February 22nd was a day to remember in the 2000-2001 NBA season as three NBA teams were involved in blockbuster trades. All-Stars changed cities, players returned to their homes, and major salary cap room was opened up.
The biggest trade of the day was an exchange of All-Star centers, Theo Ratliff and Dikembe Mutumbo. Looking to increase their NBA-leading 42-16 record _ and with Ratliff undergoing wrist surgery last week that will keep him out of action for at least a month _ the Philadelphia 76ers sent their center, along with reserve forward Toni Kukoc, to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Mutumbo.
The 7'2" veteran, who leads the NBA in rebounds per game (14.1), will help the 76ers against the bigger teams in the West should they reach the finals. Mutumbo's defense against Tim Duncan in the All-Star game _ as well as his 22 rebounds _ proved he can play with the best big men the West has to offer.
The Sixers obtained Mutumbo by beating out New York, Portland, Dallas, and Phoenix, who all wanted this highly coveted free agent. Most importantly for Philly, however, Mutumbo is the perfect compliment to Allen Iverson's shoot-first mentality. Mutumbo will clean up the mess left by Iverson's 43 percent shooting and provide the Answer with second and sometimes third chance points. Look for this killer combo to take Philadelphia to the NBA finals.
The Dallas Mavericks also made a key acquisition in obtaining forward Juwan Howard, the Washington Wizards' leading scorer. While Howard will provide an excellent compliment up front to All-Star Michael Finley, the move makes even more sense for Washington and might be the first good move Wizards President of Basketball Operations Michael Jordan has made since he took the job. Giving up Howard frees up some much-needed room under the salary cap. In addition to trading Howard, Jordan placed high-priced point guard Rod Strickland on the injured reserve list and cut former St. Johns standout Felipe Lopez.
Jordan has now created enough room to make a bid for some major free agents in the summer of 2002. The Wizards also received Christian Laettner, who was scoring 7.5 points per game with Dallas, in exchange for Howard. Though Laettner has never been able to live up to the hype of being a national standout during his college years at Duke, he may prove to be a vital asset in a future Wizards' lineup of stars.
The New York Knicks may have acquired the best point guard they have had since the days of Mark Jackson over nine years ago. The Knicks, in a trade just minutes before the deadline, sent Chris Childs to the Raptors for - that's right - Mark Jackson. Jackson returns to the place where he spent the first five years of his career, giving the Knicks an upgrade at the point guard spot. With his 9.2 assists per game, Jackson gives New York the floor leader it so desperately needs. It appears the days of Latrell Sprewell bringing up the ball for New York are finally over.
Jackson recently passed Isaiah Thomas for fourth all time in assists _ his 9.2 per game is third in the league _ and he also leads the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio with 4.26. The Knicks, however, still don't appear to have enough in their arsenal to challenge Philadelphia. Having dropped to fourth in the conference behind Philly, Miami, and Milwaukee, the Knicks hope Jackson will be the quarterback that Charlie Ward could never be on the basketball court.
Also before the deadline, the Toronto Raptors acquired forward Jerome Williams from the Detroit Pistons, in exchange for Corliss Williamson. Williamson has been a big disappointment for the Raptors this season, putting in only 9.2 points per game. However, the loss of Williamson and Jackson are the least of Toronto's concerns. If the Raptors cannot keep Vince Carter, you can expect them to pack their bags and leave the Air Canada Center. Carter, who practically carries the franchise on his back, will be a free agent at the end of the 2002 season, and may head for greener pastures. Raptors fans could be forced to revert to the Blue Jays or Maple Leafs as their only source of sporting entertainment if Carter bolts out of town.
