With an aging team that suffered from numerous injuries last season, the San Antonio Spurs knew it was time to make a major move. As such, when the Milwaukee Bucks were willing to give up Richard Jefferson for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto, it didn't take R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich long to the pull the trigger on the trade.
Jefferson isn't an elite NBA player, but he is a very good one. He's also a player who should fit very nicely into San Antonio's culture. He knows how to play off of other players and is willing to defend.
On paper the move has pushed the Spurs right back to front of the class in the Western Conference. If everyone stays healthy it's not unreasonable to believe San Antonio could secure the number one seed, and even if the Spurs suffer another injury like the one that happened last season to Manu Ginobili, they now have the ability to hold the fort down until they get healthy.
Popovich has been known to value health and vitality over winning the number one seed. Regardless of where the Spurs finish the regular season, though, it's likely they will very much be in the championship conversation.
Oh, and let's not forget that San Antonio also added veteran Antonio McDyess in a separate transaction this summer. Expect the Spurs to be loaded for bear come next April.
2. Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland
Yes, Shaquille O'Neal is now 37 years of age. However, he was also an All-Star last season in Phoenix with the Suns. And considering the Cavs only had to give up spare parts in Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic, the move was a very good one for Cleveland. Moreover, Shaq's $20 million a year salary comes off the books after this season, so it's not like Cleveland has tied itself to any kind of long-term relationship with O'Neal should the move fizzle.
Like any roster shuffle, there's no guarantee of success as it often takes time for a team to achieve chemistry after making a major move. With O'Neal, the learning curve has historically been a little steeper initially during the first couple of months. However, the payoff has been huge down the road as O'Neal has led three teams to The Finals in his career, including the Miami HEAT during his second year with the club.
There was little risk involved with this move besides ensuring the Cavs pay a bundle of luxury tax in July of 2010. The best case scenario is the Cavs are better than last year -- perhaps winning it all -- and that helps convince LeBron James to stay in Cleveland. The Cavs had to make some kind of major splash this summer and acquiring O'Neal was just that.
3. Ron Artest and Lamar Odom in Los Angeles.
Trevor Ariza played an important role last season for the Lakers. As such, his agent thought he would be able to command $8-10 million on the open market.
As it turned out, not so much.
When Ariza's agent David Lee attempted to play hardball, the Lakers called his bluff. Ariza jumped ship for Houston. Fortunately for the Lakers, Plan B involved bringing former Rocket Ron Artest to L.A. As it turned out, the Lakers wasted no time making that a reality.
Sure, there is always a chance Artest will be a distraction. Given Phil Jackson's track record, though, that seems like a long shot at best.
All things considered, Artest is a better all-around basketball player than Ariza. Furthermore, since the Lakers were also able to bring back Lamar Odom (even though it took longer than it should have) the Lakers are actually a more talented team than they were a season ago. That's a scary proposition for the rest of the Association.
4. Rasheed Wallace to Boston
The Boston Celtics would have been a viable contender last season had superstar power forward Kevin Garnett stayed healthy. Heck, even without him the Celtics still made it to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
With Garnett expected to be 100 percent (or very close to it) next season, the Celtics added a veteran in the form of Rasheed Wallace who could be just what it takes to push Boston to the top of the mountain again. That is, of course, if Sheed can keep his wits about him and not get tossed out of too many ballgames. Much like Artest in Los Angeles though, the Celtics have the infrastructure already in place to handle Wallace's antics.
Many people forget just how good Wallace can be when he's locked in. Simply put, he can dominate at both ends of the court, but given the fact he's due to turn 35 years old in September Wallace likely won't dominate for long stretches. Thing is, the C's don't need him to. All they need him to do is be a factor on both ends, something he is certainly still capable of doing.
Whether the Celtics win it all next season or not, you can be certain of one thing: the Celtics now have the most emotional and intense frontline in the NBA.
5. Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards took advantage of the Minnesota Timberwolves desire to rebuild by obtaining veterans Randy Foye and Mike Miller for a relatively cheap price, giving up the number five overall pick in last June's draft as well as Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, and Oleksiy Pecherov. Had the Wizards kept the number five pick, the team would have inherited a guaranteed contract with no guarantee of immediate production. By acquiring Foye and Miller, the Wizards have become one of the most intriguing teams in the NBA heading into next season.
Not only did the Wizards obtain the veteran presence, sharp-shooting, and underrated passing of Miller, but Washington also got a talented and still relatively young combo guard in Foye. Foye and Gilbert Arenas will likely see some minutes together next season. And while Wizards fans don't want to even ponder the thought, Foye also provides some insurance should Arenas have a setback returning from his second straight injury plagued season.
It could be argued that the Wizards are now one of the deepest team's in the NBA. Giving up three players who were below average performers off the bench for two that will likely provide much more substantial contributions was a virtual no-brainer.
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