Trades & Firings

New York Gets: Al Harrington

Golden State Gets: Jamal Crawford

For the Knicks…

It’s hard to justify trading your second leading scorer for an overrated malcontent gunner that is shooting 32.9% from the field. Unless of course said gunner’s contract runs one year less than your second leading scorer’s does.

You have to like President Donnie Walsh and Coach Mike D’Antoni not even trying to spin this deal. Both have already come out and said it was to clear cap space for the free agent bonanza that the summer of 2010 will be. What’s even better though is that the NYC faithful have accepted this without question. It seems weird on the surface for a fan base to be OK with stinking for two more seasons, but kudos to them for having patience and seeing the big picture.

On the court Harrington is a perfect fit for D’Antoni’s “7 seconds or less” system of offense. Al can shoot the 3, run the floor and rebound a little when motivated. He’s not much of a defender or team player, but none of that really matters since he’s gone when his contract is up. I expect Al to be their starting center eventually.

For the Warriors…

This was a nice move for VP Chris Mullin…or whoever is running things these days in the Bay. (More on that some other time.) Harrington had been banished to the inactive list with “back spasms” for around three weeks after he went public with his trade demand. So GS got their new starting PG without losing any current on-court production.

Look for Coach Don Nelson to go extremely small with Crawford and surprising rookie sharpshooter Anthony Morrow in the backcourt. I’m not sure who the designated “PF” will be, but Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson will be the forwards with rebounding machine Andris Biedrins manning the middle.

That unit will certainly be able to run, shoot and score points, but they will also get torched on defense and probably the glass too. Another thing to like about this deal for the Warriors is that Crawford is a very nice fit alongside Monta Ellis (left ankle) when Ellis comes back.

Winner – Golden State

New York Gets: Tim Thomas & Cuttino Mobley

Clippers Get: Zach Randolph & Mardy Collins

For the Knicks…

Even though Randolph was NY’s leading scorer and rebounder (20.5 ppg & 12.5 rpg) he was expendable because Thomas and Mobley’s contracts run one year less then his does. By completing these two deals “The Don” was able to clear $27.4 million in salary cap space, or enough for TWO big time free agents in 2010.

Thomas is another good fit for Coach D’Antoni’s system, but the reality is that TT has been a dog this season…even by his own lofty standards (9.5 ppg on 37.8% shooting). He’ll help when he feels like playing, but since that’s not very often these days he’ll most likely be their 7th man.

Cat Mobley has a heart issue that the Knicks seem to be taking more seriously than any other team ever has. So much so that there is now talk that the 11-year veteran’s career may in jeopardy. I find this very hard to believe and think there is probably more going on here then we are privy to.

Either way this is a serious blow to NY’s backcourt rotation. With Nate Robinson out (strained right groin) and Stephon Marbury banished, the Knicks really need Mobley on the court immediately.

For Los Angeles…

GM/coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. once again gets the best player in a trade (Marcus Camby for the option to swap second round picks with Denver in 2010), but I really have to question how Z-Bo’s game meshes with that of Camby and Chris Kaman. I’m not even mentioning how much of a mismatch those three plodders are with gazelles like Baron Davis, Al Thornton and Eric Gordon.

I really don’t see this mix working out well, which is why I expect another deal is in the works. (Start packing your bags Mr. Kaman.) Also, there were reports surfacing weeks ago that B Diddy and Dunleavy were already clashing over style of play. Did I mention that Ricky Davis is part of this squad too? Yikes! I’m sure the people of Milwaukee (the last club Dunleavy was GM/coach of) are sitting back and saying “Told ya so.”

Collins will compete with journeyman Jason Hart and rookie Mike Taylor for the backup PG minutes behind Davis.

Winner – Clippers

> On 11/22 the Oklahoma City Thunder fired Coach P.J. Carlesimo and replaced him on an interim basis with Scott Brooks. The Thunder were off to a putrid 1-12 start and had a league worst point differential of -13.25. OKC was flat out not competing, and Brooks stated as much when he was hired.

“Things aren't good. It's a challenge to get our guys motivated to play every night. Our team needs direction. I have clear plans to make this team play with much more energy and passion.”

Even though that’s a backhanded swipe at P.J., it’s very true and certainly a darn good reason to fire Carlesimo (21-74 overall with OKC/Seattle). Apparently P.J. also had lost the ear of “star” Kevin Durant. KD being the second most overrated player in the NBA aside (Allen Iverson is the first), hiring the caustic Carlesimo to coach such a young squad in the first place falls on the shoulders of GM Sam Presti.

I was glad that P.J. got another chance in the league, but this situation was just not right for him from the start. In Brooks the Thunder get a longtime assistant that was probably long overdue for a head-coaching job. Scooter will surely get their effort level where it needs to be more consistently, and he has already placated Durant by moving him to his preferred SF position. But the bottom line here is that this club is too young and lacks the necessary talent to compete on a nightly basis in the Association.

> On 11/24 the Washington Wizards fired Coach Eddie Jordan and replaced him on an interim basis with Director of Player Development Ed Tapscott. This move is far more puzzling considering Jordan’s track record with the franchise and that Gilbert Arenas (left knee), Brendan Haywood (right wrist) and Antonio Daniels (right knee) all have been out with injuries.

Granted the Wiz were off to a terrible start (1-10) but they were still playing hard for Jordan. Since I picked them to make the playoffs I have watched them play far more then they deserve, and what I saw was a squad that just could not finish games. They have been in the majority of the tilts I have seen, but for some reason they always fall apart in the 4th quarter. To me that’s more on the players than the coach.

Anyway, Jordan was probably a victim of his own success to a degree. His overall record in Washington isn’t that impressive (197-224), but when you consider all the injuries he’s had to deal with during his tenure it becomes far more respectable. Then take into account where the Wizards franchise was before he arrived, and the guy deserved better than this.

Tapscott has ZERO NBA coaching experience and has been an executive his entire professional career, which makes his appointment all the more curious. Doesn’t a choice like that send a message to everyone that “we’ve thrown in the towel?”

That brings me to President Ernie Grunfeld who says he plans to “evaluate everything” at the end of the season. I wonder if that will include the $161 million he handed out to a past-his-prime Jamison and the injury riddled Arenas this past summer? Or the fact that he locked in a core that hadn’t made it to the second round of the playoffs in three years or won more than 45 games in a season EVER?

I say this all the time, but once again my old adage rings true. Clueless ownership (Abe Pollin this means you) leads to poor management which inevitably ends with lots and lots of losses.

Big Trade & Some Injuries

Detroit Gets: Allen Iverson

Denver Gets: Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess & Cheikh Samb

For the Pistons…

Detroit President Joe Dumars is not known for making questionable moves (well, besides Darko Milicic of course) so I was in complete shock when I first heard about this deal. Reason being at first glance it looks extremely lopsided on paper. Not to mention that AI’s style of play is not exactly Piston-esque. (More on that in a bit.)

Then I got to thinking more about it, and it became clear that this was a straight up salary dump, which is still very surprising after only two games. Poor timing aside, I give Joe D a lot of credit for being proactive with his roster. Rather than waiting too long when his “core” was aging and overpaid, Dumars cut his losses early and decided to retool on the fly.

Think about it. Detroit wasn’t going to win the title this year anyway, so why not get rid of two long term contracts for a near $22 million expiring deal? You couple Iverson’s contract with Rasheed Wallace’s $13.7 and suddenly the Pistons cap number this off season is only $38 million. AND the year after that it shrinks to around $27.5 for the summer of LeBron. What makes this move so savvy is that Detroit is still good enough to make the playoffs in the East. So they are in the same exact spot short term but positioned much better for the future.

No matter how they spin it in Motown I fail to see how “The Answer” is going to make the Pistons any better on the court. To paraphrase ESPN’s John Hollinger; it’s not if Iverson will make their offense worse, but rather how much worse. Before you accuse me of being hater, just look at history. AI had ONE magical season and that’s it. Other than that he’s never been a winner. It’s really that simple.

Detroit’s strongest suit was how their ensemble cast shared the ball and no one player was greater than the group as a whole. I know Iverson annually says he’s going to be a “team” guy, but when has he ever walked that walk? To make matters worse rookie coach Michael Curry is going to start Allen at the point. Damnit square peg get in to this round hole! I really can’t see Sheed or Rip Hamilton putting up with AI pounding the air out of the ball night after night when Billups used to set them up so perfectly.

I’m not even mentioning the downgrade on defense that AI is when compared to Chauncey too. It’s all good though because Dumars signed Hamilton to a 3 year $34 million extension the day after the trade. So that should tell you all you need to know about the future of the Pistons SG position. I don’t know what Joe D’s next move will be, but he has plenty of options and I’m sure he’ll have Detroit back in contention before too long without ever missing a post season. Now that’s how you GM!

For the Nuggets…

This trade was an absolute home run for Denver until they decided to release McDyess and buy out his contract. Granted the Nugs are reportedly only going to pay Dyess approximately $6 million of the $13.6 he is owed. This should allow noted tight wad owner Stan Kroenke to keep his club just below the luxury tax line. But c’mon already, Denver could really use Antonio as their first big man off the bench behind the injury prone Nene and Kenyon Martin. If you think I’m exaggerating the worth of Dyess, consider that 19 teams in the league have already expressed interest in his services. (Including Boston & Cleveland but not the Lakers.)

As for “Mr. Big Shot” no one should be happier about his arrival then Carmelo Anthony. No more fighting Iverson for touches for Melo. In fact, Anthony will actually start getting some easy looks for a change in the spots he likes. Two added side bonuses to this deal for the Nugs are that J.R. Smith will see more minutes and Anthony Carter will move to the bench where he belongs.

Billups seemed very happy about coming home (he’s from Denver), and although his skills are slipping some, he’s still got a few years left at a high level. Chaunc gives the Nugs a true PG that knows how to run a team, is a very solid defender and an above average outside shooter. But will it be enough to make the playoffs in the West? To me it certainly gets them a whole lot closer, but without McDyess I still see Denver finishing 9th unless San Antonio and Portland continue to struggle with injuries.

Samb is a project from Senegal, but has shown some ability to block shot in the D-League. He’s long and athletic but rail thin and EXTREMELY raw offensively. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is his last strop in the NBA.

Winner – Denver

> On 11/7 against Miami the NBA leader in scoring and PER, Tony Parker, injured his left ankle and will be lost for two to four weeks. (I’d say closer to four.) This is borderline grave news for San Antonio who sit last in the Southwest Division at 1-4 and are already without Manu Ginobili (left ankle surgery) until late December.

Normally the Spurs would just buckle down and maintain until TP and Manu got back, but this year’s roster is shockingly thin. We’re talking a back court rotation of Jacque Vaughn, Roger Mason Jr., Michael Finley and rookie George Hill. YIKES!

The really worrisome part for SA fans has to be how their Spurs are defending this season. Perennially one of the best squads in the league in this department, SA currently sits 26th in defensive field goal percentage (47.77%) and 29th in defensive efficiency (113.2 points per 100 possessions). Coach Gregg Popovich better start cracking the whip on that end or they might have too big a hole to dig themselves out of when finally healthy.

> On the same night against Toronto, Atlanta’s Josh Smith went down with a sprained left ankle as well. He too is supposed to be out two to four weeks, but I see him back closer to two if not sooner. (J Smoove is a notoriously quick healer.) Look for Zaza Pachulia to move into the starting lineup at center with Al Horford sliding over to his more natural PF spot.

The Hawks depth behind Zaza and Al is suspect at best (Solomon Jones & Randolph Morris anyone?), but in a bizarre twist they should be OK because of their defense. Atlanta has been very impressive early on, obviously more confident after taking Boston to 7 games last April. The Hawks D ranks 3rd right now in both percentage (40.74%) and efficiency (92.6). In fact the ATL has looked so good I’m already wishing I had them 8th instead of 9th in my predictions. (Plus Washington is terrible.)