NBA Trade Deadline 2012: What Gerald Wallace Brings to the New Jersey Nets

With all the Dwight Howard trade rumors circulating the New Jersey Nets, the fact that they did not acquire Howard at the deadline seems like a disappointment. The Nets were able to trade for Gerald Wallace at the deadline, though.

This move may have, at first, come across as a desperate move. However, if you look beyond Howard, the Wallace deal does a lot for the Nets.

The Nets acquired Wallace from the Portland Trail Blazers for two injured players, Shawne Williams and Mehmet Okur, and their 2012 first-round draft pick. The two players are expendable, but the one thing that is interesting and risky is the draft pick.

The Nets are currently 4.5 games out of the playoffs. They have been playing well lately, even with both Brook Lopez and Deron Williams out with injuries. In the last 10 games they are 5-5 but were in the games against the Rockets and Bucks until the end. The addition of Wallace and return of Lopez will make that pick less valuable.

What Wallace brings to the Nets is a small forward. The Nets have been without a true starting small forward the entire season. Wallace fills that void. He is a versatile player at both ends of the court.

Defensively, Wallace led the league in steals in 2006 and was on the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2010. He helps the Nets in defending against players like Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. The Nets currently give up the sixth-most points per game, and Wallace will provide solid defense.

Another thing he does is give the Nets another scoring option. They have been inconsistent at times this season, and Wallace provides another scoring option when players like Williams or MarShon Brooks are struggling to score.

The Nets have a team field-goal percentage of 42.8 percent, which is the fourth-worst in the league. Wallace has a career 48 percent field-goal percentage and is shooting 47 percent from the field this season.

He has averaged 13.3 PPG this season but averaged over 15 PPG in the past six seasons prior to this one. A change of scenery could help bring his PPG numbers back up.

The Nets could be in store for some exciting dunks from Wallace alongside Gerald Green. Wallace was in the 2002 and 2010 slam dunk contests.

He is also a solid rebounder. The Nets have been without a true center basically all season, as Lopez has been out with injuries. As a team, they average 39.8 rebounds per game, which is the second-worst in the NBA. Wallace has averaged 6.3 RPG in his career, and in 2009-10 he averaged 10 RPG.

The addition of Wallace helps make the Nets a more complete team. With Lopez and Williams returning from injury in the near future, the Nets have the starting five positions solidified and have some quality role players off the bench. A starting five of Williams, Brooks, Wallace, Kris Humphries and Lopez is strong on paper.

Gerald Wallace may not be Dwight Howard, but if you look at the situation as the glass being half full, he is a solid addition to the Nets. Time will tell if he is enough to get the Nets into the playoffs this season and/or keep Williams with the team.