Basketball trade..who won?

[gonzomax]

The Cavs get an aging Ben Wallace,Szczerbiak ,Joe Smith,Delonte West
Give up to Chicago Larry Hughes,Gooden,Simmons,and Shannon Brown
Seattle got Newbie,and Marshall
Who won. My son says Chicago made out and Cleveland got weaker. He sees Wallace as over the hill and Gooden and Hughes as players. I do not know.

[Marley23]

I think the Bulls did just fine, although Hughes has been a washout since he signed with Cleveland. I like Gooden, and Wallace was doing nothing but costing them money.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

The Supersonics won. After that would be Chicago and then Cleveland.

[gonzomax]

Did someone get strong enough to concern the Pistons?

[Boozahol Squid, P.I.]

Originally Posted by Marley23

I think the Bulls did just fine, although Hughes has been a washout since he signed with Cleveland. I like Gooden, and Wallace was doing nothing but costing them money.

You like Gooden? Good for you... if you have courtside seats, he'll probably try to pass to you a couple times a game.

I can't see how anyone could say Chicago came out ahead of Cleveland on this. Big Ben certainly isn't that big a of a help, but he always rises to the occasion when playing the Pistons. And in the Eastern Conference, that's enough to make someone worthwhile (if your team plans on making it through the playoffs)

[jimmmy]

I whined like a 9 year old sent to bed during their favorite TV show when the Wizards let Hughes go to the Cavs. He led the league in steals and was 1st team all defense that season (2004-2005). He looked legit, he was 25ish and looked like he had finally come into his own as a total player.

He proceeded to be regularly hurt in Cleveland over the next 3 seasons & never looked like he did in DC. When he played, his averages weren't bad - they were starter material - but not spectacular. Except of course when he played the Wizards and Arenas. He played like a demon then.

If the Larry Hughes who has twice averaged 22 ppg in a season, led the league in steals, shoots mid.300 3pt avgs and averages 5 rebounds a game - all things he has done more than one season (except the steals) - shows up then the trade is closer ... but and this is why I think the Bulls were nuts:

At Guard they have Duhon, Gordon, Team Captain Heinrich, and a Rookie and 2nd year player and now they have to find Hughes minutes ....

Because of that and because I really don't think Wallace is done I think the Cavs "won."

[gonzomax]

Bill Simmons on ESPN implies that the Cavs dumped practically worthless players and got great help for themselves. He sees Wallace as a positive and a playoff force. He sees Gooden and Hughes as players that Lebron did not trust.
Other sites say if it makes Lebron happy ,he might stay and that is good for the land of cleves.

[EsotericEnigma]

Cleveland can run Ilgauskas (an effective, if stiff, center), Joe Smith (an efficient player, who knew?), Wally Sczerbiak (a really strong catch and shoot guy), LeBron James (some unknown I've never heard of), and Daniel Gibson (an effective shooter). They can rotate in Anderson Varejao and Ben Wallace at the 4 or 5 for interior defense and matchups, and it gives them at least two excellent perimeter shooters to open up the lane for LeBron. I actually really like this lineup, and I think they improved significantly.

Ben Wallace has lost a step or two, but it's hard to say he'll be completely ineffective if he's asked to only play 20-30 minutes a night. And a frontcourt rotation of Ilgauskas, Smith, Varejao, and Wallace has a lot of potential. There's a lot of size there, a lot of mid-range ability, and a lot of rebounding toughness. For a half court team, they seem to fit the blueprint perfectly.

(And Ben Wallace's monstrosity of a contract is set to expire the same year LeBron's is, so it won't interfere with that at all.)

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Ben also has the knack to be able to defend players bigger than he, like Tim Duncan and Shaq.

[Shot Clock]

Offhand, I can't recall an NBA season with this many major trades, especially right before the deadline. It seems every team is either rebuilding (Seattle/Oklahoma City), reloading (Lakers, Bulls), creating a window (Suns, Cavs), or saying "to hell with it" (Miami, Memphis).

I think Cavs GM Danny Ferry was sitting in his office playing Purble Place when he decided, "OK...LeBron is gone when his contract's up...I got the next two playoffs to do something...I GOT IT! LET'S GET JASON KIDD!" He then remembered that Kidd got dealt a few days earlier while he was daydreaming about OJ Mayo and made the best deal he possibly could.

(I'm kidding...I like Danny and the Cavs).

In all seriousness, the additions of Big Ben and Wally add some good umph to their lineup and the deal might actually work, but its gotta work either this year or next. I'd tell Wallace not to worry about scoring; just rebound, play defense and scare the hell out of people. They don't need a ton of points out of him- anything he can get on offensive rebounds and gimmes is gravy. If Szczerbiak & Joe Smith can keep defenses honest, they may be on to something. And now, Big Z will be free to do what he loves most- hang around away from the basket and do his Alvan Adams impressions.

Chicago, overloaded with guards and perimeter players, seems to be angling for a big draft-day trade. Hell, they might be able to steal another draft pick from the New York IsiahDolans (which, knowing the Bulls, they will use to draft Eric Montross, I mean, Tyler Hansborough).

Thanks to their astute moves, the Sonics will have less crap to throw in the Bekins moving van when they blow town, thus enjoying substantial savings in freight costs.

What all these trades mean is additional excitement for the rest of the season, great playoff matchups, plenty of human drama, and something to reflect on as either San Antonio or Detroit hoists the championship trophy.