|
Going to watch the draft party with a few friends, and you don't know what to say?
Need a quick update on what's gone on in the NBA since the Fakers won another title?
Bored and need something to read?
Well then, look know further! Here's what you need to know about the trades have gone down since the curtain has fallen on the 2008-2009 Season. (Trades are in no particular order.)
Trade 1:
Cleveland Cavaliers - Phoenix Suns
Cavaliers Give: Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, Pick #46, Cash
Suns Give: Shaquille O'Neal
Cavaliers Perspective: During the Eastern conference finals, all that the announcers could say is that Big Z and Ben Wallace looked very old when facing off against the youthful exuberance of Dwight Howard. So, what is the Cavaliers solution to this predicament if they want to win next year? Get an even older big man, of course! Obviously, people will say that Shaq is different because he was always better than those two, and that he has the dominant years left in him that Ben Wallace and Zyundras Ilgauskas didn't. But I'm still skeptical. Sure, Shaq will probably translate to more wins, and better performance against worse teams, but, if the Magic can keep it together, I don't see any reason as to why he'd bring the Cavaliers to victory. He'll look just as old as the other two did against Dwight Howard. All of that said, I still love Shaq, and hope he dominates Dwight Howard.
Suns Perspective: The Shaq experiment is over, and this is probably the first move in rebuilding. Nobody but the Cavaliers wanted a piece of Shaq's contract, so a expired Ben Wallace, a streaky shooter, and a long shot draft pick is all they could get. Better than nothing, I suppose, and who knows? Both of them could fit into the Suns current system well, if they want to keep it going.
Final Verdict: Both teams got what they wanted, but since the Cavaliers have the much brighter future and it's doubtful anything the Suns gave will turn into anything, I say the Cavaliers win.
Trade 2:
San Antonio Spurs - Milwaukee Bucks
Spurs Give: Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto
Bucks Give: Richard Jefferson
Spurs Perspective: Congratulations San Antonio! You've successfully found a way to keep your dominance going. Basically, the Spurs traded away two guys who are ancient and very close to retirement and an average center for a borderline All-Star Small Forward to amplify their lineup. If they can convince Tiago Splitter to come from Brazil and a few veterans to come from Free Agency to fill their bench, then San Antonio could very well be Title Town again in 2010.
Bucks Perspective: It looks like the Bucks small experiment at semi greatness is crashing down, and now they're just rebuilding. Oberto was just trade bait for the Pistons so they could obtain Amir Johnson (see Trade 3 below). Bowen and Thomas could theoretically help out it backup roles, but given that they may not want to play in Milwaukee and the fact that their stats have declined recently, it's doubtful you'll see either suit up for serious minutes on the Bucks next season, if they're on the roster at all.
Final Verdict: Spurs by a mile.
Trade 3:
Detroit Pistons - Milwaukee Bucks
Pistons Give: Amir Johnson
Bucks Give: Fabricio Oberto
Pistons Perspective: Just clearing more cap room for the 2010 Free Agency class, and completely giving up any hope of winning in 2009-2010. Expect a dismal record, folks. Oh, and if you didn't already know, the old Pistons are gone forever now, and they're never coming back. This deal is just a further example of that.
Bucks Perspective: Amir Johnson is certainly a solid player....but, he's on a bad contract. He'll help the Bucks off of the bench, but will it really make any difference without Richard Jefferson? I guess it's a solid aim at the future....
Final Verdict: It's hard to say here. Either way, this deal doesn't set the world on fire, but Ill give the credit to the Pistons for clearing even more cap space. I just don't think Amir Johnson and his bad contract will help out the Bucks very much.
Trade 4:
Washington Wizards - Minnesota Timberwolves
Wizards Give: Etan Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov, Darius Songaila, #5 Pick
Timberwolves Give: Randy Foye, Mike Miller
Wizards Perspective: These players, for the Wizards, are nothing but contracts. They're all nameless centers in the wizards mush, and the only one I really know anything about is Etan Thomas, simply because he collaborates with Adonal Foyle to make poetry, and because he has dreadlocks. I'm sure the Wizards fans will be glad to see the nameless men gone. As for giving away the pick for Foye and Miller, two very solid Shooting Guards, it's a case of giving up a gamble in the draft for a sure commodity in these two guards. Personally, I think it was the right decision, as Miller is still regarded as one of the best three point shooters in the league and Randy Foye is a good starter for any team. Nevertheless, this leaves the Wizards with many questions. How will they make their lineup? They have Mike James, Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, Randy Foye, and Mike Miller. None of them are big men. We could either be seeing the dawn of a new small ball team (with Blatche at center) or the Wizards could be nowhere done trading. Either is a good possibility at this point.
Timberwolves Perspective: As Okluschen pointed out in an earlier article, the Timberwolves are rumoured to be trying to aggressively trade up to get Rubio. He would certainly be a good Point Guard to anchor the team, and, if Rubio turns out who everyone expects him to be, then its a good trade. If Rubio holds out, doesn't turn out to be good, or, worst of all ,don't get him at all....the deal will be a total failure. I mean, imagine having given up Randy Foye and Mike Miller to get a bunch of nobody centers and Stephen Curry. Not trying to take anything away from Curry, because he'll probably turn out similar in skill level to Mike Miller. But, in the end, it's like trading two apples for an apple and a bunch of brussel sprouts. And trust me, no one wants those.
Final Verdict: Wizards for now, but if Rubio is obtained and turns out to be the player he's all cracked up to be, then the Timberwolves win. Either way, I think the Wizards made a good move here if they are to salvage this team from the depths of the NBA for a few more runs in the playoffs.
Trade 5 (Highly Rumoured, But Not Official):
Golden State Warriors - Atlanta Hawks
Warriors Give: Jamal Crawford
Hawks Give: Speedy Claxton, Acie Law IV
Warriors Perspective: Crawford has been wanting out of Golden State for a long time, but is this the right trade involving him? Moving up or out of the draft would have been nice. I mean, now they get Speedy Claxton back, and he can be a decent backup point guard. And Acie Law could be okay, though I doubt he'll be any good. Long story short, they get two backup Point guards, but no one to truly solve their woes. On the other hand it is a gamble in that they are hoping that Speedy Claxton is still too injured to play, and that 80% of his salary will be covered by insurance. Hopefully they can make something out of that cap space.
Hawks Perspective: They give up the guys who play behind Bibby for a very nice upgrade at backup Shooting Guard. He will be very nice backing up Joe Johnson and possibly Marvin Williams, making this team even better than they already were. But, I wouldn't put it past them to continue trading and getting better.
Final Verdict: The Hawks win this one, easily. I don't see how the Warriors get much better by this other than removing a guy who wanted out. They still need another Point Guard. The only wasy I could see the Warriors winning this trade down the line is if they did something really good with that cap space. The Hawks, however, are ready to take another shot at the East next season.
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. Here are some of our high-priority areas that we're specifically looking to grow. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 