White Hat Sports Headlines

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Lets Make A Deal!! Part Deux

Here is part two of my analysis of the trades that have gone down in the NBA. For anyone who hasn't read the rich, creamy goodness of part one, click here.

February 20th: The San Antonio Spurs trade Brent Barry, Francisco Elson and their 2009 first round pick to the Seattle Supersonics for Kurt Thomas.
This trade kind of baffles me to be honest. The Spurs always seem to get the better of deals, and have always had what is considered one of the smartest front offices in basketball (which unfortunately isn't saying too much). For me, they gave up a lot to get a little in this deal. Kurt Thomas is an average at best player, and he is also old. What will make this trade make more sense is if Brent Barry comes back to the Spurs, as he has already been waived by the Spurs. For now, I give them a C+ because normally the moves they make work out. For the Sonics I give them an A+. Between last year and this year they essentially got three first round picks for a guy in Thomas who isn't that great. That is a great thing for a team clearly looking for the future and not the current.

February 21st: The Detroit Pistons trade Primoz Brezec to the Toronto Raptors for Juan Dixon.
Doesn't really make either team better. Brezec is a big body, but has little talent and puts in even less effort. Dixon had his days in the spotlight back when he played with Maryland, and now is probably a third string guard on the Piston's roster. I give the Pistons a C+ and the Raptors a C.

February 21st: The Denver Nuggets trade Von Wafer to the Portland Trail Blazers for Taurean Green.

The Nuggets were one of the teams that seem to be one player away from truly contending. Unfortunately Green is not that player. They could use a point guard, but they need one that can play at a starting NBA level now. The only positive for them is that Green did play on the two-time champion Florida Gators, and can develop into a decent player. I give them a D+, not so much for this deal as just their overall lack of activity at the deadline. The Blazers weren't playing Green, and they probably won't play Wafer much either, so I give them a D+ as well.


February 21st: The Houston Rockets trade Kirk Snyder, a second round pick and cash to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Gerald Green.
I don't know why the Timberwolves did this. Green is considered to have a huge upside, and if nothing else is well known for the dunk contest, and probably moves some merchandise based on that alone. He was acquired by the team before the season started, and did not even last the full season there. he certainly should be worth more than Snyder, a mid level second round pick, and some cash. They get an F. The Rockets get a very marketable player with a huge upside that just hasn't put it together yet. For now, he should provide decent play off the bench if nothing else. I give them a B+.

February 21st: The Houston Rockets acquire Bobby Jackson, Adam Haluska from the New Orleans Hornets for Bonzi Wells and Mike James. They also trade cash and Malick Badiane to the Memphis Grizzlies for Sergei Lishouk, and New Orleans trades Marcus Vinicius to Memphis.
Extremely complicated deal. Removing players that are playing overseas (Lishouk, Badiane) makes it slightly simpler. Essentially, the Rockets get a big time energy guy in Bobby Jackson, the Hornets get Bonzi Wells and Mike James, and the Grizzlies get some guys that won't do much of anything now and some cash. The Rockets are a great fit for Jackson, and he should really help them in the long run. I give the a B, only because they gave up both Wells and James to get him. For the Hornets I give them a B+. They are showing they think they can win now, and there isn't anything that says they can't. Wells gives them a good rebounding guard that can play down low, and Mike James can put up points in a hurry when he's hot. The Grizzlies gave up one overseas player, and get back one in return, plus another player that may go overseas. I give them a B because, well, two is normally better than one.

February 21st: Cavaliers acquire Ben Wallace and Joe Smith from the Chicago Bulls for Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown as well as Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from Seattle, In return, Seattle gets Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall from Cleveland, as well as Adrian Griffin from the Bulls.

Obviously, the Cavs gave up a lot, but they also get a lot. In the end I think they made a great deal. Wallace was a great defensive player in Detroit, and now that he is out of Chicago he may very well go back to that. Joe Smith is a very good low post offensive player, and should supplant Gooden's numbers fairly well. Delonte to me is extremely underrated, and pairing him with Daniel Gibson in the Cleveland backcourt should work well. Wally is also a great shooter, and should spread the floor for Lebron. I give them an A. Chicago to me gets a couple guys known more for their name than their abilities. Hughes is still a good scorer, and now that he is not clashing with Lebron he should be slightly more productive, but they already have plenty of scorers from the guard slot in the windy city. Gooden is the key to this for them, if he can produce offensively down low he will really help Chicago. Simmons and Shannon Brown are throw ins and probably won't play much. I give them a B. Seattle didn't do this trade for talent purposes, or to make their team better this year. If they say anything different they are lying through their teeth. They did this deal to save money, and get expiring contracts that will come off the books soon. However, they know they need to rebuild, and they are committing to that completely, so I give them a B+ for the deal.


The end to this NBA season should be a great one. This years playoffs should bring back memories of the NBA's glory days, and it is exactly what the sport needed. Obviously, only time will tell which trade works and which did not, but if GMs can evaluate these trades now, I figure I can be fairly accurate as well.

~Aaron Jackson



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I like the way you used different colors on your text.