Help Coming for LeBron in 3-Team, 11-Player Trade

With one of the largest trades in NBA history occurring on Thursday, February 21st, the Cleveland Cavaliers have completely retooled their roster. To recap, the Cavs, Bulls and Supersonics have agreed to a 3-way, 11 player trade that reflects exactly where each respective ballclub is expecting to be heading for the rest of the season.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland sends out: SG Larry Hughes, PF Drew Gooden, PF Donyell Marshall, PF Cedric Simmons, F Ira Newble, and SG Shannon Brown
Cleveland receives: C Ben Wallace, PF Joe Smith, SG Wally Szczerbiak, G Delonte West, 2009 2 nd Round draft pick

For Cleveland, this was a monster deal. Larry Hughes was often injured, and his slashing style of play never meshed on a team dedicated to running a space-the-floor halfcourt offense. By replacing him with Szczerbiak, Lebron now has another shooter to pass to when defenses collapse on him. This deal is pronounced in the short-term, with the news that Daniel Gibson’s sprained ankle is much worse than initially feared.

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Trading Gooden was a riskier issue, because the guy can rebound, score in the post, and will immediately inject life into the frontline of a division rival. But by receiving Ben Wallace, the team now has two elite post defenders (along with Anderson Varejao) to counter the likes of Garnett, Bosh, Howard and Rasheed Wallace in the playoffs. This move will also help to mask Szczerbiak’s defensive deficiencies, who in turn should provide enough offense to overlook Big Ben’s horrendous offensive numbers. And despite being included mostly for contract purposes, Joe Smith is a good scorer, and can come in for stretches when Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ shot isn’t falling.

But the gem in this deal could actually be West, who is the youngest acquisition, and is a good enough shooter and ballhandler to have a long term future with the Cavs, who have had a bare cupboard in the backcourt for five years now. Some will remember the 6’4” West as the second player on an excellent St. Joseph’s NCAA team, and despite playing for three teams already, the guy has never been on a good NBA team.

So even though this trade inflates Cleveland’s payroll into brutally expensive luxury tax territory, there is little doubt that the Cavs are a better team than the one that stunk up the court on Feb. 19 th versus the Houston Rockets. There is speculation that Wallace has more left in the tank than previously indicated by the effort he’s been giving Chicago this season. Even if Wallace plays roughly as well as he did for the Bulls, the man has championship experience and is well liked by his teammates. And since his contract runs the same length as Larry Hughes’, the Cavs will still enter Lebron’s contract year with a boatload of financial flexibility to rework their roster again, should this team fail to bring home a championship.

But should every player perform as well as they have this season, Cleveland will no longer be facing Detroit and Boston with the expectation of Lebron defeating both ballclubs singlehandedly. And if Wallace plays better than he has, and Delonte West improves his play on the first good team he’s been on in his NBA career, this Cavs team is now the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago Bulls

Chicago sends out: C Ben Wallace, PF Joe Smith, SG Adrian Griffin
Chicago receives: SG Larry Hughes, PF Drew Gooden, PF Cedric Simmons, SG Shannon Brown

Trading the veterans Wallace and Smith is an indication of Chicago shutting down for this season, in preparation for Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas’ development. And while Cleveland fans will remember Gooden’s low basketball IQ, the 6’10” Kansas-alum will be able to immediately out-rebound and out-score the average power forward, and should be able to provide 25 minutes a night of consistent effort.

Larry Hughes’ fate on the Bulls is far less certain. He is a good defender, and with Kirk Hinrich pressuring the ball, Hughes should be able to rack up a lot of steals. Plus the Bulls are an excellent shooting team, so the lanes to the basket will be there for the taking. But the 6’5” shooting guard is extremely injury prone (disgruntled Cavs fans referred to him as Mr. Glass), missing about 27 games each season. Plus with the current hand-checking rules that allow quick guards such as Tony Parker, Dwayne Wade, and Monta Ellis to tear giant holes in the defense, Hughes’ 38% shooting percentage is indefensible.

Since the Bulls managed to trade away an overpaid player in his 30s in Wallace, without having to surrender any of their young talent, the Chicago front office can look forward to the next few years, as well as the flexibility of not having to resign Ben Gordon this summer. But Chicago has had the flexibility to trade for a genuine superstar for the past 3 years, and having seen Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion and Pau Gasol traded for packages worse than what the Bulls could have offered, this trade can only be perceived as bittersweet for fans yearning for a return to the MJ glory days of the 1990s.

Seattle Supersonics

Seattle sends out: SG Wally Szczerbiak, G Delonte West
Seattle receives: PF Donyell Marshall, F Ira Newble

Seattle ’s part in this trade is largely complementary when compared to the overhaul in Cleveland. The Supersonics manage to save roughly $10 million in this trade, which follows their rebuilding plans, as well as their bottom line. Losing a young talent such as West will hurt, but since the Supes still have PGs Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour, his loss is largely negligible. Ira Newble’s contract expires this season, and Marshall becomes an expiring contract next season. So if Marshall stays healthy, the open looks that will be available on the rebuilding Sonics should be able to pad his numbers enough for GM Sam Presti to package him in a deal to a contender next season.

by Michael Glauser
Pro Basketball Fans Staff Writer

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