We have reached the 2nd half of the NBA season. With the 2010 Trade Deadline in the recent past, some teams made some crucial moves while thinking about the present and the future. The Cleveland Cavaliers aquired forward Antawn Jamison in a three-team deal in hope of persuading LeBron James to stay in Cleveland after this season. While the trade looked good, the Cavs have lost their two games since the former Naismith Award winner landed in Cleveland. The Knicks landed seven-time NBA All Star Tracy McGrady in another three-team trade that sent former Kings guard Kevin Martin to the Rockets. Here are some teams that I thought were winners this past week:
New York Knicks
New York did exactly what they wanted to do: they cleared cap space (over $30 million), leaving the possibility to bring in two big-name free agents this summer. As I said, they brought in McGrady, who has shown he can play AND has an expiring contract. They also traded Nate Robinson to the Celtics for guard Eddie House. It sounds like a bad trade right away, but Robinson is also in the final year of his contract, and Eddie House is a very underrated player who can give the Knicks a solid guard off the bench.
Dallas Mavericks
I think Josh Howard is a great player, but the Mavericks' seven-player trade with Washington deal worked out well for Dallas. The Mavs bring in a possible 20-point scorer in Caron Butler, along with a capable center in Brendan Haywood who can give Dallas quality minutes. Haywood is a double-double type of guy who has averaged a career-best 10.2 rebounds per game this season, and Butler is a two-time NBA All Star. I think this deal definitely puts the Mavericks in position to compete with the Lakers and the Nuggets in the Western Conference.
Chicago Bulls
Now the Bulls did not do much for themselves this year, but similar to New York, Chicago has put themselves in position to pick up two All Stars this summer. The one difference from the Knicks is that Chicago already has a franchise point guard in Derrick Rose. They traded away Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons, but they received a future first-round pick for Thomas. Also, Thomas has not lived up to the expectations for the Bulls in his first four NBA seasons, and they have a rookie in Taj Gibson out of USC who is putting up similar numbers. Look for the Bulls to make some big moves this offseason.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs targeted Suns big man Amar'e Stoudemire, but I think they will be fine with 2-time All Star Antawn Jamison. Again, coach Mike Brown and the entire Cavaliers staff are hoping the trade for Jamison will keep LeBron in Cleveland after this year. They did give up Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a first round draft pick, but Ilgauskas is working on a buyout from Washington. Rumor has it that if he does, he may sign with the Cavs again on March 19. To get Stoudemire from Phoenix, Cleveland would have had to trade 2nd year forward J.J. Hickson, who the Cavaliers think very highly of. In the end, they got to keep Hickson, they brought in another All Star, and they may get back Ilgauskas for the playoffs. I think this gives the Cavs a much better chance at competing for an NBA Championship.
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