The Cleveland Cavaliers Attempt to Make it to the Top by Way of the Trade Pool

In an attempt to have a legit shot at winning the East and to please LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiac, Delonte West, and Joe Smith. The Cavs only had to give up Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons, Donyell Marshall, Shannon Brown, and Ira Newble to take part in the recent trade. The Cavs took full advantage of the chaos in Chicago and the Destruction in Seattle.

Cleveland acquired forward, Szczerbiak and guard, West from Seattle in exchange for Marshall and Newble. LeBron James is having an MVP season and has sometimes even drawn a rare triple-team. With Szczerbiak out on the perimeter, “King James” will have a big target to pass to if he can’t find Daniel Gibson.

For Seattle this season, Szczerbiak has scored 13.1 points per game, while shooting 42% from the three-point arc. The Cavs will not miss guard Larry Hughes, who was easily the least favorite of the fans.  They shouldn’t miss forward Drew Gooden, because they got center Ben Wallace and forward Joe Smith.         

Along with offensive help outside the arc, the Cavs got a former defensive player of the year in Ben Wallace. There is no question that Wallace has not lived up to his title. He is actually on pace to reach his worst career numbers. Part of that reason, is because he is older and worn down. The other part is the system he was in playing in Chicago.

I don’t think he will shine in Cleveland, but he will improve the Cavs’ chances in the playoffs for two reasons. The first reason is that Wallace will just have to do what he was born to do, and that is play mean and tough defense. He will mesh well with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, just like he did with Rasheed Wallace in Detroit.

The Second reason is his experience. He’s played tough west coast teams and handled them well. Wallace has also played in two NBA finals, and has won one. As a die-hard Bulls fan, I know that Wallace only did one good thing for the Bulls. 

He helped beat the Pistons.

For some reason, Wallace looks possessed when he steps on the court against Detroit.  He always plays a great game. If the Cavs go deep in the playoffs, there is a good chance they will have to go through Detroit.

This trade should have all of Cleveland thinking big. Not only did they just get a great three-point threat and a great defender, but they are adding them to LeBron James who to some people is the best player in the league this year. This deal is a low quality mimic of what the Celtics did, but at least they are trying to make it happen. It’s not a guaranteed championship, but the Cleveland Cavaliers will be a force to be reckoned with.