atxrocker
Starter
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5358554
Grading the NBA deadline dealings
Breaking down the trades made before the Feb. 23 deadline:
Sonics, Nuggets, Blazers, Kings trade
Sonics get: Earl Watson, Bryon Russell, Denver's 2008 second-round pick and cash
Nuggets get: Reggie Evans, Ruben Patterson and Charles Smith
Blazers get: Voshon Lenard and Brian Skinner
Kings get: Vitaly Potapenko and Sergei Monia
Earl Watson should help the Sonics on both ends of the floor. (Rocky Widner/NBAE / Getty Images)
Breakdown: We've watched Luke Ridnour get torched by half the point guards in the league, and trust us; the Sonics needed an in-your-grill defender like Watson. Evans' rebounding and defense helps Denver's injury-plagued frontline, Patterson's perimeter D fills another hole, and Smith was good enough to be an opening-day starter at SG in Portland. Lenard's shooting gives Portland a dimension they've been missing, but his real value is his expiring contract. Skinner allows Zach Randolph to finally have a backup. Potapenko is basically six fouls with feet, and while he haven't seen too much of Monia, he was once considered one of the Blazers' young building blocks.
Grades: Sonics (B), Nuggets (B+), Blazers (C+), Kings (C)
Cavaliers, Sonics trade
Cavs get: Flip Murray
Sonics get: Mike Wilks and cash
Breakdown: A couple years ago, when Ray Allen missed a few months with an ankle injury, Murray exploded onto the scene. He dropped 20-plus points on the regular, and hit numerous clutch shots. Flip's defense is probably somewhere between below-average and awful, but the guy can definitely fill it up on the other end. Wilks doesn't play much, but we've read reports that the 5-foot-10 journeyman pulls off some insane dunks in practice. The Sonics now have Ridnour, Watson, Mateen Cleaves and Rick Brunson at the point, so we're not sure where Wilks fits. And we feel like they could have gotten more for Flip.
Grades: Cavs (B+), Sonics (C+)
Heat, Rockets trade
Heat get: Derek Anderson
Rockets get: Gerald Fitch
Breakdown: In Anderson, Miami gets another ring-hungry veteran who doesn't have a whole lot of years left. He's a solid addition to any team's second-unit, but D.A. also hasn't played a minute since mid-December. Fitch will make Luther Head and Rafer Alston work hard in practice, but that's about it.
Grades: Heat (B-), Rockets (C)
Cavaliers, Sixers trade
Cavs get: Lee Nailon and a conditional second-round pick
Sixers get: Conditional second-round pick
Breakdown: Given some PT, Nailon is a decent scoring forward. But what the Cavs really needed was someone who can rebound.
Grades: Cavs (B-), Sixers (C+)
Hornets, Nets trade
Nets get: Bostjan Nachbar
Hornets get: Marc Jackson, Linton Johnson and cash
Breakdown: The Nets needed to get tougher down low, so why give away their only tough guy? The Hornets continue to stockpile guys to replace Chris "Birdman" Andersen and now, the injured Jackson Vroman.
Grades: Nets (C-), Hornets (B-)
Knicks, Magic trade
Knicks get: Steve Francis
Magic get: Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza
Breakdown: While Francis is an All-Star caliber talent, he's not exactly what the Knicks needed. Sure, he's a big name, but New York already has a PG who takes grief for not passing enough. Now they have two, not to mention Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford, neither of whom has ever been mistaken for Jason Kidd. Penny, as expected, as already been placed on waivers, and Ariza is solid when he gets some tick.
Grades: Knicks (C+), Magic (B+)
Magic, Pistons trade
Magic get: Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo
Pistons get: Kelvin Cato and a first-round pick
Breakdown: Arroyo has shown flashes, and can at least be a solid backup point. Darko is the great mystery here; some think he can be an All-Star one day, while others think he's never going to be more than a punch line. Cato is another guy whose contract meant more than the player himself, and a first-round pick from a Lottery team never hurts.
Grades: Magic (C), Pistons (B)
Clippers, Sonics trade
Clippers: Vladimir Radmanovic
Sonics get: Chris Wilcox
Breakdown: Vlad gives the Clips some more outside shooting, but not much in the other power-forward areas. Any kind of interior presence will help Seattle, and Wilcox has young legs and a mean streak.
Grades: Clippers (B), Sonics (B)
Hornets, Rockets trade
Hornets get: Moochie Norris
Rockets get: Maciej Lampe
Breakdown: Nice to have Moochie in case Chris Paul or Speedy Claxton gets hurt. And he's always good for a Bobblehead Night. How many times can Maciej get traded? This is a guy who was in the green room and he can't even stick with a club.
Grades: Hornets (C), Rockets (C)
Bobcats, Rockets trade
Bobcats get: Lonny Baxter
Rockets get: Keith Bogans
Breakdown: Charlotte's forever-injured frontline could really use a banger like Baxter, and Houston's M.A.S.H. unit backcourt could really use a defender like Bogans.
Grades: Bobcats (B), Rockets (B)
Knicks, Raptors trade
Knicks get: Jalen Rose and a first-round pick
Raptors get: Antonio Davis
Breakdown: The Knicks have been trying to get Jalen for years. Now they have him and his contract. The Raps moved him and got an expiring contract in return.
Grades: Knicks (C+), Raptors (B+)
Hornets, Raptors trade
Hornets get: Aaron Williams
Raptors get: Second-round picks in 2006 and 2008
Breakdown: This move was made right after Birdman got bounced for a drug violation, and looks even better now that Vroman is out for the year. And the Raps get picks.
Grades: Hornets (B-), Raptors (A)
T-Wolves, Celtics trade
T-Wolves get: Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Justin Reed, Marcus Banks and two second-round picks
Celtics get: Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a first-round pick
Breakdown: When these two teams met a couple nights after the deal went down, it looked like an overall steal for the Wolves when Banks, Blount and Reed stuck it to their old team. They've all cooled off since, but Ricky Buckets is still living up to his name. Wally was scoring 20-plus a night earlier in the year, but has seen his production drop slightly in Boston. The Kandi Man is ... there.
Grades: T-Wolves (B+), Celtics (B-)
Suns, T-Wolves trade
Suns get: Nikoloz Tskitishvili
T-Wolves get: Second-round pick
Breakdown: Can Tskitishvili blossom in Mike D'Antoni's system? Who knows?
Grades: Suns (B-), T-Wolves (B-)
Pacers, Kings trade
Pacers get: Peja Stojakovic
Kings get: Ron Artest Breakdown: Ron-Ron had to go, and Peja clearly wasn't very happy in Sac-town. Since the trade, both guys have fit in well with their new teams. Artest has the Kings looking like a whole new team, while Peja's style is perfectly suited for Indy's current game plan. It seems all he needed was a fresh start. Grades: Pacers (A), Kings (A)
Grading the NBA deadline dealings
Breaking down the trades made before the Feb. 23 deadline:
Sonics, Nuggets, Blazers, Kings trade
Sonics get: Earl Watson, Bryon Russell, Denver's 2008 second-round pick and cash
Nuggets get: Reggie Evans, Ruben Patterson and Charles Smith
Blazers get: Voshon Lenard and Brian Skinner
Kings get: Vitaly Potapenko and Sergei Monia
Breakdown: We've watched Luke Ridnour get torched by half the point guards in the league, and trust us; the Sonics needed an in-your-grill defender like Watson. Evans' rebounding and defense helps Denver's injury-plagued frontline, Patterson's perimeter D fills another hole, and Smith was good enough to be an opening-day starter at SG in Portland. Lenard's shooting gives Portland a dimension they've been missing, but his real value is his expiring contract. Skinner allows Zach Randolph to finally have a backup. Potapenko is basically six fouls with feet, and while he haven't seen too much of Monia, he was once considered one of the Blazers' young building blocks.
Grades: Sonics (B), Nuggets (B+), Blazers (C+), Kings (C)
Cavaliers, Sonics trade
Cavs get: Flip Murray
Sonics get: Mike Wilks and cash
Breakdown: A couple years ago, when Ray Allen missed a few months with an ankle injury, Murray exploded onto the scene. He dropped 20-plus points on the regular, and hit numerous clutch shots. Flip's defense is probably somewhere between below-average and awful, but the guy can definitely fill it up on the other end. Wilks doesn't play much, but we've read reports that the 5-foot-10 journeyman pulls off some insane dunks in practice. The Sonics now have Ridnour, Watson, Mateen Cleaves and Rick Brunson at the point, so we're not sure where Wilks fits. And we feel like they could have gotten more for Flip.
Grades: Cavs (B+), Sonics (C+)
Heat, Rockets trade
Heat get: Derek Anderson
Rockets get: Gerald Fitch
Breakdown: In Anderson, Miami gets another ring-hungry veteran who doesn't have a whole lot of years left. He's a solid addition to any team's second-unit, but D.A. also hasn't played a minute since mid-December. Fitch will make Luther Head and Rafer Alston work hard in practice, but that's about it.
Grades: Heat (B-), Rockets (C)
Cavaliers, Sixers trade
Cavs get: Lee Nailon and a conditional second-round pick
Sixers get: Conditional second-round pick
Breakdown: Given some PT, Nailon is a decent scoring forward. But what the Cavs really needed was someone who can rebound.
Grades: Cavs (B-), Sixers (C+)
Hornets, Nets trade
Nets get: Bostjan Nachbar
Hornets get: Marc Jackson, Linton Johnson and cash
Breakdown: The Nets needed to get tougher down low, so why give away their only tough guy? The Hornets continue to stockpile guys to replace Chris "Birdman" Andersen and now, the injured Jackson Vroman.
Grades: Nets (C-), Hornets (B-)
Knicks, Magic trade
Knicks get: Steve Francis
Magic get: Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza
Breakdown: While Francis is an All-Star caliber talent, he's not exactly what the Knicks needed. Sure, he's a big name, but New York already has a PG who takes grief for not passing enough. Now they have two, not to mention Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford, neither of whom has ever been mistaken for Jason Kidd. Penny, as expected, as already been placed on waivers, and Ariza is solid when he gets some tick.
Grades: Knicks (C+), Magic (B+)
Magic, Pistons trade
Magic get: Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo
Pistons get: Kelvin Cato and a first-round pick
Breakdown: Arroyo has shown flashes, and can at least be a solid backup point. Darko is the great mystery here; some think he can be an All-Star one day, while others think he's never going to be more than a punch line. Cato is another guy whose contract meant more than the player himself, and a first-round pick from a Lottery team never hurts.
Grades: Magic (C), Pistons (B)
Clippers, Sonics trade
Clippers: Vladimir Radmanovic
Sonics get: Chris Wilcox
Breakdown: Vlad gives the Clips some more outside shooting, but not much in the other power-forward areas. Any kind of interior presence will help Seattle, and Wilcox has young legs and a mean streak.
Grades: Clippers (B), Sonics (B)
Hornets, Rockets trade
Hornets get: Moochie Norris
Rockets get: Maciej Lampe
Breakdown: Nice to have Moochie in case Chris Paul or Speedy Claxton gets hurt. And he's always good for a Bobblehead Night. How many times can Maciej get traded? This is a guy who was in the green room and he can't even stick with a club.
Grades: Hornets (C), Rockets (C)
Bobcats, Rockets trade
Bobcats get: Lonny Baxter
Rockets get: Keith Bogans
Breakdown: Charlotte's forever-injured frontline could really use a banger like Baxter, and Houston's M.A.S.H. unit backcourt could really use a defender like Bogans.
Grades: Bobcats (B), Rockets (B)
Knicks, Raptors trade
Knicks get: Jalen Rose and a first-round pick
Raptors get: Antonio Davis
Breakdown: The Knicks have been trying to get Jalen for years. Now they have him and his contract. The Raps moved him and got an expiring contract in return.
Grades: Knicks (C+), Raptors (B+)
Hornets, Raptors trade
Hornets get: Aaron Williams
Raptors get: Second-round picks in 2006 and 2008
Breakdown: This move was made right after Birdman got bounced for a drug violation, and looks even better now that Vroman is out for the year. And the Raps get picks.
Grades: Hornets (B-), Raptors (A)
T-Wolves, Celtics trade
T-Wolves get: Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Justin Reed, Marcus Banks and two second-round picks
Celtics get: Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a first-round pick
Breakdown: When these two teams met a couple nights after the deal went down, it looked like an overall steal for the Wolves when Banks, Blount and Reed stuck it to their old team. They've all cooled off since, but Ricky Buckets is still living up to his name. Wally was scoring 20-plus a night earlier in the year, but has seen his production drop slightly in Boston. The Kandi Man is ... there.
Grades: T-Wolves (B+), Celtics (B-)
Suns, T-Wolves trade
Suns get: Nikoloz Tskitishvili
T-Wolves get: Second-round pick
Breakdown: Can Tskitishvili blossom in Mike D'Antoni's system? Who knows?
Grades: Suns (B-), T-Wolves (B-)
Pacers, Kings trade
Pacers get: Peja Stojakovic
Kings get: Ron Artest Breakdown: Ron-Ron had to go, and Peja clearly wasn't very happy in Sac-town. Since the trade, both guys have fit in well with their new teams. Artest has the Kings looking like a whole new team, while Peja's style is perfectly suited for Indy's current game plan. It seems all he needed was a fresh start. Grades: Pacers (A), Kings (A)
