Being that I have been kind of quite with all the recent trades going on, it’s time to get loud! I wanted to let all the deals happen and now that they have, I’ll give my thoughts!
Timberwolves get:
No. 5 overall pick (Ricky Rubio)
Etan Thomas
Darius Songaila
Oleksiy Pecherov
Wizards get:
Mike Miller
Randy Foye
Right now, the obvious winner of this deal is Washington. They trade four guys that don’t do a ton for them (though Songaila is a solid back up) and get two proven backcourt players. If Ricky Rubio decides not to stay in Spain, he’ll have a shot to prove himself.
Even if he does prove to be a good player, the Wizards now have a sure fire backcourt. There will be someone their if Gilbert Arenas still isn’t healthy. If Gilbert is finally healthy, then they’ve built some very solid depth with Foye and Miller.
Foye can penetrate in and make things happen. He’s somewhat inconsistent, but he had a pretty good year last season. Hopefully he thrives in Washington. Billiups did well under Saunders, we’ll see what kind of effect he can have on Foye.
Miller is a great jump shooter. He’s always been a consistent shooter. The key for him helping the Wizards is that jumper. If it’s falling, the Wizards will get what they wanted out of him. He does other things, but those are just icing on that jump shot of his. Great veteran to come off the bench and teach guys like Nick Young.
If I was a Wizards fan, I’d be looking forward to next year. They have put together a deep backcourt, and have young talent up front. The thing they need is another big man. Maybe someone will be available in free agency. because they need help down low (a backup).
Spurs get:
Richard Jefferson
Bucks get:
Bruce Bowen
Kurt Thomas
Fabricio Oberto
Another easy trade to assess. The Spurs put themselves back into the conversation of contenders in the West. They get younger. Jefferson will bring fresher legs and experience from two trips to the finals. The Bucks save money and secure their mediocrity.
Looking at the Bucks, I was somewhat surprised by this move. I thought if they brought back last years team, they had a shot at the playoffs. Ownership is simply putting things in perspective: we can’t win a title right now. Why not suck and get younger and save some money while doing it.
The Spurs fans probably just exhaled deeply when they heard about it. In talking to the guys of Projectspurs.com, they were becoming restless. Now they are happy and eagerly awaiting the next move.
RJ is a major injection of youth and athleticism that we desperately needed, but we still need a big defensive presence at C.
Cavs get:
Shaquille O’Neal
Suns get:
Ben Wallace
Sasha Pavlovic
Second-round pick in 2010
$500,000 in cash
Remember the days when Shaq netted you good player like Lamar Odom and Caron Butler? Those days are long gone. Now all you get is cap relief and a notable step back.
Does this propel the Cavs to early favorites? NO. They still need another big. Something else they need is a player that can create his own shot. They don’t have a ton of those. LeBron and West are the only guys who can really do it consistently. Everyone says they need a shooting power forward. I would love that for them, but I’d like a guy who can create his own shot even more.
When the Cavs are in the fourth quarter of big games, they can’t just run a high pick and roll for LeBron James. As effective as it is, you can’t run the same play for eight minutes. For one thing it’s boring after the first couple times and defenses will adapt and play the pick and roll better and better. Kobe talks about taking what the defense gives him. The D will figure out what they can allow and adjust their coverage accordingly. That’s why you can’t run the same set again and again.
This trade gives them a guy they can throw the ball into and either get open jump shots from, or consistent low post scoring. It makes things a lot more interesting if you’re an NBA fan.
The Suns have finally realized that this team needs to be blown up. Last year they made a couple panic deals, trying to see if they could make the playoffs. If they could’ve made the playoffs, I don’t know if we’re talking about a Shaq trade.
For the future, this is probably the right move. They have take a step back and regroup. I just want to see how they deal their other star players. Amar’e is likley off to Golden State once free agency beings (it’s not a done deal, but they have certainly talked about it). Where will Nash go? We’ll have to just wait and see I guess.
Magic get:
Vince Carter
Ryan Anderson
Nets get:
Rafer Alston
Tony Battie
Courtney Lee
For some reason, this trade slipped my mind when I initially wrote this. But, basically it’s like the Bucks-Spurs trade. The Spurs showed that they are a hungry team, and in this case, the Magic are showing they want to get better. They loose a young guard in Courtney Lee, but otherwise this deal makes a lot of sense.
Rafer Alston was only a one year experiment. He was added to makeup for the absence of Jameer Nelson. Now that Nelson is supposed to come into next season healthy, there’s no point in keeping two point guards that will become greedy for minutes (I’m sure a lot of people are thinking about the TWolves right now). While Battie is a serviceable backup, he really didn’t get a huge chance for the Magic when it counted.
As I said before, losing Lee will hurt in the future. He will be a great player for a long time in the NBA. But, the Magic are putting it all on the table and all they are loosing is frontcourt depth.
Since Battie will be in New Jersey, it becomes imperative to re-sign Gortat. If that’s not done, the Magic will be forced to find a new backup center. A free agent in Zaza Pachulia comes to mind, but I doubt that Hawks will let him go easily.
So, I like the deal only if they can find a way to re-sign Gortat. I love the deal if they can bring Gortat and Turkoglu back. That team would have tons of firepower, especially in the starting five. But, if they are all brought back, I’m not sure how strong their bench will look. That’s something Otis Smith will have to address.
For the Nets, this is obviously a move for financial flexibility and the future of the team. What I do love about the Nets is the future of their backcourt. Devin Harris at point guard for years to come and Courtney Lee as your two guard for years to come. Don’t forget your center Brook Lopez. Those are some very solid pieces for the future. I like the way they are building in New Jersey.
Lots of deals. What do you think of your teams trade or pick up??