...NBA Trade Deadline Deals...

Now that the flurry of trades are over, while there's a bit of downtime for me in the office, and before anyone can claim that I copied ideas, I'd like to give my takes on the deals that went through.(Source: NBA.com)

For the record, analysis came from reading articles, playing NBA 2k11, and having a daily fantasy league. 

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James Johnson to Raptors

Chicago gets: 

2011 first round pick (from Heat)

Raptors get: 

F James Johnson

Verdict: Neutral

Analysis: 

Not much to talk about, as James Johnson has been at the tail end of the Bulls Bench despite injuries to their bigs. Could be a project, but this deal looks like something to have the Bulls dump salary wherever they can.

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Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks

New York gets:

F Carmelo Anthony

G Chauncey Billups

F Renaldo Balkman

C Shelden Williams

G Anthony Carter

G Corey Brewer (MIN)

Denver gets:

F Wilson Chandler

F Danilo Gallinari

G Raymond Felton

C Kosta Koufous

C Timofey Mozgov

$3 million cash

2014 1st round pick (from NYK)

2012 & 2013 2nd round picks (originally from GSW)

Minnesota gets:

F Anthony Randolph

C Eddy Curry

2015 2nd round pick (from DEN)

$3 million cash

Verdict: Great trade.

Analysis: 

In essence, this is a win-win for the Knicks and Nuggets. While Melo could've just walked over to the Knicks after not signing an extension, New York got a boost in this trade by getting Chauncey Billups. 'Melo and Amar'e could work, really, like AI and 'Melo worked before in Denver. But Denver wasn't a serious contender before Chauncey arrived. Had 'Melo walked, NYK would be a bunch of young guys trying to have fun with each other, and would be exciting to watch, but wouldn't go deep in the playoffs. 

As for Denver, they got great value in getting something out of Carmelo. Gallow could provide a good scoring punch, Chandler would be a nice defensive stopper and 2nd offensive option, and Felton could push the tempo. The problem they have to deal with would be veteran leadership (Kenyon Martin, really?), now that three significant figures in their locker room in 'Melo (the franchise), Chauncey (championship experience, fan favorite), and Anthony Carter (veteran experience) are gone. It'd be interesting how they'd turn out, especially with two players (Lawson and Felton) playing the same style. As Denver already has the Birdman, K-Mart and Nene, Mozgov probably wouldn't be having much playing time. Actually, either Mozgov or Koufous has to go, but either way, they can't go wrong. Both are project big men.  

Oh and New York got back one of their draft busts in Renaldo Balkman (I say bust because the people watching the draft were so disappointed to have picked him at such a high pick, thank Isaiah Thomas). And I think Shelden Williams has major upside, he just needs the minutes. Despite losing Wilson Chandler, getting Corey Brewer is a bit of a safety net for them. At least they don't lose much of the athleticism Chandler provided. Anthony Carter is an good bonus, but really essential. 

As for Minnesota, they get cap relief by season's end and the "intriguing" Anthony Randolph. At least they have someone to spell for Darko if he gets injured again. 

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Deron Heads East

New Jersey gets: 

Deron Williams

Utah gets:

G Devin Harris

F Derrick Favors

2011 1st round pick (NJN)

2012 1st round pick (GSW)

Cash considerations

Verdict: Good trade.

Analysis: 

Raise your hand if you thought this would actually happen!

New Jersey finally lands a legit star after striking out on LeBron, Bosh, Amar'e and 'Melo. From watching shows with American humor, I realize that New Jersey isn't the ideal destination if you're going to the US. And it probably is the reason why big name stars don't want to be shipped there. If Deron re-signs with the team, they should be good, with Brook Lopez developing further, and other stars wanting to play with Deron. 

Utah doesn't lose much in exchange. Harris is an all-star caliber player (though a bit underwhelming this year), while Favors is a rookie with high potential. How he fits in the front court with Millsap and Al Jefferson would be a problem. I think they're going to be moving one more big man in the offseason. 

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Landry for Thronton

Sacramento gets:

G Marcus Thronton

Cash considerations

New Orleans gets:

F Carl Landry

Verdict: Ok trade

Analysis: 

The teams involved didn't get significantly better, but getting these players won't hurt them either. For Sacramento, they are loaded in the backcourt (Francisco Garcia, Beno Udrih, Jeter, Evans), but this is probably just to shake the roster up, and as a short relief while Evans is recovering. Although seeing as they're not in contention for a playoff spot, they might go the Rudy Gay route on Evans, and just rest the rest of the season, as they are left in very capable hands anyway.

For the Hornets, they get relief at the 4 and 5 spots with Landry while Okafor is out of action. I don't really understand why they had to trade for Landry when Jason Smith seems to be progressing nicely. 

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Hinrich to Hawks

Atlanta gets:

G Kirk Hinrich

C Hilton Armstrong

Washington gets:

G Mike Bibby

G Jordan Crawford

G Maurice Evans

2011 1st round pick (ATL)

Verdict: Excellent trade

Analysis: 

This is a great trade for the Hawks. They have had a history of bad point guards, and though Bibby did an excellent job at it, they needed something more. I am a huge Kirk Hinrich fan, and I think getting him at the point can finally redeem Atlanta for not taking any of the good point guards with their high draft picks (Chris Paul and Deron Williams have often been mentioned as those they passed on to take Marvin Williams instead). And now that we've seen Al Horford play as an all-star center, he can probably slide down to his natural position at the 4 with Hilton Armstrong effectively manning the middle. This gives them a scary starting unit, with Hinrich, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith at 3, Horford at 4, and Armstrong at 5. And they still have Jamaal Crawford off the bench. 

For the Wiz, they got a bunch of role players, and a more veteran voice in Bibby. I think Hinrich was great for them and the development of John Wall, but Bibby, as the starting point guard of formerly-perennial playoff contender Sacramento Kings, would be a more authoritative figure that Wall can listen to. Maurice Evans won't hurt the bench production either.

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B-Diddy to the Cavs

Cleveland gets:
G Baron Davis

2011 1st round pick (LAC)

Los Angeles gets:

G Mo Williams

F Jamario Moon

Verdict: Ok trade

Analysis: 

As NBA.com put it, the trade is a way for Clippers management to tell Blake Griffin that they're building around him. In that aspect, this trade goes well with the Clips. And they're not shortchanged with who they're getting, as Mo Williams was a 1-time all-star and is a capable scorer, while moon is a Shawn Marion-type of journeyman. 

For the Cavs, they get a superstar not named LeBron James. Now, if Baron can play like he's interested, the Cavs could get some wins. 

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Boston upgrades for Pierce backup

Boston gets:

F Jeff Green

C Nenad Kristic

Oklahoma gets: 

C Kendrick Perkins

G Nate Robinson

Verdict: Great trade

Analysis: 

Boston needed depth at the wing position with Marquis Daniels injured (just in, Daniels was shipped to Sacramento for cash and a 2nd round draft pick). Getting Jeff Green is a major upgrade at that position. Nenad may not be as physical as Perk, but you have to give up something to get someone at the caliber of Jeff Green. 

For Oklahoma, they got tougher in the interior, now that Perk and Serge Ibaka are splitting time at center. Nate Robinson gives them a Russel Westbrook-light from the bench.

Boston seems to be dumping their bigs for no reason (Semith Erden and Luke Harangody were sent to the Cavs for one (1) 2012 SECOND ROUND draft pick), but seems to be doing so in order to sign free agents. Roster space could probably be reserved for Troy Murphy and a coming-out-of-retirement Rasheed Wallace.

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Rockets moving on without Yao

Houston gets:

C Hasheem Thabeet

Future 1st round pick

Memphis gets:
F Shane Battier

G Ish Smith

Verdict: Good trade

Analysis: 

Memphis gets a veteran voice in Shane Battier. They have one of the youngest teams in the league, and having someone like Battier in their locker room can help organize this group to play as a team. From what I read, Battier is a great locker room guy, and his leadership shows in the playing court. While Z-Bo is a nice vet in the team, he's not the leader they need.

Houston, for their part, finally seems to be coming to terms that Yao Ming will not save their franchise. They trade for a #2 pick with a lot of upside, but so far hasn't shown much. With Chase Budinger, Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin and Luis Scola putting up the points, Thabeet could be the defensive anchor the team needs inside. If he develops an offensive game, he'll probably be able to help this team greatly.

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Charlotte exchanges a big for a guard

Charlotte gets:

F D.J. White

G Morris Peterson

Thunder gets:
C Nazr Mohammed

Verdict: Ok trade

Analysis: 

Paul Silas seems to be getting the hang of his roster, and doesn't want to deviate from what he has. Morris Peterson would probably come off the bench to spell for Captain Jack and play a little bit of point. I think they're confident enough with Kwame Brown to let go of Nazr Mohammed. At least to some extent, that's a relief for Jordan.

As for the Thunder, this doesn't help their team much. They're pretty much set on their rotation, so they're probably either going to move Nazr later, or have Ibaka or Perk as trade baits. 

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Suns make a move

Phoenix gets:

G Aaron Brooks

Houston gets:

G Goran Dragic

Future 1st round pick

Verdict: Bad trade

Analysis: 

I hate this trade. Dragic was going to be who Nash is to the Suns now. I don't understand why they had to let him go to trade for someone who plays much like Leandro Barbosa. I don't think they lack an offensive game, as they have Carter, Frye, Dudley and Nash. What they needed was more jelling, and adding a new, disgruntled player from a completely different system will not help them now. Unless they want to move in a different direction in terms of team philosophy in the future.

As for Dragic, I'm not sure if his playing style fits the Rockets' system. But he'll be playing behind Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry, which would be such a waste of talent for him. Sure, he'll be a spark off the bench, but he'll probably be stuck in a backup role for the rest of his career in Houston, since they have a young backcourt tandem in place. At least Rockets got rid of Ish Smith in a separate deal, which makes it easier for Dragic to move up in the rotation. 

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Blazers get deeper

Portland gets:

F Gerald Wallace

Charlotte gets:

F  Dante Cunningham

C Joel Pryzbilla

C Sean Marks

2011 1st round pick (NOH)

2013 1st round pick 

Verdict: Awful trade

Analysis: 

Well, it's awful for Charlotte. They let go of their #2 player to pick up pieces from Portland. Sean Marks, who has been a journeyman at best, has been in the league for so long, that I have to assume that he brings intangibles to locker rooms he comes to. Cunningham has upside, if judging only from the time he spelled for the injured bigs of Portland. Those are the best reasons I want to believe why Charlotte pulled the trigger on this deal, because you don't lose a player like Gerald Wallace like that. To some extent, I think it's to give more minutes to Gerald Henderson. He's been getting regular minutes and the 'Cats are playing small most of the time as of late. And they've been winning too. 

For Portland, they get a defensive wing to complement offensive machines like Wes Matthews and Nicolas Batum. They can't go wrong with this. But given Wallace's injury history, he doesn't make the team better in terms of health.

The trade is awful in such a way that it's not really a win-win situation.

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...An Admission of Weakness...

I have always thought that once I put my mind on to something, I can be great at it. I have always believed that I had a potential to be anyone I want to be. After a week of ups and downs, I must punctuate it with this emo-blog to try to push all the negativity in this week, so that tomorrow will truly be a new day. 

I normally edit parts of my blog to emphasize points I'd want to stress, but this is not one of my proudest blogs, so I leave it to the reader who wants to read, to the reader who is actually interested, to the reader who wants to sympathize, and to the reader who has nothing better to do than read an emo-post. =P 

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On Being a Student

My sister is a licensed architect. My brother is a registered nurse. And I'm a Philosophy graduate. Everyone thought I'd pursue law, but I didn't. In all honesty, I believe I'm so afraid of failure, that I wouldn't even dare try. I barely passed my undergraduate degree. I've always made my focus on extracurricular activities as the main reason why I had sub-par grades during college. But even that didn't work out too well for me. 

As a student, I don't think I could last listening to a lecture for more than 20 minutes. I don't think I could read beyond 14 pages of a textbook without falling asleep on it. I know these because that's who I was when I was a student. I am a Philosophy major who wouldn't be able to help you out in your Philosophy assignments. I know some of them philosophers and what their fields are, but I probably don't know any more than you do. I probably have knack for reasoning, but I don't have the will power to read up on sources to back up my stand. I'm too unequipped in Philosophy to try to pursue a Master's degree in it and teach, and I don't have the will power to study as law students do. 

As for my "alibi" on getting sub-par grades, I took a risk. Knowing full well that I'm not academically equipped to excel as a normal student, I devoted my attention to public service in my level; student politics. In my first year, I proclaimed that I'd want to be considered as a possible candidate for the presidency or the public relations officer, because I had the notion that those are the two positions that had most impact. They got me as the auditor. I lost in my first year, worked in the council as tirelessly as I have over the past year, and eventually won in my second try as the auditor. Everyone had an expectation of me, that even my opponents didn't take their defeats heavily. And even then I failed those expectations. I even had one of the nicest chairpersons of the party in Ate Jean Castillo, on my case back then. As a result, I didn't have the full confidence of the whole student community when I ran for the presidency.

And now, I hold a degree which doesn't get me anywhere, burned myself by not getting above-average grades academically, and I don't even have a "president" tag in my resume. It sucks to find a job with what I am equipped with, but thankfully, I have one.

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On Being a Partner

Che and I are going on our seventh year. Seven. Some marriages don't even last this long. And yet, we're not planning on getting married soon. We haven't been on too many trips. The most expensive gift that I gave her was probably the cellphone I gave her way before, and almost half of which my mom paid for. And she gave me a PS3 last December.

Now, that may not mean much. But it's frustrating that I can't even come up with a nice Valentine's day surprise for her. As mushy as I am, I haven't made her feel as special as I want her to. No surprise trips somewhere, no romantic reservations to any dinner. Nothing. We've seen couples travel, we've seen them give outrageous gifts to each other, and I can't even do any of those.

I feel more like her big brother than her boyfriend at times. Well, that's what we've always been, but, as in romantically, I'm just frustrated that I can't make her feel as special as any of those women in those couples we see. 

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On Work

Well, basically, work is all this is about. By June of this year, I'll officially be working for 4 full years now. Total savings: nada. Career path: headed nowhere. 

One day, after meeting a customer, I went out of that meeting and realized; can I really do this shit?

I'm frustrated because I don't know how to get things done. I'm familiar with the business, but this sales thing is so new to me. It's like, I'm still learning to type on the typewriter while everyone's tapping on their iPads. I don't know how most stuff works, but I'm treated as if I should. The longer I've been here, the more detached I have become to my boss, when at first, I thought that it would draw us closer. Almost six months going, and I'm still learning to talk to customers, still learning how to sort out those seriously wanting to consider doing business and those who are just hearing out ideas. We're in the business of flavors and fragrances, and on my side (fragrance), I haven't sold anything. What the fuck is the use of being a salesperson when you can't sell anything?

I feel like an overpaid slacker. No, it's not that I'm not trying. I'm being what I hate now, bugging people to ask questions that I know the answer to. I'm working my ass off to try and sell something, but I haven't. I feel like an overpaid slacker because I haven't sold anything as a salesperson, and I'm being paid as a salesperson.

And though I think I'm overpaid, I still haven't saved anything. No matter how materialistic this sounds, I do believe that money affects my life greatly. The lack of it affects my whole life; not being able to surprise my girlfriend, not being able to even plan on settling down, not being able to plan for trips, not being able to try to consider studying something else, etc.. 

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This past week, I failed to wow my girlfriend on Valentine's day. I met a customer I don't even know if I can actually do business with. I haven't sold anything still. I felt like I'm being pressured to give in to the demands of a customer just because I need the sale. I felt like I'm ruining the fragrance part of my boss's business. I felt like I'm not being as much help as I was expected to be when I came in to our company. And my car just had to have fucked up electrical wirings. 

At some point of this bad weak, I came to a realization: I'm weak. I'm not good at anything. The things I think I'm good at are things that won't earn me any money. For a guy whose wardrobe selection includes his dad and brother's cabinets, I seriously don't know how someone could spend so much. I can't even buy the things I want. I want to cry while admitting that I can't do what I'm doing, and actually believe that it'd make everything better. 

But this admission of weakness is in no way an acceptance of defeat. Like I said, this is just putting all the bad vibes in one ball and throwing it out there so that I'd be prepared to face the next week as a new week, a new beginning. If there are winners and losers in this world, and I apparently happen to belong to the latter, I'd still continue to strive as if I'd reach something. Heck, I graduated Philosophy when I thought I wouldn't. I landed a job when I thought I couldn't. I lived when I should've died a few years back in an accident. Losers don't have to just lie down and wait to get trampled upon, because sometimes, luck just smiles their way. 

Maybe I can't do this. Maybe I wasn't meant for this. But hey, that shouldn't keep me from trying. Being a basketball player on the soccer field doesn't mean the basketball player can't contribute anything on the field.

The admission of weakness shouldn't mean a declaration of defeat, but rather, a blueprint on what to overcome. 

And with this, I seriously hope luck decides to smile at me again. =|