When rookie GM Koby Altman dealt Kyrie Irving to the Celtics for Isaiah "IT2" Thomas, Jae Crowder and a 1st round pick, I thought that was a pretty solid haul. Considering the fact that we knew Kyrie wanted out of Cleveland, IT2 -- coming off the best season of his career -- Crowder (a well-regarded, high-effort player) and a 1st rounder almost made it seem like Danny Ainge got the short end of the stick.
But, I've learned never to doubt Ainge again. He may easily be the best executive in the NBA. That's a story for a different day.
Now, we know Isaiah had a serious injury, Crowder got lazy and out of shape, and Kyrie has become a demigod in Boston. But it's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback. The reality is that Altman's deal made logical sense; it just didn't work out.
So, the NBA Trade Deadline rolls around, the Cavs are spiraling out of control, and Altman tears the whole damn thing to pieces. "We were on a death march," he says.
And what a FANTASTIC job this guy did. Again, even if it doesn't work out, unloading Isaiah, Crowder, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade and Iman Shumpert in a 24-hour span is nothing short of a front office miracle. The fact that Altman got Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, George Hill and Larry Nance Jr. in return makes his feat all the more impressive.
LeBron James, in the short term, seems happy. He said the moves make Cleveland "younger" and "more athletic" and GM LeBron is clearly correct. I've always been a Jordan Clarkson guy. He's an undeniably explosive athlete, and he has a lot of confidence in his offensive game. He's the type of kid where you just give him the ball, then let him use his quickness, speed, athleticism and leaping ability to create the play. Usually the play is for himself, but that's beside the point. LeBron and Clarkson should have fun together in the open court.
Hood is a streak scorer who can fill it up in bunches. I like that he's a lefty, giving opposing defenses a bit of a different look, and he (like Clarkson) is the type of scorer who can elevate your second unit. The question for Tyronn Lue is...who starts and who comes off the pine? And where does Hill fit in this guard/swingman rotation with LeBron, Clarkson, Hood, J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver and Jeff Green?
I guess these are good questions for Lue to have.
My guess is that Hill finds his way into the starting lineup because he's a calm, seasoned vet (apparently this was on Rotoworld at 1:37. Nice job predicting something that already happened. I'm an idiot.) I like Clarkson and Hood's skillsets better next to LeBron, but something tells me Clarkson is stuck with that "bench scorer" stigma. I'd like to see him start and play a ton of minutes next to LeBron. I think he could average over 20 ppg in Cleveland, if handled correctly. Hill, Hood, Smith and Korver are going to cut into his production, though.
In the end, I'm sure Lue and Coach LeBron will do a lot of mixing and matching. The conservative starting lineup would be Hill, Smith, Korver, LeBron and Tristan Thompson, with Clarkson, Hood and Nance coming off the bench.
I wouldn't go that route. I would throw Clarkson and Hood -- the kids with the most upside -- right into the starting five. Clarkson, Smith, Hood, LeBron and Thompson, with Hill, Nance, Korver and Green on the pine.
As for the departed players, Wade should help the Heat with Dion Waiters out for the remainder of the season. Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside will continue to lead the way for Erik Spoelstra's blue-collar club, but Wade will be a stabilizing force at the end of tight games. The East is a strange animal this season, so there's no telling who may end up making some noise in the postseason. For the mid-level playoff teams, as always, it will come down to executing down the stretch of nip-and-tuck games. D-Wade can help with that; but overall, I think this Heat team is a little light on talent.
As for Isaiah Thomas...I mean, it's clear that the guy likes being "The Guy." He complained in Sacramento when DeMarcus Cousins got all the attention -- sorry for your loss, Pelicans fans -- he pushed his way out of Phoenix because he didn't like sharing with Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Markieff Morris, and he thrived in Boston when everything revolved around him. I guess that really does make him an Allen Iverson-type player. Some guys just play better when they are touching the ball all the time, and creating plays on their own. He'll get some chances to do exactly that in Los Angeles, but this is a short-term relationship. Especially if the Lakers have a real shot at LeBron during the offseason.
As for the departed players, Wade should help the Heat with Dion Waiters out for the remainder of the season. Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside will continue to lead the way for Erik Spoelstra's blue-collar club, but Wade will be a stabilizing force at the end of tight games. The East is a strange animal this season, so there's no telling who may end up making some noise in the postseason. For the mid-level playoff teams, as always, it will come down to executing down the stretch of nip-and-tuck games. D-Wade can help with that; but overall, I think this Heat team is a little light on talent.
He's barely important enough to write about, but Shumpert just isn't a good player. The Knicks may be the second-worst franchise in the NBA since the 2001-02 season, but ya gotta give that New York media some credit -- they know how to pump up the value of young, fresh-faced players. They did that for Landry Fields (who quickly fell off the face of the earth) and Shumpert, who was written about as a "great" or "impact" defender in hundreds of NY articles. So what? The kid was in good shape, and he stayed active on D. He has no impact on the game. He's a possible G-League player. But he quickly developed name value, and even that initially tricked GM LeBron. Good job Altman, dumping more dead weight.
As for Rose, I think we can expect him to land in Washington. John Wall is already injured and sidelined, and Tim Frazier caught the injury bug last night. They are in obvious need of point guard help, and although Rose can always be a distraction with bizarre off-the-court antics, on the floor, he's still a quick penetrator and solid scorer when healthy. Clearly better than what The Wiz have without Wall.
But, Payton was drafted 10th overall in the 2014 draft, and he has some ability getting to the rack. The Suns are buying low here, so I really can't fault them. I doubt this move has any serious long-term impact, though.
The Knicks probably made out the best of the three. Mudiay has shown some positive flashes this season -- he scored double-digits in 8 out of 9 games from October 21 through November 4 -- and the point guard position is wide open in New York. Trey Burke was another savvy, low-risk pickup at that position, while Frank Ntilikina still has a long way to go. Frank doesn't want to shoot the ball. He doesn't really want to drive. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more passive young player with (relative) talent. The Knicks really only need Mudiay or Burke to stick. Turning one of those kids into long-term value is a win.
Vonleh was selected one spot before Payton in the '14 draft. He, like Mudiay, has shown some flashes in limited time. He has 6 double-digit rebound games this season -- including 18 against the Grizzlies on Nov 20 -- but his minutes were limited whenever Jusuf Nurkic and Al-Farouq Aminu were healthy in Portland. Chicago is in the midst of a major rebuild, so there's no harm in giving Vonleh a look. Clearly, at some point, he was considered a top-flight prospect.
In the end, Koby Altman was the star of the NBA Trade Deadline. Now the big question is...
How will it all work out?
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