Rocky Widner/Chris Trotman/NBAE via Getty Images
There is no doubt that the recent blockbusters involving Pau Gasol, Shaquille O'Neal, and Jason Kidd will create parity in the Western Conference during the second half of this season.
And although it's not as exciting as the deals out west, the Atlanta Hawks recent acquisition of Mike Bibby will also give the Eastern Conference something new to talk about.
With Gasol now a Laker, Shaq now a Sun, Kidd now a Maverick once more, and Bibby now a Hawk, which teams will be legitimate contenders come spring?
Los Angeles Lakers
NBA Finals Potential: Excellent
Trade Grade: A+
L.A. pulled off the first blockbuster trade this season when they acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis, and immediately sent other Western Conference foes into panic mode.
This trade is exactly what the Lakers needed to get to the next level and put them over the hump.
Los Angeles has failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons, and one of their main problems was lack of production from their frontcourt.
With the offseason pick-up of Derek Fisher and the emergence of Andrew Bymun, the Lakers were one piece away from becoming legit contenders.
The Lakers window of opportunity won't be closing any time soon. With Derek Fisher being the oldest player on the team (33), this team has the chance to become scary good within the next few years with more experience playing together.
Of course when you have Kobe Bryant on your team, who is only 29, the future always looks bright.
But their success this spring all comes down to health, which has taken a blow the last few weeks.
Andrew Bymun has been sidelined with a kneecap injury the last few weeks, and reports are out that his progress is going slower than projected.
Adding insult to that injury, Bryant recently tore a ligament in the pinkie finger of his shooting hand. Kobe has the option of resting his finger and avoiding surgery, or sit out six to eight weeks after a surgical procedure.
If the Lakers want to pose legitimate threat come June, it is imperative that Bryant gets surgery on his pinky immediately and sit out those six to eight weeks.
The problem is if he does decide to get surgery, there is no telling where the Lakers would be standing once Bryant returns.
If the Lakers go on some sort of losing streak, the Lakers could fall out the Western Conference playoff picture.
Phoenix Suns
NBA Finals Potential: Strong
14 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Patrick Houston about 1 year ago
i like what Atlanta did and Dallas is overrated even with Kidd.
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Sean Stancill about 1 year ago
I don't think its fair to publish this considering the deadline isn't until the 21st. Anything can happen in a short amount of time and with no real knowledge of it by the NBA or ESPN, evidence , the Mike Bibby trade. Many players are still sure to be dealt that can make a big impact on a team before Feb. 21
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Michael Whittenberg about 1 year ago
Well that maybe true—but these deals are and will be the biggest before the deadline. I was just focused on these deals, and whatever happens before Thursday happens.
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Ling Ge about 1 year ago
Good article, but I don't think the Suns had a chance before Shaq was traded. Despite their record, they were barely a .500 team against the west (14-13 I believe). I think this will help put them compete against the west.
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Lisa Jackson about 1 year ago
We certainly can't say this year was a bust (like last year) when it came to trades by the deadline. This year is a whirlwind and I doubt it's over yet. No doubt the Gasol trade was the best one made (translation: least possible negative impact with relative certainty of a positive outcome.) It certainly is NOT the most exciting though as nothing quite shocked the NBA world as the Shaq trade. We Suns fans are staying hopeful but know what can and might happen. This could be the biggest bust of all time but you can't say we didn't go down in a blaze of glory.
As for Kidd, I am still wondering why Cuban thought it was OK to not re-sign Nash due to age (wasn't he only 30 at the time) but now 4 years later it's OK to sign someone somuch older than Nash was at the time? Makes no sense to me but hope he gets what he bargained for. Maybe he learned a valuable lesson with Nash.
Good article, Michael. Always enjoy reading your editorials.
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Rich Marini about 1 year ago
What, Damon Stoudamire isn't worth a mention?
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Gabriel Erdozaincy about 1 year ago
What about the Warriors picking up Webber? That doesn't count?
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
I to think that Kidd won't be enough to get Dallas to a championship. The Suns are overrated as it is, and Shaq just makes it worse.
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Ben Gunby about 1 year ago
If we are talking in terms of which deal leads to which team being the best, that's still up for debate. However, I think if you want to evaluate this by looking at which team received the biggest upgrade, it might have been the Hawks. Considering the upgrade Bibby will be at the PG position, I think they improved their team more than the others. That's not saying Bibby is a better player than any other acquired, nor am I saying the Hawks made themselves a better team. I just think they made the most improvement.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Opening sentence, I think you mean "parity" instead of "parody."
And I don't think Avery was pleased with Harris. Devin's been in the doghouse and Avery Johnson has been aching for a quarterback reminiscent of himself-- and he should have that extra hustle and spark in Kidd.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Opening sentence, I think you mean "parity" instead of "parody."
And I don't think Avery was pleased with Harris. Devin's been in the doghouse and Avery Johnson has been aching for a quarterback reminiscent of himself-- and he should have that extra hustle and spark in Kidd.
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Sean Stancill about 1 year ago
Webber and Stoudamire are not blockbuster deals so thats no surprise they weren't mentioned
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Lakers are coming out of the west, shaq is no answer for the suns.
Suns looked like a better team with marion. Teams can now play defense with them because of the speed shaq brings to the court. Mavericks gave up to much n have no big men. Lakers vs spurs western conference finals. lakers vs pistons nba finals.
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Sean Stancill about 1 year ago
Told you something could happen unexpectedly, look at the Ben Wallace trade. Nobody saw that coming. Are you going to add this to your list to or simply ignore the fact that this was a major shakeup in the Cavaliers' organization?
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