Inside the NBA | As NBA trade deadline passes, big names stay put as few contenders improve

    For weeks, the biggest rumblings in the NBA all focused on what teams would do at the trade deadline. Unlike last season, in which trades for marquee names like Pau Gasol and Mike Bibby ignited playoff pushes, this season, the post-deadline talk is less about the actual trades that went down and more about the ones that didn't.
    Last weekend at the All-Star festivities in Phoenix, it looked like Amar'e Stoudemire would play his last game as a Phoenix Sun for the Western Conference. But a coaching change encouraged the team to keep its young power forward and hold off on moving him for now. The other supposed sure bets to be traded were players with coveted expiring contracts, such as the Portland Trailblazers' Raef LaFrentz and the Cleveland Cavaliers' Wally Szczerbiak, as it was thought that non-contenders would look to shed high-salary holders in the midst of the economic turmoil that has crept into the league.
    None of these things occurred. As is the case with the trade deadline in most years, the big-name players did not find new homes. That includes Los Angeles Clippers point guard Baron Davis, who was looking for a change of scenery after his ill-advised move to L.A. as a free agent this summer, as well as other former All-Stars like the Washington Wizards' Antawn Jamison and the New Jersey Nets' Vince Carter.
    As far as deadline buzzer-beaters, the Orlando Magic's acquisition of point guard Rafer Alston was the most important. In one of the few trades that seemed to be motivated purely by basketball rather than economics, the Magic grabbed Alston from the Houston Rockets in a three-way trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, with the Rockets receiving Kyle Lowry and Brian Cook and the Grizzlies getting a first-round pick from the Magic.
    For Orlando, the trade gives them a major upgrade at point guard after the likely season-ending shoulder injury to Jameer Nelson. With Alston at the helm, the Magic's title aspirations are buoyed once again, while for Houston, Lowry is not much of a downgrade. While the Rockets' preseason optimism evaporated along with the news that star Tracy McGrady is out for the rest of the year with a knee injury, Houston now has a younger option at point guard to groom for the future.
    The biggest trade name-wise occurred a week ago when the Miami Heat sent Shawn Marion to the Toronto Raptors along with Marcus Banks for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon. The trade represents Toronto's realization that it made a mistake in acquiring O'Neal from the Indiana Pacers last summer and attempting to pair him with All-Star forward Chris Bosh. The experiment seemed feasible, but O'Neal never settled into the role envisioned for him as a rebounder and defensive game-changer.
    With the Heat woefully thin in the middle, O'Neal should get more touches and might prove to be a legitimate sidekick for Dwyane Wade if he can ever stay healthy. As for Marion, the Raptors needed a small forward and took a gamble on the talented — but selfish — former star for Phoenix. If the experiment does not work out, Marion will be a free agent this summer. If Toronto wants Marion for the long haul, however, it must be prepared to cough up the cash for an over-the-hill player who thinks he is better than he actually is.
    The other blockbuster was between two of the most active teams at this year's deadline, the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings. The Bulls got one of the most coveted big men on the market in Brad Miller, a great passer who offers the front-court-thin Bulls some much-needed size in the middle.
    They also received another highly sought-after player in John Salmons, who is averaging 18.3 points a game this season. That might help Chicago on offense, but what was really missing in the Windy City was a defensive presence for the 21st-ranked team in the league in points allowed per game. Sacramento, meanwhile, immediately tried to trade their gem from this deal in Andres Nocioni to the Boston Celtics but could not agree to final terms.
    Both teams also went on to make several other minor deals. Along with the New York Knicks, who acquired Larry Hughes from Chicago and Chris Wilcox from the Oklahoma City Thunder, these were the teams that did the most on Thursday. The common theme for all these teams, however, is that none of them actually improved themselves significantly. In fact, the Bulls are winners not so much for helping their team this year as for potentially clearing cap space for the 2010 free agent bonanza.
    And of course, it wouldn't be the trade deadline without some controversy, and this year's came in the form of an apparent trade between the Thunder and New Orleans Hornets that was called off. Center Tyson Chandler, who has battled injury problems all season, was sent to Oklahoma City for Wilcox and veteran forward Joe Smith. But the Thunder backed out of the deal because of concerns over a turf toe injury that plagued Chandler two seasons ago.
    Instead of getting a legitimate big man to join its promising nucleus of Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the Thunder got Malik Rose from the Knicks for Wilcox. In other words, they went from a great defensive center to a bench scrub. The biggest winners from this almost-trade could very well be a team that had nothing to do with the initial deal. Oklahoma City, which has almost no chance of making the postseason, might buy out Smith, who would then be free to sign with a contending team such as Boston or Cleveland.
    That might be the lasting legacy of this year's trade deadline: a failed attempt to improve one team and give another cap relief (the phrase of the day). More teams were losers this year for not having the guts to get their teams to the championship than for making questionable moves.