Echo

More NBA Trade Deadline News

Warriors get: Baron Davis
Hornets get: Speedy Claxton, Dale Davis

Whut. They gave up Speedy. That pisses me off.
Okay, as far as positives, Baron Davis is a damn good player when he’s healthy. Teamed up with Richardson, they’ll be a dynamic backcourt with insane scoring ability and entertainment value. I just have a tough time with his contract and the fact that he’s never healthy. And the fact he’s got a big mouth.

Celtics get: Antoine Walker
Hawks get: Gary Payton, Michael Stewart, Tom Gugliotta

Tom Gugliotta was my favorite player in high school. I met him once at a Radiohead concert and told him, “You were my favorite player in high school.” And he said, “Was?” And I was embarrassed but in hindsight, c’mon. You haven’t been good since you married that hot athlete wife of yours.

Antoine Walker gets traded back to Boston where he and Paul Pierce were once a potent duo. He’ll probably have to accept a role that’ll be smaller than the one he had during his last tour of duty, due to the emergence of the young players and the focus that management has on them. He’s no longer the man he was on the J.V. Hawks. My guess is that Al Jefferson in company are going to have increased rebound numbers as they run around collecting all of Toine’s misses.

Hawks get Gary Payton. I’m sure he’ll be a great locker-room influence on the young guys. I take this as a signal that they want Antoine to chew up less of the minutes and shots so that they can develop the two Joshes and company.

Spurs get: Nazr Mohammed, Jamison Brewer
Knicks get: Malik Rose

I have no idea how Nazr’s going to do or what his role and minutes will be in San Antonio. He started out the season strong but then faded, and now that he’s playing with the NBA’s premiere monster in the paint, I don’t know how much there will be for him to do, other than holding Timmy’s jock strap. Who knows though. Nazr is a decent center though who came cheap. This may be what it takes to allow Michael Sweetney to emerge. Nazr’s presence moved Kurt Thomas to the 4-spot, cutting into Sweetney’s minutes. This trade will allow Kurt to work as an undersized center again, with Sweetney and Malik playing PF. Sweetney’s a darling of management. I wouldn’t mind seeing what he can do with this shake-up.

Knicks get: Maurice Taylor
Rockets get: Vin Baker, Moochie Norris

Mo was doing pretty well in his supporting role in Houston. There’s a minor logjam now in New York with Mo Taylor, Michael Sweetney and Malik Rose basically playing the same position, along with Kurt Thomas being undersized for the center position. The Knicks will probably experiment with some big and small line-ups, moving Rose to the 5 and Taylor to the 3 if it comes down to that. But it really doesn’t matter since the Knicks have the best point guard in the league and all…

Warriors get: Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Rodney White
Nuggets get: Eduardo Najera

I could kill someone.

This is one of the best descriptions of a person I’ve ever read.

Regarding Robert “Tractor” Traylor, former Michigan alumnus and current NBA player:

[A] 284-pound human square with the perpetual expression of a man who just found a parking ticket on his windshield.

–Ric Bucher

For full article about the underappreciated in the NBA

11th Hour NBA Trade News

76ers get: Chris Webber, Matt Barnes, Michael Bradley
Kings get: Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner

Chris Webber goes to Philly in exchange for Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner. I am f-ing THRILLED. I hate Webber. He slows down the offense, he holds the ball for too long, he’s a pig. I’ve also noticed that while he racks up guard-like assists each game, he can NEVER seem to find Brad Miller or Peja. It usually turns into a two-man game between him and Bibby, which pisses me off because Peja and Brad are two of my favorite players. Bibby, Peja and Brad Miller played really well without him at the beginning of last season and were rolling until he came back and messed up the chemistry. I’ve been grumbling about how Webber needs to leave and finally…as the clocked ticked down.

Philly’s a stronger team now with a low-post guy with a consistent outside shot and great passing ability. Maybe this will even improve the glut of young SGs over there, who aren’t even averaging double-figures in scoring, last I checked. The only things that will stop them internally are if Webber can stay healthy and how he’ll affect the team chemistry, but his addition gives Philly a deadly multi-dimensional game, when you count in AI’s slashing and Poor-Man’s-Ashton-Kutcher (Korver)’s shooting. What I’m interested in though is this–if Webber goes down, with the crowd in Philly’s post gone, that means that Dalembert will have a chance to really step up. I’d keep my eye on Sammy. He’s been severely underachieving all season, but with most of the guys crowding his position gone, if Webber’s hurt, it’ll be just him and Marc Jackson manning the post. As for Sac, watch Brad Miller go CRAZY. Also, Brad has really good chemistry with Songaila. Songaila tends to have big games when Webber is out and he plays the 4 with Miller at 5. I’m excited for Sac. Once Peja gets healthy, they’re going to going to have an interesting run. The Big Nasty is a great 6th man and hustler, and Kenny Thomas does the little things that complement a team’s superstars. What remains to be seen is how the team’s defense will shake out.

Cavs get: Jiri Welsch
Celtics get: 2007 First Round Draft Pick

I love Jiri. He was drafted in the 2nd round by Golden State and that summer, he outplayed Dunleavy Jr. in the summer league. He’s a workhorse and hustles, can pass, shoot the 3 and play defense, and is reliable. He’s not flashy but he’s the kind of complementary player who can get things done. I don’t know what this means for the Cavs since I’m not sure yet how they’re going to use him, or how quickly he’ll adapt to a new team. But LeBron will like him. He consistent when it comes to finishing. As for Boston, they’re making way for their talented rookies. Gary Payton’s agent’s talking about how Gary wants a two-year extension in Boston…this after he was saying that he would refuse to report to training camp at the beginning of the season. Keep your eye on Tony Allen.

76ers get: Rodney Rogers, Jamal Mashburn
Hornets get: Glenn Robinson

A trade of contracts but Philly wins. Glenn Robinson hasn’t played all season and teams wanted his expiring contract. Mashburn’s a star but his career is over. Rodney Rogers will probably take over Kenn Thomas’ role. I’ve always felt he was a similar player to Corliss, so it makes sense. This will free up playing time for Lee Nailon in NO. Whatever for NO. They’re just focusing on developing their young players at this point. Keep your eye on J.R. Smith.

Bucks get: Reece Gaines, 2 draft picks
Rockets get: Mike James

Hmmm… Mo Williams all by himself running the point in Milwaukee. He started off HOT at the beginning of the season when Mike James was on the DL, averaging around 8 assists a game. I’m assuming he’ll hit those numbers again. Meanwhile, James will probably start for Houston since Sura’s been hurt, as he always is, and Ward’s still recovering from knee surgery. I like Reece Gaines. He has a cool name. I don’t see either team improving that much. I’m waiting to see if the Bucks move Michael Redd. If so, it’ll be interesting. Right now, the Bucks are too soft (don’t everyone look at Keith Van Horn all at once…)

Baron Davis

Golden State is in talks with New Orleans about acquiring Baron Davis for Dale Davis and his contract. Other players will probably be involved.

???

Oh man. They just signed Speedy and Derek Fisher to big contracts, both thinking that they were going to be handed the starting PG position. Richardson is locked into the 2, but Montgomery has been experimenting with a small lineup that allows Fish and Speedy to be on the court at the same time. But do we really need 3 PGs?

Baron Davis is a damn good player…when he’s healthy. Unfortunately, he tends to be healthy for no more than 50-60% of each season due to nagging back problems. This year, he’s missed 36 out of 54 games.

The Warriors need a reliable big guy, or they need a Big Nasty who cleans up and can score (Like a rich man’s Najera). They need a post presence, since Troy Murphy doesn’t play with his back to the basket. Zack Randolph would be a better option in theory than Baron Davis, what with the situation in Golden State and the risks involved with taking on Baron. Zack was also on the championship Michigan State team with J-Rich. Even Shareef would be great! We would LOVE to have Shareef.

Unless they can get Baron Davis for Dale and nothing else, I don’t want them to do this trade. Even trading the Davises straight up is daunting, because Baron’s contract is huge, and there are some really amazing superstar free agents hitting the market soon (read: Yao). Maybe if New Orleans was willing to take Adonal as well and send over PJ Brown. Adonal’s contract is a joke. But Baron Davis is an expensive mistake.