Playing the Waiver Wire: Dissecting the deadline
In life, there are winners and there are losers. And those who don't agree are usually the latter. This NBA trading season had plenty of both.
The trade deadline passed Thursday afternoon with a few buzzer-beating deals sneaking through the commissioner's office to wrap up what was one of the more active years -- in terms of trades -- in recent memory.
From Pau Gasol to Shaquille O'Neal to Jason Kidd, big names were on the move. So, too, were the little names. The term "expiring contract" became more relevant than ever and even retired players like Aaron McKie and Keith Van Horn got into the fun.
Make no mistake about it; this trade season's biggest winners were McKie and Van Horn.
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| Delonte West could be racking up the assist totals in Cleveland. (Getty Images) |
Unfortunately, those steals are the closest McKie and Van Horn are going to get to any type of Fantasy production. Neither player is realistically expected to put on as much as gym shorts for their new teams -- for McKie, the Grizzlies and for Van Horn, the Nets.
But for the players that are actually expected to earn their paychecks, a lot was settled as a result of the various trades. From a Fantasy standpoint, the biggest winner of the trade season might be a surprise to most. In fact, even he might not even know it yet.
Delonte West was just one name among 11 that changed teams in a deadline day three-team deal that moved more heralded players like Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak and Larry Hughes. But West is the only player involved in the deal who will be in line for a major upgrade now that it has been announced Cavs guard Daniel Gibson could miss as much as six weeks with a severely sprained left ankle. West is expected to start for Gibson.
Ironically, it would have been Hughes who would have benefited most had he not been sent to Chicago, where he will be in a dogfight for minutes with Ben Gordon, Thabo Sefolosha and Chris Duhon. Now, the Cavs will be left with a void at the point and West fits the bill for exactly the kind of player they need.
West can play the point and he can play off the ball just as comfortably. He doesn't need the ball and can easily differ to LeBron James to run the offense. He can chip in 10-15 points per night with around 3-5 dimes to help out with the playmaking. He certainly can fill the 11.5 points, 2.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds Gibson is leaving behind.
In 24 games after the All-Star break last season, West averaged 15.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds in his final days with a much less talented Celtics team around him.
So if West is the biggest winner, who is the biggest loser?
Kings swingman John Salmons had the most to lose at the deadline. He didn't even get traded and he's actually going to earn his paycheck the rest of the season. However, he's our biggest loser while McKie and Van Horn are winners. Go figure.
Salmons was just one deal away from becoming a Fantasy star, but that deal never came. Despite many rumors, Ron Artest remained with the Kings through the deadline and that means Salmons won't get a chance to revisit the numbers he had earlier this season when injuries to Artest and Kevin Martin allowed him to showcase his skills. He averaged 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists during December.
A Rotisserie dream, Salmons posted a 51.1 field-goal percentage, 54.6 3-point percentage and 1.6 steals. In fact, he impressed Artest so much that he asked to be traded at one point so that Salmons could flourish. That Artest, he's always thinking of others.
Now, Salmons has been reduced to an erratic bench role that will frustrate his Fantasy owners. He'll occasionally chip in a decent line off the pine, but more often will go through droughts -- like the one he's going through now. He's scored just five points in his last four games.
But hey, McKie and Van Horn think that's heavy duty work.
Here's a list of our Fantasy winners and losers of the 2008 trade season:
Winners
Rajon Rondo, G, Boston -- Celtics didn't trade for a new PG. Rondo retains value.
Aaron Gray, C, Chicago -- No Ben Wallace should mean big minutes for Gray.
Joakim Noah, F/C, Chicago -- Noah should also get big minutes at the five.
Tyrus Thomas, F, Chicago -- Thomas climbs up depth chart. Time to prove his worth.
Drew Gooden, F, Chicago -- Should get more scoring touches in Chicago than Cleveland.
Erick Dampier, C, Dallas -- Loss of DeSagana Diop should mean an increase in minutes.
Luther Head, G, Houston -- With Bonzi Wells gone, he's now just a Tracy McGrady injury from very productive role.
Hakim Warrick, F, Memphis -- Gasol trade clears way for more minutes, points, boards.
Darko Milicic, F/C, Memphis -- Gasol trade clears way for minutes that can only help.
Mike Miller, G/F, Memphis -- Did not get traded into a lesser role on a better team.
Marcus Williams, G, New Jersey -- Kidd trade and Devin Harris injury creates starting job for a couple of weeks.
Vince Carter, G, New Jersey -- Not traded, gets to keep chucking shots up in Jersey.
Bonzi Wells, G, New Orleans -- Main competition for minutes is now just Morris Peterson.
Andre Miller, G, Philadelphia -- Not traded. Was at risk of becoming a role player elsewhere.
Amare Stoudemire, C, Phoenix -- Shaq clears out bodies for big rebounding numbers.
Beno Udrih, G, Sacramento -- Mike Bibby gone creates a starting gig for solid producer.
Nick Collison, F/C, Seattle -- Kurt Thomas gone means a starting center role.
Jeff Green, F, Seattle -- Wally Szczerbiak gone means split with only Damien Wilkins.
Earl Watson, G, Seattle -- Delonte West gone means less of a battle for minutes.
Chris Wilcox, F, Seattle -- Thomas gone means more rebounds up for grabs.
Losers
Joe Johnson, G, Atlanta -- Mike Bibby around means one more scorer to level out points.
Marvin Williams, F, Atlanta -- Trickle down from Bibby deal could mean less points as well.
Ben Gordon, G, Chicago -- Now has to battle Larry Hughes for minutes at SG.
Larry Hughes, G, Chicago -- Could have been starting PG in Cleveland, now splits time at SG with a proven scorer.
Joe Smith, G, Cleveland -- Goes from starting role in Chicago to a rebound-only type gig off bench in Cleveland.
Mickael Pietrus, G/F, Golden State -- Asked to get traded, didn't. Still in Don Nelson's shaky rotation.
Jermaine O'Neal, F, Indiana -- Stuck in Indiana. Motivated for a timely return from his injury?
Andrew Bynum, C, L.A. Lakers -- When he gets back, has to deal with presence of Gasol.
Kwame Brown, C, Memphis -- Went from starting in L.A. to backing up Darko.
Ricky Davis, G/F, Miami -- Stuck on horrible team with a role that does not fit him.
Morris Peterson, G, New Orleans -- Now has to deal with Bonzi Wells taking his minutes.
Eddy Curry, C, New York -- Not traded away from production-stealing Zach Randolph.
Tim Duncan, F, San Antonio -- Presence of Kurt Thomas to take away rebounds.
Ronnie Brewer, G/F, Utah -- Stellar start to season forgotten since trade for Kyle Korver.
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