Hollinger on a Rampage!

Cleveland Gets: Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and a 2015 first round pick (Memphis) 

Memphis Gets: Jon Leuer 

For the Cavaliers… 

This deal was all about the draft pick for GM Chris Grant, the sixth first-rounder Cleveland has acquired since 2010.  The pick goes to the Cavs in 2015 or 2016 if it falls between 6-14, in 2017 and 2018 its top-5 protected and in 2019 it’s fully unprotected.  In Speights they also get a useful big man to fill in for Anderson Varejao who is out for the season with a blood clot in his right lung.  Ellington is doubtful to get his qualifying offer if he can’t unseat Daniel Gibson as their designated 3-point shooter and Selby was waived (how Josh got a 3^rd place vote for 2012 Rookie of the Year I'll never know).  Speights has a player option for one more year at $4.5 million and that’s actually a pretty fair price for him.  Grant did well here by parlaying his salary cap space into another first round pick without taking on any long term money. 

For the Grizzlies… 

This move was all about new Owner Robert Pera getting under the salary cap to avoid paying the luxury tax.  In Leuer Memphis gets an NBA Jam favorite that knows how to play the right way as their fifth big man.  This exchange also generated a $6.4 million trade exception for the Griz and I thought for sure they were done dealing, but I was wrong. 

Winner – Cleveland 

Memphis Gets: Tayshaun Prince, Ed Davis, Austin Daye, a 2013 second round pick (Toronto) and cash 

Toronto Gets: Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi 

Detroit Gets: Jose Calderon 

For the Grizzlies… 

This maneuver has new VP John Hollinger written all over it considering GM Chris Wallace is the guy who signed Gay to the enormously overpriced maximum contract extension in 2010 (5-years/$82 million).  Many people look at Rudy as Memphis’ leading scorer and can’t understand why they moved him when they were contenders and already below the tax line.  Well Gay is shooting a career low 40.8% from the field and 31% from three with his worst PER (14.4) since his rookie season.  Not to mention the 17.2 points he averages is actually his lowest since his first year too.  Then there’s the $37 million he’s owed over the next two seasons after this one and albatross might be too kind a word to describe him. 

Tayshaun has definitely lost a step or two and isn’t near the player he was in his prime but he’s shooting 44.4% from the field and a career high 43.4% from three.  He also doesn’t need the ball to be effective and is still twice the defender Gay is even with half the athleticism.  I look for Prince to setup in the corner and shoot standstill threes off of Mike Conley pick-and-rolls or Marc Gasol/Zach Randolph high-low action.  

I’ve been driving the Ed Davis bandwagon since his rookie year (check the archives) and this is a coup for Hollinger.  Davis is only 23, in his third year, has an 18.19 PER and averages 9.7 points & 6.7 rebounds while shooting 54.9% in 24.2 minutes.  His minutes are going to decrease behind Z-Bo, Marc and Darrell Arthur but Ed just might be the best fourth big in the NBA.  As for Daye, I’ve never been a fan, but he is shooting 52.5% from three this season and should see regular minutes behind Tay at backup SF.  Well, at least until Quincy Pondexter (left MCL) returns anyway. 

The second round pick should fall somewhere in the 31-40 range on draft night and they also received a $7.5 million trade exception that they can use this season and still remain under the salary cap.  After reading Professor Hollinger for so many years I can tell you unequivocally that this deal was made primarily by him with Wallace acting as GM in title only.  This hits all the classic Hollinger marks of improving a weakness (3-point shooting/spacing) and fortifying a strength (defense) all while maintaining their long term cap outlook and flexibility. 

If the remaining core players and Coach Lionel Hollins can get over their shock and frustration I think the Griz can actually be better.  Think of the old addition by subtraction proverb.  Granted, working in four new rotation players will lead to some growing pains, but I keep thinking about the Conley-Tony Allen-Prince-Arthur-Gasol lineup flat shutting teams down on the defensive end in the playoffs. 

For the Raptors… 

Normally when you get the best player in any transaction you win but I don’t get what GM Bryan Colangelo and VP Ed Stefanski did here.  Toronto’s payroll for the next three seasons including this one is $66,928,406, $74,348,759 and $61,004,889.  Now if paying $67 million to be a lottery team isn’t bad enough how about $74 million to bring the same group back next season?  I mean…WHAT!?!? 

On the court Gay will combine with Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani to form one of the least defense playing, most ball stopping and bad jump shot shooting starting lineups in recent memory.  I could see those four getting into fist fights over the ball during games and setting the record for least assists by a five man unit…no matter who the fifth guy is.  I feel bad for promising rookie center Jonas Valanciunas because he may only touch the ball once a half on the low block.  Then there’s Coach Dwane Casey, who is a defense first no-nonsense guy, how is he going to deal with that bunch of prima donnas? 

Apparently Haddadi will never set foot in T-Dot due some immigration issues about him being Iranian.  I just don’t get what the plan is north of the border, or if there even is one… 

For the Pistons… 

I like what President Joe Dumars did here on a few levels.  He got out from under the $15 million owed to Tayshaun over the next two years after this one while also thinning out his glut of SF’s.  Calderon’s $11 million contract expires after the season (giving them enough space for a maximum contract) but as a late season rental he’s just what Motown needed.  Jose is a real PG and the thought of him running the pick-and-roll with Greg Monroe and throwing lobs to Andre Drummond should have Pistons fans everywhere drooling with anticipation.  Jose manning the point will let Coach Lawrence Frank move Brandon Knight & Rodney Stuckey to SG permanently and the departure of Prince & Daye will allow Kyle Singler & Jonas Jerebko to be the new SF rotation.  I know Detroit is six losses out of the playoffs right now but it wouldn’t surprise me if they made a run at the eighth seed.  

Winner – Memphis