BLOCKBUSTER MID-SEASON TRADE: 5 TEAMS, 13 PLAYERS
Friday February 1st, 2008
History repeated itself with the trade deadline looming only weeks away, as five franchises struggling to keep their playoff hopes alive participated in a blockbuster multi-team deal. The trade matched the previous All-Time Largest Trade in NBA History: a five team, thirteen player swap back on August 2, 2005 and became the largest mid-season deal before the trade deadline, which was previously set by a nine player swap between New Jersey and Dallas back on Feb 17, 1997
(cool trivia http://www.nba.com/history/largest_trades_030819.html)
The following is a recap of "Big Friday's" blockbuster deal:
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (15-30, last in SE div, 2-game losing streak)
Acquired: Corey Maggette, Chris Kaman (LAC)
Traded: Brevin Knight, Sean May, Kojo Kwok
Starting 5: Kaman - C, Okafor - PF, Maggette - SF, Wagner -SG, Felton - PG
As part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats,
Michael Jordan, professed he would do,
"Whatever it took" to get the 'Cats onto a winning path; but so far the season hasn't gone according to MJ's wishes
True to his word, Jordan shook up the franchise by negotiating what many argue to be the sweetest upgrade of all the deals of the 'Big Friday' trade. The Bobcat's acquired the tough, offensive-minded,
Corey Maggette for a boost at the SF position and moved
Gerald Wallace to sixth man.
"I talked to Gerald before we made the move," said Jordan.
"Told him what I needed from him - to give us solidity for our second unit much like Manu does for the Spurs. Gerald's a winner, a professional, and said he'd do whatever it takes to get us back on track"
With rugged
Chris "Caveman" Kaman joining shot-blocker,
Emeka Okafor, in the frontcourt, Maggette's punishing offensive game on the wing and defensive stopper, Gerald Wallace coming off the bench, look for the 'Cats to make a wild late season push
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UTAH JAZZ (20-24, 3rd in NW div)
Acquired: Gerald Green (HOU), Kojo Kwok (CHA)
Traded: Deron Williams
Starting 5: Okur - C, Boozer - PF, Kirilenko - SF, Green - SG, Tankosic - PG
Initially ill-received as the 2007-08 #1 overall draft pick, the talented rookie,
Sergei Tankosic, has since established himself as a crowd favorite and already one of the league's premiere PGs averaging roughly 22 points, 4 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals per game
Yet a frustrated Coach
Jerry Sloan saw his middle-of-the-pack Jazz with the talent capable of winning games but not making the push and now teetering between playoffs or an early summer. It's no surprise all fingers pointed at former starter,
Deron Williams, whose production had dropped by nearly 12 points, 2 boards and 6 assists since last season; though not publicly vocal about the situation, Williams' message to Sloan was clear -
I want out
With the trade Sloan saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: 1) release a disgruntled player and 2) add instant firepower while strengthening his bench
The raw, talented
Gerald Green, often compared to a younger
Tracy McGrady, will immediately replace
Gordon Girecek at starting SG and provide Utah with an explosive, above-the-rim, scorer who will benefit tremendously from Tankosic's playmaking ability
"I'm hoping for a Kidd/Carter combo - only younger, " joked an optimistic Jerry Sloan.
"But seriously, I'm really excited to steal this kid, Green. He's shown the ability to create his own shot with terrific ball-handling and explosiveness going to the basket as well as nice passing ability to involve his teammates. We're very exciting to have him on board and he's still learning and growing; literally… the sky's the limit with him"
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PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (12-36, worst record in the league; 3-game losing streak)
Acquired: Quinton Ross (LAC), J.R. Njinkeu (HOU)
Traded: Martell Webster
Starting 5: Lafrentz - C, Randolf -PF, Miles - SF, Jones - SG, Jack - PG
18.5 games behind 1st in their division and current owner of the league's worst record, the 'Blazers are lotto-bound and basically looking to rebuild. It's unlikely that bringing the low-scoring but tough, perimeter-defense-minded,
Quinton Ross, will have an impact this season but if they've gotta start rebuilding somewhere, the defensive end is as good a place as any
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LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (12-31, 2nd worst record in the league; 6-game losing streak)
Acquired: Luke Ridnour, Eduardo Najera, Jafari Cotton (HOU)
Traded: Corey Maggette, Chris Kaman, Quinton Ross
Starting 5: Brand - C, Cotton - PF, Hardaway - SF, Buford - SG, Ridnour - PG
With the second worst record in the league, the Clippers are hoping the 2007-08 #2 overall draft pick,
Jafari "JC" Cotton teamed alongside the powerful,
Elton Brand, in the frontcourt becomes a future winning combination for years to come.
Luke Ridnour's presence should provide leadership and a role-model for younger PG,
Shaun Livingston, while
Eduardo Najera brings versatility off the bench. Their 07-08 season may be bleak, but if the team can gel, watch for them to be a headache for other teams on the playoff bubble
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HOUSTON ROCKETS (24-19, 4th in SW div; 7-game losing streak)
Acquired: Deron Williams (UTA); Brevin Knight, Sean May (CHA); Martell Webster (POR)
Traded: Luke Ridnour, Eduardo Najera, Gerald Green, Jafari Cotton, J.R. Njinkeu (re-signed)
Starting 5: Yao - C, M. Williams - PF, McGrady - SF, Graham - SG, D. Williams - PG
In the midst of a seven game slide, Rocket's owner,
Les Alexander together with
Phil Jackson took the biggest risk in a bold but decisive roster shakeup that saw the departure of 5 players and addition of 6 new faces
"Sometimes the pieces just don't fit," Alexander said as he announced the recent acquisitions and newly departed.
"Since the beginning of the season, Phil and I have been evaluating and discussing the team's problems and needs extensively; I'm confident time will show we've made the right decisions to address these needs."
"It's always a difficult decision," added Jackson.
"You begin to build a rapport with your players before the season even begins, so a major roster shakeup like this is tough and always risky. At the same time, with the thin roster we had coming into Allstar Weekend and the Trade deadline, our shot to make a legitimate run at the playoffs was questionable. We believe we've now made the necessary changes and added depth and versatility to get us back in a winning way. As Les said, time will tell."
Deron Williams was the Rocket's biggest, yet most questionable trade acquisition. With his significant production drop-off from last season, Rocket fans were more than surprised to see Ridnour depart (Ridnour, however, has seen his own scoring fall by nearly 9 points a game since last season); the Rocket's are banking that Williams will be revitalized to budding Allstar-form once re-inserted into the starting PG role but that remains to be seen; if he is, he'll add a toughness and rebounding presence that Ridnour lacked
Mike James struggled as backup PG and will most likely be shifted to 3rd option PG and take on a more comfortable backup SG role; veteran
Brevin Knight joins the team and should keep the 2nd unit running fluidly with his exceptional passing ability and leadership on the floor
Big man
Sean May, back from an extensive off-season of rehab, will put knee to the test and try to fill the hole left by the big shoes of departed rookie,
Jafari Cotton, while a young but promising swingman,
Martell Webster, will look for a fresh start from his dismal days with Portland and try to establish himself in the shadow of former crowd favorite, Gerald Green
The Rockets also used the opportunity of freed salary cap space from the 'Big Friday' trades to sign undrafted rookie sharpshooter, Garrick Briggs, and offensive-minded rookie Forward, Anthony Sato, bringing their roster to 12 and adding much needed depth to their lineup
With the bitter aftertaste of being replaced by Tankosic still fresh in Williams' mouth, along with the Green/McGrady comparisons and Green's new role as Utah's starting SG, watch for March 18th - Jazz vs Rockets in their final meeting of the season - to be the birth of a heated Western Conference rivalry for years to come