The fantasy basketball world is abuzz over the two huge trades made in the last week. The Lakers snatched Pau Gasol for a song on Friday, and Miami got Shawn Marion for only a few verses and a bridge on Wednesday. What is going on here?
We’ve dispatched our investigative reporters deep into the darkest corridors of the Memphis and Phoenix front offices, only to discover just now, to our dismay, that we don’t actually have any investigative reporters. Since we are on a deadline here, and it is after all only the internet, we’ll stick to what we know: rampant speculation.
Perhaps I can use fancy verbiage and the insertion of a few links to give y’all the appearance that we are a reputable news weblog... nah. It’s not like we’re covering the presidential primaries. Let’s just examine the trades from a fantasy perspective.
THE LAKERS TRADE KWAME BROWN, JAVARIS CRITTENTON, AARON McKIE, MARC GASOL AND TWO FIRST ROUND PICKS TO MEMPHIS FOR Pau Gasol AND A SECOND-ROUND PICK
Two games into his Laker career and Pau Gasol is already a mixed bag. He followed up a terrific performance Tuesday with a drab one on Wednesday, so it remains to be seen as to how his fantasy stock will be affected. Kobe Bryant has played the last two games with a bum finger, so once he comes back to full strength he gets most of the shots. Gasol will work his way in there, as well, but it wouldn’t surprise us if he trades off a great game for a mediocre one the rest of the way. And don’t look now, but Lamar Odom appears a little rejuvenated. When Andrew Bynum comes back, the fantasy outlook becomes muddy. But the Lakers sure look good on paper for the playoffs, don’t they?
Memphis is another story. The best player they got in this deal might end up being Marc Gasol, who I am sure will be thrilled that he is swapped for his brother. Perhaps he was included to pacify Juan Carlos Navarro, a strange fellow who needed to be assured he wasn’t tied to Gasol as part of some Spanish conspiracy. Maybe he demanded Marc come back in return. If I heard the only help I was getting was Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie and Javaris Crittenton, I’d demand Marc be included myself, or at least a mannequin or a box of donut holes. Anything.
The Fine Whine: Pau owners can’t be thrilled with this trade. Gasol was kind of struggling this year as it was, and now he’ll be asked to (gasp) fit in snugly on a team headed for a high playoff seed. If you own Kwame Brown, you should know that he probably won’t do anything. Neither will your fantasy team, for that matter. The biggest beneficiary from this trade? Darko Milicic. Grab him.
PHOENIX TRADES Shawn Marion AND MARCUS BANKS TO MIAMI FOR SHAQUILLE O’NEAL What went on behind the scenes in Phoenix that made it get to this point? Did Steve Nash accuse Shawn Marion of being selfish, disrupting team chemistry or dumping his books and demand the Suns do something? Did Marion threaten Steve Kerr with illicit photos of Steve exiting a hotel on the outskirts of town with a llama? Did Kerr bet with Pat Riley that Mitt Romney would carry the night on Tuesday? Whatever happened, we don’t want to speculate.
Marion will probably struggle in his new environs. Miami is a mess and standing around watching Dwyane Wade go to work is a lot worse on the fantasy stats than galloping around the floor in concert with Nash. Marion was kind of a disappointment as it is. If he was unhappy in Phoenix, let’s see what his mood is after a couple of weeks of camaraderie with Mark Blount.
Shaquille O’Neal is a mystery. It is no secret he is declining faster than Britney while nursing his typical mid-season injuries. He promises to step it up for Phoenix but how the heck is he going to fit in there? Either the Suns go out of their way to get Shaq involved and it disrupts their chemistry, or the Diesel is a foul-plagued huffer and, yes, puffer trying to keep up with Phoenix’s pace and guard the Western Conference bigs.
Boris Diaw, Grant Hill and Leandro Barbosa probably benefit slightly from this trade. With Shaq likely to be worked back very slowly, Phoenix could play a very small lineup more often than not the rest of the way. This is great news to Barbosa owners looking for a jump-start (he’s had two straight great games). Hill’s owners have to like his chances for increased minutes as well. But it is Frank Umbrage of Nipple Falls, Idaho, the one Diaw owner in the nation, who is feeling pretty good today. Unfortunately Frank hasn’t checked his keeper league’s web site since 2005.
The Fine Whine: More turmoil in the Phoenix lineup, so it looks like Nash and Amare Stoudamire remain the only sure things going forward. Pick up Diaw, as he’ll play a lot of Marion’s minutes. In Miami, no one is safe from the horrors of fantasy basketball bad luck. If you have Marion, you are just praying that he retains 50-75 percent of his previous value. If you have Dwyane Wade, you are just praying he doesn’t shut it down for the year (with Marion in town, Wade might be more motivated). If you have Mark Blount, you are just praying, period. Banks is not likely to be much of a fantasy factor.
Whine of the Week: This isn’t fantasy related, but I’m about to morph into the Unabomber if I hear or see the word ’triple’ being used as a noun to describe a three-point basket by an announcer or writer. Please stop.
