Thursday, March 3, 2011

NBA Trade Deadline, Perk and Melo

Starting a couple weeks ago, the basketball world embarked on a journey that will help to shape the landscape of the NBA for years to come. This NBA trade deadline was one of the most bizarre, wacky, but nonetheless important deadlines in recent memory. There was a lot that happened but lets take a look at the 'Melo and Perk deals.
Carmelo to the Knicks:
Well this was certainly the blockbuster deal, with ESPN becoming more like Perez Hilton than a reputable sports news broadcaster during its coverage of the trade. They had their silly "MeloDrama" slogan and every ten minutes we heard Chris Broussard telling us a new rumor. Then we had Mikhail Prokhorov telling the world about the sentimental moments Carmelo and him had during their face to face meeting. Through all of that nonsense, it was clear that Carmelo wanted to play for the Knicks and was going to end up in Madison Square Garden. Period. So why did New York give up half their team when they could have signed him in free agency? Well thats a good question. The most obvious answer would seem that the Knicks (and nobody really knows whos calling the shots since rumors are speculating that Isiah had a role, God Forbid) were trying to ensure that the Nets or some other team didnt sneak in and steal Melo off their hands. Either way he's a Knick and now New York suddenly has a core nucleus that is good enough to win a championship. Lets look at the trade.

Knicks Recieve: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams
Nuggets Recieve: Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, three draft picks
-The Knicks also traded Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph to Minnesota for Corey Brewer

Some people don't like the trade and say that the Knicks gave up too much young talent. Blah Blah Blah. Carmelo is a superstar. A long, relentless, physically imposing small forward who, since arriving in 2003 has averaged over 20 PPG every season and helped to lead a Nuggets franchise that was a complete mess, to relevance including a trip to the Western Conference Finals. The reason this trade is great for New York is that Carmelo is not someone you can find or replace. He is one of a handful of elite players in this league. Every single player the Knicks gave up can be replaced through free agency or the draft. The same cannot be said about Carmelo. Will New York contend for an NBA championship this year? No. But with some patching up after this season I absolutely believe the Knicks are good enough to win a championship next year. Lets not forget about Chauncey Billups either. People forget that he was an NBA finals MVP, who routinely hits big shots (evidenced by the Miami game http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310227014) and is good enough to help this team win a championship. His option is expected to be picked up for next year and when his contract is up, the Knicks could theoretically sign Deron Williams or Chris Paul. While this is over a year away, many have speculated that Paul will almost certainly sign with the Knicks, creating a trio of Amare, Anthony, and Paul (kind of scary). Others have concerns about defense for the Knicks since it is widely known that Amare and Carmelo don't know what defense is (but they probably know what the Hebrew translation is thanks to Ron Artest http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2010/03/ron-artest-goes-all-dennis-rodman-with-new-hairstyle/) but frankly I'm not concerned. Defense is something that can be taught and installed. It can be turned on and off, unlike offensive skill. Dantoni chooses not to emphasize defense, but that is strictly a choice. Any way you add it up, the Knicks are a much better team after this trade and will be a much better team in the future. It is a great trade and as a Celtics fan, frankly I'm terrified.

There is another side to the trade which is the Nuggets. They did pretty darn well if you ask me. They were going to lose Carmelo anyways yet they still got a good chunk of talent for him. Felton is a really good point guard, with a reasonable salary, and paired with Lawson can create problems for opposing defenses. Chandler and Gallinari are solid scorers who, with their length are tough to guard. All I have to say about Mozgov is that I have no idea why he spells his first name with a "f" (which may tell you how I feel about him as a basketball player). The Nuggets have a solid core of 8-9 really good players, which is good enough to make the playoffs and possibly win a series. Unfortunately, Denver is not really a haven for free agents, and it is unlikely that any impending free agent stars, Paul, Howard, Williams, would choose to come to Denver. Carmelo was acquired in the draft, and if Denver wants to make a Finals run that is probably the place the building will have to occur.

Perkins to the Thunder:

Ouch. This one hurt and hurt bad. But the worst may have come emotionally. For any Celtics fan, who has followed the team since 2003, when Perk was drafted, it is tough to swallow watching him leave like this. Maybe if he left in free agency after the season it would have felt right. Doc kept talking about this starting five (with Perk) getting another chance and all of Boston wanted another chance. Perk could ride or slowly limp off into the sunset, after the season, with his big contract to another team and that would have felt right. Anything but this. This feels like the Simon and Garfunkel hit "Cecilia" except it involves a big black man and no bed. I turn away for one second and he's gone, and Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic are there. So the emotions are there and they're raw and  they will be evident until the end of the season. But professional sports is a business and Perkins is an employee and that is how the trade should be evaluated. Many prominent sports writers dislike this trade including Bill Simmons whose opinion I value greatly. The only name I heard that liked the trade was Scottie Pippen and of course Ben Lichtman. I don't love it yet, but I really really like it and I think this made the Celts a better team.

I've been watching Perk this season and he looks fit and in good shape but he also appears to be unable to jump, a slight issue. Perk is good and he's tough. He fits the Boston reputation of physical play and "no easy buckets" but lets not get ahead of ourselves. The key word here is fits. He is not the catalyst or the leader. He fits into a scheme. The real catalyst is Kevin Garnett. He is the leader and the one who brought the defensive toughness to Boston. I can assure you the toughness and intensity will not be lost with the departure of Kendrick Perkins. Another criticism involves Dwight Howard and that the Celtics will not be able to handle Howard and the Magic now that Perk is gone. With all due respect to Ron Jeremy and that hapless organization, the Magic cannot beat a healthy Celtics team in the playoffs. Even without Perk, Howard and the Magic are simply not good enough. Another issue for some people is the Lakers. I will admit that their length is problematic but lets also not forget the reason we lost games 6 and 7. We scored 67 and 79 points respectively. Our problem was not our defense. It was our offense. In Game 7 Ray and Paul were a combined 8/29 (27.5%). We simply could not put the ball in the bucket. With the addition of Jeff Green (who I'll get to in a moment) we now have a legitimate bench scorer who can spell minutes for Ray and/or Paul. Our depth in the frontcourt may be problematic at the moment but if Shaq is healthy, Shaq is simply better than Perkins. No one can see into the future, except me, and determine whether Shaq will be healthy for the playoffs, but if he is (and he will be) this team is nearly unbeatable. Some other issues that have been brought up are chemistry or hangoverness (new word) but Doc and our veterans will never let that happen. Guarantee. Throw that problem away. This may seem like I'm bashing Perk so let me say unequivocally that Perk is a good basketball player whom I really like and an integral part of this team  but he is replacable and the players we recieved in return make the Celtics a better team.

In return for Perk and Nate we recieved Center Nenad Kristic and Swingman Jeff Green. Green is dynamic. A real physical specimen who can score and play defense. He is young with fresh legs and as I stated earlier can spell legitimate minutes for Ray and Paul. Once he settles in he will be an important addition. He provides immense depth and if Delonte is healthy, the two can provide quite a punch off the bench, something that was really lacking in the finals last year. Kristic is also no slouch. He is a good offensive player who can hit 15-18 footers. He can stretch the floor and provide a scoring option that Perk never could, and when he plays, he creates a lineup that allows the C's to spread the floor and feature five legitimate scoring options. If Shaq is healthy Kristic becomes a really good #2 center and a vast improvement over last year, Rasheed Wallace (ew).

Danny Ainge, and I'll give him credit, really went out on a limb here. This was a truly an "all in" move. If we win the championship he's a genius, if we don't he's the goat. And in a town like Boston life could be pretty tough if banner number 18 isn't hanging next season. But I'm confident that it will be. Quote me, copy and paste this (I'll be happy if you just read it) but the Celtics will win the championship this year. This trade made them better and it will be very evident over the next month and beyond.

In the meantime we wish Perk all the best. He just signed a contract extension (4 years and 34 mill) so Mazal Tov on that. Basketball is tough sometimes and for any true Celtics fan, this trade really touches deep in your sports heart. But once you get past the heart part and you wander up to the brain this trade makes basketball sense and is good for this team, this year. The only thing left to do is wait and see. Should be a pretty fun playoff season.

Other notes:
The Nets are also major winners picking up top three point guard, Deron Williams. If they can resign him, that becomes a huge piece, and if they complete their move to Brooklyn, they become a legitimate destination. Cudos to Prokhorov.

Poor Baron Davis. As much as being a professional athlete is awesome, since you get to play basketball and make millions, I kind of feel bad that he was traded to Cleveland. Actually no I don't. Maybe if he played harder he would still be in L.A. Davis was a legitimate talent who has flashes of brilliance, but his lack of commitment and inability to get in basketball shape means the only person to blame is himself. If you don't think he could have done better, take a look below.




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