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Breaking it down Who got the short end of the stick last week?Posted: Sunday February 24, 2002 9:34 PM
Boston: Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers The Boston-Phoenix trade is indicative of two franchises going in different directions. The Suns are trying to go young, so they got Johnson, Palacio and a future draft choice. It certainly looks as if they've given up on this year. On the other hand, the Celtics feel that the East is still wide open, but they had to have some help for Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, because they would have eventually worn down. Delk and Rogers are terrific pickups for them, because they'll give them 23 or 24 points off the bench every night, which is exactly what the Celtics need. They still don't have a power player to rebound for them, but this trade definitely helps.
Chicago: Jalen Rose, Travis Best, Norman Richardson and a conditional 2nd-round pick
Most people think this trade is most beneficial to Indiana, but you really have to look at the best player in the trade. Rose is definitely the best player in this trade, and Best may be the second-best player. So while everybody else thinks that getting Miller, Artest, Mercer and Ollie was a better move for Indiana, the Pacers really didn't help themselves that much. Indiana now has a front line of Miller, Jermaine O'Neal and Artest or Austin Croshere, but they can't shoot from the perimeter. Meanwhile, Chicago got two players who were very prominent two years ago in the Finals and gave up a bunch of players who haven't won many games. So it remains to be seen who got the better end of that deal.
Dallas: Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Raef LaFrentz Dallas made out well in this trade. LaFrentz can shoot the 3, and he's second in the league in shot-blocking. So if Van Exel will accept being the two-guard and letting Steve Nash handle the basketball, the Mavs will really benefit from this trade. Dallas can put five players out on the basketball floor who can all shoot 3s -- Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, Nash, Van Exel and LaFrentz. People will say they won't defend very well, but they've played a zone the entire year, which helps hide their weaknesses. From Denver's standpoint, it was totally financially motivated. Howard has only one year left on his contract, and the Nuggets were able to unload Abdul-Wahad, who has $38.5 million left on his deal. They weren't going to give LaFrentz a maximum contract, so he was gone anyway, and they got rid of an unhappy Van Exel.
Minnesota: Marc Jackson Minnesota helped themselves; Jackson was in contention for Rookie of the Year before he got hurt last season. And while he's not a very good defensive player, the Timberwolves play zones, so he'll be well protected. As for the Golden State side of the deal, it's tough to understand what the Warriors were doing with Jackson. They matched Houston's offer sheet but then didn't showcase him to try to trade him, so they ended up with only Dean Garrett and a second-round pick in 2007. That means they paid Jackson almost $2.5 million just to sit there. A lot of GMs thought there was more out there for Jackson; they were really shocked to see Golden State get so little for him. Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN/SI's This Week in the NBA.
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