As expected by many - due to the upcoming free agent class this summer - last Thursday's NBA trade deadline was one of the most action?packed in recent years.
Teams like the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks traded away talent for cap space, a strategy that has been used by many organizations in the last few years. Among the teams with the biggest acquisitions were the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks, both of which made the old?fashioned move of trading for talent to win a championship this season.
The Cavaliers acquired former All Star power forward Antawn Jamison from the Washington Wizards for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a 2010 first?round pick. They also received former high?school phenomenon Sebastian Telfair from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three?team deal.
Jamison is the obvious centerpiece of the trade: the 33?year?old North Carolina Tar Heel is putting up big numbers again this season despite an unfortunate situation in D.C., averaging 20.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The move gives the Cavs a versatile power forward who can handle the ball in the low post and has the ability to step back and shoot the three. A career 34.7 percent, three?point shooter, the 6?foot?9 Jamison also has the ability to shoot over anyone and stretch the floor to make room for LeBron James.
As the Cavs' third option behind James and Shaquille O'Neal, Jamison provides Cleveland with depth, as hustle specialist Anderson Varejao will be able to spell Shaq or Jamison as coach Mike Brown sees fit. This greatly bolsters the Cavaliers' post play, something that should complement James nicely.
During their trade negotiations, the Cavaliers' front office was asked by every team to put second?year swingman J.J. Hickson in a deal. Cleveland refused, and for good reason. Hickson is a budding talent: At 6?foot?9, 242 pounds, the North Carolina State product is incredibly athletic and is quietly averaging a solid 7.4 points off the bench this season. With the addition of Jamison, Hickson will see better matchups on offense because defenders will respect Jamison's outside shot more.
Before the trade, the Cavs were the favorite to win the Eastern Conference, and they have gotten even stronger after the deadline. With King James having another MVP?caliber season, averaging 29.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game, the Cavs have their sights set on their first?ever NBA championship.
Out West, Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks are making moves again that have this squad looking like the strongest version of the Mavs since the 2006 Western Conference champions. In another trade deadline day move, the Mavs traded forwards Josh Howard and Drew Gooden and two other players for Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood. Butler is averaging 16.7 points per game this season and gives the Mavericks another scoring option to take the pressure off of Dirk Nowitzki and sixth?man Jason Terry.
On paper, the Mavs have very few weaknesses. They have a potential league MVP and dominant scorer in Nowitzki - who is averaging 24.7 points per game this year - a future Hall?of?Fame point guard in Jason Kidd, arguably the best bench player in the NBA in Terry (16.7 points per game) and now a former All Star swingman in Butler.
But there were some holes in the middle, and that is where Haywood comes in. He is averaging 9.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, and with the 7?foot Nowitzki playing the power forward position, the Mavericks now have the size and talent up front to match up with Andruw Bynum and Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers, the most formidable post duo in the West.
At 36?21, the Mavericks have the fourth best record in the Western Conference and are seven games behind the Lakers for first place in the conference. Currently riding a four?game win streak, though, the new acquisitions seem to be fitting right into the mix. Either the Phoenix Suns or Oklahoma City Thunder is likely to be the No. 5 seed, and if the Mavericks hold onto their current spot and give themselves home?court advantage in the first round, they will be in prime position to make a playoff run. Phoenix is 20?7 at home but only 15?16 on the road, so a potential first?round matchup with the Suns would be ideal for the Mavericks.
In the Eastern Conference, the Cavs have to worry about an aging Boston Celtics team, which recently acquired the young Nate Robinson at the deadline, and an Orlando Magic team that Cleveland is no doubt gunning for after falling to the Magic in last year's Eastern Conference finals.
Out West, the Lakers are once again the favorite, and with Kobe Bryant back after spending 18 days resting a fractured finger, the road to the finals will most likely go through southern California. The Denver Nuggets, at 37?19, and the improved Mavericks now pose the biggest threat to the Lakers for their third straight trip the NBA Finals.
But give both Cleveland and Dallas credit for their recent acquisitions. While some teams were looking ahead past the season to the summer, these two squads are gunning to still be playing in June.
