Dr. Trade: Musings on Moon, Wilcox, Randolph, and Richardson

Installment number three of the "Dr. Trade" feature will switch from the hypothetical scenarios of the last two articles to that of a few minor deals that have gone down over the last couple of days. 

As always, keep checking back with Dr. Trade for expert-level analysis of NBA transactions past, present, and future. These unbiased articles are meant to get readers inside the minds of the management behind the trades, signings, etc.

 

COMPLETED TRADE:

Los Angeles Clippers get: G/F Quentin Richardson

Memphis Grizzlies get: F Zach Randolph

It certainly is too bad that the "Dr. Trade" feature was still incubating in the womb of my mind (too far on the analogy?) when some of this offseason's biggest deals went down. 

So instead of breaking down the movements of Richard Jefferson, Ron Artest, Vince Carter, etc., we're here to talk about a bit of a head-scratcher. Honestly though, from the standpoint of an NBA-addict such as myself, these are no less fun.

Quentin Richardson's departure from New York was not much of a surprise, considering that they've been rightfully trying to unload the last vestiges of the Isaiah Thomas era. 

Richardson, while being an above average three-point shooter, offers little else in the way of a complete game. His rebounding numbers have been fairly respectable, but he offers nothing defensively. His shooting percentage has been dipping for the last three seasons.

Richardson shouldn't be considered an NBA starter anymore, (unless it would be as the fourth or fifth offensive option), but he still brings enough to the table to be a rotation "shooter" off someone's bench. It made a lot of sense for Memphis to bring him over from New York, as they were lacking any sort of proven three-point threat on their roster.

Zach Randolph's career is quickly threatening to turn into a re-run of Derrick Coleman's (with the exception being that the initial expectations were probably higher for the latter). He's a skilled big man who possesses a lot of obvious offensive talent, but his lack of focus and team-commitment has led him down the wrong path on too many rosters already.

Randolph addresses a need that Memphis had at power forward, and he definitely is the better player out of the deal. However, one has to wonder whether he's the best example for young Grizzlies to emulate on and off the court. He'll score his points and grab a few rebounds, but will he actually help the roster get better? 

Here's hoping that he finally puts it all together. A Grizzlies' starting five of Conley, Mayo, Gay, Randolph, and Marc Gasol are certainly one of the more intriguing young groups in the league.

For the Clippers, one has to wonder, "How badly did they want to get rid of Randolph?" It's true that they were working feverishly to alleviate the big-man logjam of Camby, Kaman, Randolph, and Blake Griffin, but was this the best deal that they could get? 

Again, Richardson will help them off the bench if all he's asked to do is shoot the three, but has Randolph's star fallen that much for this to be a straight up deal?

VERDICT: The Grizzlies get the better player in the deal, but they also are left again without any three-point shooting.

 

PROPOSED SIGNING: G/F Jamario Moon to Cleveland (Miami can match)

Jamario Moon is an athletic swingman who can block shots, run the floor, and rebound at a respectable rate.  While he can hit the occasional three-point shot, one has to hope that Cleveland is not looking for him to produce much offensively. His meager 7.8 ppg in two years of playing mostly starter's minutes is not encouraging. 

As it appears that Miami has enough depth and not enough money to match, Moon will most likely sign with the Cavs next week. He will do well, however, if he's only asked to come off the bench and provide energy when LeBron needs a breather.

 

COMPLETED SIGNING: F Chris Wilcox to Detroit

Chris Wilcox has had the word "potential" attached to him for so long that he has been able to hang around the league for seven seasons now. Unfortunately, the fact that he hasn't been able to parlay that potential into consistent production means that he's now joining the fifth team of his career. 

Wilcox, when given starters' minutes, has produced a respectable 14 ppg. However, he has yet to defend or rebound at the rate that a starting spot would demand. He doesn't pass well, and he has yet to tally more than 0.6 blocks per game in a season. 

Does he add usable depth to the Detroit front line? Yes. 

Should they be expecting him to decisively win the starting center spot from Kwame Brown? Well, they can hope. After all, he is still only 26-years-old.

Those are the news and notes from today. Take my word for it. After all, I am doctor.

- "Doctor Trade"