Trades and the Deadline

Shaq says hello to the Desert, and Marion makes it to the Beach.

Gasol is hanging out in Hollywood, while Kwame Brown and two future 1st round picks are sitting down in Memphis.

And the Bulls.....hopefully do not stand pat.

The Shaq trade is interesting, and we'll have to wait until Thursday to catch a glimpse of him against the Mavs, but this is either a love it or hate type trade. The day of the trade it was criticized more than Bush's presidency, now all of a sudden analysts are digging it. Hey, if Kareem could do it at 40, why not Shaq?

Personally, I have no freakin' idea how it will work. It's either Steve Kerr's crown, or his demise.

As for Miami, they appreciate the cap space for sure, and the talk is they'll keep Marion around to team up with Wade for the future. Now if Riley is down with implementing a run and gun type of show, then it could work. They'll obviously need to get rid of their older players, and retool with more athletes and shooters. But if they still go with the half court style, then I say, and always have, that Marion is overrated. Here's why

#1. He could shoot a moving jump shot if his life depended on it, and neither could anyone else with that ugly release. Can you see Marion penetrating, stopping at 19 feet out and sinking a mid-range jump shot? Nope. It's either stand still 3, or highlight dunk. There is no inbetween.

#2. I'm not sure he's that great of a passer. Nash did all that for him, setting him up all the time. Can he pass out of doubles? And is he a selfish player, isn't that why he was constantly complaining, cause he wasn't getting his props?

#3. He is Desmond Mason with better range; offensively speaking. He's a much better defender and one of the best small forwards in terms of rebounding. And while it's true that Miami will love his D, where are they going to go for O? Wade is option #1, #2, and probably #3. I've never really seen Marion create his own shot, just iso. Usually it's on the break, taking his man off the bounce while the defender is already on his heels.

Guess the East shall see.

The Gasol trade is ridiculous and everyone in the West has to be pretty upset. Popovich has already told Iavoroni what an idiot he is, and everyone else is just thinking it.

But...saying the Lakers are the favorites in the West is pretty outlandish. We'll see come playoff time when the Spurs decided it's time to play, the Mavs won't melt down or play the Warriors, Houston is there playing well, Utah could be a problem. I just don't see it quite yet.

Pau is pretty soft on the defensive end, and matching up with Duncan, Dirk, Boozer, and Yao doesn't bode well. I know Bynum will be back, but will he a) be healthy and play like he did before he got hurt? b) the kid is so young still, I don't think he's at the elite level yet.

THE BULLS need to do something. I've heard rumors about trading Wallace to New York for Quentin Richardson, Fred Jones, and a pick I think. Doesn't do much for me, but I suppose more cap space, more time for Noah, more depth at the 3 and 2 spot--since Deng and Gordon are MIA. I suppose it could help, a little.

The other rumor is with the Jazz, giving Chicago Kirilenko, and giving up Wallace. I would like to see this one go down, rather than New York. Kirilenko can hit inside the arc, and is one of the best shot blockers in the league. He's been an All-Star, and is a great defensive player. And he's only 27.

But really I believe it's time that Gordon moves on. Yikes, losing our top scorer I know what hurt, obviously. However, the team aspect on the offensive end would be better and the D gets bigger and better as well.

When Gordon's on the floor everyone stands around and watchs, like he's LeBron or something. Our offense needs more motion--Boylan listen--maybe even set plays that aren't pick and rolls.

Defensively, it's been noted how Gordon is a liability, so I won't go there. But he's short. There, I said it.

So let's feel out these good vibes and say the Bulls land AK47. We might see a Hinrich/Sefolosha backcourt, with Deng/Kirilenko/Noah or Thomas frontcourt. Bulls suddenly look significantly better on paper.

Then Gordon and Nocioni first coming off the bench, then Du, this team looks pretty deep. Add on Gray for his offense against bigger teams, the Bulls could definately make a little run for a higher seed.

Truly all speculation, but who knows.