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Lakers made best trade; don’t overlook Suns
By Kenny Smith, Yahoo! Sports 14 hours, 15 minutes ago
The NBA just got interesting. For the first time in a long while, it looks like the league really has parity. There’s just no clear-cut championship favorite. This could even be the first time that a 50-win team ends up sitting at home when the playoffs begin.
The East has improved with the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic joining the Detroit Pistons as division leaders. The Cleveland Cavaliers have retooled their roster, though I don’t think they got better.
The league’s best story, however, will be out West, where everyone in the conference who makes the playoffs will believe they have a realistic chance of winning the NBA title. Many of those teams have improved. So let’s look at the recent trades and see who came out ahead.
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1. Los Angeles Lakers: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and a couple first-round draft picks for Pau Gasol? It doesn’t matter if you want to rebuild. You just helped an opposing team build a possible dynasty.
The Lakers go from playoff team to championship contender overnight, and Andrew Bynum hasn’t even returned to the lineup. The Lakers have the rest of the league on notice that they are now the team to beat. They also are the only team that has set itself up for a bright future.
2. Phoenix Suns: Any time you add one of the 50 greatest players to your team, you’ve improved.
Shaquille O’Neal is smart enough to figure out how to fit into the Suns’ high-powered offense. He has played on international teams as well as All-Star teams where he wasn’t always the first option. I also believe players start to lose their lateral (east-west) quickness as they get older, but can still be effective playing an up-tempo north-south game like the Suns. Shaq’s value wont truly show until the playoffs.
3. Dallas Mavericks: The Mavericks needed toughness and leadership, and they got both with Jason Kidd. Dallas will no longer panic in crunch time and Avery Johnson won’t have to coach every play. In Kidd, the Mavericks now have a true on-court leader.
4. San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs made the subtlest of moves by adding Kurt Thomas, but Thomas could be the piece that puts them over the top. Or, to be exact, back on the top.
Thomas is a great defender, rebounder and team player. He should also allow Tim Duncan to not have to work so hard on the defensive end. Thomas also is a very underrated midrange shooter.
5. Houston Rockets: This was all about addition by subtraction. The Rockets realized they would stunt the growth of their young players if they tried to give Bonzi Wells and Mike James minutes, so they traded the two veterans. Rookies Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks won’t be fighting for playing time anymore. They’ll be fighting to win games.
6. New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets needed bench scoring and they should get some in Wells and James. In the Western Conference, depth is a necessity. When your subs come in the game they better be able to do one of three things: protect the lead; take the lead; or change the game’s tempo. Wells and James should help the Hornets in all those areas.
My prediction for how the West will be won? The Suns will rise and beat the Lakers to advance to the NBA Finals.
Lakers made best trade; don’t overlook Suns
By Kenny Smith, Yahoo! Sports 14 hours, 15 minutes ago
- More From Kenny Smith
- Blockbuster trades raise questions Feb 11, 2008
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The NBA just got interesting. For the first time in a long while, it looks like the league really has parity. There’s just no clear-cut championship favorite. This could even be the first time that a 50-win team ends up sitting at home when the playoffs begin.
The East has improved with the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic joining the Detroit Pistons as division leaders. The Cleveland Cavaliers have retooled their roster, though I don’t think they got better.
The league’s best story, however, will be out West, where everyone in the conference who makes the playoffs will believe they have a realistic chance of winning the NBA title. Many of those teams have improved. So let’s look at the recent trades and see who came out ahead.
[SIZE=-2]ADVERTISEMENT[/SIZE]
You must be registered for see images
1. Los Angeles Lakers: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and a couple first-round draft picks for Pau Gasol? It doesn’t matter if you want to rebuild. You just helped an opposing team build a possible dynasty.
The Lakers go from playoff team to championship contender overnight, and Andrew Bynum hasn’t even returned to the lineup. The Lakers have the rest of the league on notice that they are now the team to beat. They also are the only team that has set itself up for a bright future.
2. Phoenix Suns: Any time you add one of the 50 greatest players to your team, you’ve improved.
Shaquille O’Neal is smart enough to figure out how to fit into the Suns’ high-powered offense. He has played on international teams as well as All-Star teams where he wasn’t always the first option. I also believe players start to lose their lateral (east-west) quickness as they get older, but can still be effective playing an up-tempo north-south game like the Suns. Shaq’s value wont truly show until the playoffs.
3. Dallas Mavericks: The Mavericks needed toughness and leadership, and they got both with Jason Kidd. Dallas will no longer panic in crunch time and Avery Johnson won’t have to coach every play. In Kidd, the Mavericks now have a true on-court leader.
4. San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs made the subtlest of moves by adding Kurt Thomas, but Thomas could be the piece that puts them over the top. Or, to be exact, back on the top.
Thomas is a great defender, rebounder and team player. He should also allow Tim Duncan to not have to work so hard on the defensive end. Thomas also is a very underrated midrange shooter.
5. Houston Rockets: This was all about addition by subtraction. The Rockets realized they would stunt the growth of their young players if they tried to give Bonzi Wells and Mike James minutes, so they traded the two veterans. Rookies Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks won’t be fighting for playing time anymore. They’ll be fighting to win games.
6. New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets needed bench scoring and they should get some in Wells and James. In the Western Conference, depth is a necessity. When your subs come in the game they better be able to do one of three things: protect the lead; take the lead; or change the game’s tempo. Wells and James should help the Hornets in all those areas.
My prediction for how the West will be won? The Suns will rise and beat the Lakers to advance to the NBA Finals.
