Agree with Kelly. And people are posting here like Gooden is chopped liver. He was a solid eastern conference 4 with occasional huge games. Now they've got to go with sideshow bob. Gooden > Sideshow > Joe Smith
I think the deals benefit both teams 1) Chicago dealt away Ben Wallace and his Big Contract and got a night in and night out double doubles Drew Gooden. 2) Cavs got them a Power Forward/Center still probobly the best front line defender and as well rebounder. Also you get a vet PF that can shoot Joe Smith. He is one of the most underrated players in the league. Not mentioning catch and shoot Wally and clutch shooter West. Cavs got some serious help that they desparately need.
Well, Cavs hosed Seattle in this trade...Wally and Delonte will be solid additions to the team. Wally will be what Kyle Korver is to the Utah Jazz Delonte will be a decent-average PG for them Both of them will thrive off the open looks they get from Lebron's triple and double teams. Man I wish the Rockets took part in Seattle's firesale. The part involving Ben Wallace is questionable though. .
This deal is good for Cleveland for two reasons: 1. Delonte West will be the best PG to ever play with Lebron 2. Hughes is gone Wally is a good shooter. Is he an athlete? No but there is always a spot for a 6'6" guy who can shoot the ball. I think Wallace will play decent ball. At this point, I think Gooden is a better player than Wallace but add Joe Smith and the downgrade at PF is not that bad. Certainly, the addition of West and the departure of Hughes (addition by subtraction) more than makes up for any loss of offense at PF. I think Wally's shooting and West's ability to be competent at the PG position is really all this team needs to do well. Of course, they are still the sacrificial lamb for the West should they make it to the Finals.
I think this trade for the Cavs is pretty high-risk and high-reward. They're not that bad off as many people think. Joe Smith and Ben Wallace makes up for Drew Gooden's rebounding and interior scoring but I think Smith can cover up the hole on the offensive end pretty effectively. They also got sure upgrades to shooting (Wally and West) and PG play (West). What pisses me off is that they pretty much got West with expiring contracts. I don't understand how our team couldn't swing a deal for West with our own expirings. Getting him would really solve our PG weakness and we can also effectively play fast-paced small-ball with Alston-West-Bonzi-Tmac-Scola/Landry if need be. Much better than the Bobby Jackson deal that's for sure, even though that was a pure salary dump.
Les Alexander has put up his white flag. He has seen other playoff teams upgrade talent and instead of putting his money where his mouth is and trying to make a move (or even stand pat and let this team see what it can do) he has gone into classic Les Alexander mode and is looking to save as much money as he can.
I really like Delonte West.. maybe as much as some of you really like Kirk Hinrich. I think Delonte would be a pretty decent backup guard for us. His numbers are way down across the board this year, but that could be because Durant is taking up all the ball's attention and not really helping out. Plus he's owed only $1,889,760 this year. I'm not quite sure when his contract is up, but if he's expiring, I think we could sign him up for cheap.
Delonte West is better than Kirk Hinrich imo. Hinrich is soft. People say he's a good defender but I've seen Delonte West get up more in guards' faces. Shooting wise, they're probably even but I think West has a better midrange jumper. Plus slashing wise, Delonte wins hands down. I'd take West over Hinrich anyday. It's almost impossible for us to get him now. In Seattle, I don't think he's healthy or is even part of their future plans much, but I can almost guarantee you that Cleveland will want to hang on to him. That's the reason why I've been preaching trading for West on the boards as early as December last year, other than Jose Calderon who obviously is a pipe dream. Also, to Dave_78. No **** about that. That's why I'm so pissed about the moves we did make. If you're not willing to move for an upgrade (West at backup G, Andre Miller to replace Alston as starting PG, Kurt Thomas as backup C/PF), then the least we could do was stand pat with our rotation guys and see where they take us. I understand he wants to get under the LT, but that can be achieved by the Snyder - Green trade alone. What I'm mad at is how obvious that the MJ + Wells trade for BJax has Les's cheap fingerprints all over it. Probably cuz he doesn't want to pay the MLE for someone who doesn't play. MJ I can understand. But Wells for an old, over the hill midget shooting guard just plain stinks. Not to mention Wells was one of the few people who could regularly attack defences and finish on this team.
It's just one game, but is there any doubt the Cavs are better (for this season) after the trade? Joe Smith and Wally by themselves are perfect for playing off LeBron. Smith will get more uncontested mid-range jumpers than he's ever seen in his life. He is a better shooter and has twice the IQ of Drew Gooden. Wally is one of the best "catch and shoot" guys in the NBA while Larry Hughes was never going to fit in. Big Ben had a good game but I'm not sure about him. Delonte West is also a question mark for me. But Smith and Wally are two guys that will nail clutch jumpers and give LeBron help in the 4th quarter of tight games. When Daniel Gibson comes back, the Cavs will be poised for another Final's run. They don't even need Pavlovic anymore.
I agree, Wally and Smith are most central to the trade--Wally fits much better than Hughes, and Smith fits a little better than Gooden (considering the mental/veteran aspects). Contrabutions by Wallace are kinda gravy, those by West are certainly gravy. Basically they got 3.5 well fitting role players for 2 players of similarly capacity but who fit more poorly.
I still doubt it in a big way. For sure, Hughes was a mess cashing in on his being able to freelance in Washington so much (no half court game there at all), and Gooden remains a semi-headcase with his inability to play hard & smart two games in a row. But Wallace is pure garbage. Yes, he can get numbers, but that's because he's solely concerned with padding his own stats. He literally stop caring about team ball before he left Detroit, and has become the kind of guy that would clear out his own teammate over a rebound. Also, his defense has always been predicated on weak-side help and board work. As a one-on-one defender, Wallace was never quite elite, and today is a stiff. He can muscle you out of good position most times, but once his assignment has the ball, they can work him over. Wally can still shoot, but his defense is such a liability now that he can't start for anyone. Delonte West....is he honestly someone you want starting at PG? Joe Smith is a nice role player. Overall, I see this team getting killed on the defensive end. Ilgauskas has no lateral movement. Wallace can't cover any ground, Wally can't guard a pencil, and Delonte West is at the wrong end of a mismatch any time he's on the floor. Sure they looked fine against Memphis, only the 3rd-worst team in the league. But I see this team getting swept the moment they meet Boston or Detroit in the spring. Evan
^^^are you kidding me?................there are a lot of things I disagree with in that post.......anywho the Cavs are now my pick to come out of the east......people are foolish if they don't think this trade doesn't help them...........they got shooters, a PG, bench players, and a guy who is motivated now and will play like he used to in Detroit..................
Once Cleveland gets its bench healthy, they will be very, very tough. I still pick Boston because of Tom Thibodeau's defense, but I still like my darkhorse pick, the Orlando Magic. If they get the luck of the draw and finish 3rd and play Detroit instead of Boston and Cleveland, then not only will they be in the Conference Finals, but CLeveland/Boston will beat the **** out of each other for Orlando to dismantle.
Last year in the playoffs this was arguably the best defensive and rebounding team in the league. Def. the best from the East as they dismantled Detroit and even SA had trouble scoring against them. Hughes was missing a lot of the playoffs--so I wouldn't say he was a big part of that. Gooden isn't known for defense either, and Marshall can't play D anymore either. The Cavs ultimate problems were offensive. Now they have added Wally, Smith, Wallace and West. Come playoff time they should again be the best defensive and rebounding team in the East, but they could potentially be a decent offensive team too. They will cut through Detroit like butter and we will see vs Boston.
The cavs got better, but they're not in the same league as boston and detroit. and honestly, i'd put orlando above cleveland too True, wally is a great offensive addition, but how is he defensively? Remember, theres a reason steve novak isnt getting much playing time. The small forwards that boston/detroit have would take advantage of wally's lack of athleticism. I dont think ben wallace will be able to play like he did in detroit. Remember, he was motivated when he first joined the bulls, and he didnt meet peoples' expectations.
This is a good trade but is it the answer...only time will tell...Out of all the teams, I think the Cavs made out the best...
I'm quoting myself here. I can't tell you guys enough how much better the Cavs are after making this deal. It was almost as genius as the Bobby Jackson / Bonzi deal. Cavs are now a serious contender in the east. I believe they will win the east.
