The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3PM eastern and I hate to tell you hoop fans, but don’t get excited thinking there’s going to be some kind of blockbuster deal that puts the basketball world on it’s ear. Every year we go through this, all the rumors, all the “they should do this they should do that” talk in regards to the different ball clubs involved.
Almost every year this day is hyped up, and then we end up hearing about a bunch of draft picks, or bench and role players being moved for maybe one starter. We hear even about the multiple teams involved in multiplayer deals, but those players usually turn out to be cap relief for the teams either dropping or getting those players.
There are exceptions to this rant however. The year Detroit picked up Rasheed Wallace on their way to winning the Championship against the Lakers in Shaq’s final yearin L.A. Remember that? When L.A. picked up Karl Malone and Gary Payton in the offseason and then the team was blown up after that Piston ass whoopin.
The other trade deadline move that sticks out to me is when Pau Gasol ended up in L.A. from Memphis in exchange for a few cereal box toys and lifetime supply of turkey gizzards. I’ve gone back and looked and looked and looked and I can’t find any other blockbuster deal that went down at the deadline.
This year the move that should be made more than any other is L.A. moving Dwight Howard. It’s been talked about all season and really before the season even started. The big question is will Howard resign with the Lakers at season’s end. All hints and comments say he won’t, and that shows us once again the pure ego of the Lakers organization.
Jim Buss made the move to acquire Howard and wants this to work so badly that I can see him allowing his pride to force his hand. He’s willing to keep Howard through this season because he truly believes he can get Howard to commit long term to the Lakers when it’s time to sign or resign free agents.
No one from L.A. to Pakistan believes Howard’s coming back because no one believes he wants that pressure to deliver championships, not championship, but championships. This is expected while Kobe Bryant is still a Laker and for years to come once Bryant retires. Dwight doesn’t want that, he wants to go to a team and be the extra piece that pushes a team over the top, but he’s not trying to be a focal point, and if Buss puts all his eggs into the Howard basket it will come back to haunt the Lakers for years to come.
Other moves to look at, Josh Smith needs to be moved for the simple fact that his name has been circulating for years now, and the Hawks have all but blown the team up already. Looking at the moves they’ve made the last few seasons tells me they’re ready to start over. Since last season Atlanta has moved Marvin Williams, and Joe Johnson, two players that were suppose to get the Hawks over the hump when they were first acquired.
Once Johnson went to Brooklyn you had to think Atlanta was planning to move some money around to sign a major superstar to put along side Smith, but with no takers interested in riding with the Hawks it looks like they’re just going to start over and wipe the slate clean. Al Horford is a solid big man and if your going to have to lose Smith, having Horford still holding down the frontcourt gives you a nice start to rebuild around.
If any team needs to really make a trade to get over the top, it’s the O City Thunder. Since losing Harden there’s a little something missing from the Thunder and being honest the game that Harden brings to the table can’t be replaced so they have to look in a whole different direction.
The backcourt is cool with Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, and Kevin Martin being the main points of focus, with Eric Maynor and Reggie Jackson coming off the bench. However Maynor’s minutes have been reduced since his return form injury, and when he’s on the floor he’s not as productive as O City needs him to be.
He may be a piece to move, but only if you can get a legit scoring threat on that front court and or a solid point guard that can run the team. Word on the street is Al Jefferson or Paul Milsap may be O City bound but it may cost the Thunder Kendrick Perkins. Personally I like Perkins on defense, but offensively he’s a liability and in the 4th quarter if I need offense I’d rather have Nick Collison on the floor, who’s not a bad defender in his own right.
If Oklahoma could somehow pull off a trade for either Milsap or Jefferson then pencil them in for a definite shot at making it to the finals again and if facing Miami with either of those two guys in their front court they may even be title bound. Come 3PM Thursday afternoon we’ll see if it’s another example of wasted daily news and rumors, or a for real for real big splash that changes the course of the 2013 season.
No comments:
Post a Comment