NBA Trade Deadline: Winners And Losers

After a fairly active NBA Trade Deadline, here is a list of this year's winners and losers:

WINNERS:

Los Angeles Lakers:

Getting Pau Gasol not only fills in for the injured Andrew Bynum, but lets Pau excel at his strengths. In Memphis, he had to be the physical presence inside, making it terrible for him considering he the softest 7-footer since Shawn Bradley. When Bynum returns, Pau can do what he does best: get rebounds, get easy layups and hit mid-range jumpers. Bynum will be the physical guy in the post, which is his strength as well. And to top it off, you have the best player in the league, Kobe Bryant (yes, he's better than LeBron) and the 6'10'' Lamar Odom playing 'small' forward. Best of all, LA gave up nothing to get Gasol. A bust Kwame Brown, unproven rookie Javaris Crittenton, and two first round picks. Bench guys like Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf, and Trevor Ariza have done a terrific job for the Lakers. Kobe finally has a championship team again, watch out for them this postseason.

Chicago Bulls:

Chi-Town picks up Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden from Cleveland, along with Cedric Simmons and young talent Shannon Brown. Even though the Bulls dumped C Ben Wallace and F Joe Smith, Gooden and Hughes are both better and younger. Gooden is one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA, and is a solid scorer with playoff experience. Hughes is a great shooter, and gives Chicago one of the best young backcourts in the East with Kirk Hinrich (27), Ben Gordon (24), Hughes (29), and the suprising Thabo Sefalosha (23), who is averaging over 13 ppg since January. If the Bulls can pick up a quality center in free agency or the draft, they should return to playoff form. Brook Lopez from Stanford or DeAndre Jordan from Texas A&M could be options in the draft this offseason. As for now, the Bulls (22-32) still have a shot to make the playoffs. They are just one game back of the Sixers, who hold the 8th spot in the atrocious Eastern Conference; and 3 games back of the Wizards for the 6th seed.

Phoenix Suns:

Yes, the Suns are a winner this season. They acquired 35 year-old Shaquille O'Neal, who missed his first All-Star Game in 14 years in 2007-08 and has been battling knee and hip injuries the entire season. They gave up Shawn Marion, who is 29 years old and was averaging 16 ppg and 10 rpg with  Phoenix. Sounds like crap, right? WRONG. This deal helps the Suns in several lacking areas, like post offense, post defense, and team chemistry. The only problem with the aquisition is that Shaq cannot run the fast break offense like Marion. His presence has been felt in his first two games, with Shaq scoring 19 points and grabbing 23 rebounds combined. The Suns shut down NBA best Boston last night, holding the C's to 77 points. As O'Neal gets healthier and more familiar with his surroundings, he will return to double-double form. However, if the Suns don't get that title in the next 2 years, this trade will prove worthless. Will the Sun(s) rise in Phoenix?

San Antonio Spurs:

The Spurs didn't make any blockbuster deals, but addressed some needs at the deadline. The Spurs aquired two solid veterans: G Damon Stoudamire (free agent) and F Kurt Thomas (trade with SEA). Stoudamire gives San Antonio a player who distributes the ball nicely and manages the game well. He and another vet, Jacque Vaughn, are filling in for the injured Tony Parker. The Spurs sent aging 3-baller G Brent Barry and F Francisco Elson (who?) to Seattle for quality F Kurt Thomas. Thomas can help the Spurs defend the low post against teams like Los Angeles and Phoenix in the playoffs. Remember: the road to the NBA Finals always goes through the Alamo.

New Jersey Nets:

Although the Nets lost their best player, Jason Kidd, he was 34 years old. They picked up Devin Harris and Desagana Diop, two very good defenders. Both players were having breakout seasons, and Harris will provide a fast break game to the Nets' offense. Now, NJ has a solid starting lineup, and even at 25-31 can make a run through the postseason. The Nets also made a great move not to move G-F Vince Carter. Without him, the team has no leadership or playoff experience. F-C Nenad Kristic is up-and-coming, along with rookie F Sean Williams. Because of this trade, the Nets gave themselves a lot of oppurtunity for the future.

Atlanta Hawks:

A-Town adds veteran guard Mike Bibby, giving them a solid Eastern Conference lineup. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and R.O.Y. candidate Al Horford surround Bibby. Not too bad, he at least there's someone to pass to. The Hawks lost quality bench players Tyronn Lue and Lorenzen Wright in the deal, however. Bibby will eventually get Atlanta into the playoffs, and should have a good future as a Hawk.

SEMI-WINNERS:

Utah Jazz:

Added G Kyle Korver, a deadly 3-point shooter

New Orleans Hornets:

Added talented G's Mike James and Bonzi Wells

Golden State Warriors:

Picked up solid veteran F Chris Webber

LOSERS:

Cleveland Cavaliers:

Yes, the Cavs made a deal (what Bron Bron was asking for the whole time), but it didn't help them. Cleveland aquired C Ben Wallace, G's Delonte West and Wally Sczerbiak, along with F Joe Smith. They got rid of Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. To me, this deal makes absolutely no sense. Wallace is on the decline, Sczerbiak can do nothing but hit a 3, and Smith is useless since he plays King James' position. Delonte West has some promise, but isn't going to help them immediately. The Cavs offensive post game worsens as well, since Ben Wallace couldn't score on any of us. Cleveland has Lebron James, the most complete player in the NBA. They traded away Hughes and Gooden, who were all-around solid performers. Unless Lebron can average a triple double in the playoffs, the Cavs won't get back to the top.

Dallas Mavericks:

Even though the Mavs picked up Jason Kidd, they traded valuable players away to get him (no, the retired Kieth Van Horn is not one of them). Dallas traded G Devin Harris, C Desagana Diop, F's Trenton Hassell and Kieth Van Horn, along with young G Maurice Ager. They picked up Kidd (who has struggled in his first two games), Antoine Wright, and Malik Allen. Harris was a superb defender, and can challenge Devin Hester in a footrace. He was the main piece to their fast break. Diop was also a quality defender, and worked for offensive boards. Teams like Phoenix and Los Angeles will rip apart the Mavs in the paint. Erick Dampier defending Andrew Bynum and Shaq? I don't think so.

Denver Nuggets:

Why on earth didn't the Nugs go after anyone? Kings G Ron Artest seemed like the best fit, a guy who can fill in the shaky shooting guard position for Denver. For whatever reason, they refused to let go of F Linas Kleiza. Even though Kleiza is young and promising, he only plays 25 minutes off the bench. Without a trade, the Nuggets fall out of contention to be an elite team in the Western Conference. Artest is also a guy who plays great defense, something Denver needs (especially in the playoffs), giving up 104.8ppg. Didn't anyone tell the Nuggets they could trade retired players, or even dead players to get Ron Artest?

Houston Rockets:

Dumping G's Mike James and Bonzi Wells is a silly move for the Rockets, considering they received 35 year-old Bobby Jackson and unproven rookie Adam Haluska. Wells was a terrific scorer, and James was all-around a solid, productive guard. Jackson can hit shots, but can't play like he did in Sacramento. Haluska doesn't even average 6 minutes a game, so he won't do much. Houston is on an 11-game winning streak and had great depth in the backcourt. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. So why were the Rockets trying to fix it?

SEMI-LOSERS:

New Orleans Hornets:

Failed to add any veteran playoff experience

Portland Trail Blazers:

Failed to add any veteran playoff experience

Indiana Pacers:

Didn't move F Jermaine O'Neal, a star dying to get out of Indy