NBA Trade Deadline: The Aftermath

Going into today the Lakers had my vote as the best move before the trade deadline in getting Pau Gasol for NOTHING! Now that the deadline has came and gone I still feel that LA made the best trade. There have been several big moves i.e Kidd to Dallas and Shaq to Phoenix, and several smaller deals such as the Spurs acquiring Kurt Thomas. It seemed every team that had a legit shot at getting to the Finals were trying to make a big move to get their respected teams over the top except the Cavs, King James was forced to sit and watch LA, Phoenix, Dallas, and San Antonio all add quality players to their rosters. Well today James finally got his wish for some help. Wait let me rephrase that the Cavs made a trade but if I was King James I wouldn't be jumping for joy or anything as they acquired Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Bulls 2009 2nd-round pick, Wally Szczerbiak,
and Delonte West via a 3-team 11 player deal involving the Cavs, Bulls, and Sonics. The Cavs sent Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Cedric Simmons, and Shannon Brown to the Bulls. They also sent Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall to the Sonics. This surely isn't a blockbuster move like LA and Phoenix pulled off but it will give the Cavs some rebounding and defensive help along with Wally stretching the D with his outside shooting. Do I think this makes the Cavs the favorite in the East? Absolutely not. The Celtics and Pistons are still my picks to be in the Eastern Conference Finals but the Cavs and Magic will certainly make it interesting.

Now its time to stop all the talking and see who really emerges as title contenders.
I say send the MVP and Title to LA right now! Kobe is on a mission and that team is scary good!

RA

Who's Next In The NBA Swap Meet

It all started with Mitch Kupchak's grand theft of Pau Gasol ( and from what I hear Mitch isn't done yet but ill get back to that), and it sure has snowballed since. Once the Lakers acquired Gasol, you could hear all of the Western Conference GMs take a collective gasp. Since then each contender has feverishly tried to get that "next piece to the puzzle". Next in line to booster their roster was the Phoenix Suns, they put a deal together which sent Shawn Marion in return for Shaq. Then in a lesser known deal the Spurs picked up Damon Stoudamire to give some depth to their backcourt. Now its Jason Kidd back to Dallas where it all began for him. The question is who's next? The Nuggets have said to be in talks with the Kings, trying to acquire Ron Artest. There are grumblings from Laker Land that Mitch is back on the phone lines trying to put together a deal that would send Laker Lamar Odom to the Wizards for All- Star guard Caron Butler. This would be Caron's second stint in LA, hopefully an improvement from his first run. A little over a day until the deadline, so there will be plenty of possible scenarios hinting the espn airwaves in the next 30 some hours, so stay tuned.

RA