Kyle’s View

With the barrage of trades at the deadline, i figured i take a moment to throw some thoughts in to what the teams have done. One of the most active trade deadlines came and went last Thursday. Stars swapped coasts, changed teams, and geared up for playoff runs. With two sure fire Hall of Famers going to Western Conference heavy weights and  number of all-star and notable players switching teams the list of players was astounding.

The Suns made one of biggest acquisitions in both size and magnitude when they acquired Shaq, but also lost a huge part of what they did when they sent Shawn Marion off to Miami along with Marcus Banks. They felt their interior was an issue and addressed the issue accordingly. They are going to spend the next month or so figuring out how to rework parts of their offense. The sooner they can figure it out the better. They are in middle of one of the closest races in recent history with 6 teams all separated by a game and a half going into tuesday nights play. The teams they are fighting with for the coveted top spots also made important moves.

The Jason Kidd to Dallas trade finally went through after Dallas lured Keith Van Horn out of retirement to sign a contract for the rest of the season and was subsequently traded to New Jersey. This needed to happen for two reasons. One being the blocking of the trade by Devean George, because of the no-trade clause in his contract allowing him to halt trade plans if he does not approve. The second being the comments that Jerry Stackhouse referring to what i said in the previous post about this trade where it was widely know the Nets would cut him and allow for a return to Dallas. He made comments in the news paper and NBA powers that be told him that would not be allowed to return thus the Mavericks had to make new plans to acquire the point guard they so highly coveted. This trade makes the Mavericks a legit contender for a title and one of the favorites especially after last years meltdown and the hands of the #8 seed Golden State Warriors. The Mavericks have the leader at point guard and will make some serious noise in the playoffs. These two trades over shadowed a deal that happened a few days prior but for all serious NBA fans will realize was the best of all three trades.<

The Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis giving little more than a couple reserve players and some draft picks. Pau can step in immediately and pay huge dividends and already has. He gives the Lakers one of the best front courts with Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom. Oh, and by the way Kobe Bryant is also on the team. The Lakers look to be the class of the NBA.<

With the western conference dominating the headlines at the deadline the Cavaliers, Bulls and Sonics made an  11 player swap. The move was the Cavs attempt to make their team, which was unchanged from last year ( which was swept in the finals) and facing an uphill climb to make it out of the east against Boston and Detroit before they can think about a return trip to the NBA finals. They acquired Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Delonte West, and Wally Szczerbiak while the Bulls acquired Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown, and Cedric Simmons, and the Sonics getting Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, and Adrian Griffin. The Cavs added front court help with Ben Wallace being the biggest name, however the best player they acquired was Joe Smith. He was the Bulls most consistent player this season and can play both center and power forward. However i don't think this trade makes any teams better. The Cavs got inside help which they really didn't need in exchange for Larry Hughes maybe inconsistent but was starting to improve guard and Drew Gooden who was playing the same roll as joe smith or ben wallace and would be just as effective. I felt this trade was made more out of not doing anything all off season and watching the west make vast improvements.

In addition to the big trades there was also a furry of smaller trades. The Hawks improved immensely adding Mike Bibby to a team that was in desperate need for a point guard. The Spurs added Kurt Thomas for front court play and playoff experience. New Orleans added Bonzi Wells for some bench depth and solid play form the swingman. 

Its scary to thing the NBA's best team from last year could be arguably the 5th or 6th best team in the west. Tune in for the rest of the season and through the playoffs to see what happens and how the trades pan out. This years playoffs will be one of the best in along time if not ever. Watch for a lot of the series to go 7 games. 

Its seems the Mavericks and Nets are close to completing a deal that would send Jason Kidd and Malik Allen to the Mavericks for Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, Desagana Diop, Devan George, and Maurice Ager, this according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. This is deal is also said to include a first round pick this year and 2010 and 3 million is cash. This is a great deal for both sides. The Mavericks are giving up a lot but are getting a peice that will give them legitimate title hopes especially in the tough western conference where the two teams in front of them, suns and lakers, just made huge deals to acquire all-stars (Shaq and Pau Gasol respectively). The Nets are getting a combonation of good young player, expiring contracts, and future picks to rebuild the franchise. Look for the Nets to move Vince Carter this off season and build around Richard Jefferson and Marcus Williams. They are also expected to buy out the contract of Jerry Stackhouse allowing him to return to Dallas and add depth back to the Mavericks. This is the biggest trade deadline i’ve ever seen. Three all-stars and two sure fire hall of famers. This move also brings J Kidd back to the team that originally drafted him and where he saw his first success as a NBA player. With the trade deadline looming there are more moves that could be made and reshape the NBA’s leaders. We’ll have to see what happens between now and the 23rd of this month.

Just when you thought the NFL season came to a conclusion with the super bowl, it seems to have only gained steam. The newest story involves the Eagles QB Donovan McNabb. There are rumors flying about Donovan leaving Philly and to either Baltimore or Chicago. Both teams are in need to stability at that position and have the parts at other skill positions and stifling defenses to make a legitimate run at the Lombardi Trophy. The team that presents the best return for the Eagles will get the quarterback, but whats the best fit for Donovan and what team will see greater returns. In the Bears you have a NFC team that will play the eagles on a more consistant basis and good chance to meet up in playoff matches. The Bears have a great core of weapons for McNabb to utilize in Bernard Berrian, Mushin Muhammad, and emerging rookie Greg Olsen. If Cedric Benson can play like he did before he got hurt late in the season Mcnabb will have a back he can rely on handle the ball. The Bears have a great defense that was under performing last season but did have their usually Chicago Bear defense come through in big games. However the Ravens also have a great core of receivers in Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton and one of the top 3 tight ends Todd Heap. They also have Willis McGahee to run the ball. He’s a perennial 1000 yard back with loads of talent. With the Ravens defense being one of the best every year for the past 8 seasons. I think McNabb can reach the Super Bowl faster with the Bears with the NFC being the weaker conference but i also think the ravens would be a better team and might have a better chance at winning although its a much tougher road. It seems likethe Ravens are the leading canidate right now but, we’ll just have to wait and see.

With it seemingly as good as done pending the physical, the Suns and Heat will be exchanging Shaquille O’Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. I think this trade has many sides and not clear answer about whos getting the better side. On one side You see a 36 year old center who has spent parts of previous seasons and most of this season on the injured list, and when he was playing it wasn’t the same Shaq we saw with the Lakers and 2006 with the Heat. This for a legit all star and very good player who does alot for your team (score, rebound, block shots, steal, etc.) in Shawn Marion and a reliable point guard who can score to bring off the bench. Looks like the Heat are making the greatest move with the Suns not getting much in return. But on the other hand, the Suns are getting rid of two players who have had issues within the team. Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire have had issues for the past couple seasons behind the scenes. Marcus Banks and Coach D’antoni have also had issues about lack of playing time and ineffective periods on the floor. While they get rid of two issues within the team, they are acquiring a player who has shown dominance in the Western Conference and if able to return to form can prove to be a huge asset. Also the West is chalk full of big men, a spot where the suns are lacking. They face big men like Yao Ming, Dallas’ big men Desagana Diop and Erick Dampier, and the Lakers Andrew Bynum and recent acquisition Pau Gasol, in the Western Conference nightly and when they make their playoff run. Some people are speculating this happened because the Lakers made the move to get Pau Gasol. The Suns deficiency was always in the middle. Only the future will tell if this was the trade that propelled the Suns to the NBA championship or set them back for years to come.