Trade Deadline Report Cards

An astonishing 40 bodies were moved yesterday. 

So much for my claim on this week's episode that trade deadline days have been quiet and disappointing in recent years. 

The basketball gods shut me up REAL good!

So who were the big winners and losers from yesterday’s trade deadline bonanza?



Boston Celtics
Sent: Tayshaun Prince, Marcus Thornton, 2016 First Round Pick (Cleveland)
Acquired: Isaiah Thomas, Luigi Datome, Jonas Jerebko

The Celtics needed a true scorer in the backcourt, and they got one.  Isaiah – while undersized, is natural born basket maker.  With Thomas under contract for the next 3 seasons on a very fair deal, the team will likely be shaped around him and their 2014 draft pick Marcus Smart.

Thornton desperately needed a change of scenery after posting anemic scoring numbers as a Celt. 

Jerebko at this stage of his career appears to be ‘just a guy’ and won’t challenge any of Boston’s forwards for minutes.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: B+

Brooklyn Nets
Sent: Kevin Garnett
Acquired: Thaddeus Young

Last season the Nets went for broke, and … it broke.  They emptied the cupboard of draft picks and went above and beyond the cap ceiling to get themselves clobbered by the Heat in the second round.  The departures of Jason Kidd, Paul Pierce and Shaun Livingston punctuated that it was time to begin a rebuild.

It was common knowledge that the Nets were trying desperately to move Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez.  A deal that would have seen Lopez become a member of the OKC Thunder was nearly executed yesterday, but the Thunder walked away at the last second to work with Utah. 

Thaddeus Young has been nothing short of flat this season, and his contract could see him up at 10 million bucks next year.  The Nets failed to move their 3 big cap eaters, and moved an overpriced, aging big man for a younger overpriced big man.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: D-

Detroit Pistons
Sent: Kyle Singler, DJ Augustine, Jonas Jerebko, Luigi Datome
Acquired: Reggie Jackson, Tayshaun Prince

Detroit was looking for some help to get them into the playoffs.  While Augustine is much better shooter than Jackson, Jackson is a natural scorer – albeit often at the expense of his teammates.  Jackson is a freakish athlete with arms as long as Michigan and should be a much better defender than he currently is.  His helpside D is frustratingly bad most of the time.  If Pistons fans are hoping for a James Harden type explosion from this Thunder bench player, they will be very disappointed. 

Prince was playing better in Boston this season, than he had been in Memphis.  Perhaps he was showcasing himself to other GMs.  He was hoping to be moved to a contender – but instead he got shipped backed to where he started his career.  The Pistons are hoping his length and defensive ability will fill a gap and help them grab a playoff spot this season.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: A

Denver Nuggets
Sent: Arron Afflalo, JaVale McGee, Alozono Gee, First Round Pick (Oklahoma City; protected 1-18 in 2015, 1-15 in 2016 and 2017, becomes two second-round picks if not conveyed by 2018)
Acquired: Thomas Robinson, Will Barton Victor Claver, First Round Pick (either 2016 or 2017, turns into two second-round picks if Portland misses the playoffs in both seasons).

The Nuggets were looking to unload and certainly they gave up a ton of talent without bringing much back.  They had stated that the price for Arron Afflalo was a first rounder, and while they got it – it’s so heavily protected that it is unlikely it turns into much in the next two seasons of shallow draft classes.

While Afflalo isn’t playing at his near All-Star like level he did last season in Orlando, you have to think they could have amassed better assets than this.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: D

Houston Rockets
Sent: Isaiah Cannan, Three Second Round Draft Picks
Acquired: KJ McDaniels, Pablo Prigioni

While I like Cannan’s ability to spread the floor, and the way he fit with Houston, he isn’t much of a two way player – and if you listen to Sir Charles Barkley, the Rockets suck on D. 

McDaniels is a great athlete who could evolve into a very good two way player, especially with a guy like Trevor Ariza around to show him the ropes.

Prigioni is an insurance policy at the point, and even at 38 yrs of age, offers a little something off the bench.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: A

Miami Heat
Sent: Noris Cole, Danny Granger, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton, 2 First Round Picks
Acquired: Double Dragon (Goran &Zoran Dragic)


While the Heat DID get the best player to change uniforms yesterday, they have to hope and pray that this is a good fit.  Giving up a pair of first rounders when you are currently a bottom dweller in the East’s playoff picture is risky. 

The roster guys they gave up don’t hurt the Heat in the least.  Cole has been bloody awful, and Danny Granger has confirmed to the world that he is done.  Done done.  Really, really done. 

Goran loves to fast break and get up and down the floor – but who on the Heat is willing to play that way?  Wade would – if it was still 2006.  As a half court facilitator, you remove a lot of the Dragon’s fear factor.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: A-

Milwaukee Bucks
Sent: Brandon Knight
Acquired: Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis, Miles Plumlee

A good ol fashioned basketball trade.  Three young guns for a borderline all-star.  It seems the Bucks were looking to become a little younger and longer at every position.  Wingspans for each their potential starting line next season: MCW 6'7", Jabari 6'11", Plumlee 7'0", Giannis 7'4" and Henson 7'6". Bring on the zone defense!!

Still, this one has you thinking, “Huh?” 

Knight was playing out of his mind, and while he is an RFA this summer, there was no real danger of him walking.  They have certainly downgraded their starting PG spot. 

Ennis goes from being the 4^th string guard in Phoenix to the 3^rd stringer in Milwaukee as he will struggle to pull minutes from Bayless – this season anyway.  The Bucks went from being a team that could pull a first round upset, to a little less scary to face.DRAFT DAY GRADE: D

Minnesota Timberwolves
Sent: Thaddeus Young
Acquired: Kevin Garnett

Cue Skylar Grey.  I’m coming home!

We told you on The Bench weeks ago that you could expect KG to be sent back to the Wolves this season and then take up a minority ownership role next season. 

The hope for the Wolves is clearly that KG helps the younger guys, makes them a little smarter, sells some tickets for his farewell tour, and curries favor for his new career as a Minnesota TimberSuit.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: A+

New Orleans Pelicans
Sent: John Salmons
Acquired: Shawne Williams, Norris Cole, Justin Hamilton

“Sometimes teams make trades just to see their name in the papers the next day”.  One NBA player stated this to me yesterday, and in the case of the Pelicans this seems appropriate.

They dumped Salmons, are expected to buy out Williams, grabbed a practice court punching bag for Anthony Davis and a massive underachiever in Cole.

While the Pels will spin this as “we picked up a two time championship winning point guard” – Cole is not the answer for New Orleans depleted lead guard spot.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: D-

New York Knicks
Sent: Pablo Prigioni
Acquired: Alexy Shved, Two Second Round Picks

Shved started the season out with so much promise.  Playing for the lowly Sixers, he was posting a career highs in points (9.9) and was trying to fill a role as an agitator. 

After being shipped to Houston, Shved played in only 9 games and was essentially invisible.  If things don’t improve significantly in New York, he’ll likely be looking for work in his native land of Russia.

He is a smart player that could be a fit in the triangle.  It’ll be interesting to see how that pans out.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: B-

Oklahoma City Thunder
Sent: Reggie Jackson, Kendrick Perkins, Future First Round Pick
Acquired: DJ Augustin, Enes Kanter, Kyle Singler, Steve Novak.

The Thunder got better.  Not doubt about it.  The question is how much.

I don’t think they are as improved as Thunder fans on social media seem to believe.   While Jackson is a better all around scorer than Augustin, he was a terrible outside shooter, a lazy defender and disliked by most of the organization.  He also turned down a ridiculous 4 year / 48 million dollar offer from the Thunder which sealed his fate. 

The fact that the Thunder got this much for an aging 5 and a guy that didn’t want to be there and that they didn’t want is miraculous.

Since being picked up by the Bulls last season, Augustin has cemented his reputation as the NBA’s preeminent backup point guard.  That being said, all he really does is fast break and shoot the 3.  Running a half court offense isn’t something he excels in – but coaching a half court offense isn’t something Coach Brooks does much of anyway. 

Enes Kanter is a better scorer than aging Perkins, but Perkins in a wheelchair is still a better defender.  That being said, if there is a team for a scoring center who doesn’t play D – this would be it, as Kanter will be teamed up in the frontcourt with Serge Ibaka. 

Singler is going to struggle to find minutes on this team, and Novak will hit a TON of 3s … in practice.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: B+

Philadelphia 76ers
Sent: Michael Carter-Williams, KJ McDaniels
Acquired: JaVale McGee, Isaiah Cannan, First Round Pick (LA Lakers top-five protected in 2015, protected 1-3 in 2016 and 2017, unprotected in 2018), the lesser of Denver or Minnesota’s 2015 second-round pick, first-round pick from Oklahoma City (protected 1-18 in 2015, 1-15 in 2016 and 2017, becomes two second-round picks if not conveyed by 2018), second-round pick from Houston.


Unlike many out there, I don’t have an issue with the 76ers dumping MCW.  They clearly didn’t seem him as their point guard of the future, and frankly, neither do I.   But dumping KJ McDaniels seemed premature. 

The 76ers claim that they are not looking to buy out JaVale McGee, but honestly – what the hell is he doing there?  You don’t need JaVale McGee on that team.  He doesn’t want to be on that team.  It doesn’t make any sense at all.

The Sixers must see something in the 2016 / 2017 draft classes that I don’t, because they continue to amass picks for what appear to be rotation players / potential starters at best.

We are putting the Sixers on probabtion.  One more dumb move like this and we are shipping your whole organization to the D-League.
DRAFT DAY GRADE: F

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Better to be Pissed Off than Pissed On

“I'm just trying not to be in the newspaper.” If there's one quote you don't want posted online, forget the newspapers, that has to be up there with “I thought she was 18!”

Detroit Pistons' forward Greg Monroe was stopped by police on February 13^th of this year because of a defective light. 

Turns out he was drunk as all hell and arrested. 

The police said to him after he told them he was a Piston: “You play for the Detroit Pistons? Unless you told people that are going to tell people, we don't tell people.” 

Well, we see how that worked out. Worse than being well known and arrested for drunk driving has to be the fact that Monroe pissed himself while being booked. 

I mean, come on with the come on! 

With the terrible record they had last season (29W – 53L) he should've just lied and said he played for the Titans.

Despite going 'number one' on himself there are a few things that he could have done that would have been worse. Not many, but there are some. I was gonna say wear a hoodie but I'll be damned if he isn't wearing one in his mugshot. Here are a few worse ways he could've handled being arrested.

“Don't You Know Who I Am?!”

This is the battle cry of the entitled asshole. Thankfully he didn't shout that because he would have ended up on the ground faster than a vegetable after being placed in my mouth. Thinking that you will get preferential treatment because of who you are is what people who also cut in line say. Don't be those people (even though secretly if I ever get a chance to say it you bet your ass I will!).

“I Can Get You Tickets To A Game.”

Back in the day you could bribe cops all day long. I learned that watching movies. But a player for Detroit offering tickets to one of their games is like a Laker handing out free passes to the beach or a season pass to the WNBA. 

“I Can't Go To Jail.”

I wonder if this line has ever worked since I've heard people say it so many times. There is no cop alive that will go “Oh, alright. I can see that this is rough on you. Just get home safe, okay?” Hell, no! I wonder what jail is like when you're 6'11”. I mean, damn. I doubt they even make prison outfits that size. This fool would be wearing Capri pants and belly shirts no matter what.

Or...

He could have crapped himself. I'm already mad that it took this long for me to find out that anyone, let alone someone who if they were in the bible would be classified as a giant, pissed himself while being arrested and this is the first I'm hearing of it. Saying that you don't want it in the papers means that it needs to immediately be put in the papers!

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Looking Back At Billups

On Tuesday, Chauncey Billips decided to call it a career and hang up his kicks – once and for all.

The question on the minds of so many  fans this week is, “Is Billups a Hall of Famer?” which really is amazing when you put it in perspective.

Seven years into his NBA career, Billips was far from “Mr. Big Shot” and was essentially considered a draft bust.

He struggled to score with consistency, to run the fast break, and seemed to be a half second slow when it came to setting up teammates.

Billups’ career started with less than memorable stints in Boston, Toronto and Denver.  He then signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000 to be the backup to incumbent starter Terrell Brandon. 

In 2001-02, Brandon suffered a serious injury and Billups moved into the starting line up.  He helped lead that team into the playoffs and seemingly re-discovered his confidence.

That off season, Billups was vocal about wanting to stay with the Wolves (since they were the first team to really hand him the keys  to the car and believe in him) but the Wolves were so mired in cap constraints, they had to let him walk.

Billups signed with the Detroit Pistons, and became an  overnight success in eight years.  Yes, Chauncey is the NBA’s answer to Gwen Stefani.

7 straight all star selections, a finals MVP and a big ol’ ring would suggest that maybe we should re-evaluate the way we tend to quickly give up on draft picks or decide “well, he is what he is” after 2 or 3 seasons.

Ya hear that Anthony Bennett haters?

It’s my opinion that we will see Billups back in the game as a coach sooner rather than later.  He has a high IQ for the sport, and is an outstanding motivator. 

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Where's Rondo Going?

Full disclosure: I’ve never been a  huge fan of Rajon Rondo’s game.  

While I respect his athleticism and feel that when healthy he may be the fastest man in the NBA from baseline to baseline … I just don’t like investing in a point that can’t shoot.

That’s my personal bias.

Rondo was considered mediocre (at best) during his rookie year before the acquisitions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.  

Being surrounded by three hall of famers definitely opened up driving lanes and allowed him to even dominate games – because so much attention was being paid to 3 other positions.

If Rondo had spent his career in Denver or with the Clippers and had career averages of 11 and 8, people would say he was a “nice player”, but certainly not a superstar – or a max money player as he allegedly believes he is.

All that being said, Rondo does offer the unique ability to throw tight pocket passes and run the pick and roll.

Earlier today, news broke that Rondo wanted to be moved from the Boston Celtics – which of course begs the question, where will he end up?

Rondo wants to play for a contender or at the very least, a team on the upswing that is nearing the end of a rebuild.

A team acquiring Rondo should:

•           be heavily influenced with veterans who can keep his monstrous ego in check
•           have a coach that understands how to best utilize him, and how to hide his glaring weakness
•           have another point guard on the team who CAN shoot
•      a big with great hands that can finish in traffic and help Rondo rack up the assists

So, here are Rondo's top six options:

Houston Rockets:  The Rockets are perennial contenders, but haven’t had a dominant star point guard since … well, since ever.

Names like Kenny The Jet, John Lucas Jr, Sam Cassell, Aaron Brooks and Stevie “The most selfish man alive” Francis top the list of the best lead guards in that franchise’s history. 

They seemingly had that man when Kyle Lowry was in town, but battles with management had him branded as an asshole, and they shipped him out of town. 

They thought they were getting that backcourt igniter when they  acquired Jermey Lin, but that didn’t unfold the way they had hoped. 

No matter how good Dwight Howard and James Harden are in the half court, unless they have a 1 that can really control the pace, they won’t be advancing much further than the first round exist that had each of the last two seasons. 

No disrespect to Patrick Beverley.  He’s a nice player, but he’d be better served with more controlled minutes.

The Detroit Pistons have the enigmatic (and often under-performing) Brandon Jennings and their new piece – the savior of the Chicago Bulls 2014 season – DJ Augustin. 

If Augustin can reproduce his performance with the Bulls last season, he will be a valuable piece for Stan Van Gundy. 

With disgruntled forward Josh Smith under contract, it would seemingly make sense to send a package of Smith and Jennings for Rondo and another piece to make the money work.

Detroit had visions of a playoff run last season, but their 3 headed front court monster never really developed the way they had hoped, so it’s time to end that experiment and go with what has always served the Pistons best; dominant guard play.

Indiana Pacers.  In the minds of many George Hill is not the star guard he was once made out to be.  Hill struggled in large spots each of the last two seasons and has gone from “promising young star” to “the fifth guy on the floor”.

With Paul George out for the season, and Lance Stephenson running off to the Hornet hive, the Pacers are in desperate need of more athleticism and scoring.

Rondo could be that man, but the biggest question is what would the Pacers have to deal?  They’d love to unload Roy Hibbert, and Boston might think they can rejuvenate the big man, but if they unloaded Hibbert then David West becomes the number one option for Rondo down low?

West has had a solid career, but he is noticeably slowing down.

LA Lakers.  Let’s just say it.  The Steve Nash experiment was a colossal freaking disaster.  For an entire generation, the Lakers have relied on a dominant two guard (you know who), and a combination of different forwards who dominated to varying degrees.

During all of their highs and lows, they haven’t had an all star point guard since Gary Payton’s retirement tour of 2003. 

While the Lakers are in a rebuilding mode, and are in the treacherous Western Conference, they seem to have  more pieces than the Celtics do.  Perhaps the lore of the purple and gold would be enough to motivate Rajon.

The Sacramento Kings shocked everyone when they let young scoring point guard Isiah Thomas walk.

Their management group truly feels that with Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and company,  that they have the makings of a young upstart that will push the heavyweights to the limit. 

The question is, are they close enough to make a big play for a guy like Rondo, and would he be enough to move them into the playoff picture?

The New York Knicks do not look like a playoff team right now – even with their off season moves.

With a rookie head coach, and a group of massive egos that are somewhat dysfunctional, it could be a powder keg with Rondo playing the part of fuse.

Or, pairing him with veteran Jose Calderon (a prolific three point shooter) might be the perfect combination.  What Caldeon lacks in speed, Rondo could more than make up for – and Jose can shoot the lights out if teams start to sag on Rajon.

If Derek Fisher used a two guard front – they could be a deadly offensive tandem. 

When he was with the Celtics, Doc Rivers was a huge fan of Calderon’s and would talk about what a great fit he would have been for their team.  Certainly Doc was thinking along these same lines.

While this could all be nothing more than premature internet babble and Rondo could work things out with the C's, it seems clear that both sides would be happy to accommodate

a change.

Where do you think Rajon will end up this season?

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“Under-The-Radar-Value” Team: Eastern Conference Edition

In the era of the new CBA with harsher penalties for overspending and shorter contracts, finding value has become more important than ever. 

With that in mind, here is my All “Under-The Radar-Value” Team for the Eastern Conference. 

These are players who have the potential to make a substantial impact for their teams while providing excellent value on the dollar. 

I am taking the liberty of making more of a “small-ball” lineup since that is all the rage these days.

PG: DJ Augustin, Detroit Pistons – 2 years, $6 million

For the first five years (plus 10 games) of his career, Augustin didn’t show much other than a decent three point shot and solid defensive play. 

After being released by the Toronto Raptors last season and picked up by the Bulls as an emergency replacement for the injured Derrick Rose, he exploded onto the scene, shooting over 40% from three and playing a key role in the Chicago’s playoff run.  To say that no one saw this coming is an understatement. 

In the off-season he signed with Detroit for 2 years, $6 million. If he can replicate his performance with the Bulls last year, he will be one of the most underpaid players in the league.

There is a belief amongst many of the staff members here at The Bench, that Augustin will usurp incumbent starter Brandon Jennings; quite possibly before the All Star Break.

SG: Bojan Bogdanovic, Brooklyn Nets – 3 years, $10.2 million (plus 4^th year QO of $4.5 million)

Although he’s still an unknown commodity, Bogdanovic gives the Nets something they sorely need…someone new and someone on a reasonable deal. 

Due to the extravagance of their owner and his short-term focus, they are the most capped out team in the league, with very little to show for it. 

Under the new CBA, this means fewer opportunities to add talent. Being able to bring over a stashed player from overseas is one of those ways. 

With the departures of Paul Pierce and Shawn Livingston, Bogdanovic will have plenty of opportunity to play and perhaps give the Nets a ray of hope.

SF: Kyle Korver, Atlanta Hawks – 3 years, 17 million

Korver did not sign a new deal with the Hawks, but he is here because he may represent the greatest value for the dollar of anyone in the league not on a rookie deal.

Not only has he made dramatic strides in filling out his game, he is on a deal that decreases annually from $6.2 million this year to $5.2 million in two seasons.

In the system that the Hawks are trying to install, he stands to benefit tremendously, especially with the return of Al Horford from injury.

The Atlanta bigs (namely Paul Milsap and Horford) are dangerous inside against single coverage. If teams double down, Korver is deadly from outside.

He also developed into a highly under rated defender in the right system.

PF: James Johnson, Toronto Raptors – 2 years, $5 million

In last year’s first round playoff loss to the Nets, the Raptors got exposed by the length and size of Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce.

Throughout the series coach Dwane Casey tried different approaches, but none of them worked for long.

To address this need, the Raptors brought back James Johnson. A tough-minded defender with great size and athleticism, Johnson bounced back from some questions about his character during a very effective stint with the Memphis Grizzlies last season.

If he can keep his head on straight, he will give the Raptors exactly what they lacked last year and at only $2.5 million per season, he will do it on the cheap.

C: Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls – 3 years, $21 million

Anyone who watched the Lakers the past two years knows that Mike D’Antoni and Pau Gasol simply did not work together. 

It didn’t help that, like everyone else on the roster, Gasol struggled with nagging injuries. But it was more than that. D’Antoni not only seemed to have no idea how to use Gasol, he showed little inclination to try. 

Now Pau is on a team with a coach who should be able to get a lot more out of him offensively while maximizing what defensive abilities he has left at 34 years of age. And they will pay him less than half what he got from the Lakers last year. 

He will also get less than half of what the Bulls would have paid to Carlos Boozer had they not used the amnesty provision. For that money, he should provide offensive production to match Boozer, but with much better leadership, maturity and perhaps most importantly, championship experience.

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