Conventional wisdom dictates that the reasoning behind these trades was purely financial. The Wizards were interested in trading for expiring contracts, and the players they received in return are not part of their future plans. The are thinking about the free agents who will be available this coming summer.
Problem is, almost every other team in the league is doing the same thing, and most will crap out in the free agent bonanza that consists of for all intent and purposes three players-Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and Lebron James. Unfortunately, Stoudemire is not the answer for any team looking to move up in the rankings. That's why Cleveland passed on him. He needs way too many touches on offense and he does not play defense. He'll get his money this summer, he just won't help his next team win anything.
The moves Washington made has guaranteed they will remain firmly entrenched in the bottom of their division for AT LEAST the next 5 years if not more. You can thank Gilbert Arenas for that, but more on him in a minute. Washington D.C. has absolutely nothing to offer any prominent free agent other than an assurance of losing games on a consistent basis. This is where Arenas figures in.
Washington signed Gilbert Arenas in July of 2008 for 6 years and $111 million dollars. The year before he only played 13 games. In 2008-09, the first year of his mega-million dollar deal, he played 2 games. In 2009-2010 he managed to play 32 games before he got suspended for the gun charges and the cavalier tone which he displayed about the situation, mocking David Stern until the poor commisioner had had enough. That's 47 games in three years. He is the main cause of this catastrophe, but it didn't matter because on the court they were collectively underachieving to the point where it was useless keeping them together. But Arenas made sure he paid the owners back by acting in such a bizarre, self-destructive manner throughout this whole sordid guns-in-the-locker-room fiasco.
And what's worse is, when he DOES come back from his suspension his contract makes him untradeable. So Washington is stuck having to rebuild around the very same player that caused the detonation of their current roster.
The Cleveland Cavaliers got Antoine Jamison, a solid pick-up but the jury is out on exactly what type of impact he'll have once they get into the playoffs.
The Knicks did as usual, trading a couple of bums for a bum with a humongous, though expiring, contract. McGrady's best days are far off in the rear view mirror, so he is no one to try to build around. Houston tried that with a much better supporting cast and the franchise finally realized that they play better without him. So off he goes.
The Knicks are the most vulnerable. Again they forfeited their future by trading away a first-round draft pick in 2012, the thinking being that they can rebuild via free agency. All they wind up doing is picking up a collection of hobos who play about as inspired as a bunch of anemic slugs. It must be that NYC nightlife that sucks up all their time and energy, time better spent drinking energy shakes and working on their pathetic games.
As an example, just look at the young point guards drafted the last couple of years, some who played outstandingly well at this year's 2010 Rookie-Sophomore challenge during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas-
1) Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings-age 20.
2) Jonny Flynn, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook-age 21.
3) Stephen Curry and Mike Conley (who, along with his star-crossed and oft-injured college teammate Greg Oden, should of stayed at least 2 more years in college)-age 22.
4) Mario Chalmers and Rajon Rondo-age 23.
5) Chris Paul-age 24.
The Knicks never get within a sniff of players of this calibre. They are too busy drafting unathletic European players like Danilo Gallinari and trading for journeymen hobos like Jarred Jeffries and especially Eddy Curry, who had the audacity to ask for an advance on his salary because he's broke-
To show you how lifeless this walking side of beef is, the last time he was taken to the hospital for an injury, orderlies immediately threw a sheet over his head while he was napping in the waiting room and wheeled him into a morgue refrigerator because they thought someone had left a dead body for them to collect.
The Knicks general manager would do better by grabbing a shovel and heading to the local graveyard to exhume rotting corpses, but knowing them they would get beaten out by Dr. Frankenstein and his loyal assistant Fritz-
Brandon Jennings is a sore spot for Knicks fans, because instead of this dynamic point guard (who has more upside than Mount Everest) playing in the Big Apple, he's in Milwaukee with Laverne and Shirley. The Knicks chose to draft Jordan Hill. Who? Yes, that's him-the player no one in NYC knows.
Check out the player these idiots passed on-
Jennings has the potential to be the next Allen Iverson, with the exception that he actually passes the ball to his teammates. Jordan Hill will be lucky if he becomes the next Louis Orr. The only good thing I can say is that both Hell and Jeffries are gone, and the Knicks will be about 30 million under the cap come summer time. For a team that has shown about as much fiscal responsibility as Imelda Marcos at a shoe store, this is saying something. Let's see who they can lure to Madison Square Garden...
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