NBA trade deadline report card

The deadline came and went with more big names getting swapped around than at any point in recent memory. Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. Deron Williams to the Nets. Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder. So who is going home with good marks, and who failed? The SportsDude is here hand out the grades.

The Denver Nuggets: A-

I didn’t think they would pull it off. They got in a final showdown with the Knicks, and the Knicks (more specifically James Dolan) blinked first. Denver got the king’s ransom: A mixture of young and established talent, plus three picks, including a first rounder. I thought the Nuggets had waited too and were demanding too much from a team that was in good position to sign Anthony in the offseason. The only small knock on this trade They could have gotten better value for Chauncey Billups if they traded him in a separate deal. Why bring in Felton, playing at a near all-star level in New York, just to stash him on the bench behind promising point guard Ty Lawson? They easily could have traded Billups to a contender looking to upgrade at the point guard position, and received talent or picks that would be of better value than a frustrated Felton sitting on the bench.

Editor’s note: I can’t deny that the slight knock on the trade may have a little bit to do with a bias in regards to Felton. The poor guy finally got into the perfect system for his talents, and then gets traded to a team with a younger version of himself who had been chomping at the bit. After struggling in Larry Brown’s slow it down offense, the uber-quick Felton landed with Mike D’antoni, and had developed a great repoire with Amare Stoudemire. Alas, the only hope for him is to be traded to another up-tempo offensive system this offseason.

The New York Knicks: C

This grade is splitting the difference, because we won’t know how it will all work out until 2012. Billups still has plenty of game at this point, but isn’t a long-term solution for a city that measures success in championships. If the Knicks get a third superstar in 2012 (Chris Paul, Deron Williams, or Dwight Howard), this is a great trade, and the Knicks will be in the upper echelon with the Heat and Bulls for years after. If not, they will never escape the second round of the playoffs. They gave up a perfect point guard who was flourishing with Amare, a tough, talented, and young shooting guard in Wilson Chandler, and a 22-year-old averaging 15.5 ppg with plenty of room for improvement in Danilo Gallinari. Not to mention the 7’1” Timofey Mozgov, whom the organization was very high on. They certainly didn’t make themselves any better this season, and owner James Dolan (who overrode the basketball minds he pays to make these decisions) has set himself up to be hero or goat in 2012. They did bring in decent short-term depth in Corey Brewer and Shelden Williams to help offset the loss of half the roster, but still lost a ton of talent in this trade.

Oklahoma City Thunder: A+

I think the Lakers soiled themselves, just a little bit. The talent on this team has never been in question. Size, however, has been a consistent problem. Now they have arguably the best post defender in the league, in the human tree trunk known as Kendrick Perkins. Jeff Green stuck playing the four just wasn’t fair. He is a natural small forward, and one I think will garner all-star nods in Boston. Now, Perkins gets to take on the Western Conference’s elite centers, and Serge Ibaka gets to move to his natural position off power forward, where his considerable athletic prowess will result in a lot more production offensively and defensively. With the 6’9” Durant at small forward, the 6’10” Ibaka at power forward, the 280lb. brute in Kendrick Perkins, and effective true center Nazr Mohammed coming off the bench, the Thunder just turned their biggest weakness into a great strength. No one gives Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum more trouble than Perk. They also got the explosive Nate Robinson to come off the bench. The Thunder may have just given themselves an NBA Finals berth.

Boston Celtics: B

Getting Jeff Green is a great move for the future. With Rajon Rondo and Big Baby Davis, they now have three good to great pros to rely on when Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett break down, and got themselves a super sixth man for now. However, for a team that seemed hell bent on winning the championship this season (as their championship window grows smaller with every passing year) this trade is a mystery rapped in a riddle, boxed in a conundrum. Perkins has been a defensive beast for them, and his injury that forced him out of the Finals was probably the difference in the game seven loss to the Lakers last season. Shaq and Jermaine O’Neal give them plenty of size if they are healthy, but (pardon the pun) those are two big ifs. With their roster clearing transactions in moving young big men Semih Erden and Luke Harongody, the Celtics have to have something up their sleeve. Expect Rasheed Wallace to be back in green in the next couple of weeks. If not, they may have just cost themselves a championship.

New Jersey Nets: C

They got a talent that is a better complete player than Carmelo Anthony in Deron Williams, but gave up a lot for a question mark. The Nets gave up a borderline all-star in Devin Harris (he’s already made one) and a significant talent in Derrick Favors. Six foot ten inch athletic freaks don’t grow on trees. Especially ones that are 19-year-olds averaging six points and five boards and nearly a block per game in The Association, where historically it does take young big men time to develop. On top of that, they gave the Jazz their unprotected first round pick for this season, and a semi-protected first round pick (via a trade with Golden State) for next season. In a separate deal, they brought in Brandan Wright, while true center Dan Gadzuric is decent big man depth. Unless, they can tap into Wright’s potential better than Golden State, he is nothing but a bench warmer, not a replacement for Favors’ talent. Predictably, Williams has already come out and said the Nets have one season to get it together for him to stay. Mikhail Prokhorov publicly stated he would have a championship team in five years when he took over last offseason, and his only chance is to put together a playoff team immediately. Selling the farm for a superstar rental would set the franchise back for years. Like the Knicks, they gave up way too much for a question mark.

Utah Jazz: A

This team wasn’t going to win a championship this season. So, they got an all-star caliber player in exchange for their superstar, as well as a young big man with plenty of talent in Favors, plus what will most likely be two top ten picks in the next two seasons. Not a bad way to restructure the post-Jerry Sloan franchise. They didn’t make themselves much worse this season, and greatly improved their future. If they draft efficiently, this trade is a steal.

New Orleans Hornets: B

The Hornets improve their biggest weakness in getting effective big man depth with Carl Landry. They only had to give up Marcus Thornton, who took a step back after a surprisingly impressive rookie season, and some cash considerations. Good trade for a good team, but nothing that will push them over the top in the Western Conference.

Houston Rockets: B

The Rockets opened up playing time for rookie power forward Patrick Patterson, who promptly responded with the first 20-point game of his career in the first game after the trade. Patterson can easily be as good as Landry, and they get shooting guard depth in Marcus Thornton.

L.A. Clippers: D

Baron Davis is finally playing inspired ball, and developing great chemistry with Blake Griffin, and you trade him? With promising young point guard Eric Bledsoe, I don’t have a problem with trading Davis. The problem is trading him for a similar player in Mo Williams, while giving up your lottery pick. What was the point of this trade? If you want Davis’ salary off the books, he only had two years left on his deal, and the expiring contract would have been attractive in a trade next season. They say they aren’t high on the talent coming into the draft this season, but that doesn’t mean you just give the pick away. I can’t believe owner Donald Sterling would approve a questionable (at best) roster move. Oh, sorry, I just came to my senses, and yes I can.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B+

The season is obviously lost for this franchise.  So trading one of your few valuable assets for a talented player that is going to play lazy basketball for as long as he is with the team isn’t a problem. Why? Because they got an unprotected first-round draft pick that is almost guaranteed to be in the top ten. If they get unlucky in the lottery, they can package their pick with this one for number one overall. The talent in this draft is questionable, or else this would have been an A+ move.

Atlanta Hawks: B+

Atlanta loses a little depth with this move, but gains a pure point guard with playoff experience in Kirk Hinrich. Mike Bibby is older than Hinrich, and after Hinrich lost his starting status to a couple of number one overall picks (Derrick Rose in Chicago, and John Wall in Washington) Hinrich will be chomping at the bit to start for a playoff team again. Hinrich dominates the ball less than Bibby, while also shooting a better percentage. They also gain big man depth in the 6’11” Hilton Armstrong, and for a team that uses Al Horford at center (a natural beast at power forward) the more big men they can get, the better. I highly doubt this trade will result in Atlanta being a true contender in the playoffs, but it makes them more competitive, and thus they have slightly more of a puncher’s chance.

Washington Wizards: B

They don’t lose much in having Bibby backup John Wall rather than Hinrich, and they gained a first-round pick. For teams like the Wizards in rebuilding mode, you can’t ask for much more than valuable picks. They also get Maurice Evans and Jordan Crawford to improve their overall depth, so they definitely aren’t any worse in the short-term. Good trade for a rebuilding franchise.

Charlotte Bobcats: C

Michael Jordan: World’s greatest player, world’s worst owner? He trades the face of the franchise, and a rare overall talent in Gerald Wallace for a bunch of stiffs from Portland. He freed up $8 million in cap space, and got two middling first round picks, so there is a chance I may have to eat my words. They weren’t going to win anything this year, so they didn’t lose a lot, but they certainly made themselves less competitive. The franchise is high on Gerald Henderson, and if he can be a 15ppg scorer, this trade could work out for Charlotte. A lot of ifs for a trade that just seems unnecessary.

Portland Trail Blazers: A

They got an all-star caliber player for nothing valuable. Joel Przybilla and Sean Marks are stiffs, and Dante Cunningham hasn’t proven anything, and certainly wasn’t going to get more opportunities in Portland. Great trade.

Phoenix Suns: B+

The suns get an unhappy Aaron Brooks from Houston for bargain price. This gives great depth for Steve Nash in the immediate, and an heir apparent for the future. Brooks is a good fit for this system, as he has a lot of skills similar to Nash’s, though will never be as talented a distributor.

Houston Rockets: B

This move was an obvious cap-clearing transaction for an unhappy player. Houston improves their chemistry, while also getting a decent talent in Goran Dragic. They also have a chance to make something out of Hasheem Thabeet, who is still young and still seven-foot-two. Solid move for a franchise running out of options, as they also get a first round pick.

Memphis Grizzlies: B+

They unload the eternally disappointing Hasheem Thabeet for a team desperate for size after the unfortunate destruction of Yao Ming. Memphis gains the consummate pro in Shane Battier, a player who will help them immediately in their playoff run.

Chicago Bulls: B

They unload James Johnson, a failed first-round pick, for a first-round pick. Can’t complain about that.

Toronto Raptors: B+

They lose a late first-round pick (the Miami Heat’s via the Chris Bosh trade) for a player with plenty of potential in Johnson. Johnson’s lack of playing time had more to do with a team with arguably the best depth in the league than his potential. He should be foaming at the mouth to get playing time. Tough and athletic, he should be a good player for Toronto.