RPG in seven games last season for the Warriors.

With the additions of Brandan Wright last season and rookie Anthony Randolph this season, and with Chris Mullin forcing Don Nelson to play his younger corps, Harrington has become disposable.

While the Warriors' will miss Harrington's three-point shooting and his effectiveness in their system, his scoring production will easily be replaced by Corey Maggette, Stephen Jackson, and Monta Ellis (when he returns).

Golden State currently lacks a veteran presence in the backcourt, and certain skeptics have already pre-determined Marcus Williams as not mature enough for the starting role.

Tinsley became expendable after the acquisitions of T.J. Ford and Jarret Jack this past offseason.

Jamaal averaged 11.9 PPG, 8.4 APG, and 1.7 SPG in 39 appearances for the Pacers last season before nagging knee injuries sidelined him for most of the season. 

In both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, Tinsley finished in the Top 10 in the NBA in total assists, assists per game, steals, and in steal percentage. Jamaal was also a second-team All-Rookie selection in '02-03.

The 2006-07 season proved to be the healthiest of Tinsley's career, as he played in 71 games and was once again among the Top 10 in steal percentage, assist percentage, and in steals per game.

Jamaal Tinsley is a proven point guard who led the Indiana Pacers to five consecutive postseason appearances (2001-2006), and has playoff experience which most of Golden State's roster does not possess. Tinsley excels in the halfcourt game, where he can set up the offense, distribute the ball to his teammates, and put them in the best position to score. 

Foster averaged 6.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 0.4 BPG while coming off the bench for Indiana last season.

Jeff is a terrific rebounder, and would stock the Warriors with instant toughness and defensive intensity—something the Warriors have failed to orchestrate for years.

The tandem of Ronny Turiaf and Jeff Foster off the bench would create an immense amount of second-chance opportunities.  Along with the starting center Andris Biedrins, the trio may finally be able to prevent Golden State from getting out-rebounded on a constant basis.

To further illustrate the problem, the Warriors have been out-rebounded for four consecutive seasons, with 2003-04 being the last time Golden State had more boards than the opposition.

Last season's team captain, Stephen Jackson, looks to be the only untouchable player in the Warriors' starting lineup from last season—other than Ellis and Biedrins)—because of his versatility and scoring production.

While the Warriors are taking a risk in trading for Jamaal Tinsley because of his health issues, no trade in the NBA is without risks—and the reward maybe greater than the loss.