PCI

The NBA trade deadline came and went last week, and as usual, there was more talk than action. Rumors swirled about Amare Stoudemire being moved to either Cleveland or Miami. In the end, he stayed in Phoenix. The highest profile player moved was Antawn Jamison, being shipped from Washington to Lebron James’ Cavaliers, but the team has continued to struggle against the rest of the NBA’s elite. What stood out was how two teams involved in the same trade helped each other out tremendously, but on different levels. Houston came away with pieces for the future and draft picks while the Knicks came away with cap space.

Houston was devastated by injuries at the start of the year, seeing the faces of the franchise, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, hampered with injuries. Yao was lost for the year and McGrady had been limping along since microfracture surgery. The team had been a pleasant surprise in the West, contending for a playoff spot no one imagined. After a complete overhaul, Houston has a consistent scorer in Kevin Martin, another on-ball defender in Jared Jeffries, a developing forward in Jordan Hill, and two first-round draft picks in 2011 and 2012. Nice package for a team that basically lost an aging superstar. If it all works out for them and the Knicks continue to drag in basketball oblivion, they will be picking in the lottery for the coming years.

Now to the more intriguing winner of this deadline team: the New York Knicks. The Knicks have been plagued for years with bloated contracts and incompetent GMs. Now there is hope, but it hinges on the decision of one player. It is no secret that the Knicks have been targeting King James for quite some time. Donnie Walsh has scrambled for the past couple of years, attempting to shed the destruction done by Isaiah Thomas. Well now he has done that, maybe making the biggest gamble in NBA history. Trading away Jared Jefferies and Jordan Hill freed up another $9 million in cap space, bringing the Knicks $30 million under the cap. With the offseason of superstars approaching, the Knicks are in a position to offer two players max contracts and the opportunity to play on the brightest stage of them all. If Lebron and friend bite, then the Knicks enter the echelon of the NBA’s elite. If not, the Knicks are left disappointed, mediocre, and without draft picks. Time will tell if Donnie Walsh’s gamble pays off, but if Lebron James is donning the blue, white, and orange at MSG, then we‘ll know who won.

—Chris Crawford ‘10

This year’s NBA trade deadline saw two moves that have great significance to the courting of one player; LeBron James. The first move was that of the New York Knicks when they picked up an attractive, yet aging star in Tracy McGrady in a three-team trade involving the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets. The two up-sides to McGrady is that he will put fans in the seats at Madison Square Garden, and his contract will be up at the end of this season. By making this trade, the Knicks freed up $9.4 million in salary-cap room with rookie lottery pick Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries being shipped out. Adding in the recent cap space, the Knicks will have $32 million to play with in courting LeBron James, as well as the likes of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. However, I feel that LeBron and Wade will both seek deals with their current teams, because they can get more years, which means more money. If this is the case, then Chris Bosh, who I believe will end up in the Big Apple, will have Madison Square Garden all to himself, but with a big LeBron James Nike poster billboard remaining outside the arena.

The second move was made by the King’s own team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. They added future Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal this past offseason to an already potent offense, set up around James of course. Then, even with the best record in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland front office wanted to make every effort to get the most sufficient weapons that would provide their King with the best opportunity to bring the ultimate glory to his kingdom of Cleveland. They did so by acquiring Antawn Jamison via a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Clippers. Jamison will add immediate production to the Cleveland backcourt as he brings averages of 13 points per game, along with seven rebounds. If Jamison is the missing piece to the championship that LeBron James desires, then the Cavs have shown him that they can build a good supporting cast and might be able to keep him come this July. What also may work in their favor is that James could only sign a five-year deal with any new team while the Cavs could sign him to a six-year deal, in accordance with the current NBA collective bargaining agreement.