There were some big names traded, but they weren’t 사설토토, KG, or Amare. They were Jason Richardson, Zach Randolph, and Ray Allen. And quite frankly, it seemed like they were all good trades for all parties involved.
I was wondering about the Brandon Wright draft pick by the Bobcats. I mean, I love the Heels, but it seemed like that meant they were giving up on Sean May. But when the trade came through (basically Jason Richardson to the Bobcats for Wright), it made sense. Wright is an absolutely perfect fit in the Warriors up-tempo offense. In any type of halfcourt style team, he would have struggled his first couple years. And although Richardson doesn’t come cheap, the Bobcats needed some type of veteran on the team who could put up points. Add Richardson to a lineup that includes Raymond Felton, Adam Morrison (who needs to improve after a terrible first year), Sean May, Emeka Okafor, and possibly Gerald Wallace (free agent), and you get a guy who can mentor the young guys and provide scoring punch. The guys on ESPN just killed Jordan for the trade, but it makes sense to me. They were way under the cap. Why not make a run at the playoffs?
The Knicks added Zach Randolph and change, trading away Steve Francis and Channing Frye. The Blazers just didn’t want Randolph on their team any more. They’re getting rid of all of the Jail Blazers and totally rehabilitating their image. And now with a frontcourt of Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge, they really didn’t need another low post presence. They did get Channing Frye, who was untouchable last year at this time. He’ll be a great sixth or seventh man for them. I’m guessing they buy out Steve Francis. For the Knicks, they got rid of a huge contract in Francis and added a guy who is virtually guaranteed to get 20 and 10. But is it enough to make a playoff push? Maybe, but their frontcourt won’t be able to guard anyone. Actually, I’m sure Isaiah will figure out how to make them terrible still.
The Celtics traded away the #5 draft pick (Jeff Green), Wally Szerbiak’s bad contract, and Delonte West to the Sonics for Ray Allen. Now a lot of experts are wondering why the Celtics would do this because Allen is getting old (32), but he really doesn’t show any signs of aging. I have to believe that the scoring combo of Paul Pierce, Allen, and Al Jefferson is good enough to get them into the playoffs. Plus if they want to make a big push at the trade deadline, they could trade Theo Ratliff’s expiring contract (something like $11-12M) for another significant contributor. They are mortgaging the future for a chance in the next couple years, but in the NBA, it’s win now. For the Sonics, it’s all about youth movement. They now have two studs in Kevin Durant and Green. Are they willing to fork over the dough for Rashard Lewis? We’ll see.
Notice that in all three of these trades, veteran quality talent went from West to East. Except for the Shaq trade, it’s been the total opposite of that for the past five years. And it’s always possible that Kobe and KG could come East. Will we see a shift in power the next few years?
I was pretty disappointed in the suits this year. No flash at all. No top hats. No purple or red or blue. The biggest non-conformist of the night was Joakim Noah who wore a bow tie. Where’s Jalen Rose when you need him?
I absolutely loved that Josh McRoberts slid all the way to #40. No guaranteed money. Nice. And he’s the best that Dook has to offer. A year ago he could have been in the lottery, and instead he decided to come back and lead the team to their worst season since Mike Kroozawooski left them because of alcohol problems er, back trouble. You gotta wonder who’s advising this guy. Will Avery? For more on the Dookies, check out this YouTube clip.
The Bucks made a big mistake drafting Yi Jianlian. Why draft a guy and pay him millions if he’s not going to be happy living there? If I were Chinese, I wouldn’t want to live in lily white Milwaukee either. Trade him to a big city with an Asian population.
Overall, great draft. Exciting the whole way through. Can’t wait for next year.