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Supporting Cast Worthy of King LeBron James? Breaking Down Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, & Seattle Sonics Blockbuster Trade



February 21 08

The Associated Press is reporting the following three-way trade:

The Cavaliers sent guard Larry Hughes, forwards Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons, and guard Shannon Brown to Chicago for Wallace, one of the game’s top inside enforcers, and forward Joe Smith.

Cleveland acquired the sharpshooting Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West from Seattle for forwards Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall.

The Cavaliers will also get Chicago’s second-round pick in 2009. The SuperSonics will receive guard Adrian Griffin from the Bulls.

My Quick Take: Three years ago, Cleveland GM Danny Ferry had heaps of cap room and a mandate from ownership to surround LeBron James with a supporting cast worthy of a King.

One way or another, Ferry invested a fortune in three players: Larry Hughes (60 million dollars), Damon Jones (18 million dollars), and Donyell Marshall (24 million dollars).

Hughes, Jones, and Marshall each had moments, but, on the whole, they fell well short of expectations.

Cleveland initiated today’s mega-trade to correct past mistakes and show James they’re serious about becoming perennial contenders. After all, his opt-out clause is looming and, even though he’s from Ohio, whispers persist that James will head for the bright lights and fat sponsorship contracts of New York. 

Still, that day is years away, so let’s analyze this blockbuster.

Why Cleveland Made This Trade …

It was time for a change. There was a feeling the current Cavaliers peaked with last year’s appearance in the NBA Finals. But is this the right move?

Wallace provides very little other than defense; Smith is a veteran throw-in. But the Seattle portion of this trade is intriguing. Szczerbiak played college ball at nearby Miami University in Ohio, so Cleveland are hoping he finds his old All-Star form in a familiar setting. And Delonte West is a tough, underrated combo guard, who Coach Brown will quickly love.

Why Chicago Made This Trade …

A shake-up was necessary. Wallace’s defense and contract is out, Gooden’s post scoring is in. On the perimeter, the Bulls land Larry Hughes –a talented and well-compensated guard, who never fit with the Cavs. Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown are throw-ins.

Why Seattle Made This Trade …

Wally’s World was a pleasant surprise in the Emerald City, but the Sonics clearly wanted out from his thirteen million dollar per year salary. Newble’s contract expires at season’s end, while Griffin and Marshall are each on the book for one more season.

Bottom Line: Cleveland acquired an interesting mix of defense (Wallace) and offense (Szczerbiak). Meanwhile, Seattle keeps shedding salary and adding draft picks to complement Kevin Durant.

Who wins this trade: Cleveland, Chicago, or Seattle? Get at us in the comment box below and stay tuned HoopsVibe’s NBA Blog for more deadline day coverage.



21 Comments: Supporting Cast Worthy of King LeBron James? Breaking Down (...)

Posted by

on 02.27.2008		 Cavs... Cavs... Cavs... For the Past 3-4 yrs, wernt the Cavs looking for a Allstar point guard?? or at least a playoff point guard?they go and trade larry who wasnt doing much for them, but they traded, Drew Gooden for wallace who dosnt not have a Offensive Bone in his body! the closest thing to wallace Scoring is in the Warmups. if delonte west plays like a true point guard then they might go past the first round! gibson is not a point guard he is more like a shoting guard! Sorta like the Rookie A.I .
Posted by

on 02.25.2008		 Chicago got the best of the trade by far. Just wait til all you Cleveland fans get a load of Wallace. And I do mean load. He has absolutely no offense, telegraphs his passes, can’t hit a free throw and has a poor attitude on the court. He can rebound but isn’t intimidating on defense like he was in Detroit when he was great at making the opposing team alter their shots inside. Playing with Lebron may cheer him up but not for long unless Cleveland goes on long winning streak. .
Posted by
davecouchpotato
on 02.24.2008		 and larry is earning way too much money, so it was a good deal, plus they got delonte, who i believe can fill the void, delonte is a 1 and 2 guard, 1 question though, do they have enough 4 quality player? .
Posted by
davecouchpotato
on 02.24.2008		 few years back, when cavs and det first met, it was big ben who guarded lebron, that was why the cavs fell short and was defeated by the det, but last year big ben was traded to windy city, so it was a little bit easier for LBJ23 to operate, of course I’m not taking away anything from the king, the bottom line is, it was a good addition for the cavs, LBJ can now play the the role of the leader because he has more talented teamates, and how would it look like for two energy guys such as big ben and andy play together, and how will it look like for the king to have someone to throw the ball at the sides for a trey? of course other than booby?...and by the way, the cavs has already beaten the celts with their old team. .
Posted by

on 02.23.2008		 Wally is not a good defender so now Lebron will have to chase guys like Rip Hamilton. .
Posted by
king tmac 01
on 02.22.2008		 it’s good that they got the chosen one some help besides Gibson now they have two shooters that can stretch the floor to give lebron more room to do his thing .
Posted by
OCTANE
on 02.22.2008		 , CAVS DID A GREAT MOVE, BEN HAS FINALS EXPERIENCE AND WAY MORE THAN ANY OF THOSE OTHER PLAYERS , U THINK BEN AINT GOING TO BE HYPED TO PLAY WITH LB23, THATS TO BIG BAD BOYS, BEN WAS AND COULD BE A DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AGAIN LIKE HE HAS BEFORE ALL U KIDS FORGOT THAT OR WHAT...BIG BEN BABY. ITS ON PLAYOFFS HOPES ARE ALL GOOD FOR CLEVELAND. LEBRON IS SMILING BIG NOW. HUGHES GOODEN SECOND STRING PLAYERS, PS, WALLY BETTER HIT THEM 3SS. .
Posted by
the next NBA sensation
on 02.22.2008		 I think the cavs got the best of the deal. just move ben wallace to PF and they are good. .
Posted by
Dildo Johnson
on 02.22.2008		 Mike is right about it all .
Posted by

on 02.22.2008		 Larry Hughes makes $65-$70 million, Including the signing bonus .
Posted by
doogal
on 02.22.2008		 Wallace is defensive muscle we never had before, and he didn’t do great in Chicago, but who says that wasn’t team issues? Also wally is the scorer we need, larry Hughes had a few great games but he didn’t work out. I dont see what’s wrong with this trade. Then we cut some fat getting rid of brown, and simmons .
Posted by
raek1
on 02.22.2008		 nice deal for the cavs, but they should have traded for vince carter! .
Posted by
mau_boobie
on 02.21.2008		 it would be better if they get a first round pick for 2009 than getting ben wallace and the oldie joe smith .
Posted by
boobie_jci
on 02.21.2008		 that trade was disgusting.ben wallce is not a double-double type of player like drew and specially you cannot join ben and big z in the playing court together!horrible .
Posted by
Jonel Iglipa fr san jose del monte Philppines
on 02.21.2008		 exactly! you don’t need ben! you’ve already got andy! what lebron needs is a decent scorer! t thought Cleavland will get VC, and if that happens, all NBA teams should watch out! .
Posted by

on 02.21.2008		 The Cavs can’t play Wallace and Varejao together. They also lost defense on the perimeter. Now Lebron will have to guard the other team’s best perimeter player unless they’re a point guard. .
Posted by

on 02.21.2008		 The Cav’s front office must be smoking something.Wallace is a bust. .
Posted by

on 02.21.2008		 Point made Cleveland had to make this deal .
Posted by

on 02.21.2008		 Ferry Inherited Erick Snow. Paxon traded "Olie" to get him one Olies conract was too much for his talent level.... Oh i see someone mentioned that... nevermind .
Posted by
Mike
on 02.21.2008		 You have a bunch of factual errors with your assessment of the 2005 free agent signings. Larry Hughes was given a $60 million, not $75 million. Eric Snow was already signed to a deal from his Philadelphia 76ers days. And they resigned Zydrunas Ilgauskas that summer as well.Joe Smith will be helpful during stretches when Ilgauskas’ shot isn’t falling. And Szczerbiak has been quietly having a very productive year up in Seattle .
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Oly Sandor

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Oly Sandor

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Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More  






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