It
has been discussed on The Bench repeatedly that malcontents Dion Waiters and JR
Smith would be moved at some point this season; it was really a question of
when and where as opposed to if.
The move finally happened last night.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks have swung a three team trade that sees former Orangeman Waiters head to OKC.
Smith and injured Knick teammate Iman Shumpert will be taking their talents to Cleveland, and the Knicks pick up Alex Kirk, Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas.
Both The Knicks and Cavs were originally looking to pick up Reggie “I’m a starter dammit” Jackson, but the Thunder pulled him off the table at the last minute.
Both teams were apparently so anxious to move Smith, Shumpert and Waiters, that the removal of the best player in the trade wasn’t enough to break the deal.
The Knicks have also waived unhappy injured center Samuel Dalembert.
The move finally happened last night.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks have swung a three team trade that sees former Orangeman Waiters head to OKC.
Smith and injured Knick teammate Iman Shumpert will be taking their talents to Cleveland, and the Knicks pick up Alex Kirk, Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas.
Both The Knicks and Cavs were originally looking to pick up Reggie “I’m a starter dammit” Jackson, but the Thunder pulled him off the table at the last minute.
Both teams were apparently so anxious to move Smith, Shumpert and Waiters, that the removal of the best player in the trade wasn’t enough to break the deal.
The Knicks have also waived unhappy injured center Samuel Dalembert.
So what does this trade really do?
It
would appear that the Thunder have acquired a new starting 2 guard, which is
sure to make Waiters happy as hell.
Waiters attitude has been borderline destructive in Cleveland ever since he was demoted to the bench.
Since Jackson and star point guard Russell Westbrook often play off of each other, there could be a major change in minute distribution / chemistry.
While Waiters is a defensive nightmare, the Thunder may be able to insulate him the way they did James Harden.
Jackson who has not been happy with his role for quite some time could combine with Waiters to really upset chemistry. My suspicion is that Waiters will be on his best behavior and that Jackson will either be moved or walk at the end of the season.
The Cavs desperately need front court help, and in this trade they didn’t address that need at all. Instead they picked up a pair of swingmen. One who is known for his defensive ability (which haven’t been present for almost 18 months) and one who is known as a selfish stat stuffer and fancies himself as a guy who CAN play the power forward spot. As a 4, Smith will offer dump ins and post ups, but zero resistance.
It is believed that the Cavs will look to sign Dalembert after he clears waivers, but that's assuming nobody else claims him first.
Conventional thinking is that Shump will give the Cavs some toughness on the wing, and that Smith will smarten up with LeBron around – however, that’s also what people said about Waiters.
As far as The Knicks go – they’re a damn mess. Period.
Waiters attitude has been borderline destructive in Cleveland ever since he was demoted to the bench.
Since Jackson and star point guard Russell Westbrook often play off of each other, there could be a major change in minute distribution / chemistry.
While Waiters is a defensive nightmare, the Thunder may be able to insulate him the way they did James Harden.
Jackson who has not been happy with his role for quite some time could combine with Waiters to really upset chemistry. My suspicion is that Waiters will be on his best behavior and that Jackson will either be moved or walk at the end of the season.
The Cavs desperately need front court help, and in this trade they didn’t address that need at all. Instead they picked up a pair of swingmen. One who is known for his defensive ability (which haven’t been present for almost 18 months) and one who is known as a selfish stat stuffer and fancies himself as a guy who CAN play the power forward spot. As a 4, Smith will offer dump ins and post ups, but zero resistance.
It is believed that the Cavs will look to sign Dalembert after he clears waivers, but that's assuming nobody else claims him first.
Conventional thinking is that Shump will give the Cavs some toughness on the wing, and that Smith will smarten up with LeBron around – however, that’s also what people said about Waiters.
As far as The Knicks go – they’re a damn mess. Period.
