Sports Talk with MC

It’s been a while since I’ve updated here, but well, better late than never (again).

Speaking of better late than never, that’s part of what we saw over the most recent NBA trade deadline. The Cleveland Cavaliers nabbed Ben Wallace, Delonte West, and Wally Szcerbiak, in an effort to appease Lebron James. Good deal for the Cavs? You bet. They managed to get rid of some scrubs, plus the overpaid Larry Hughes, to get some better defense, and perimeter shooting. The loss of Drew Gooden should be offset by Ilgauskas, plus Big Ben’s offensive rebounding prowess. Does this making Cleveland better than Boston? I’m not sure about that one, but then, Scot Pollard definitely won’t be scoring 30 on the Ohio boys anytime soon.

So how about those Mavericks, eh? The Mavericks embarked on quite a journey to acquire super point guard Jason Kidd, and while they mortgaged a lot of their future (and interior defense) for an aging all-star and future Hall of Famer, Cuban’s boys want (and need) to win now, so, this was an okay move for me. While the move has cost the Mavericks an extra $11m, at least they managed to retain veterans Devean George (who did a touch-me-not here), and supersub Jerry Stackhouse (who talked a little too much leading up to the completion of this trade), whose losses would’ve severely depleted Dallas’ bench. Devin Harris is a burgeoning star, but like I’ve already said, the Texans want to win now, so, waiting to seriously contend when Harris morphs into Tony Parker and when Dirk is 33 or 34 just isn’t going to cut it. The loss of DeSagana Diop might be the most significant point here. Erick Dampier and Brandon Bass won’t cut it in the postseason against the Duncans, Garnetts, and Gasols of the world, so, I think that the Mavs need to sign another big man (with a post game) to shore up their frontline. Jamaal Magloire, anyone? He was just recently waived by New Jersey. He’d be good fit. Malik Allen and Antoine Wright are nice additions for Dallas too. Wright can provide some slashing and outside shooting, while Allen can provide 6 fouls, and some rebounding and scrappy play when push comes to shove. I must admit, though- the Mavs look very much like the Suns of the mid nineties. Jason Kidd is Jason Kidd. Dirk is the Suns’ Manning (with more skill, but then, you get the picture). Josh Howard is to Rex Chapman. Dampier is to Wayman Tisdale or John Williams. In a weird way, it’ll be nice to see the Mavericks run again, as in, run. Nellie would be proud.

My first reaction to Shaquille O’Neal going to Phoenix was,

“Whoa. No way??”

I’m sure a lot of other people reacted this way to the O’Neal deal, at least, initially. How could a 36 year old lumbering Tyrannosaurus Rex with a bad hip and lower back survive in the Suns’ run and gun system? Shaq’s acquisition does have its merits on offense (the Suns finally have a low post threat), but then, the deal hurts them on defense, especially if they have to go up against an uptempo squad like Denver or Golden State. Then again, the Suns could do small ball with Amare and Diaw should they have to match up. John Hollinger of ESPN.com said it best when he mentioned that they key to winning out West today would be to be versatile enough to go run and gun, and half court, depending on the situation. I think that’s precisely what Steve Kerr and Mike D’Antoni had in mind here. If Shaquille can stay healthy and motivated, then the Suns will be tough to stop in a seven game series.

The biggest winner this year, though, have been the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies for basically, uh, nothing. I’d have to go Stephen A. Smith on this one: the deal is excellent, more so because Hollywood has finally rid itself of Kwame Brown. The man was a financial and on the court liability. Good riddance to him. More quality minutes for people like Turiaf and Mihm? Absolutely. Gasol brings an all-star level low post threat to Tinseltown, and when you volt him in with the skill sets of Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum, what you get is Jack Nicholson buying champagne for a possible victory parade come June. Think Twin Towers plus Pippen (Odom) and Jordan (Bryant). Nice going, Kupchak. You’ve stunned the world on this one.

And finally…

There were some teams who let the trade deadline pass without batting an eyelash. I think that the Celtics could have made a go for a veteran point guard like Sam Cassell or maybe even a Luke Ridnour, who had purportedly been shopped around extensively by Seattle. The also could have tried to sign another big man, because Scot Pollard isn’t Bill Walton, or even Billy Paultz, for that matter. The Nuggets were in the headlines a lot leading up to the deadline alongside the prospect of acquire Ron Artest. Apparently, the deal didn’t go down because the Nugs were iffy about parting ways with Linas Kleiza. I know the Tru Warrier is a combustible element, but then, if he and Kenyon Martin can keep their heads on straight (this goes for ‘Melo, AI, Jr Smith, and Coach Karl also, actually), then Denver could have had possibly the most imposing starting 5 in the Northwest division. George Karl apparently didn’t sign off on the trade, and in a way, understandably so. Why compromise your team chemistry for someone who is skilled, and yet, a bigger risk than jumping into Jell-o, hoping your white slacks don’t get stained? Artest is a bona fide defender, and an underrated offensive player, but then, there is such a thing as overstuffing your satchel. Artest going to Denver would have been just that, financially and in terms of meshing with teammates. So good move, Coach K(arl).

The Knicks could have benefitted from dealing away Isiah Thomas, but then again, it’ll take killing Jimmy Dolan before that happens. Teehee.

 =)