Roundtable: The trade deficit

John Salmons was traded as part of the Kings' cost-cutting housecleaning. AP

SI.com NBA writers analyze the latest news and address hot topics from around the league each week.

1. What stood out to you about the trade deadline?

Ian Thomsen: It was the clearest sign yet of how deeply the recession is hurting the NBA. That a team like Sacramento, which not so long ago set the standard for fan support, has to unload almost half of its roster for mostly expiring contracts is just the beginning. The draft is supposed to be the annual time of hope in the NBA, but this draft will signal hopelessness as a lot of franchises are going to be unloading established talent simply because they can't afford the salaries. That's going to be demoralizing for their fans. David Stern faces a big job: He has to come up with something to replace the salary-cap system that rescues the have-not teams and gives them a chance to compete with the big-market haves. In the meantime, the NBA isn't going to serve as a so-called "escape'' for fans. In a lot of smaller-market cities, the league will painfully mirror the crisis of the larger economy.

Jack McCallum: It had to be the Celtics sending Patrick O'Bryant to ... oh, you were serious? What stood out to me was this: Not too much stood out. But I'm OK with that. A day devoid of activity involving major players was disappointing most of all to those fans looking for a killer put-our-boys-over-the-top deal in Cleveland and Portland and for those who spend 20 hours a day making up fantasy trades. But I did like what Orlando did in landing Rafer Alston, who's just cocky enough to think he can get the Magic past Boston and Cleveland. (Which he won't, by the way.)

Chris Mannix: The biggest surprise to me was teams' staggering reluctance to take on extra salary. I'm not talking about 2010; everyone is gearing up for that. I'm talking about the unwillingness to add a bloated salary even if it expires that summer. Exhibit A is Etan Thomas. The Wizards made it clear to all potential buyers that they were only willing to move Antawn Jamison if Thomas was included in the deal. Thomas is on the books for $7.3 million next season. I don't think that amount would have scared off teams in years past, but in this spiraling economy it probably kept Jamison in a Wizards uniform.

Steve Aschburner: Maybe memory plays tricks and we tend to remember past trades that actually had impact, while forgetting the, well, forgettable ones. But the flurry of activity Thursday struck me as particularly forgettable. The Cavaliers and Celtics did nothing of consequence, as far as chasing the 2009 title, and the Lakers were only tweaking. The best package of talent went to a middle-of-the-pack team (Brad Miller and John Salmons to Chicago). The most notable deal was the one that didn't happen (Tyson Chandler to New Orleans). Alston to Orlando was a much-needed acquisition, but the best one wasn't even made this week -- Jermaine O'Neal to Miami happened so long ago, he has been with the Heat nearly as long as he was with the Raptors, right? I kind of wish Scott Skiles still coached Chicago, just to see the welcoming party he'd throw for Tim Thomas.

***

2. Would Shaquille O'Neal have been a good fit for the Cavaliers?

Ian Thomsen: It is an inspired thought. He would fit their pace of play, he would be a threat to pass or score out of the low post and he would turn Zydrunas Ilgauskas into the most dominant backup center of the postseason. The problem is in the timing. The Cavs would have be forced to change their style of play at both ends -- offensively the paint would be more crowded, altering LeBron James' routes to the basket -- and they would have had only two months to make it work before the playoffs. The Cavs think they have a championship team already. They can go through the playoffs, see how they do and then revisit a trade for Shaq this summer.

Jack McCallum: For sure. You ever see Shaq fool around with LeBron during All-Star weekend? They are extremely simpatico. LeBron plays well with a lighthouse-type center, someone who is relatively stationary but is nevertheless indomitable and reliable, as Shaq is. He's still much better than Zydrunas Ilgauskas, even though Z is pretty good. Shaq would've been fired up at the thought of getting into another championship round, and he's had a good season anyway. It would've been very interesting to see that deal go down.

Chris Mannix: It would have been a risk. Shaq is not an easy guy to work in midseason; just ask Mike D'Antoni. And Cleveland has been a well-oiled machine, so there would have been bumps in the road. But there are two reasons why this trade would have worked. First, this season we have seen a rejuvenated Shaq, who looks and sounds eager to win another ring before he retires. It's why he has hinted that he would be OK with a return to the Lakers and why I think he would have done his best to fit in with the Cavs. Second, Cleveland's offense is nothing like that in Phoenix, where O'Neal had to mesh with a run-and-gun attack. The Cavs play straight inside-out basketball, and even at 36, O'Neal can still command double teams in the post. With Shaq and Ilgauskas alternating down low, Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson and Delonte West on the perimeter and LeBron attacking the rim, it would have been impossible for defenses to account for all the Cavs' weapons.

Steve Aschburner: I'm going to say no, but not because I don't think O'Neal could have fit in and even been an effective player for the Cavs. I just don't know if he would have made them better, given the minutes he would take from Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao and the adjustments he would require in their attack. Plopping him down in the post for the Cavs would be, to me, like installing a roundabout in the middle of a busy street -- it would require LeBron to circumnavigate Shaq in his routes to the hoop. Have to admit, though, that I like the idea of Shaq's hit parade going to yet another city. It had me thinking if there's any way the 26 teams that haven't employed him yet could work out some sort of time-share for him next season.