Joe Soriano
O.J. LewisReviewing Deron, Baron, and Hinrich Trades
February 24th 2011 17:57
Deron Williams has been a headcase for a while. He conceitedly called himself the best point guard in the league, and his ego caused great coach Jerry Sloan to re-sign. Williams publicly announced that he would leave after the 2011 season when he would become a free agent. When you combine this all together, it's no surprise that Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets for prospect Derrick Favors, two first rounders, 3 million, and Devin Harris. I am going to explain why the Jazz got the upper-hand in this trade.
Make no mistake. I think Deron Williams is a phenomenal player and one of the best 10 in the league. Williams may not be the best point guard in the league like he says he is, but he is still only second to Chris Paul. He is an elite player that is incredible at driving, passing, drawing fouls, and he is a strong player that plays solid defense. The problem was that he was no longer the face of the franchise. He was becoming a reckless ego, and the Jazz are also a couple million over the luxury tax cap. Nobody wants to pay that bill. As great as Deron is, is he really that much better than Harris? Is the gap between Harris and Williams really cash and basically three first rounders? The answer is a simple no.
Devin Harris is a star point guard in his own right. He can score and defend. He isn't as good as Williams, but he makes more sense for Utah. He isn't an ego that will damage the team. The Jazz look like a team that want to bring in an influx of young talent, and they accomplished this goal with the first rounders. The Nets will give Utah some high spots to choose from. Williams is a better player than Melo, but the press reacted more to the Anthony trade because it was talked about for so long and there was so much more build up that led to a huge storyline. The Williams trade was sudden and spur of the moment to an outsider that didn't see the signs- Sloan re-signing.
The Hornets got Carl Landry from the Sacramento Kings for Marcus Thornton and some money. The cash is a sweetener. It's the reason why the Kings made the trade. They don't have the salary for Landry. Landry is a much better player than Thornton, but Thornton isn't terrible. He's average, but he contributes nothing other than scoring. Landry is a gritty rebounder that does a pretty nice job of scoring himself. Mark Cuban has every right to be angry, but that's for another time. This was a nice deal for New Orleans.
The Cavs got Baron Davis and a first rounder from the Clips for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. Moon is a garbage player. I would rather take Williams over Baron any day, but a first rounder is way better than Moon. I am going to give this one to the Cavs by a good distance. I have no idea why the Clippers would want to part ways with such a nice pick. I know that Davis has a bad contract and Mo Williams is more attractive because he is younger, but it really makes no sense at all to trade away a top ten first round pick.
Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong went to the Hawks, while rookie Jordan Crawford, Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, and a first rounder went to Washington. Armstrong and Evans are the garbage players in this deal. Mike Bibby can still pass and knock down a jumper, but he is such a liability defensively. Hinrich is a great passer that can score some and isn't terrible at any one aspect. Crawford still has potential. I loved his scoring ability coming out of college. He will be better utilized in Washington. The Wizards are rebuilding, so the pick makes sense for them. I like this deal for the Wizards.
Make no mistake. I think Deron Williams is a phenomenal player and one of the best 10 in the league. Williams may not be the best point guard in the league like he says he is, but he is still only second to Chris Paul. He is an elite player that is incredible at driving, passing, drawing fouls, and he is a strong player that plays solid defense. The problem was that he was no longer the face of the franchise. He was becoming a reckless ego, and the Jazz are also a couple million over the luxury tax cap. Nobody wants to pay that bill. As great as Deron is, is he really that much better than Harris? Is the gap between Harris and Williams really cash and basically three first rounders? The answer is a simple no.
Devin Harris is a star point guard in his own right. He can score and defend. He isn't as good as Williams, but he makes more sense for Utah. He isn't an ego that will damage the team. The Jazz look like a team that want to bring in an influx of young talent, and they accomplished this goal with the first rounders. The Nets will give Utah some high spots to choose from. Williams is a better player than Melo, but the press reacted more to the Anthony trade because it was talked about for so long and there was so much more build up that led to a huge storyline. The Williams trade was sudden and spur of the moment to an outsider that didn't see the signs- Sloan re-signing.
The Hornets got Carl Landry from the Sacramento Kings for Marcus Thornton and some money. The cash is a sweetener. It's the reason why the Kings made the trade. They don't have the salary for Landry. Landry is a much better player than Thornton, but Thornton isn't terrible. He's average, but he contributes nothing other than scoring. Landry is a gritty rebounder that does a pretty nice job of scoring himself. Mark Cuban has every right to be angry, but that's for another time. This was a nice deal for New Orleans.
The Cavs got Baron Davis and a first rounder from the Clips for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. Moon is a garbage player. I would rather take Williams over Baron any day, but a first rounder is way better than Moon. I am going to give this one to the Cavs by a good distance. I have no idea why the Clippers would want to part ways with such a nice pick. I know that Davis has a bad contract and Mo Williams is more attractive because he is younger, but it really makes no sense at all to trade away a top ten first round pick.
Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong went to the Hawks, while rookie Jordan Crawford, Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, and a first rounder went to Washington. Armstrong and Evans are the garbage players in this deal. Mike Bibby can still pass and knock down a jumper, but he is such a liability defensively. Hinrich is a great passer that can score some and isn't terrible at any one aspect. Crawford still has potential. I loved his scoring ability coming out of college. He will be better utilized in Washington. The Wizards are rebuilding, so the pick makes sense for them. I like this deal for the Wizards.
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