PJ's Place: 2015 NBA Trade Deadline

Jim Ross is starting to freak out right now as he recognizes the music. That's right...we just had such an utterly insane Trade Deadline, it's time to bust open the doors and for PJ's Place to come out of retirement! For one night only: how the trade deadline has reshaped the Western Conference. I'm going to rank the playoff teams as I see them right now:

Memphis Grizzlies: It wasn't a trade deadline deal, but I still LOVE the Jeff Green acquisition. The only whole they had was scoring punch at the wing, and they absolutely solved it with Green, who can actually play 2-4 depending on the matchups and is perfectly happy being the second or third banana. Provided ZBo doesn't punch anyone, I think the Grizzlies finally make it to the NBA Finals.
Portland Trailblazers: I love Arron Afflalo. Again, I think he's exactly what this team needed: a wing defender who can score enough to keep teams honest, but isn't going to look for 15 shots a game. He's a veteran who has played for crappy teams enough years that he will do anything now that he's on a playoff squad. And while I hate Nic Batum as a starter, I like Batum as a bench guy that you can put in in a playoff game, see if he's got anything that game, and then sit his ass the rest of the game if he's having one of his crappy French games.
OKC Thunder: I hate to put them this high, especially in this "everything that can go wrong will go wrong" season, but I love the additions and the subtractions they've made. First of all, even if they got nothing back for them, I think losing Jackson (because he was pouting about shots and the team was sick of him) and Perk (so Scott Brook's dumb ass would stop playing him, and everyone would stop talking about how stupid it is that they've kept him all these years) was addition by subtraction. So just by them being gone, they get a +.

However, they not only managed to get rid of two guys who should have had almost 0 value, they got good pieces back for them: Kanter is a big who can't defend but can score, but he matches perfectly with Ibaka, a big who can defend and can't really score (yes, I know he has a good jumper, but that's not what the Thunder needed from him). The Ibaka/Adams/Kanter triumvirate at 4 and 5 is now a great set for the playoffs. And I know that people tend to write DJ Augustin off--and given his first few years in the league, it's totally understandable--but in his last couple of years he's actually morphed into a nice point guard. Let's put it this way: he's 1000x better than Derek Fischer.

The biggest problem I have left with the Thunder is two things. The first is momentum: again, this is a season where anything that could go wrong has, and when that happens to teams it tends to keep happening to them. So I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop there. Second though is the team's attitude: anyone who's watched the Thunder for five minutes this season can tell that something is wrong with this team; the attitude has just been bad all year. I do think this is what they needed to fix that, which is why I have them up here; however, if I'm wrong, and they still aren't all on the same page, then they'll be out in the 1st round. But for a team that really had very little to trade with, they've done an outstanding job.
Golden State Warriors: Yes, they're fun to watch, and yes, they're the best team in the league right now, but I still have trouble seeing this team make the Western Conference Finals, let alone the NBA Finals. Sorry, I'm still just not a believer. The did the right thing by standing pat though, they need to ride this out.
LA Clippers: Blake Griffin being out is either going to be fantastic for this team, or absolutely horrible for this team, and there's no middle ground, and for one reason: DeAndre Jordan. Jordan is either going to come out of the stretch with some much needed crunch time play and offensive touches, and it will help him grow into a much more effective threat that can lessen the burden on Griffin in the playoffs and make them a more devastating combo. Or it could make him think, "Hey man, I should have been getting more touches all along! I'm as good as he is! And it's a contract year! F that guy, I want the ball!" and it makes their already crappy team chemistry (they are slightly ahead of OKC as the "Good Team That Looks Like They're Sick of Playing With Each Other" award winner) even worse. There's no middle ground, we'll just see how it goes.
Houston Rockets: Yes, picking up KJ McDaniels was another great asset for Dork Elvis to pick up. However, that won't help at all with either getting into the playoffs or in the playoffs. And don't make me laugh at you about Prigioni.
San Antonio Spurs: I'm sorry, but I've been saying this for years: Kawahi Leonard is not a max guy. He's a very good role player who is in the absolute most perfect position he could possibly be in...and as soon as Duncan, Manu, and Pop leave, he'll never be close to that perfect of a position again. Everyone thinks the Spurs have some magic plan for waiting to sign Leonard to his extension, but I think it's really because they are panicing over the fact that they know he's not worth what he's going to end up getting.
Dallas Mavericks: I'm really, really, REALLY concerned. They've looked awful lately, and while yes, Amare is an upgrade over everyone on our bench, that doesn't mean he's actually SOLVING any of our bench problems. This team is starting to look like the older players are running on fumes and getting a little frustrated, and every day Rondo is not out there learning how to play with these guys is a huge loss of time because as good as Rondo can be, he takes a lot of getting used to. Even though he's a head case, I think the Mavs need to make a run at Larry Sanders: we've got to get a backup big who can rebound and block shots, and if he's really a completely nuts pothead I think the team would be fine just getting rid of him and moving on in that worst case scenario. But they way they are now--even with a best case scenario with Amare--they aren't beating anyone in the first round.
New Orleans Hornets: Now that the Suns have thrown in the towel, this is the only team in the West that could really challenge for a playoff spot, and I think they've dug too deep of a hole to get in. With the season Anthony Davis is having though, anything is possible, so consider them mentioned.

A couple of quick thoughts from the crappy East:

I really hope Bosh is okay, because while I of course hate Miami, I do have to admit that if their new starting five could ever get on the court together it could be really interesting team in the East.
Can you imagine the last 48 hours of Dragic's life? He went from: F this team, I'm outta here...I wonder where I'll go...sweet, I went to a playoff team...wait, is it just me, or could this team actually go somewhere in the playoffs...crap, our best player might be out for the rest of the season, I might go back to being the 9th seed again? Again, all of that was in the space of 48 hours. Crazy.
Finally, on Reggie Jackson: I think Reggie Jackson is crazy in his belief that "I can be an All Star starting scoring point guard on a playoff team". He's not that good. However, he is a good scorer who's delivered in the playoffs, and he will be great on this Detroit team trying to make the playoffs in one of the worst conference's in history. The question will be long term: his true role will be scoring guard off the bench on a championship contending team (or exactly what he was the past two years in OKC); will he ever accept that that's who he is, or will he be good stats on a bad team with a bloated contract guy? It'll be interesting to find out, but he will be good for Detroit this year.

I've missed you friends. Thank God for the NBA...it's FAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNTASTIC!

Labels: NBA, Trade Deadline