Boston Celtics
2/17 Traded Sam Cassell to Sacramento for a conditional 2015 second-round draft pick
2/19 Traded Patrick O’Bryant to Toronto for a conditional second-round pick in 2014
2/24 Signed Mikki Moore
For Boston, Sam-I-Am was always an insurance policy for Rajon Rondo. Since that time Rondo has played quite well and they haven’t needed to try to cash in the Cassell policy, save for one game against San Antonio last spring. Even so, the Celts are still very thin on the bench and the team decided that they were more desperate for a forward in Moore than Cassell. The hope is that Moore provides the same punch that P.J. Brown did at the end of last season. Moore’s numbers this year indicate he doesn’t have much to offer but P.J. was similarly not good in the regular season and he still made some big plays in the playoffs. So, there is an argument for signing a rapidly declining Moore.
Still, the question here is whether any better forwards would be popping up before March 1, the deadline for adding waived players to a roster for playoff eligibility purposes. Indeed, I can’t see anyone else racing to grab Moore so why rush? Presumably, the Celts have concluded that the better Joe Smith isn’t popping up. Since Danny Ainge has done a good job in this front the past year or so, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt in this case too.
Charlotte Bobcats
1/29 Signed Cartier Martin to a 10-day contract
2/5 Signed Cartier Martin to a second 10-day contract
2/7 Traded Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown to L.A. Lakers for Vladimir Radmanovic
2/18 Signed Cartier Martin for the remained of the season
Trading and Morrison for Radmanovic cost the Bobcats an extra year of money but is a significant upgrade in talent. Morrison, unfortunately, has not looked like an NBA player yet and Radmanovic, for all his weaknesses, is a useful offensive player. Larry Brown won’t exactly love Radmanovic’s core skills but even he can be pragmatic enough to appreciate a pure talent upgrade.
Chicago Bulls
2/18 Traded Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons to Sacramento for Brad Miller and John Salmons
2/19 Traded Larry Hughes to New York for Anthony Roberson, Jerome James, and Tim Thomas
2/19 Traded Thabo Sefolosha to Oklahoma City for a conditional draft pick in 2009
Let’s see here…the Bulls have disappointed and the trades here a pretty clear repudiation of the team’s previous moves. Before we can really understand these trades talent-wise, let’s figure out the money angle after 2008-09 (per our the excellent Hoops Hype):
Bulls receive:
Miller, 1 year, $12.3 million
Salmons, 2 years, $11.3 million
Roberson, 1 year, $0.8 million (team option)
T. Thomas, 1 year, $6.5 million
J. James, 1 year $6.6 million
Total: 2009-10 obligation, $31.7 million
2010-11 obligation, $5.8 million
Bulls give up:
Nocioni, 3 years, $21 million (not including $7.5 million option in 2012-13)
Gooden, (no contract after this season)
Simmons, (team option likely to be declined)
Hughes, 1 year, $13.6 million
Sefolosha, 2 years, $6.6 million (includes $3.8 million option)
Total: 2009-10 obligation, $23 million
2010-11 obligation, $10.3 million
2011-12 obligation, $7.5 million
The Bulls have taken on bigger money in 2009-10 in exchange for the ability to: (1) get malcontent Hughes off the team, (2) get Nocioni’s long term deal off the payroll, and (3) win the talent battle by having Salmons and Miller to make a run at the playoffs this year (and maybe next year too). I thinks it’s mostly a winner for the Bulls, though you are reminded that the Bulls never should’ve given Nocioni such a long term commitment to begin with. Money aside, Salmons, Miller, and Thomas over Nocioni and Gooden is an upgrade. It doesn’t make Bulls playoff front runners but this is generally a positive development.
Cleveland Cavaliers
1/23 Jawad Williams to a second 10-day contract
2/3 Signed Trey Johnson to a 10-day contract
Jawad Williams looked okay in Cleveland but did not earn that full year contract. He’s now back in the NBDL (and scored 43 points in his debut).
Detroit Pistons
2/16 Traded Alex Acker and 2011 second-round draft pick to L.A. Clippers for conditional 2013 second-round draft pick
Nothing much to see here other than Detroit bribing the Clipps to absorb Acker’s contract ($711,000 this season), which is a few hundred thousand bucks for an essentially free second-rounder.
Golden State Warriors
1/25 Signed Jermareo Davidson for the remainder of the season
Davidson has barely played this year but Don Nelson liked him enough to keep him at the end of the bench for the rest of the year. Davidson really shouldn’t play at this point in the year because Anthony Randolph needs the minutes and the team isn’t going anywhere anyway. Nelson has apparently agreed with this strategy and has played Davidson only once in February.
Houston Rockets
2/19 Traded Rafer Alston to Orlando for Brian Cook and Kyle Lowry
The question here is whether it’s wise to trade a veteran point, albeit a very average one in Alston, for the much younger Lowry. Obviously getting a younger player makes sense in a vacuum but the Rockets are playoff team and there is merit to the idea having a vet around for the playoffs. Now, the Rockets are left with Aaron Brooks and Lowry, both young and undeveloped as players. Brooks is not really a great passer and Lowry can’t shoot. I like this type of bold move and note that Rick Adelman generally does very well bringing along young guard.
Los Angeles Clippers
1/29 Signed Fred Jones for the remainder of the season
2/16 Waived Cheikh Samb
2/16 Traded a conditional 2013 second-round draft pick to Detroit for Alex Acker and a 2011 second-round draft pick
Really, there ain’t much to say about the Clipps. Jones still can’t score but he’s at least shooting decently and they are below the cap enough to buy free draft picks. Isn’t that exciting?
Los Angeles Lakers
2/7 Traded Vladimir Radmanovic to Charlotte for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown
2/18 Traded Chris Mihm to Memphis for a future draft pick
Jerry Buss has never been above a good money dump, even when the team is a title contender. Here, the Lakers lose Radmanovic’s modest talents for virtually nothing and save an extra year’s contract obligation. The Lakers figure the dump isn’t too big a deal because Luke Walton will get the extra minutes and he is a much more complete player. I understand the logic but Vlad was, by far, the best three-point shooter (44%) on the team. It’s not a tragedy but this move could bite the Lakers in the ass in the playoffs at some point.
Memphis Grizzlies
1/22 Fired coach Marc Iavaroni
1/25 Named Lionel Hollis coach
1/27 Waived Steve Francis
2/18 Traded a future draft pick to L.A. Lakers for Chris Mihm
2/19 Acquired Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and first-round pick in 2009 from Orlando for Kyle Lowry
Just another day in Grizzly Land. When you’re not close to the situation, it’s always hard to assess whether a coach deserves the axe. Iavaroni shouldn’t have been expected to win but he did seem to have problems figuring how to use Mike Conley. Since Iavaroni’s canning, the team has played slightly better and Conley has settled into the point. To ensure Conley does play, the Grizz have also sent away Lowry for a first-rounder. Lowry was pretty good but this shows that management was pretty clear that they wanted to guarantee that the high draft pick gets his due.
Milwaukee Bucks
2/5 Traded Tyronn Lue to Orlando for Keith Bogans and cash
2/7 Signed Eddie Gill to a 10-day contract
2/20 Signed Eddie Gill to a second 10-day contract
After losing Michael Redd, the Bucks figured they needed another shooting guard. Bogans plays defense and should fit well into the Scott Skiles’ defensive scheme, even if he can’t really score.
Minnesota Timberwolves
2/19 Traded Calvin Booth and Rashad McCants to Sacramento for Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown
After 2008-09, all these players but Bobby Brown can be free agents (assuming the teams don’t pick up options) and Brown makes very little. The rub here is that the teams traded a couple of high draft picks. Williams has established himself pretty clearly as a backup forward. McCants, on the other hand, is a classic low efficiency chucker. Both players could be quasi-useful off the bench on a playoff team. Here, however, the only thing really accomplished is the team’s have helped stimulate our economy by requiring the participants rack unnecessary travel and rental fees for the greater Sacramento and Minnesota areas. If we had to pick a winner, we’ll go with Minny since Brown has some theoretical upside, while everyone else has very likely hit his ceiling.
New York Knicks
2/19 Traded Malik Rose to Oklahoma City for Chris Wilcox
2/19 Traded Anthony Roberson, Jerome James, and Tim Thomas to Chicago for Larry Hughes
Both trades were essentially dollar even (Rose actually makes a million more than Wilcox this year). But the trades are clear wins for the Knicks. Wilcox never developed into a great player but he is active and a very good reserve, while Rose is completely shot. As for Hughes, he’s on the same level as Thomas as a player but the Knicks were able to do a deal and part with James, who’s very presence symbolized everything wrong with the Isiah Thomas Era. Hughes is not without risk, he tends to whine when he isn’t playing much. Further, James was a sunk cost no matter what they did with him. While the sunk cost concept does apply with James, the fact is that the stench of James’ contract almost transcends economic theories and I can’t argue that getting him off the roster just feels right.
Oklahoma City Thunder
2/19 Traded Chris Wilcox to New York for Malik Rose
2/19 Traded a conditional draft pick in 2009 to Chicago for Thabo Sefolosha
I’m not really sure why the Thunder would want Rose rather than Wilcox. The only thing I can think of is that Rose will be more inclined to sit the pine without complaining. As for Sefolosha, he’s a useful defensive player and can definitely fit in. He’ll never be a great scorer but he’s under contract cheaply for next year, making this a no-lose proposition.
Orlando Magic
2/5 Traded Keith Bogans and cash to Milwaukee for Tyronn Lue
2/19 Traded Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and first-round pick in 2009 to Memphis for Kyle Lowry
2/19 Traded Brian Cook and Kyle Lowry to Houston for Rafer Alston
As noted above, Alston can play the point for a playoff team. He’s a downgrade from Jameer Nelson but is perfectly competent given the lack of options. The interesting thing here is that Alston for Lowry is essentially a challenge trade. The Rockets seemed more keen on resting there playoff hopes on the relatively unproven Lowry while the Magic weren’t willing to take that kind of risk. I suppose this reflects the more conservative philosophy of Stan Van Gundy (who worked well with Alston in Miami) versus Rick Adelman’s more free wheeling style. I would’ve been happier with Lowry for the Magic but I don’t think the difference between the two is very much this year. Moreover, I expect Lowry to be significantly better than Alston next year (when Alston is slated to make over $5 million).
Phoenix Suns
2/14 Signed Courtney Sims to a 10-day contract
2/16 Fired Terry Porter and name Alvin Gentry interim coach
Porter’s firing has already been examined ad nauseum already, so I won’t belabor the points. Still, the whole firing reveals quite a few things about the current state of the Suns:
-This is a huge failure for management: Chasing out Mike D’Antoni to go to another style was risky and it’s clear that the planning for a “new style” was haphazard. As much as everyone moaned about the decline of the running Suns, Porter’s team was quite efficient offensively. Rather, the team was much worse defensively. Management might not like that the Suns were playing poorly but a team of Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, and an older Shaquille O’Neal will not be good defensively. Perhaps, Steve Kerr had an epiphany and decided to try the old style but realizing this a few months after a major coaching change is not good.
-The firing was handled pretty poorly: They decided to let Porter stay on through All-Star weekend so the team wouldn’t look bad while hosting the weekend. I suppose that’s a plan but then why did they leak the information anyway? Wouldn’t you have waited another week or two so that the All-Star game was in the rearview mirror. By leaking the info without acting on it, the Suns got the worst of both worlds. It’s not a huge deal but it is also a sign of not so great planning.
-The old Suns ain’t coming back: Even before Amare’s injury, this became an old team. D’Antoni might’ve done better than Porter but the notion that this was a title team was put to rest last year and now everyone is a year older. It’s time to re-group. Don’t worry about style, just get younger and get the best talent possible. As for Amare, trading him, in the abstract, isn’t crazy it was just a question of what the possible return was. The offers made public didn’t look too good so it seemed like the Suns made the right choice. This off-season, however, I imagine that everyone is fair game.
Portland Trailblazers
2/18 Traded Ike Diogu to Sacramento for Michael Ruffin
Similar to the Rose/Wilcox trade, there is no comparison on talent here. Ruffin is a back of the bench guy who can defend and board but is in the Adonal Foyle/Chris Dudley offensive mold, while Diogu is a decent young player. The only difference here is that Ruffin makes only $1.1 million this year and Diogu makes $2.9 million and has an option for next year. Is a pro-rated $1.8 million worth two months of Ruffin? Diogu barely played and the Blazers have tons of forwards anyway. This type of salary demand isn’t exciting to fans but a necessary evil for NBA teams.
Sacramento Kings
2/17 Traded a conditional 2015 second-round draft pick to Boston for Sam Cassell; Waived Sam Cassell
2/18 Traded Brad Miller and John Salmons to Chicago for Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Michael Ruffin
2/18 Traded Michael Ruffin to Portland for Ike Diogu
2/19 Traded cash to Toronto for Will Solomon
2/19 Traded Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown to Minnesota for Calvin Booth and Rashad McCants
2/23 Waive Mikki Moore
The trades in Sacramento have been examined pretty thoroughly above. The goal here was clear…get some cap room. The Bulls deal allows the Kings to spread the obligation to three years at $7.5 million versus two years and $23 million with Miller and Salmons. But what about talent? Are there any bodies here that could be on the next good Kings team? Highly unlikely. The Kings are a terrible team (25th in offensive efficiency and 30th in defensive efficiency). In addition, the Kings actually have a significantly worse record since they fired Reggie Theus (6-18 under Theus and 6-28 since that time).
As for the players acquired, Gooden is a good player but will likely be gone after the season and continuing the Juwan Howard career path (only without that pesky $100 million contract that Howard got from the Wizards). Nocioni is a fish out of water, a nice complementary bench player on a horrible team. McCants and Diogu have some potential upside but neither look more than decent bench players too. Assuming Diogu is brought back, I could see him putting up some decent numbers that don’t reflect some of his weaknesses. In short, the Kings, like most other teams at the trade line, have shuffled the deck a bit and made small incremental improvements.
Toronto Raptors
2/19 Traded a conditional second-round pick in 2014 to Boston for Patrick O’Bryant
2/19 Traded Will Solomon to Sacramento for cash
O’Bryant is still a serious project. The big man can board and block shots a little but he fouls at a comically high level and commits tons of turnovers, even though he really doesn’t dribble the ball much. There isn’t much hope he’ll be very good but getting a young seven-footer for nothing is usually worth shot.