Updated Nov. 17
The first big trade of the NBA season involved a couple of lightweights, which has to make the heavyweights happy.
That's one punch ducked by the Celtics and Lakers, who began the regular season not only as the favorites in their respective conferences but also as the teams least likely to make a deal.
Instead of being jettisoned from the Warriors to the Bobcats, Stephen Jackson going to Cleveland or Denver would have sent shockwaves from coast to coast, potentially changing the balance of power atop the East or West.
But landing in Charlotte, which vastly improved its postseason prospects with the acquisition, probably only affects a first-round playoff matchup, instead of possibly being a difference-maker somewhere farther down the line.
As such, count the Lakers and Celtics among the winners in the four-player deal, and the Cavaliers and Nuggets among the losers.
Here's how I would rank the top three in each category:
Big winner: Bobcats. This offensively challenged bunch was desperate to give Gerald Wallace some help, and they got it in Jackson, who averaged 20-plus points per game in each of his two full seasons with the Warriors. The price? Almost nothing -- Raja Bell, the Bobcats' best defender (they've got plenty of good ones left over), and Vladimir Radmanovic, their most disappointing offensive player.
Runner-up: Celtics. When they went into Cleveland on opening night and outlasted the Cavaliers, the Celtics sent a message: We're better than you right now. Boston made its big move in the offseason, getting Rasheed Wallace. The Celtics await Cleveland's counter -- and the Cavs just let one big fish slip away.
Third prize: Lakers. Like the Celtics, the defending champs believe they're set for another title run, having added one key new piece (Ron Artest) over the summer. The gap between L.A. and No. 2 in the West -- whoever that might be -- is larger than Boston's edge in the East, so it's possible the Lakers could overcome someone like Jackson landing on one of their rivals. But they would just as soon not have to find out.
Big loser: Cavaliers. The Warriors reportedly targeted Zydrunas Ilgauskas' expiring contracts as their No. 1 choice from Day 1 in the Jackson sale, but the Cavaliers refused to offer it. The question is: Why? Cleveland needs a versatile counterpart for LeBron James far more than a backup center. So now they're left to dangle the big guy's contract at the trade deadline, where they will be a lot more under the gun to make a deal. Under those circumstances, they're far less likely to get a player of Jackson's ability.
Runner-up: Nuggets. They reportedly considered Jackson an upgrade over J.R. Smith. Unfortunately, so did the Warriors. Denver needed to get a third team involved, but time ran out on them when the Bobcats came out of nowhere and closed the deal. You snooze, you lose in this business.
Third prize: Warriors. They would like to believe this is addition by subtraction, but history tells us that's not the case. The last time the team's best player demanded a trade, the Warriors got Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks from Washington for Chris Webber. It didn't seem like such a bad deal at the time, but it took the club 12 years of postseason-less play to overcome the depression caused by the loss of its emotional leader. Good luck, Raja.
Short-term, both the Bobcats and Warriors move up in the CBSSports.com NBA Power Rankings -- Charlotte because adding a talent like Jackson trumps going 0-3 last week, and Golden State because a small step backward is far less than the big-time stumble by a Knicks club that lost by 14 at home to the Warriors.
| Power Rankings | ||||||||||
| Current | Team | Previous | ||||||||
 | 1 | Cavaliers · Trends | 8 | |||||||
| Magic-Heat-Jazz sweep screams, We don't need help. ... Shaq has sore shoulder. Good news: Ilgauskas is still around. | ||||||||||
 | 2 | Hawks · Trends | 9 | |||||||
| Last team to fleece Warriors (Jamal Crawford) is reaping benefits. ... Rare win at Boston comes 19 months too late. | ||||||||||
 | 3 | Nuggets · Trends | 6 | |||||||
| Twenty-six-point blowout of Lakers warrants distinction of No. 1 in West. ... Who says East is least? Denver 4-0 vs. West, just 3-3 vs. East. | ||||||||||
 | 4 | Magic · Trends | 4 | |||||||
| Rashard Lewis suspension ends, regular starting five debuts in win over Bobcats. ... First Shaq-Howard showdown goes to ex-Magic star. | ||||||||||
 | 5 | Lakers · Trends | 2 | |||||||
| Wrath of schedule-maker: Home game, then morning arrival in Denver. Result: Nuggets, 105-79. ... Five home losses all last season, already two this year. | ||||||||||
 | 6 | Suns · Trends | 3 | |||||||
| Team tops 100 first 11 games; first in NBA to do so in 15 years. ... No more double vision: Amare Stoudemire is shooting 53.6 percent. | ||||||||||
 | 7 | Celtics · Trends | 1 | |||||||
| Frustration of back-to-back losses: Three nailed with technicals in loss at Indiana. ... First scare of season: Paul Pierce bruises knee vs. Hawks, is step slow vs. Pacers. | ||||||||||
 | 8 | Heat · Trends | 5 | |||||||
| Dwyane Wade's last-second 3 avoids ultimate embarrassment -- would-be home loss to winless Nets. ... No coincidence: Mario Chalmers injures shoulder, team has worst game (vs. Nets). | ||||||||||
 | 9 | Trail Blazers · Trends | 12 | |||||||
| Club winning with defense; only one of first 12 opponents reaches triple figures. ... Swept by Hawks -- first time in 13 years. | ||||||||||
 | 10 | Mavericks · Trends | 10 | |||||||
| Dirk Nowitzki 26-for-27 from line, earns weekly Western honor. ... Mark Cuban needles Milwaukee business leaders: Thanks for giving us German star (in 1998 trade for Tractor Traylor). | ||||||||||
 | 11 | Rockets · Trends | 11 | |||||||
| Trevor Ariza receives championship ring, plays worst game in win at L.A. ... Club has alternated wins, losses in November. | ||||||||||
 | 12 | Raptors · Trends | 14 | |||||||
| Team just 4-4 this month, but no bad losses (Magic, Mavericks, Spurs, Suns). ... Chris Bosh has eight 20-10s already this season, including past five games. | ||||||||||
 | 13 | Bulls · Trends | 7 | |||||||
| Fans getting money's worth: All five wins by seven or fewer. ... Not everything has happy ending: Brad Miller's apparent game winner vs. Denver ruled too late on TV replay. | ||||||||||
 | 14 | Spurs · Trends | 13 | |||||||
| Signs of old age: Tim Duncan and Tony Parker return; now it's Manu Ginobili (hamstring) who's hurting. ... Early-season most improved: George Hill has gone from nobody to somebody. | ||||||||||
 | 15 | Bucks · Trends | 19 | |||||||
| Amazing part of Brandon Jennings' 55-point explosion vs. Warriors: Scoreless first quarter. ... Rookies with 55 in a game: Baylor, Wilt, Barry, Monroe, Jennings. | ||||||||||
 | 16 | Pacers · Trends | 24 | |||||||
| Four-game win streak comes without Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy... Dahntay Jones: 11 double-figure efforts last season; six in first seven games this year. | ||||||||||
 | 17 | Thunder · Trends | 15 | |||||||
| Kevin Durant starts week with 37, ends with 40 -- and club loses both games. ... Team effort on boards: Six different leaders first 10 games. | ||||||||||
 | 18 | Jazz · Trends | 17 | |||||||
| Tough schedule: Trips to Denver, Dallas, Boston, Cleveland (all losses) in first 2 1/2 weeks. ... Another impressive rookie point guard: Eric Maynor fills in for Deron Williams, has 11 assists vs. 76ers. | ||||||||||
 | 19 | Pistons · Trends | 22 | |||||||
| Isiah's record survives: He went 1 for 17 in a game. Ben Gordon was 1 for 16 vs. Mavericks. ... Uh-oh: Lakers, Trail Blazers, Jazz, Suns on Western swing this week. | ||||||||||
 | 20 | Bobcats · Trends | 21 | |||||||
| Improvement noted: 82.4 average before trade, 91 in Stephen Jackson's debut at Orlando. ... Last player acquired from Golden State (Jason Richardson) didn't meet expectations. | ||||||||||
 | 21 | Kings · Trends | 25 | |||||||
| Four-game win streak (Nov. 7-13) creepy; team won four of five Nov. 5-12 last year en route to 17-65 debacle. ... Key to surprising surge: Jason Thompson cracks top 10 in rebounding (10.1). | ||||||||||
 | 22 | 76ers · Trends | 16 | |||||||
| Club considering benching underachieving Elton Brand ... Crippling blow: Much improved Marreese Speights out two months with torn knee ligament. | ||||||||||
 | 23 | Hornets · Trends | 18 | |||||||
| How to lose job: Coach a club that loses by 14.3 points per game. ... New man Jeff Bower's first two losses are by 15.5 average. | ||||||||||
 | 24 | Wizards · Trends | 23 | |||||||
| League's biggest disappointment? Nick Young is shooting 21.1 percent after averaging 10.9 per game last season. ... Desperate team brings in Earl Boykins -- he debuts with 20 vs. Pistons. | ||||||||||
 | 25 | Clippers · Trends | 20 | |||||||
| Like old times: Baron Davis' late 3 avenges earlier loss to Thunder. ... Rematches galore: Club faces Thunder, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Hornets twice each in odd 22-day stretch. | ||||||||||
 | 26 | Warriors · Trends | 27 | |||||||
| Bottom line of Stephen Jackson deal: Club saves $20 million. ... Raja Bell is a welcome addition; poor backcourt defenders watch Brandon Jennings go for 55 in loss at Milwaukee. | ||||||||||
 | 27 | Grizzlies · Trends | 28 | |||||||
| It's officially over: Allen Iverson's Grizzlies career lasts 67 minutes. ... Battle of backstrokers: Coach labels victory over Timberwolves "big win." | ||||||||||
 | 28 | Knicks · Trends | 26 | |||||||
| Jordan Hill outscores fan-favorite Stephen Curry 10-0 in first duel of lottery picks. ... Have to wonder: Is front-row seat at next draft lottery good or bad thing in effort to woo LeBron James? | ||||||||||
 | 29 | Timberwolves · Trends | 29 | |||||||
| Club's current form worse than Nets, but T-Wolves have a two-point win over 30th-ranked club. ... Team loses by 23, 41, 23 with Al Jefferson, then by just 12, 10 without him. | ||||||||||
 | 30 | Nets · Trends | 30 | |||||||
| First win of season: Chris Douglas-Roberts (16 points vs. Heat) triumphs over swine flu. ... Team leader (Rafer Alston) has three assists in loss at Miami. | ||||||||||
