A number of teams completed notable transactions at last Thursday's NBA trading deadline, that solidified their squads for possible post-season runs.
Dallas and Denver had the most significant deal, as the Mavs acquired guards Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, and center Raef LaFrentz in exchange for forwards Juwan Howard and Donnell Harvey, guard Tim Hardaway, and a 2002 first-round pick. Although all four carry hefty contracts and Van Exel is one of the league's premier rabble-rousers, eccentric Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban is not one to care about such petty details.
The deal greatly strengthens a Dallas club that already owns the league's third best record at 39-17. The potential fearsome fivesome of Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley, Van Exel, and LaFrentz will be an impressive offensive machine come playoff time. The new acquisitions will also improve a lazy Dallas defense that ranks last in scoring defense, allowing nearly 102 per game. The only question mark for coach Don Nelson is how he will maintain the chemistry of his club that had been one of the most balanced and harmonious crews in the league before the trade.
For a team whose only goal this year is to avoid the Western Conference basement, the Nuggets gained two veterans in Howard and Hardaway - who may be able to provide some leadership on a team that is lacking in essentially every area. More realistically, however, is that by the end of this season, the two will be begging to be traded away from the basketball abyss that is now known as Denver.
A trade that could actually prove beneficial to both sides was the deal between Indiana and Chicago. The Pacers gave forward Jalen Rose and guards Travis Best and Norm Richardson to the Bulls in return for guards Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie, forward Ron Artest, and center Brad Miller. Indiana has been searching for a winning formula all season in managing a 27-28 record and has looked nothing like the squad that troubled the Lakers in the NBA Finals just two years ago.
Having lost up-and-comer Al Harrington for the season due to a knee injury, the Pacers needed this trade in order to make a playoff run. Mercer, Artest and Miller, the Bulls' top three scorers, should provide an optimistic outlook for a team that was plagued by the negativity of Jalen Rose and the discontent of Travis Best. With the likes of veteran Reggie Miller and rising stars Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley, the new-look Pacers have strengthened themselves not only for the remainder of this year, but for the future as well.
While making the playoffs is not currently on the Bulls' agenda, this deal will help them win more than the occasional game. Rose has been thrust into the leading role that he and his ego needed; Best can reclaim the starting position that standout rookie Tinsley snatched in Indiana; and coach Bill Cartwright will not have to rely on Charles Oakley to lead Bulls' players so young they are still eligible to be high-school prom kings.
Since the trade, the Bulls have managed their first three-game win streak in two years - by the end of the season they could reach the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 1997-1998 campaign.
In a trade that is getting mixed reviews in the Boston area, the Celtics acquired forward Rodney Rogers and guard Tony Delk from Phoenix in exchange for guards Joe Johnson, Randy Brown and Milt Palacio. More than anything, this move will take some offensive pressure off of Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, who often have to carry this inconsistent team by themselves.
Both Delk and Rogers are very capable scorers, and Rogers offers some bulk inside to complement the athletically-challenged Vitaly Potapenko. This transaction undoubtedly helps the Celts, as both depth and experience will be essential in the playoffs.
While Phoenix only gains an aging benchwarmer in Brown and an unlikely star in Palacio, they also add a very promising Joe Johnson. The Celtics seemed to have grown tired of the rookie's apathetic attitude, but the Suns will have time to mold Johnson into a future success. Seemingly out of the playoffs this year, Phoenix is in a semi-state of rebuilding. With Johnson, a first-round pick from this deal, a developing Shawn Marion, veteran Stephon Marbury, and new head coach Frank Johnson, the Suns should be viable contenders once again in a few seasons.
One team that did not need to make a mid-season trade was the LA Lakers - Kobe Bryant proved twice last week that they already have the league's greatest clutch player. On Tuesday, Kobe hit an 18-foot off balance jumper against Boston as time expired, just seconds after Antoine Walker had given the Celtics a 109-108 lead. After much debate, the referees did call off the shot, ruling that time had run out by the time the ball left Bryant's fingertips
But three days later, Kobe got redemption. Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets, Kobe once again got the ball in the waning seconds. This time he drained a fade-away 18 footer as the horn sounded to give the Lakers a spectacular 96-94 victory in Charlotte. Oh, what four years of college - er, high school - can do.
