This Day In NBA Trades

It seems liked just a normal day with the NBA Deadline...

Chicago Bulls sends SF James Johnson to Toronto Raptors for a draft pick

New Jersey Nets sends PF Troy Murphy to Golden State Warriors for C Dan Gadzuric, PF Brandan Wright

then, a mega deal went down.

The Nets receive Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz for..
PF Derrick Favors, PG Devin Harris, New Jersey's 2011 1st Round Draft Pick, and Golden State's 1st Round Pick via New Jersey.

Obviously, more to come later.

DOY: Retro Style

This goes back to the 2008 NBA Playoffs where then Golden State Warriors point guard Baron Davis turns Utah Jazz forward "into a screensaver" as ESPN's Mike Tirico puts it. Davis gets T'd up for pulling his shirt up, but it sure was a great moment.



Amazing.

-Mitch

Bucks Beware

So now it begins.

Ever since the NBA Draft Yi Jianlian has been oddly silent in regards to his situation with the Milwaukee Bucks. So much so that even when he agreed to an interview with an NBA.com reporter he stipulated that there could be no questions regarding Milwaukee. (And the reporter accepted. Journalistic integrity? Anyone?) Now however, the complexion of Yi's situation is begging to become much clearer than mere speculation. Yesterday both Marc Stein and Chad Sheridan offered new insight on the state of the Yi saga. Sheridan wrote:

"If the stalemate continues, the only way Yi could make himself eligible for the 2008 draft would be to sit out an entire season. If he were to return to his pro team in China for the 2007-08 season, the Bucks would retain his NBA rights.

At this point, if I had to say whether I thought Yi will ever play a game for the Bucks, I'd have to say no. Yi's camp seems extremely determined to force the Bucks to trade his rights, and at a certain point I believe Harris and the Bucks owner, Sen. Herb Kohl, will simply throw their hands up and decide they don't want the headache anymore."

Stein also offered a similar take:

"Yi's camp insists that he won't sign with the Bucks and that the 19-year-old is prepared to play no professional basketball for a year to make himself eligible to re-enter the draft in 2008, unless the Bucks trade his draft rights....

...Yi didn't outright demand a trade but, according to sources, insisted that it remains his wish -- as opposed to an agenda being pushed by Nike or his American agent Dan Fegan -- to play in a bigger market with a larger Asian population."

There are two extremely important points in the above quotes. First, Stein reports that Yi himself (not just his agent) wants out of Milwaukee. The assumption by many was that Yi was merely letting his agent handle the situation, and that he himself did not have a strong feeling either way. Assuming Stein's info is accurate, that does not seem to be the case. The second, and most important point, is that Yi and his camp are making serious rumblings about sitting out a year alltogether and entering the 2008 Draft. (A possibility that I first broke two weeks ago) If Yi is in fact serious about carrying out that threat Milwaukee would find itself forced to either trade Yi or risk losing him for nothing.

Now comes the tricky part. If the Bucks do decide that trading Yi is their only option, what are their options? Yi has expressed a desire to go to a team in a larger media market such as Chicago, New York, or Sacramento, or Golden State. New York would seem to be out of the running after the trade for Zach Randolph, and the Bulls are likely satisfied with their young frontcourt duo of Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. That leaves Golden State and Sacramento as the most likely trade partners for the Bucks. In examining Sacramento's roster they appear to have very few assets that would be attractive to the Bucks. Milwaukee was seeking to fill a need at either PF or SF through the draft, and the only real trade asset that the Kings have at either position is Ron Artest. The problem for the Kings is that their three top young talents (Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia, and Quincy Douby) all play SG, where the Bucks already have an All-Star in Michael Redd.

The best trade situation for the Bucks would by far be with Golden State. The Warriors were said to be very high on Yi heading into the draft, and they have the perfect assets to go about acquiring him from the Bucks. Consider; the Bucks need depth at SF and PF. The Warriors have the PF the Bucks would desire in Brandan Wright and could also package one of their free agent SFs (Matt Barnes or Mikael Pietrus) in a sign and trade. Such a deal would benefit both teams, as the Warriors would get the player they coveted all along by merely moving a SF they likely would not have re-signed and the Bucks would add young talent at both of their need positions while saving some face.

Whether or not the Bucks do decide to go the trade route with Yi will likely not be decided for quite some time, as the season is some two and a half months away. What is certain however, is that the Bucks must tread carefully in this situation lest they alienate Yi entirely and lose him for nothing.

Like A Glove

If you didn't get the chance to see Marco Belinelli's performance in the Warrior's Summer League game yesterday, do yourself favor and head over to NBA.com and watch some of the archive of it. Belinelli was completely nasty yesterday but his stats, although impressive (37 pts, 5 rb, 2 ast), don't do his performance justice. What is lost in those numbers are two things. First, Belinelli was extremely active on the defensive end, and although he only ended up with one steal in the game he was a menace in the passing lanes, deflecting numerous balls and exhibiting great quickness on the defensive end. The second thing that is misleading about those stats is Belinelli's assist total. The only reason that Marco only had two assists was that his teammates missed a number of open shots and also appeared suprised by a number of brilliant long passes made by Belinelli. On four seperate occassions during the game Belinelli made half court passes to wide open shooters that left me stunned. Belinelli did not come in touted as a passer, but his court vision and general basketball IQ appeared to be exponentially higher than anyone else on the court. Belinelli also showed that he is entirely unafraid to shoot from anywhere on the court, as his 37 points came on a wide variety of threes, jumpers, and drives.

What this performance may well signal for the Warriors is that the loss of Jason Richardson might be felt much less than anticipated. Belinelli looked like a natural fit in the Warrior's up tempo transition offense, and his perimeter shooting appeared deadly on Saturday. Belinelli likely won't be asked to start for the Warriors this season, as Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson will hold down the starting swing positions. What Belinelli will be able to do for the Warriors however, as indicated by his performance Saturday, is provide instant offense and playmaking abilty off the bench as a 6th or 7th man. Belinelli would also soften the blow if the Warriors fail to re-sign Mikael Pietrus or Matt Barnes. Combining the drafting of Belinelli with the Warriors absolute theft of Brandan Wright from the Bobcats, Golden State appears set to maintain their momentum from the playoffs into next season.

NBA Draft: Trade Breakdown

Heading into the NBA Draft last night the media had prepared America for a night full of big name players being traded, and that is exactly what happened. The twist though, was that the three big name players that changed teams last night were not Shawn Marion, Kevin Garnett, and Jermaine O'Neal. Instead Ray Allen, Zach Randolph, and Jason Richardson were sent packing. Here is a look at each of the three big deals and how they work out for each of the teams involved:

Trade#1
Seatle Receives: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and the #5 pick, Jeff Green
Boston Receives: Ray Allen and the #35 pick, Glen Davis
What Gives?: From Seattle's perspective this trade means one thing; Sam Presti and Sonics management want Rashard Lewis more than they want Ray Allen. The trade of Allen opens the door for Lewis to sign with the Sonics during free agency, and with new weapons Kevin Durant and Jeff Green Seattle could be downright fearsome in the next few seasons. Green would be the perfect complement to Durant and Lewis, as he is a player that can make a big impact on the game without taking shots. Green's top notch passing skills will allow Durant and Lewis to quite possibly become the most potent scoring duo in the NBA. I don't really like this trade as much for Boston. The Celtics have already tried pairing Paul Pierce with a high scoring shooter in Antoine Walker, and that duo was never able to get Boston over the hump. I would be afraid that adding Allen's shots to Pierce's might stunt the progress of Al Jefferson, especially since the Celtics had to give up Delonte West who might have been able to keep Jefferson involved in the offense in spite of the 40 shots a night that the Celtics' two stars will require. I thing if Ainge had stayed at #5 and picked a post player to compliment Jefferson (Yi Jianlian? Brandan Wright?) the Celtics would have been much better off in the long run.

Trade #2
Portland Receives: Steve Francis and Channing Frye
New York Receives:Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones
What Gives?: From a pure player value perspective Portland got killed in this trade. The benefits of this move for Portland are not in the actual players received however, as the key word for them in this trade is flexibility. Everyone on the planet knew that with Greg Oden coming to town to join LaMarcus Aldridge in the Blazers' frontcourt that Randolph and the four years remaining on his contract were going to be heading out of Portland. Letting go of Randolph in and of itself will free the Blazers' two newest big men to get the appropriate amount of playing time to develop. The deal also grants Portland a great amount of salary cap flexibility as Steve Francis' contract has only two years remaining as compared to the four remaining on Randolph's. The summer that Francis' contract expires coincides with the expiration of Raef LaFrentz's contract, meaning that the Blazers will clear $30 million of contracts off the books after the 2009-2010 season. That kind of cap room is going to give the Blazers the ability to bring in pretty much any free agent they could desire. Who wouldn't want the chance to play with Oden? And as an added bonus, Channing Frye is a great third man for Portland's frontcourt rotation. From the Knick's perspective this trade is fantastic. Pairing Randolph with Eddy Curry? In the East? For only the price of Channing Frye and Steve Francis' terrible contract? Wow. I have not liked a lot of the moves made by Isaiah Thomas in the past, but this one certainly looks like a winner. Curry and Randolph automatically become the most feared frontcourt duo in the East, hands down. Not only that, they are both young and signed through the next four years. This move just might be the one that finally turns the Knicks around. Dickau and Jones are each in the final years of their contracts, so they are essentially throwaways in this trade.

UPDATE: Are the Blazers going after Shawn Marion now? Check here for the latest.

Trade #3
Charlotte Receives: Jason Richardson and the #36 pick, Jermareo Davidson
Golden State Receives: The #8 pick, Brandan Wright
What Gives?: Chris Mullin may not have often gotten the best of Michael Jordan during their playing days, but Mullin completely ate Jordan's lunch on this deal. Let me put it this way; if Golden State could have dumped Richardson in exchange for a 2nd rounder this still would have been a good deal in a lot of ways. Richardson was not performing to the value of his contract, which has 4 years and over $50 million remaining on it. That is certainly not the kind of money you want to pay to a player that just finished a season where he only averaged 16 points per game. Getting rid of Richardson also shows a commitment by the Warriors to Monta Ellis, who will now have an opportunity to show that his breakout season of last year was no fluke. Without Richardson on board the Warriors will also likely be able to re-sign Matt Barnes. So Golden State in one swift move was able to ditch an overpaid player, give an emerging star a bigger role on their team, and give themselves the ability to keep one of their key role players. Oh, and there is also the fact that they also received a prospect that many people had rated as being perhaps the third best prospect in the entire draft in Brandan Wright, a lanky and athletic power forward that will fit perfectly into their system. Are you kidding me? This trade is a massacre of the highest order. Michael Jordan just needs to hang it up as a GM; as an executive he is as dangerous to his own team as he was to his opponents as a player.

It's Not Over Yet...You're in Trouble, Dallas!

9:54: After minutes of useless fist-banging, TNT finally changes over to the Mavs-Warriors game...anyways 10:49 left 1st quarter, tied 4-4. Don Nelson looks kinda constipated after a Nowitzki deep 2...mmm foreshadowing of Mavs dominance?

10:04: The Mavs appear to have woken up, taking a 16-8 lead with 8:14 left. The Mavs are shooting 88% from the field. Avery Johnson must have gotten under Dirk's skin, because Nowitzki is consistently beating Golden State's double team inside.

10:11: The Mavs are still shooting 83.3% from the field. Uhh...they're going to cool off, right? Right now the Mavs are just outplaying the Warriors in every statistical category, not to mention team intensity. Maverick-killer Baron Davis, let alone anyone else on the Warriors offense, can't seem to get it going. They're driving to the hoop, but continue to throw up crappy lay-ups and runners.

10:14: This is rather disgusting. 4:45 left and the Warriors get completely stripped under their own basket, which results in a Dallas fast break. 31-15 Mavs.

10:25: End of 1st quarter. Golden State has played a bit smarter, except for that last possession where they lost the ball out of bounds on a bad pass. They've been aggressive, but have protected the ball the entire series. They must continue to do so in order to beat what appears to be a revitalized Dallas team. Furthermore, the Warriors really need to watch leaving Devin Harris or Jason Terry alone on the wings. Harris got wide-open looks at threes on two consecutive possessions.

10:33: The Warriors can't hold onto the ball...I don't think I can really say anymore about that. Oh yea, they've also missed 10 field goal attempts in a row.

10:42: Two more turnovers in a row for Golden State...seriously, someone get them some glue.

10:45: Ummm...another bad pass out of bounds with 5:46 to go. Dallas keeps clogging the lane, causing Golden State to put up bad look shots....and apparently the Warriors can't pass the ball off to save their lives.

10:49: Another turnover with 5:37 left...you have to be kidding. The Warriors inside defense right now is just disgustingly porous.

11:00: Wow...Golden State woke up...aaaand Dirk just got T'd up walking off the court. After being down 21, the Warriors have closed the gap to seven. How, you might ask? Controlling the ball for one, and by imposing a double-team on Nowitzki earlier in each Mavs possession.
Dallas is being forced to take more time each possession, resulting in bad shots and more turnovers. Oh, GS going 5 for 6 from downtown in the last 5 minutes helps, too. If the Warriors can control the ball in the second half, the Mavs are cooked.

11:20: Stephen Jackson hits free throw off Technical to start the 2nd half. After a minute of play, the Mavs are only up by 4...yikes (well, for them. Gotta love the underdog). Baron Davis is looking like the Mavs killer again.

11:26: WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?! JASON TERRY LOSES HIS MIND AND PILE DRIVES BARON DAVIS!!!! Apparently Terry can't stand a player who just goes to retrieve the ball from out of bounds. Technical called on Jason Terry...and he's going to get suspended in the post season for a second year in a row. Muahaha the Warriors have closed the game from 21 points to a single point in 8 minutes of game time.

11:30: 3-ball from Richardson ties it at 67 all! Golden State is playing some intense defense to keep the ball away from Nowitzki, and generate turnover opportunities.

11:36: Question of the night: Why are the Warriors letting DeSagana Diop kill them? He's a giant oaf who can suddenly make athletic lay-ups, and steal the ball!?

11:46: DeSagana scored AGAIN!?

11:50: Less than a minute left in the 3rd and the Warriors are still on fire from 3-point range, shooting 50%. YAY 4th QUARTER!!! AND IT'S ACTUALLY A GAME! To think that I was going to stop writing when the Warriors went down by 21...

11:56: Golden State WANTS this game. Is it just me or are they tipping nearly every Dallas pass!? Taking charges, going after loose balls, and forcing the Mavs to jack up threes just to keep the shot clock alive.

11:59: And Matt Barnes gives Golden State the lead! After another steal by the way...this defense is craaaaaazy. Barnes and Davis are shooting a combined 60% from the field, while as a team the Warriors are now 52% from 3 point land.

12:06: Congratulations, Baron Davis, you just completed a 4-point play on Harris' 4th foul (Pietrus assist numero 9).

12:07: ANOTHER GOLDEN STATE 3?! How can you shoot over 50% after taking 28 threes?

12:15: Avery Johnson had better watch out for foul trouble. Nowitzki and Harris have 4 fouls. Howard has 5. DeSagana Diop hit a free throw?! *ten seconds later* Oh..ok. He airballed the second one. The world is back in equilibrium.

12:18: Great ball movement by GS as they go around the horn for...another three!

12:22: The Warriors have GOT to slow it down and run a half-court offense. AHH MADNESS!

12:26: Well, that was a pretty damned questionable and 1. Not to mention that it was Baron Davis' 5th foul.

12:30: Baron Davis fouls out when the ref assumes that he's trying to intentionally foul...except that Davis knew he had 5 fouls. That makes absolutely no sense on the part of the ref.

12:36: Dallas wins, yada, yada. However, I doubt Dallas has the ability to come out of Oakland alive, especially after blowing a 21-point lead at home.


One should have expected nothing less of Dallas in the first quarter and a half. They came out and played exactly like the dominant team they were in the regular season. The Mavs consistently capitalized on Golden State's mistakes and poor play, namely their 10 missed field goals in a row. But what about the last part of the 2nd quarter? Dallas completely fell apart, seeing their 21 point lead evaporate, as the Warriors played with increased intensity. After tightening their inside defense, Golden State caught fire on the offensive end, nailing 5 threes in the last five minutes to whittle the Mavericks lead to seven. The Warriors continued to control the pace of the game until the closing minutes of the game, at which point they simply ran out of gas, allowing the Mavs to go on a 15-0. In all fairness to Dirk Nowitzki, he finally showed up in a big way at the end of the game (scoring 12 points). Whether Nowitzki's late-game dominance is going to stick around remains to be seen in Oakland on Thursday night.