Lots of trades and moves...some good for the JBL Fantasy owners and some I'm sure won't go over well in the JBL circles...
Let's quickly jump around the NBA and JBL...
Kirk Hinrich to Atlanta. I've always liked Kirk and his game. I got to see him up close in Chicago in 2009 and I like the way he plays. He's an upgrade for sure on an aging Mike Bibby. Atlanta had to do something to try and solidify their PG spot. Belgrade gets the benefits of this deal and boy oh boy is he going to need all the help he can get. The Zombies are now 120 points behind the surging Maui squad.
The Celtics shocked the NBA world by trading Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. Why did they do this? Well, I'm guessing it's because they didn't think they'd have the money to pay Perk this summer. And Jeff Green is a solid player (and now likely 6th man for the C's). OKC gets the big man in the middle they have coveted for so long now. Ibaka becomes the starter along with KD and Perk. Nazr Mohammed is also in OKC now so the Thunder have KD, Ibaka, Perkins, Nazr, Collison, and Aldrich to match up with the Lakers bigs. I like the deal for Perkins (as long as his knee is healthy). Remember last year when the Thunder thought they acquired Tyson Chandler only to see him fail his physical. I'm assuming Perks knee is OK and he should be ready to go next week. He seems like the perfect fit for OKC. As for Jeff Green, he goes from starter and 40 mpg to a backup in Boston but likely still to get 25-30 minutes.
Baron Davis is off to Cleveland and Mo Williams is off to throw lob passes to Blake Griffin. If I didn't hate Baron so much this trade would make total sense. Baron didn't like being 2nd fiddle to anyone let alone 3rd fiddle to EG and Blake in LA. Now, he could be the #1 option in Cleveland if he wanted to - but I have a strong feeling his knee is suddenly going to become very sore. And for Mo - he never looked comfortable earlier this season trying to be the #1 guy - and he ends up going to the perfect situation in LAC. Another guy who is currently injured but I'm thinking he drinks some magic water and is now back sooner than expected. Mo's stock rising and if Baron plays - his point totals could go up but you watch those %'s drop faster than a hooker on the King George.
Aaron Brooks is off to PHX for Goran Dragic. This was an absolute must trade for the Rockets. Brooks is the reigning MIP from last season; Golden's nemesis; and he had to go. Houston got a solid backup in Dragic and a lottery protected 1st rounder. All Houston needed was a backup for Lowry - which they got. Lowry's stock goes way up as he won't have to worry about losing his starting gig. Brooks now becomes the 1st guard off the bench in PHX. He's small, quick, doesn't play any defense and loves to jack 3's (and miss them). That is perfect for PHX. I guess his stock goes up, but really, it couldn't be much lower than it currently is.
Gerald Wallace is off to PDX. Portland gives up Cunningham, Pryzbilla, and two 1st rounders I think. G-Wall will be loved by the Portland faithful that love hustle, energy and defense. Unfortunately, I don't think Crash is going to be the 15 and 8 guy anymore - although it's possible. Will the Blazers start him and slide Batum to the bench? Or will they bring Wallace off the bench? Or, will the start Wallace at PF and slide Aldridge to Center?? I like that idea and if that's the case then Wallace's value remains high and LA12's value skyrockets as he will become Center eligible. I'm a big Blazer fan so I hope this works out for them. They needed another 'star' now that B-Roy is done as a player. Another big fantasy winner in this deal was Juan's recent FA - Gerald Henderson. Apparently they are going to run him 30-35 minutes per night. Nice timing on that signing Juan de Fuca.
Shane Battier heads to Houston for Hasheem Thabeet. Am I rushing out to add Thabeet? Ummm, no. I don't get this deal at all for Houston. I guess they are hoping that Hakeem can teach Thabeet a thing or two down the road so he can become serviceable. The big winner in this deal is probably Chase Budinger. He is the likely starter now and could be a big time 3-point threat for the Rockets. Battier in Memphis will be probably start over Allen or Young and should put up similar numbers. This trade could have a big impact for Seoul and his quest for the 3-peat.
Another deal that almost happened was Mayo to Indy for McRoberts and a 1st rounder. This would have had big impact on 3 players...Mayo would have been the starter in Indy and probably their 2nd best scorer instantly. McRoberts would have gone from starter to bench fodder in Memphis and Golden signee Tyler Hansborough would have been the starter. Darn it. I'm sure Brussels would have liked to seen Mayo in Indy too.
Another rumor is that Troy Murphy is going to sign in Boston to man the middle now that they traded all their healthy big men away. This would be another huge coup for Brussels as his hoarding of potentially talented fantasy players is starting to pan out. Murphy, while not a shot blocker, could be a double-double guy and hit some 3's. We'll see where Murph ends up.
In other JBL news, all this talk and anticipation of who will be Golden's 3rd keeper next season made me realize that the Golden squad really isn't that secure in the top 8 based on the recent standings. I'm only up 80 points on the 9th place squad tonight and I realize that my 12 man unit is not that impressive these days. So, for now, I'm going to focus on Gay Love and if I can make it a 3-some - all the better. God, this stuff doesn't get old.
As I type this I see that the Bangkok lead is just 10 points over Seoul. There are a couple of areas that should be of concern to the Kok. His 3-point shooting is falling and Maui is coming on hard in this category. And also, Seoul is just 0.2% behind French for 1st place in 3PT shooting. Also, Idaho's scoring continues to be strong and the lead is just 150ish points right now. This will come down to the wire and Idaho appears to be in the mix. Maybe I should have given the youngster a little more credit - the Pimps are not dead yet.
The fight for 4th appears to be French vs. Arctic but don't count out those Offs just yet. They are only 100 points back.
So - there we have it. Another NBA trade deadline has come and gone. Lots of moves and lots of potential FA's are now relevant again after these trades. I expect to see some action this weekend as some of the following are sure to be snatched up: Toney Douglas, Chase Budinger, Anthony Parker, Gary Neal, Brandon Rush, Eric Bledsoe and others.
Have a good weekend guys. Enjoy the -10 weather.
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