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Analyzing the trade deadline movers and shakers

February 20, 2009 12:06 AM | Posted by   Paul Jay  

There was a flurry of activity in the NBA on Thursday, the last day basketball teams could unload contracts, er, make trades in a final desperate attempt to make the playoffs or get rid of bad apples or make a quick buck or, um, what was it all about again?

I lost count, but I believe there were seven trades on Thursday, plus the two big ones earlier this week (Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller and John Salmons for Andres Nocioni and Drew Gooden plus other spare parts).

That's a lot of paperwork, never mind all the paperwork wasted when Oklahoma City rescinded their trade for Tyson Chandler.

And the end result? I believe the expression we're looking for here is “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”

Breaking these deals down one by one isn't particularly instructive, since teams like Chicago and Sacramento made multiple small moves, so it's probably better to look at the deals from the perspective of the major players.

Two things stood out, however. One is that teams with players with huge contracts set to expire at season's end were loathe to part with them (Cleveland and Wally Szczerbiak, Portland and Raef Lafrentz), which in some case explains the high price Toronto paid for Marion earlier this week.

The other thing of note was that, with the exception of Orlando's acquisition of Rafer Alston to fill in for injured point guard Jameer Nelson, teams that consider themselves serious contenders made no significant moves. The real players were the terrible teams, either positioning themselves financially or taking one last stab at a playoff run.

Toronto Raptors (two trades)
Gained: Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks (Miami), Patrick O'Bryant (Boston)
Lost: Jermaine O'Neal, Jamario Moon (Miami), Will Solomon (Sacramento), future first-round pick
Result: Getting anything for Solomon is a victory of sorts, but if O'Bryant couldn't beat out Glen Davis for playing time in Boston I'm doubtful of his impact in Toronto. I seem to remember him dominating Aaron Gray of Pittsburgh in a March Madness game way back when, but that was a long time ago and it was Aaron Gray. Since Solomon threw up that pass to nobody against Orlando I've been blocking him out of my mind, so he won't be missed. End result? The Raptors appear to be trying to remain competitive this year in a likely futile attempt to make the playoffs.

Chicago Bulls (three trades)
Gained: Brad Miller, John Salmons (Sacramento), Tim Thomas, Jerome James, Anthony Roberson (New York), future first-round pick (from Oklahoma City)
Lost: Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni (Sacramento), Michael Ruffin (Portland), Thabo Sefolosha (OK City), Larry Hughes (New York)
Result: Chicago reloads its role players without upsetting the core of Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas and Joachim Noah. The end result is a possible playoff spot if Miller and Salmons integrate nicely. But while Salmons is versatile and therefore useful, let's not go crazy thinking he's a difference-maker. He's kind of like Mike James when he was a Raptor: a guy who puts up good numbers on a terrible team. If Rose is dominating the ball, as he should be, how useful will Salmons be off the ball? Dealing Nocioni is also a plus, since it saves them money for the great spending spree of 2010.

Sacramento Kings (three trades)
Gained: Rashad McCants, Calvin Booth (Minnesota), Will Solomon (Toronto), Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni (Chicago), Ike Diogu (Portland)
Lost: Brad Miller, John Salmons (Chicago), Shelden Williams, Bobby Brown (Minnesota), Mikki Moore (cut)
Result: There's a saying in pro sports (likely tied to annual drafts) that before you can be really good you have to be bad for a while. At this rate, then, the Kings are going to rule like their currently ironic nickname. This team is no closer to being competitive, saved only a small amount of money with all of its wheeling and dealing and appears headed to Vegas or some other city down the road. Best of luck in 2014, guys.

Orlando Magic (one trade)
Gained: Rafer Alston (Houston)
Lost: Brian Cook (Houston), Adonal Foyle (Memphis), first-round pick (Memphis)
Result: Orlando is hoping Alston will make up for the loss of Nelson and keep them in contention in the East. I feel like a bad guy to break it to them, but, well, no. Rafer Alston will lead no one to anything other than a playground title or possibly an insane asylum. The good news is they didn't give up much to get him.

New York Knicks (two trades)
Gained: Larry Hughes (Chicago), Chris Wilcox (OK City)
Lost: Jerome James (Chicago), Tim Thomas (Chicago), Anthony Roberson (Chicago), Malik Rose (OK City)
Result: As far as salaries go, these deals were a wash, so it seems New York was actually interested in the players. Heavens knows why. Perhaps they hope they can make lemonade out of lemons, the way they turned around Zach Randolph, pumped up his trade value and then traded him to the Clippers, where he recently punched out a guy this week. Note to 29 other teams: stay away from Hughes next year, no matter what he does in New York.

Memphis Grizzlies (two trades)
Gained: First-round pick (Orlando), Chris Mihm (LA Lakers), Mike Wilks (Houston), Adonal Foyle (Orlando)
Lost: Kyle Lowry (Houston), conditional second-round pick (LAL)
Result: Memphis cuts their losses on Lowry after two and a half seasons of jerking him in and out of lineup and get a late pick for their troubles. The rest? Yawn.

Oklahoma City Thunder (two trades)
Gained: Malik Rose (New York), Thabo Sefolosha (Chicago)
Lost: Chris Wilcox (New York), first-round pick (Chicago), Joe Smith (likely cut)
Result: They could have had Tyson Chandler until a doctor got nervous about a toe. Instead they fill a need for a bench shooting guard and have to cut Smith to make room, thus paving the way for a team like the Boston Celtics to pick him up. They give up a pick too, but it's not theirs and they've got lots from teams like San Antonio and Phoenix they've been stockpiling, so it doesn't hurt. Frankly, I'd rather have Chandler and just hire the best toe doctor in Tulsa.

Minnesota Timberwolves (one trade)
Gained: Shelden Williams, Bobby Brown (Sacramento)
Lost: Rashad McCants, Calvin Booth (Sacramento)
Result: When Kevin McHale and Rob Babcock get together to concoct a deal, it's magic. Or at the very least misdirection, as in, if we look busy perhaps no one will notice our late playoff run fading fast. If there is a basketball god, and I'm not sure there is, then this will be the last trade of the McHale-Babcock era. Amen.

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