Atlanta lands Jamal Crawford from the Warriors for....well, nothing. OK, it was actually Acie Law and Speedy Claxton. Apparently, Claxton is done playing and 80% of his contract is covered by insurance. And well, Acie Law, the former 1st round pick is simply a bust. Do you see Don Nelson playing this kid? Well, since I put it like that - who knows what Nellie may do. This was a player/salary dump. It was made pretty clear by the Warriors in the off-season that they had no future plans for Jamal....so they got rid of him. The Warriors really didn't need him...he didn't make them better...and they have a boatload of swingmen...so he was redundant.
For the Hawks...does he make them better? On the surface you have to say yes...he can score, handle the ball and gives them depth. If Bibby doesn't come back...Jamal can run the point if needed. Ideally, I think you want him as your 6th man. Crawford's history is one that shows he can score but he certainly doesn't breed winning. The Bulls, Knicks, and Warriors certainly didn't excel while he was around. That being said, it is difficult to find guys (who you can acquire for Law & Claxton) that can average 20ppg and even drop 50+ points in a game. I like the move for the Hawks simply because they are at least trying to get better.
I see the Blazers and Mavericks made a deal where Portland moves up from #24 to #22....they must want someone specific to give up 3 picks to move up 2 spots...
Oh, and then there was that other minor deal involving that Shaq guy. Cleveland lands the big man for spare parts (Big Ben, Sasha, 2nd rounder, and cash). Can you say salary dump?
From the Cavaliers perspective this is really just a one year gamble with little risk. Shaq is set to make 20 million this coming season - the last year of his enormous contract. So what? Is he being overpaid? Sure. But Ben Wallace was set to make 14+ million and you know what he gives you...squat. Pavlovic was set to make 5 million and he is useless...so why not make this deal. If it doesn't work out...you let Shaq walk. Not sure how the Cavs plan on using Big Z and Shaq together...and do they bring back Varejao now? I think they have to. Remember, the Cavs have to show Lebron that they want to win now...so that they can sign him next summer. This move was all about that...Lebron wanted Shaq. He got Shaq. Now go win the East.
For the Suns...it's rebuild time. Trade Amare. Trade Nash. Let Grant Hill go...and rebuild. If you think you can compete with Nash, Richardson, Barbosa, Amare, Hill, etc...you're dreaming. If you weren't rebuilding then when you traded Shaq you would have acquired some players and not just bench-fodder.
The next move is either Amare or Nash. Rumours this morning indicate that the Suns and Rockets are discussing a deal involving Amare/Barbosa for McGrady/Brooks/Landry. Does it make sense? Sure, the Suns would be clearing cap space as T-Mac only has one more season left and Yao has made it clear he won't re-sign in Houston unless McGrady is gone. Will it get done? Who knows?
Can there be any truth to the rumors that Portland wants Steve Nash? I guess I'd be buying more tickets next season so Ryan and I can go watch some Blazer games and he can see Steve Nash play.
As I mentioned to Philly Woo on the phone on Monday....the salary dump trades continue. And there will be more today. If you're an NBA owner and you have money to spend (OK, that's still a lot of teams) and you are not being affected by the world economy (OK, now we're under 10 teams) then you can really build a winning a team (or at least acquire some talented players) this summer. The whole goal is to win the championship...not to just be very good every year (cause look where that gets Utah every season). So, if you have the chance to be good this upcoming season and you think you could be very good with the addition of one player...then go for it. Why not? All the GM's are going to get canned at some point - none of them will work for life with the same team - so if you have a chance to get the ring - do it!
OK, one last Mock Draft attempt for me this morning (which will be incorrect in 2 hours because of several trades probably)
1. Clippers - Blake Griffin
2. Grizzlies - Hasheem Thabeet
3. Thunder - Ricky Rubio (who they will then trade)
4. Kings - Tyreke Evans
5. T-Wolves - Stephen Curry
6. T-Wolves - James Harden
7. Warriors - Jordan Hill
8. Knicks - Jonny Flynn
9. Raptors - DeMar DeRozan
10. Bucks - Jrue Holiday
11. Nets - Terrence Williams
12. Bobcats - Gerald Henderson
13. Pacers - Ty Lawson
14. Suns - Earl Clark
After that...come on...it's a crapshoot out there. By the way, they are calling this a deep bench draft...meaning that in 5 years there will be a lot of guys still in the NBA earning a paycheque. However, only Griffin is a max-contract type player and there are only a handful of other potential all-stars down the road. I'm excited for this draft...man, I missed my calling...I should have been a GM in the NBA. Not sure SFU offered those courses though...oh well.
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