TORONTO: Exceeds Expectations

5. Jonas Valanciunas

It’s deja vu all over again. Last year, a team above them unexpectedly took an athletic defensive power forward which resulted in a higher ranked big man unexpectedly falling to the Raptors. Colangelo and the Raptors brass probably can’t believe their luck. I was afraid they might still take Knight, but Colangelo showed he is indeed focused on the future, rather than the present.

Valanciunas will fill the void at center the Raptors have been lacking for, well, ever. While apparently a lot of Raptor fans are unhappy with the pick, I think they’ll eventually regret that as Valanciunas is the type of player that Raptor fans love. He’s a high energy player who hustles, defends and rebounds. English, though, is not his strong suit.

On the other hand, the pick they got from the Heat, which they traded to the Bulls for James Johnson, could have been used to pick Corey Joseph at 28, who went one spot later to the Spurs. Who knows if that’s who Colangelo would have picked, as he was projected to go in the second round, but I’ll certainly be comparing their careers. And since the Spurs are pretty much never wrong…

I would have liked to see them try and scoop up another pick, but it’s not a big deal that they didn’t.

SAN ANTONIO: Exceeds Expectations

29. Cory Joseph

Traded George Hill for Indiana’s 15th pick, Kawhi Leonard.

I assumed the Spurs would exceed expectations, and again they have. Trading for Leonard is huge, especially since he was projected to go in the top ten and dropped. He’s the type of defender than the Spurs love, is in the perfect situation, and should step in Bruce Bowen’s shoes, that have been empty for a few years.

If on of my sleepers, Toronto’s Cory Joseph couldn’t get drafted by the Raptors, then the Spurs would have been my second choice. And it’s incredible timing because they might have their replacement for Hill. Yes, he projected to go in the second round, but I think he has first round talent and so, apparently, do the Spurs.haunt them. Burks should be a decent player, but guys like him are a dime a dozen.

CHARLOTTE: Exceeds Expectations

7. Bismack Biyombo
9. Kemba Walker

Traded Stephen Jackson for Sacramento’s 7th pick and Corey Maggette.

Sold 39th pick, Jeremy Tyler to Golden State, I’m guessing for cash.

It hurts to say it, but Charlotte actually did well. I was surprised that they passed on Knight for Biyombo, as they’ve been looking for a real starting PG for, well, their entire existence, but they resisted temptation and went with a guy who I think will be better down the road. I also look forward to watching Biyombo and Tyrus Thomas being on the floor at the same time. The front row needs to watch out.

Maggette was a disaster in Milwaukee and now brings his brand of scoring and no defense to Charlotte. He’s probably going to lose games for them, but that’s kind of what they wanted, so maybe it’s a good thing?

Walker fell, but not as far as I thought he might. I think it’s still a pretty good pick at 9, but Charlotte seems to like picking decent PGs with little upside.

CHICAGO: Exceeds Expectations

23. Nikola Mirotic
30. Jimmy Butler

Traded 28th and 43rd picks for Houstons 23rd pick, Nikola Mirotic.

Butler was very efficient offensively at Butler, and is a very good defender, so the Bulls may have a sleeper on their hands.

How much do you think the Spurs are pissed at not getting Mirotic, who is exactly the type of player they usually scoop up at the end up the first round? He’s a huge steal, but will play overseas for a couple of more seasons. That’s fine with the Bulls.

DENVER: Exceeds Expectations

22. Kenneth Faried
26. Jordan Hamilton
56. Chukwudiebere Maduabum

Traded Raymond Felton for Portland’s 26th pick, Jordan Hamilton, and Andre Miller.

Traded for Laker’s 56th pick, Chukwudiebere Maduabum, somehow.

Although I haven’t confirmed that Denver is, in fact, keeping Faried, if they do this was a very good draft day. I would have liked to have seen them get more for Felton, but Miller is a good, veteran PG that will probably be shipped elsewhere soon. Plus they were able to pick up another pick and a SF who has a chance to be a decent pro.

Faried is the type of player that everyone loves and helps you win. So why didn’t he go higher? Probably because he’s not a scorer and a little undersized.

I have no idea who Chukwudiebere Maduabum, but on his Draft Express profile, he’s listed as Chu Chu. I think he’s worthy of picking just for that. He immediately is in the running for best All-Tim NBA name.

MEMPHIS: Exceeds Expectations

49. Josh Selby

Selby was considered a first round talent, so this has to be considered a steal. Where they’ll find room for him, is another thing.
DETROIT: Exceeds Expectations

8. Brandon Knight
33. Kyle Singler
52. Vernon Macklin

Although I question whether he can play PG, Knight was projected to go in the top 5 and dropped to 8th, so Pistons fans have to be happy. Of course, he kind of presents the same problems that Rodney Stuckey, who’s also a combo guard they tried to turn into a point guard, did.

Singler is never going to be a star, but last year he was considered a middle first round pick and they got him in the second round. I think he’ll hang on and have a decent career as a bench player.

DALLAS: Exceeds Expectations

Traded their 26th pick to Portland for Rudy Fernandez

The rich get richer. Dallas has no use for a rookie and no one picked there was going to help them like Fernandez. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up starting next year.

LAKERS: Exceeds Expectations

41. Darius Morris
46. Andrew Goodelock
58. Ater Majok

Without a first round pick, they were able to pick up a decent prospect, in Darius Morris. This might be the second year in a row they get at least one keeper from the second round.

PHILADELPHIA: Exceeds Expectations

16. Nikola Vucevic
50. Lavoy Allen

Vucevic should end up being a pretty good pro and probable starter. At 16, in this draft, that’s pretty damn good.

CLEVELAND: Meets Expectations

1. Kyrie Irving
4. Tristan Thompson
32. Justin Harper

Irving will probably be the best player, so it was no surprise he was the first pick.

Thompson was the first big surprise of the night. And while I don’t think it’s a bad pick, since I think Thompson is going to be a very good pro, but he was a big reach at 3. Valanciunas would have made much more sense, but apparently Cleveland wants to make an impact immediately. Something they might regret down the line.

I think Cleveland should have offered Minnesota everything but it’s first pick to move up to 2 and draft Williams. If they had come out of the draft with Irving AND Williams, their future would have looked A LOT brighter.

Justin Harper is a stretch 4 that isn’t very big and probably won’t be much of a rebounder in the NBA. If he sticks, it’s because of his shooting. On Cleveland, that’s devoid of talent, he might, but with Antawn Jamison and J.J. Hickson as well as Anderson Varejao, who will probably be traded this summer, it’s puzzling why they’d take another power forward.

NEW YORK: Meets Expectations

45. Josh Harrellson

New York gets the guy Enes Kanter apparently made into the player he is today. So says Harrellson.

MINNESOTA: Meets Expectations

2. Derrick Williams

Traded Jonny Flynn for Houston’s 23rd pick, Nikola Mirotic, and Brad Miller.

For some reason the T-Wolves don’t end up with the 23d pick, so it’s basically a Flynn for Miller deal. Not sure why they’d do that.

Keeping Williams is the right move even though he doubles up on Beasley’s skills. He should be better than Bealsey and should give the Wolves some star power.

UTAH: Meets Expectations

3. Enes Kanter
12. Alec Burks

Although a lot of people had Brandon Knight going to Utah for the months leading up to the draft, they apparently changed their mind with less than a week to go. And while I was a little missed he didn’t fall to the Raptors, I think Utah will be VERY happy they chose Kanter instead of Knight.

Of course, while I think they made the right decision at 3, passing up Leonard, who is probably exactly what the Jazz need, is probably going to

OKLAHOMA CITY: Meets Expectations

27. Reggie Jackson

Jackson is a combo guard who joins an already crowded Thunder backcourt. I really don’t know where he’ll find minutes. I wonder why Oklahoma didn’t simply trade out of the draft.

PORTLAND: Meets Expectations

21. Nolan Smith
51. Jon Diebler

Traded Andre Miller for Raymond Felton

Traded Rudy Fernandez to Dallas for 26th pick, which they gave to Denver in prearranged deal.

Getting Felton for Miller is a great deal for Portland. He might be the young point guard they’ve been looking for all these years.

Unfortunately, picking Nolan Smith over Faried, who they could really use, was a mistake.

ORLANDO: Meets Expectations

53. DeAndre Liggins

He’s a player that was on Kentucky, but now he’s not.

ATLANTA: Meets Expectations

48. Keith Benson

He’s got legit size for an NBA power forward, and he’s stronger than he looks. For the 48th pick, the Hawks did well.

For a team hitting their ceiling, I would have liked to have seen them a little more active. Maybe after the new CBA is signed, whenever that happens.

MIAMI: Approaching Expectations

28. Norris Cole

Somehow got the 28th pick from Chicago to draft Cole, a PG, who should provide insurance in case Bibby is not re-upped.

BOSTON: Approaching  Expectations

27. JuJuan Johnson
55. E’Twaun Moore

Traded their 25th pick for the 27th pick.

Johnson is a decent player, but I don’t see him making any impact on the Celtics, either now or down the line. But would anyone else have?

Moore is an undersized shooting guard, but I’m guessing what attracted Boston was the ability to tell people they drafted JuJuan and E’Twaun. And both are American.

MILWAUKEE: Approaching Expectations

19. Tobias Harris
40. John Leuer

Traded Corey Maggette and 10th pick for Stephen Jackson and Charlotte’s 19th pick, Tobias Harris.

Getting rid of Maggette, who was a disaster, is good, but is Jackson really what they need? And how much longer does he have? Harris is a good pick, though, who’s been compared to Shane Battier.

PHOENIX: Approaching  Expectations

13. Markieff Morris

Morris might make a pretty good role player on a good team. Phoenix, however, needs home runs, not singles. They have a lot of role players and the engine that makes them go, Nash, is nearing the end of his career.

GOLDEN STATE: Approaching Expectations

11. Klay Thompson
37. Jeremy Tyler
44. Charles Jenkins

So they STILL have Monta Ellis, yet decide to draft yet another shooter, while Kawhi Leonard  and Nikola Vucevic were still available. Thompson might be the best player available, for all I know, though, and if Jerry West thinks so, it’s probably true.

I don’t know about Tyler, though, who seems to have the physical tools, but needs maturity.

WASHINGTON: Approaching Expectations

6. Jan Vesely
18.Chris Singleton
34. Shelvin Mack

A lot of teams seemed high on Vesley, but I don’t understand the attraction to him. He’s 6’11 and athletic, but he’s not a great scorer, can’t shoot, isn’t a good ball handler, will probably struggle defensively at the 3 and is a poor rebounder for his size. He’s apparently got a good motor, though, and he’s got a very hot girlfriend, so those are both pluses.

Singleton was on my don’t draft list and I really don’t see how he’s going to play with Vesley. Neither can shoot, but Singleton has even fewer skills than Vesley.

NEW JERSEY: Approaching Expectations

25. Marshon Brooks
36. Jordan Williams

Traded their 27th pick, JaJuan Johnson for Boston’s 25th pick, Marshon Brooks

When I first saw a trade between Boston and New Jersey involving Brooks, I thought it was a blockbuster. No, it was not Brooks Lopez, but Marshon Brooks, who bring his great shooting and horrible defense to a bad defensive team.

CLIPPERS: Needs Improvement

37. Trey Thompkins
47. Travis Leslie

The Clippers traded away a unprotected lottery pick that ended up being Kyrie Irving, who’s probably just what the Clippers could have used to solidify them as one of the teams of the future. What they ended up drafting were two solid NCAA players with probably very little chance of sticking in the NBA.

SACRAMENTO: Needs Improvement

10. Jimmer Fredette
35. Tyler Honeycutt

Traded their 7th pick for Milwaukee’s 10th pick, Jimmer Fredette, and John Salmons

So, the Kings trade John Salmons away, only to trade back for him a couple of years later. And move down in the draft in order to do it. Fredette might be a great shooter, but I don’t see how he helps Sacramento. He’s not going to be a good defender and will do nothing for the chemistry. Keeping the pick and taking Knight or Walker would have been preferable.

HOUSTON: Needs Improvement

14. Marcus Morris
38. Chandler Parsons

Traded Brad Miller, the 23rd pick and a future first rounder for Minnesota’s 20th pick, Donatas Motiejunas, and Jonny Flynn.

Houston’s GM, Daryl Morey, intrigues me. He’s apparently a big advanced stats guy and was initially a guy a lot of Raptor fans wanted to replace Colangelo, but he makes the most head scratching trades. Motiejunas was another on my do not draft list. He doesn’t defend or rebound, but should be able to score a lot, which makes him basically a bigger version of Kevin Martin

Morris is, yet another young, decent power forward to join Houston’s stable of other decent, power forwards. Apparently you can never get enough of them.

Parsons is a typical Rocket small forward. he does a whole lot of things, but none of them really well.

INDIANA: Needs Improvement

Traded their 15th pick, Kawhi Leonard, to the Spurs for George Hill

Don’t the Pacers already have enough PGs who aren’t really PGs? George Hill looked good in the Spurs system, but you need to watch out for those guys, because there’s a good chance he won’t look nearly as good out of it. And while the Pacers already have enough SFs, don’t they know not to trade a draft pick to the Spurs?

NEW ORLEANS: Incomplete

Traded completely out of the draft by trading the 45th pick, Josh Harrellson, to the Knicks for cash.

The latest rumour, however, involves the Raptors, at least partly. San Antonio has apparently been offering lottery teams, including the Toronto Raptors, Tony Parker in exchange for their pick.

On the surface, this seems like it could be a good deal for the Raptors. Parker is a former All-Star and Finals MVP who is only 29. He’s probably still got 4 or 5 years left of really high quality basketball, and most likely higher quality than what any of the potential draft picks would bring.

Then you think about it a little.

First of all, Tony Parker is 29 years old, but it’s an old 29. He’s played 746 regular season games and 138 playoff games. That’s 884 games, not including preseason and playing for France, which he’s done a fair bit of.  That’s more games than anyone else in his draft class. A class which includes Pau Gasol, Shane Battier, Joe Johnson, Jason Richardson and Samuel Dalembert. So while he’s one of the younger players from his draft class, he’s also got one of the older bodies. And that could be a problem with the type of game he plays. He relies on quickness and at 6’1 and probably under 200 lbs, his body takes a lot of beating since the majority of his shots come in the paint. In a season and a half, he’ll have played more than 1000 games taking the kind of punishment he has.

And while one can point to Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and John Stockton as point guards who have played at a high level until their late 30′s, I can name you hundreds of other point guards who started breaking down before they even hit 30. And most of them hadn’t played nearly the number of games that Parker has.

Another issue is that while Parker would have an immediate impact on the team, it wouldn’t be best for the team, longterm. I understand the argument that a veteran presence would have a positive impact on the team. The problem with this argument, however, is that the Raptors are not nearly at the point in their development where a guy like Parker would really help them. The biggest problem is that Parker would immediately become the best player on the team. And while that may sound great, a team where Tony Parker is the only All-Star calibre player on the team is going to be a pretty mediocre team. Which means the ceiling of this team would be probably a first round exit. And just when guys like DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis start to come into their own is when Parker would start declining. In other words, you lose his talent just when you need it the most.

So while Parker still in HIS prime, the team might eventually become a .500 team, fighting for the 7th or 8th seed. And that’s probably best case scenario. And then when he starts to decline, DeRozan and Davis start to peak. And while they have the potential to be good players, they’ll never be elite players, so that team’s best case scenario is probably a 7th or 8th seed and team winning in the low 40′s. In other words, a trade for Parker would pretty much doom the team to mediocrity. And for a franchise that has seen too much mediocrity, that’s the last thing they need.

Last, and certainly not least, if the Spurs are willing to trade Tony Parker for a lottery pick, you have to figure that whoever they want is going to be a damn good player, since this is the Spurs we’re talking about. So instead of trading for Parker, I’d just try and figure out who they want to draft and take him. I’m betting he becomes the best player of this draft.

To me, that’s the smart thing to do.

—

Check out my draft preview.

Why? Because none of them actually possessed the skill that Calderon had that has continually put him back in charge of the team’s offense again and again: The ability to run a team and make his teammates better.

If this year’s playoffs have showed us one thing (and they’ve shown us more than that, but that’s for another post), it’s the importance of someone who can distribute the ball and make those around him better. In most cases, that’s your PG.

Russell Westbrook, despite his All-Star season, is rumoured to be not as secure in Oklahoma as he was before the playoffs after it became apparent that he’s still not a true PG, something that hurt the Thunder against the Mavs.

Speaking of the Mavs, Jason Kidd, despite the fact that he’s closer in age to me than his teammate, Dirk, has been able to help lead his team to the NBA FInals.

But wait, you say, Miami doesn’t have a great PG on their team and they’re in the NBA Finals, too! Yes, but none of their PGs actually run the team. That’s up to two of the best players in the league, in LeBron James and Dywane Wade, and LeBron maybe the best passing SF the game has seen since Larry Bird. So, unless you have a truly transcendent passer at another position, it’s probably best if you have a PG that can actually run an offense and make his teammates better.

That’s why the upcoming draft is such a concern with me. The player that seems to be the most probable Raptor, come June 23rd, seems to be Brandon Knight. Now, I have nothing against Brandon Knight. I think he’s a very good player and, from what I gather, is a very intelligent young man. My problem, however, is that he doesn’t seem to actually be a point guard. None of his strengths (size, scoring ability) are those that you’d look for in a point guard and his weaknesses (questionable decision making, turnover prone, not a great passer) are kind of red flags for a point guard, don’t you think?

The argument I’ve heard supporting drafting him is that he can learn the point guard position. Lots of players have come into the league with questionable PG skills and flourished, haven’t they? Well, no. Not really.

In the last ten years, 19 PGs with universally questionable PG skills have been drafted in the first round: Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Jerryd Bayless, George Hill, Rodney Stuckey, Aaron Brooks, Shannon Brown, Nate Robinson, Luther Head, Ben Gordon, Devin Harris, Delonte West, Kirk Hinrich, Marcus Banks and Juan Dixon.

And that’s not including scoring PGs, who showed the ability to run an offense in college, but whose best attribute was probably scoring, like John Wall or Derrick Rose. It also doesn’t include those that were really SGs, but their teams decided to try and convert them to PG, like Tyreke Evans, Randy Foye and Joe Forte.

Now, there are a lot of talented players on that list. But there are also a lot of players who either have been shipped around from team to team because teams end up longing for a real PG to run their offense, or simply become bench players who can provide instant offense off the bench. And only one of those players have been able to lead his team past the first round of the playoffs as a starting PG. Russell Westbrook. And, as I mentioned, Westbrook’s lack of true PG skills is coming back to haunt him.

Coincidentally, a lot of those PGs with questionable PG skills have been on the wish lists of a lot of Raptor fans over the years. And not coincidentally, most of them have been on the trading block numerous times. The reason is that, despite their offensive skills, teams begin to tire of their inability to actually do what a point guard is supposed to do and run an offense and make those around him better.

The latest is current Minnesota Timberwolves “PG”, Jonny Flynn, who apparently is a favourite of many to be traded to the Raptors. Minnesota surprised many when they selected Flynn as high as they did, and he responded by giving them a mediocre rookie season and a horrible sophomore season. When he came out of Syracuse, NBADraft.net had this to say about him:

Lockdown defender on the perimeter. Flynn enjoys playing defense and seems to take pride in shutting down opposing point guards… Has the basketball IQ, focus and skills to excel as a pick-and-roll point guard at the next level… More of a scorer than a distributor. Detractors question his ability to play the point guard position and run a team. Is he a natural point guard? Is he really ready? On the positive side, he’s a heady player who will likely learn as he goes and improve… Will need to adapt to not having the ball in his hands all the time when he gets to the NBA … Will also have to limit turnovers … Flynn averaged 3.4 TOs per game as a sophomore…

I’m not quite sure WHY everyone seems to want this guy. I have nothing against him, but he really doesn’t seem to be a PG and he certainly hasn’t impressed anyone so far in his NBA career.

Interestingly, Brandon Knight is considered to be an excellent defender, with a high IQ and very good at running the pick and roll. He’s also got questionable PG skills and there are real questions whether he can play the point in the NBA. He’s got many of the same strengths and weaknesses attributed to Flynn when he came out of college.

So what is it exactly about these PGs that lack PG skills that seem to attract so many Raptor fans? I really have no idea. If the survivability of Calderon as a Raptor shows us anything it’s that the ability to run a team trumps just about any other skill a PG has. There are certain skills in the NBA that are instinctual. Rebounding is instinctual. Players either can do it or they can’t. It’s why a guy like Bargnani can’t seem to rebound consistently despite obvious physical abilities, yet a guy like Reggie Evans, who is shorter than most others at his position, rebounds like a demon in heat. Playing the point is instinctual. You can’t think when you’re out there, you have to react instinctively. That’s why so many combo guards struggle, and ultimately fail, to make the transition. Because while they can understand HOW to play the position, they never acquire the instincts of a PG.

—

Speaking of combo guards, I read today that Monta Ellis is rumoured to possibly be on the move to Philadelphia for Andre Iguodala. Now, if this is true, it doesn’t surprise me at all considering that Jerry West was hired in an advisory role recently. Now, it makes no sense from Philadelphia’s perspective, since they already have an offensive minded, undersized SG on their roster, in Lou Williams, but from Golden State’s it makes perfect sense. Iguodala would upgrade their defense and passing, which are two major weaknesses for the team. Iguodala is the perfect backcourt partner for Curry, who is not a true PG, because he does everything well that Curry struggles at. Now if only they can get rid of David Lee for someone who actually plays defense…

Like my offseason grades, I’m going to look at each team and look at what they did as a whole, starting with the Raptors…

TORONTO: Incomplete

- James Johnson for Heat’s 2011 First Round Pick

For the Raptors, they didn’t make a big splash, but they did make one trade. Miami’s first round pick in the upcoming draft for James Johnson. To be honest, I was not a fan of Johnson coming out of Wake Forest. It didn’t instil me with confidence when both his name and Earl Clark’s were both mentioned as possibilities for the 9th pick that was eventually used to pick DeMar DeRozan. Both Johnson and Clark had fatal flaws that I turn me right off prospects. Things like “Low Basketball IQ”, or “Lack of Defensive Fundamentals” or worst of all, “Lack of Focus”. The “focus” issue is something that scares me off more than anything. This is actually something I’m going to discuss in a later post, but suffice is to say, I wasn’t a James Johnson fan.

Now, I’m giving Toronto an incomplete grade on this for a couple of reasons. The first is that no one really knows what kind of player James Johnson is. Yes, I know he played well in his Raptor debut against his old team, the Bulls, but that was one game. Let’s see how he does for the remaining 24 before we make any judgements.

The other reason they get an incomplete is because we really don’t know whether this draft is going to be as bad as people seem to think it is going to be. And that’s not just the players, but the value of the draft picks. Right now, it seems draft picks for the upcoming draft are being given away like Carmelo Anthony Nugget jerseys. Personally, I would have liked to see if the Heat pick could have been packaged to move up in the draft, or to try and draft a sleeper. Still, I don’t dislike the trade because the Heat’s pick looks like it’s going to be around 27, and the chances of finding a quality player that far down is extremely slim, especially if this draft is as bad as people say.

I’ll say this, if Johnson continues to play like he did in his debut, then this trade is a home run. He showed everything the Raptors lack, and he’ll be given every chance.

OKLAHOMA CITY: Exceeds Expectations

- Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic

- Nazr Mohommed for Morris Peterson and D.J. White

This past summer, I gave the Thunder a “Meets Expectations” grade because, while they made some good moves, they failed to fill the hole in the middle. With the only good defensive player in the middle being Serge Ibaka, and Cole Aldrich looking like a potential bust, the Thunder desperately needed another good big man. I suggested, before the New Year, trading Jeff Green, Aldrich and a 1st round pick to Cleveland for Anderson Varejao, but Varejao’s season ending injury pretty much killed that possibility. Instead of Varejao, they went out and got Kendrick Perkins.

Am I the only one who thinks this might shift the balance of power in the West?

Oklahoma’s biggest weakness this year has been their defense. They can score, but with Green and Krstic as their starting front court, they had trouble stopping people.

Now they have one of the best defensive centers in the league, in Perkins, and one of the best up and coming defensive big men in the league, in Ibaka. While they still lack a true low post scoring threat, a fact that might haunt them come the playoffs, this could be the move that launches them from pretender to true contender. Especially in the West where San Antonio and the Lakers are the two teams you have to go through. Now oklahoma can match their size.

And then they grabbed Nazr Mohammed as Perkins’ backup. Yes, Nazr is vastly overpaid, but it’s expiring, so it doesn’t matter.

The only question is whether or not Perkins is healthy. If he is, then Oklahoma made out the best of anyone.

DENVER: Exceeds Expectations

- Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, Knicks first-round pick (2014 or later) and the Warriors’ second-round picks in 2012 and 2013 for Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter

I already discussed this deal, but I’ll just say that with their back against the wall and everyone knowing where Carmelo would eventually go, Denver did very well. I thought they had secured 2 first round picks, but apparently not. Still staying out of this year’s draft probably isn’t such a bad thing. They got some nice young talent they can eventually flip for something, or try and develop themselves. Either way, they’ve got a lot of choices, now. And they’ll probably still compete for a playoff spot with the talent they have.

NEW JERSEY: Exceeds Expectations

- Deron Williams for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and two 2011 first-round picks

- Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric for Troy Murphy and Net’s 2112 second-round pick

No deal has ever surprised me like Deron Williams going to the Nets. In this day and age, where everyone seems to know everything, that one came out of left field. And without any warning. Personally, I think Deron might be a better player than Anthony, but either way, I think he’s going to help the team more than Anthony ever could. He makes his teammates better and should be able to attract some talent to the Nets, something they failed to do this past summer.

Getting Williams was certainly a risk. Favors could blow up to be a great player and they gave up their lottery pick in the upcoming draft, which apparently has no protection, plus Golden State’s protected pick next year. Plus, Williams might just leave in a year and a half. But I doubt it.

And getting something for Troy Murphy was pretty good. Wright can’t seem to stay healthy, but there was a time when he held a lot of promise. New Jersey can afford to gamble on him.

HOUSTON: Exceeds Expectations

- Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll and Memphis’ first-round pick for Shane Battier and Ishmael Smith

- Goran Dragic and Phoenix’s protected first-round pick for Aaron Brooks

I’ve been a fan of Battier since his days at Duke, and would love him to eventually go to a real contender, where he deserves, but Houston was not going to make the playoffs, and he probably wasn’t going to return as a free agent this summer. Getting a project like Thabeet is a low risk gamble that could pay off big, especially if he fulfills the expectations that made him a 2nd pick.

Brooks, on the other hand, is the type of PG I dislike. He’s a shoot first PG that makes his teammates grumble with his shot selection and unwillingness to pass. Yes, he can score, but I like my PGs to make everyone else better, and Brooks doesn’t do that.

Plus, they got a couple of first round picks. Not a bad days work.

PORTLAND: Meets Expectations

- Gerald Wallace for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks and two first-round draft picks

Portland got exceptionally better, and gave up very little. Wallace can play PF and give them a small lineup that can still rebound, or play SF and give them a big lineup. With Roy still a question mark, getting a guy like Wallace, who can score, rebound and defend, was important. Plus, he’s only 28 despite being the league 9 years.

CLIPPERS: Meets Expectations

- Mo Williams and Jamario Moon for Baron Davis and the Clipper’s 2011 first-round pick

Another surprise, since Baron Davis had been playing fairly well recently. Of course, the smart GM would use that opportunity to trade him. Who knew the Clippers had a smart GM?

One of the worst things the Clippers have done in the last decade (and there’s been a lot to choose from) might have been giving Davis that huge contract. In 11 seasons in the NBA, Davis has had exactly one exceptional season where he was completely healthy. The season before the Clippers signed him away from Golden State.

I’ve never been a fan of Mo Williams but if it’s a choice between him for 3 more years at $8.5 million and Baron Davis for 3 more years at $14 million, I’m going to choose Mo every time. And while giving up a lottery pick might seem like a steep price to get rid of Davis, the last thing the Clippers need right now is another young player, and no one’s liking the look of this draft, so it might end up being worthless, anyway.

ATLANTA: Meets Expectations

- Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong for Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, Jordan Crawford and Atlanta’s 2011 first-round pick

I thought trading for Bibby a few years ago was fantastic for the Hawks. They desperately needed a veteran PG and Bibby had been in the playoff trenches. But he’s not the player he once was, and his defense is now pretty much non existent. Hinrich is a massive upgrade, and is an excellent defense. Plus, like Bibby, he doesn’t need the ball to be effective, which is important playing next to Joe Johnson.

NEW YORK: Meets Expectations

- Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups,Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter for Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, Knicks first-round pick (2014 or later) and the Warriors’ second-round picks in 2012 and 2013

As I said, I already discussed this deal, and New York obviously came out of the trade with the best player, but I’m not convinced New York is ever going to be a serious contender with Anthony and Amare.

NEW ORLEANS: Meets Expectations

- Carl Landry for Marcus Thornton

I’m not a big fan of either of these guys, but Thornton wasn’t getting any time because he apparently doesn’t play defense, and New Orleans is sorely lacking inside scoring. Enter Landry, who doesn’t rebound and isn’t a great defender, but can score inside.

CHICAGO: Meets Expectations

- Miami’s 2011 first-round pick for James Johnson

Johnson was obviously not going to break into the Bulls’ lineup, so getting a first round pick was probably the best thing they could have done.

MEMPHIS: Approaching Expectations

- Shane Battier and Ishmael Smith for Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll and Memphis’ first-round pick

Giving up Thabeet and a first-round pick was a big gamble for a player who might not eve re-sign with Memphis this summer, but Battier is exactly the type of player they need. A steady, smart veteran who doesn’t need the ball to be effective and who knows how to win. Memphis obviously hopes he’ll rub off on everyone else on the team.

I still think they should have traded Zach Randolph while his stock was so high.

BOSTON: Approaching Expectations

- Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson

- Sacramento’s second-round pick for Marquis Daniels

- Cleveland’s second-round pick for Semih Erden and Luke Harangody

When Kendrick Perkins got injured a couple of seasons ago in the playoffs, it cost the Celtics the title. He might be one of the best centers in the league at defending Dwight Howard. Trading away a very good defensive center in his prime is a huge, huge risk. One I think might come back to haunt the Celtics.

I like Jeff Green, and I think not being forced to play PF will do him a world of good, and I think he’s a very good defender at the SF position, but basically the Celtics gave up a starter for a bench player. They are going to have to rely on Shaq a lot more at center, and this quote from Doc Rivers doesn’t do a lot for me: ”Shaq’s a key component of this,” said Rivers. “We need to get Shaq healthy and Shaq will be healthy. If Shaq plays great, this deal was actually really good for us. That’s on Shaq. We have to get Shaq in great shape, get him ready, get him healthy. He’s really going to be important for us in the playoffs.”

Plus, the Celtics are going to have two players (Shaq and Rondo) who can’t hit free throws. You don’t think that might hurt them?

SACRAMENTO: Approaching Expectations

- Marcus Thornton for Carl Landry

- Marquis Daniels for a second-round pick

I’m not quite sure why Sacramento would want Thornton or Daniels, since they already have Evans Casspi and Garcia, but I guess they didn’t give up much, so why not.

MINNESOTA: Approaching Expectations

- Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry for Corey Brewer

Yes, Minnesota is acquiring assets, but Corey Brewer is more productive than Anthony Randolph, and Minnesota agreed to take on Eddy Curry to get him. Randolph better end up panning out.

WASHINGTON: Approaching Expectations

- Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, Jordan Crawford and Atlanta’s 2011 first-round pick for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong

I find it hard to believe that the best Washington could have gotten for Hinrich was Mike Bibby and another year of his contract and a late first-round pick in a bad draft. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t say it was good, either.

CLEVELAND: WHY??????

- Baron Davis  and the Clippers 2011 first-round pick for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon

- Semih Erden and Luke Harangody for a second-round pick

I can understand wanting to get the Clippers first round pick (probably a top 10 pick), but is it really worth taking on Baron Davis when you couldn’t even get rid of Antoine Jamison and his awful contract?

PHOENIX: Your Kid Is A Moron

- Aaron Brooks for Goran Dragic and Phoenix’s protected first-round pick

I have absolutely no idea what Phoenix is doing. Brooks is a brutal PG because he can’t pass, so he’s the anti-Nash. And they gave up a first round pick when they should be collecting them.

UTAH: Incomplete

- Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and two 2011 first-round picks for Deron Williams

As I previously said, this trade came out of nowhere, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it from Utah’s perspective. If Williams was indeed on his way out of town, as some have said, then trading him now was a fantastic idea. And getting what they did for him was very good. Personally, I liked the Nets offer for Carmelo better than the Knicks, and the Jazz ended up getting it.

After a thrilling win against New Jersey, allow me to throw some cold water over things. It took career nights from both Bargnani and Kleiza, and a season best game from Calderon for the Raptors to barely beat the East’s second worst team at home, despite no New Jersey player playing really an above average game. The Lakers are a tad better than New Jersey.

On the plus side, Bargnani was barely recognizable in the second half, against the Nets. He was aggressive, and not just on offense, and despite a few miscues on defense (including allowing Brook Lopez to dunk on a post up right after Bargnani brought everyone to their seats on a drive and dunk- which was a microcosm of why he frustrates me), Bargnani had the best game I’ve ever seen him play. Yes, he took 26 shots to score 32 points, but most of those misses occurred in the first half. Ironically, it’s usually the first half that he does most of his damage, generally being content to fade into the background in the second half.

The Lakers have much better defenders to try and stop Bargnani on the offensive end. He played poorly against then in Los Angeles and there’s a very good chance will do the same today.

One big reason the Raptors were able to come back against the Nets was their use of the zone against them. Triano gets a lot of criticism, and in my opinion unwarranted most of the time, but he out-coached his more respected counterpart last night. Lopez didn’t go off, but he still was able to score 20 points on 7-13 shooting. What hurt them were his 6 turnovers, mostly caused by the swarming double teams the Raptors sent his way, as well as the zone he had to contend with.

The Lakers have much better 3 point shooters than New Jersey does, so a zone won’t work as well against them. That means that Gasol will probably have his way against the Raptors front line.

Kleiza certainly took advantage of getting back in the starting lineup, and may have made a case for returning there full time. The question is whether it would be simply to put Kleiza on display to up his trade value. I still firmly believe that both Kleiza and Barbosa should be shopped before the trade deadline this season. While they both bring attributes the Raptors need, I think they’re more valuable to the team as trade bait. Can they get a first round pick or two in return?

ORLANDO TRYING TO WORK SOME MAGIC

Speaking of trades, I did a double take when I saw a report that the Magic have sent Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus and a 2011 draft pick to Phoenix for former Magic player, Hedo Turkoglu, as well as Jason Richardson and Earl Clark. If that was it, it would still be a team transforming trade. But they also traded Rashard Lewis to Washington for Gilbert Arenas.

Here’s my take on the trades:

ORLANDO

Orlando has struggled lately, but for a contender to make such massive changes is unheard of. If Otis Smith truly feels that things are not working with the current roster, then I applaud his aggressiveness, but talk about risky. Not only is there a danger in bringing in three such dominant players, but not one of them has ever been known for his defense. That’s putting a lot of pressure on Dwight Howard on the defensive end, as much as it takes away pressure on the offensive end. And he also Orlando loses it’s only real backup center. And I haven’t even mentioned the contracts, yet.

When Orlando overpaid Rashard Lewis with that $100 million, three and a half years ago, it was a big gamble. Although he never was the player he was in Seattle, the gamble paid off. At first. Orlando even went to the Finals his second year in Orlando and made the All-Star team. Unfortunately every year his production declined culminating in this year, where he’s averaging an 11 year low 12.2 ppg on just .419 shooting. Way too low for a guy making $65 million over the next three years.

Lewis was quickly becoming untradeable, so they found another untradeable player they could trade him for in Gilbert Arenas. Arenas has a very good chance of helping the team more than Lewis, but the question is whether he’ll be more of a distraction than a help. He didn’t help Washington win much this year, but a change of scenery may help.

Acquiring Vince Carter was obviously a failure, as many Raptor fans could have predicted. Apparently they also feel letting Turkoglu go in the first place was also a mistake. Orlando definitely had it’s most success when Turkoglu was on the team, and have definitely not been the same since he left, but I’m not sure getting him back was really the best option for Orlando.

Turkoglu turns 32 this year, has declined a fair bit every year since he won the Most Improved Player Award three and a half years ago, and has never shown an inclination to really stay in shape or work hard. And he’s owed $42 million over the next four years. Add Gilbert Arenas’ nearly $80 million over the next four years and Orlando is investing A LOT of money in this deal. A lot.  If this fails, Orlando is going to have a hell of a time digging themselves out of this hole.

Jason Richardson is the least risky acquisition for Orlando. There’s no doubt he can score, but like Turkoglu and Arenas, defense is not his strong suit. This might end up being a problem for Orlando, since they’re trading away two strong defenders in Gortat and Pietrus.

As I said, this trade is a huge, huge risk for Orlando. It will either be a home run or a disaster. My guess is it will be the latter.

Grade: C-

PHOENIX

In one fell swoop, Phoenix made over their roster, vastly improved their defense and gave themselves a brighter future. Trading for Turkoglu was a big mistake and Phoenix figured that out fairly quickly. Getting Carter’s expiring contract for him was extremely fortunate. How Carter performs in Phoenix is largely irrelevant, since it is his expiring contract that they wanted. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if he sees a rise in his production playing next to Steve Nash.

Gortat should finally get a chance to start, and should immediately help Phoenix on the defensive end and on the boards. A team that has historically not been strong at the center position now has 3 that will battle it out for minutes. I wouldn’t be surprised if Phoenix isn’t done dealing.

Pietrus was caught in a numbers game in Orlando, but should get plenty of minutes in Phoenix and probably even start.

Despite losing Jason Richardson’s scoring, this was a very good trade for Phoenix. Not only for the future, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it helps in the win column this year. They even get a first round pick out of it.

GRADE: A

WASHINGTON

Getting rid of Gilbert Arenas was a priority for a team that needed to separate itself from the past and give the keys to John Wall. Lewis not only has a (slightly) shorter contract, he fills a need for the Wizards.

GRADE: B+