Winners And Losers of NBA Trade Deadline

After weeks of trade rumors, salary dumps, offseason prognostications and various other hubbub, the smoke has finally cleared on the NBA trading deadline. Some teams got better. Some got worse. Some just sat around grabbing their nuts. So without further ado, here are the winners and losers of 2010's Trade-a-palooza.

WINNERS

1. Houston Rockets: They turned an oft-injured, overpaid, sulking waste of space into a quality, young shooter and some much needed size. The Rockets had to part ways with promising forwards Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey, but managed to get back sharp-shooting Kevin Martin to fill the scoring void left by Tracy McGrady(who went to the Knicks), as well as acquire a few new promising bigs in 2009 1st rounder Jordan Hill, versatile(yet overpaid) Jared Jefferies and adequate backup center Hilton Armstrong. For a team that was playing the 6'9 Landry at center, Houston did well to grab some length in the 6'11 Hill, 6'10 Jefferies and the 7' Armstrong. They also managed to take advantage of the Knicks' desperation to make cap room for LeBron next summer by conning New York into the right to swap 1st rounders in 2011 and the right to take the Knicks' 1st rounder in 2012. The 2011 swap is Top 1 protected, while the '12 1st rounder is Top 5 protected. The impact of those picks will be realized down the road, but for now, the Rockets will go into next year with a potentially healthy Yao Ming and two young scoring wing players in Martin and offseason signing Trevor Ariza. On top of that, they'll get to develop Hill and Armstrong while still possessing solid bench players like Shane Battier and Aaron Brooks. All in all, the Rockets owned the NBA Trade Deadline.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers: In the end, the Cavs made the smart move by opting for Antawn Jamison over Amare Stoudemire. The potential defensive deficiency that a Amare-Shaq frontcourt would have posed could have been disasterous to a team that will have to face teams like Atlanta and Orlando, who like to dominate the inside. The presence of Jamison allows the Cavs to stretch the floor and, most importantly, snatching Jamison from Washington didn't cost them young forward J.J. Hickson, whom the Cavs highly regard. The down side to the trade is that now the pressure is on LeBron and company to bring home the title after management has shown its commitment to build a winner around "The Akron Hammer". If the team can re-sign Big Z(who was sent to Washington in the Jamison trade, but is expected to be bought out), then the deal becomes that much more of a coup for Cleveland. Point guard Sebastian Telfair will probably spend the rest of the season perfecting his bench posture, as he will be hard-pressed to find minutes on a team that already has Delonte West, Mo Williams and Boobie Gibson in the backcourt. The Cavs were the team to beat in the East prior to bringing in Jamison, now that the former Tarheel is in Cleveland, the view from the top of the mountian just got a little bit steeper.

3. New York Knicks: T-Mac's impact is moot at this point because the purpose of bringing the former 2-time scoring champ into the Big Apple was purely monetary. Depending on how the salary cap goes, the Knicks could walk into this offseason with the biggest bank of any potential buyer. Of course, that only really matters if they snag the big fish New Yorkers have wanted for the last two years: LeBron James. If the Knicks can't woo LeBron to the Garden this summer, than all of this movemaking was a waste. They would have given up early on young forward Jordan Hill for nothing. They would have squandered a chance at building through the draft by swapping first rounders in '11 and '12, and most importantly, they would continue to infuriate an already impatient fan base. Make no mistake, for Knicks fans, it's LeBron or Bust. Maybe they'll settle on Wade and Bosh or Wade and Amare, but if LeBron re-ups with Cleveland or worse, signs with the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets, we might have anarchy in Manhattan. For now though, the Knicks made all the right moves(short of finding someone dumb enough to take on Eddy Curry's contract) and they got some decent returns for jitterbug point man Nate Robinson(Guards Eddie House and J.R. Giddens, mainly) as well as shedding themselves of all-time bust Darko Milicic. A solid night of moves, but the real payoff has to come this summer.

4. Portland Trailblazers: They needed size in the worst way and they got it by pilfering one of the best rebounder/shotblockers in the game in Marcus Camby. Sure, acquiring a guy with Camby's injury history after losing two starting centers for the season is a bit risky, but if the Blazers are going to compete this season, they would have needed someone of Camby's ilk to man the paint. Also, what did it really cost them? The Blazers were deep enough at point guard and small forward to afford to ditch young Travis Outlaw and the bad contract of point guard Steve Blake. That still leaves the team with veteran Andre Miller and youngster Jerrod Bayless to run point and sharpshooting Euros Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum on the wing. If Camby can stay healthy for the rest of the season, this trade becomes the biggest steal of any of the deals done this year.

5. Dallas Mavericks: They took advantage of a Wizards front office desperately seeking ways to tell fans to go fuck themselves. Once Gilbert Arenas was suspended for the season, the firebombing began and the Mavs turned out to be the biggest beneficiaries of the two stars dealt. By snagging rugged guard/forward Caron Butler(as well as center Brandon Haywood and swingman DeShawn Stevenson), the Mavs added some nice depth as well as a proven scorer and defender in Butler. Plus, they got to wave bye-bye to headache-inducing knucklehead Josh Howard. Now, much like the Blazers and Rockets' moves, it remains to be seen whether this really changes the inevitable, which is the Lakers running away with the West. Still, three teams that had big time needs, filled them at the right time and the Lakers(who remained silent after failing to acquire Kirk Hinrich from the Bulls) have their hands a bit more full than they did three weeks ago.

LOSERS

1. Amare Stoudemire: Fat girls and band geeks haven't been as disappointed in the middle of February the last two years as much as Amare Stoudemire. Just how many times does a man have to hear a trade out of town is imminent before he snaps once the deadline passes and he's stuck in the same place. Last year, we heard Amare was a mortal lock to be out of Phoenix before all deals fell through and Stoudemire ended his season in a dress suit on the sidelines. This year, Amare(in a contract year, mind you), sat back and watched Cleveland, Miami and Chicago drool over him only to find himself still in the desert. Infamous troublemaker Ron Artest can find a way to be traded twice, but an explosive, young All-Star(who may have a bit of a lax approach to defense, but nevertheless) can't seem to get a new address for the second straight year. It remains to be seen how this recent disappointment affects the big man's psyche. After all, Stoudemire is prone to injury and he wasn't the most motivated man in the world before this latest managerial screw-up. Does the big fella risk injury by going all out these next few months in an effort to raise his already high interest or does he put it on cruise control for a team that managed to screw him over for a second straight year and risk the PR hit for being unmotivated? That's a decision that has to weight heavy on Stoudemire's mind after another deadline that seems like deja vu.

2. Miami Heat: As bad as things turned out for Amare, the same could be said for Dwayne Wade. Five months ago, D-Wade ordered the team to get him some help if they wanted Flash to stick around past this season. They flirted with Phoenix and getting Amare. They whispered to Utah about Carlos Boozer. In the end......nothing. Even with Jermaine O'Neal's expiring contract, the dangling of troubled former #2 overall pick Michael Beasley and two first round draft picks in next year's draft, the Heat managed to just stay put. Does this mean Dwayne has played his last season in Miami? Who knows? But if this is a sign of the aggressiveness the front office is going to show to build a contender around a certified Top 3 or 4 player in his contract year, then there really is no reason for Wade to not go elsewhere this summer.

3. Washington Wizards: What an absolute sad sack, worthless, piece of shit organization! What a way to turn around and bitchslap fans right in the face. Once things went south for the Wizards, the front office flipped off fans by auctioning off stars Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison for pennies like they were O.J. Simpson's trophies. Let's take a look at the Wizards' moves over the last year or so. First, they offered that ridiculous $112 million contract to Gilbert Arenas(who barely played the past two seasons). Then, they blew their shot at Ricky Rubio by dealing away the 5th pick in the draft when they could have easily snagged the Spanish prodigy and talked him into staying in the U.S. by offering a big market(or at least, a bigger market than Minnesota). Then, they get shot in the foot by Arenas' moronic gun possession charge. Now, in the midst of another horrible season, they practically give away Butler and Jamison for expirings in the hopes of a huge spending spree this offseason. Who the hell would want to come to Washington, and how the hell can they expect fans to waltz back into the Verizon Center after the huge "FUCK YOU!" they just emailed to everyone in the nation's capital? How can this team offer tickets for more than 50 cents with the roster of nobodies they have now? You think someone's paying top dollar in a recession to see an idiot like Josh Howard?(Side note: How great is it that Howard goes from insulting the National Anthem on YouTube to now playing in D.C.?) If the Wizards don't snag two top free agents this summer, then David Stern should do the right thing and contract this miserable abomination of a franchise and ban Ernie Grunfeld and his stable of dumbasses from linking up with another NBA franchise ever again.

INCOMPLETES

1. Los Angeles Clippers: They turned a valuable trade piece in Camby into a backup point guard and platooner at small forward. They also opened up quite a bit of cap space in the process. Like so many other teams, the moves by the Clippers depend on what they do with that newfound cap room. If the Clippers can woo LeBron with the promise of a huge market, a roster of talented youngsters(Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman as well as Baron Davis) than it was worth giving away Camby for 10 cents on the dollar. Still, the $100 million question is this: Would a prominant star like LeBron(or any big name, for that matter) be willing to climb aboard a ship owned by a much-publicized racist like Donald Sterling? If James wasn't already getting his lumps already from activists like Jim Brown for his unwillingness to speak out against racial injustice, he sure will if he agrees to take hate money from a evil douche like Sterling. Do I think the Clippers end up with any of the big free agents next year? No. LeBron's choosing between Cleveland, New York or Miami and I can't see Wade or Bosh coming to the West coast. Plus, after watching Blake Griffin's knee snap like a twig, how can you not think this team is possessed by some kind of bad omen?

2. Boston Celtics: They got scoring mini-mite Nate Robinson for a barrell of benchwarmers and they managed to hold on to aging Ray Allen and keep the team chemistry in tact, but this team has gotten old fast. What looked like a potential dynasty after their championship run two years ago now feels like it decades have passed. Kevin Garnett is on his last leg(pun intended) and the mental and physical fatigue of carrying this team is once again exhausting Paul Pierce. Allen has shown his age, too, as he is not nearly as effective as in years past and free agent signing Rasheed Wallace has proven to be a waste of cash. On top of that, there's no youth movement behind these guys anymore. Glen Davis is a serviceable backup, but he's hardly someone who can carry the mantle after KG hangs them up and the team already lacked depth even before it dealt three players to New York for Robinson. The bottom line? This team can still be a contender if they find a fountian of youth, but with teams like Cleveland improving at the deadline, it looks like the final nail is just waiting to be hammered into the coffin.

3. Chicago Bulls: They managed to get something(albeit not much) for John Salmon's terrible contract and the unfufilled potential of former #2 overall pick, Tyrus Thomas. They also secured some nice cap room and you have to think they'll be looking at bringing in hometown boy Dwayne Wade and perhaps making a run at a Boozer or Bosh as well. Still, they swung and missed on sending away high-priced guard Kirk Hinrich(after a deal with the Lakers fell apart) and one wonders what they could have gotten in a sign-and-trade at the end of the year for Thomas if he managed to show some promise down the stretch. Once again, what happens this summer will go a long way into how we judge everything that transpired here.

4. Sacramento Kings: They went from believing that marksman Kevin Martin could co-exist with potential ROTY point guard Tyreke Evans to trading Martin for a couple expiring contracts and a promising forward in Carl Landry. Larry Hughes is a nice replacement for Martin, if he stays healthy which he never does. Landry is a solid banger inside but the team already has Kenny Thomas(though his contract expires at the end of the year) and fellow young prospect Jason Thompson. The acquisition of Landry has to come at the sacrifice of one of them(especially since Joey Dorsey came with him). If Landry turns out to be a 20-10 guy and the Kings can snag a solid wing who complements Evans in either the draft or free agency, then everything worked out in their favor. However, if Martin lights it up for Houston and Landry can't re-create his magic in Houston, this trade will leave many scratching their heads.