 | Vince Carter and Jason Kidd remained with the Nets as the trade deadline passed. Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images |
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Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson has seen a lot of trade deadline days come and go in his 27 NBA seasons. He knows that some years are busier than others. But even Dawson was surprised this year's deadline passed so quietly.
"There can't be that many [GMs] happy with their teams," he chuckled.
From Jason Kidd and Pau Gasol to Vince Carter and Mike Bibby, this year's trade deadline proved to be all talk and little action.
As Dawson said, GMs apparently were content to stand pat and let the chips fall where they may. Only time will tell which ones made the right decision, and which ones blew a chance to take their teams to the next level.
In all, there were three minor deals Thursday involving four players.
Dawson and the Rockets, by the way, did their part to keep things interesting. They just did it a little early. Houston traded Scott Padgett to the Grizzlies for backup center Jake Tsakalidis last week.
Here's my take on the winners and losers from this year's trade deadline:
Winners
1. New Jersey Nets
Kidd and Carter are too good to give away in fire sales. If Richard Jefferson comes back healthy, there is no reason New Jersey couldn't make one more run this season -- then start rebuilding next year.
2. Andrew Bynum
The 19-year-old center was a relative unknown to casual sports fans before last week. Now he can tell his grandkids he was the guy that killed the Kidd trade. We're sure his agent will remember it at contract time.
3. Chicago Bulls
Gasol would have been a great pickup for the short term, but not at the expense of Luol Deng or Ben Gordon. Bulls GM John Paxson now can focus on keeping his core together and making a run at Kevin Garnett this summer.
4. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs don't need any potential headaches, so they shipped disgruntled veteran backup point guard Anthony Johnson to the Hawks for a conditional second-round pick. Throw in the fact the Lakers didn't get Kidd, and Dallas has to be content right now.
5. Fred Jones
How badly did the former Slam Dunk champ want to get out of Toronto, where he was not playing, and get back home to his native Oregon? He agreed to give up the final year of his contract, worth $3.5 million, to make it happen.
Losers
1. Los Angeles Lakers
They came close to pulling off the Steal of the Century with Kidd, but the Nets wisely came to their senses. They better hope Bynum turns out to be pretty good or they will always wonder what might have been in 2006-07.
2. Miami Heat
They sorely needed point guard help to help them in their quest to defend their NBA title. Maybe Mike Bibby was too much to ask, but what happened to that deal for Chucky Atkins? With Dwyane Wade shelved, it's looking bleak in South Beach.
3. Mike James
The veteran point guard, who recently lost his starting job to rookie Randy Foye, was hoping to get traded. He came close to being sent to Houston, where he and his wife are building a home, but the deal fell through in the late stages.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
GM Danny Ferry tried hard to get Bibby, but apparently didn't have the assets to sway the Kings. Now he must pray rookie Daniel Gibson and Eric Snow can provide LeBron James the point guard play he needs to get them to the Finals.
5. Alan Henderson
The veteran forward got traded to the Jazz for the right to swap 2007 second-round picks. Given that the Sixers are going to finish with the worse record, it basically means he got traded for nothing. Couldn't they at least have thrown in a jug of Gatorade?
