Cleveland picks up Ben Wallace and Joe Smith

[Holt's Cat]

http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/live/

That Thomas trade keeps looking better and better...

[Solid D]

Dude. Gooden and Hughes gone. Front line of Cleveland looks better when Varejao gets back.

[ancestron]

good trade for Cleveland.

[ancestron]

I saw Daniel Gibson go down last night, does anyone know if he's injured.

[Spurminator]

Meanwhile, Seattle gives up two players and takes back three, which means they have one less roster spot.

Which means they're more likely to buy someone out.

[samikeyp]

Will this make LeBron happy or will he continue to whine about no help?

[Ghost Writer]

I still think Larry Hughes has something to prove. He was phenomenal in his last year with the Wizards and has played well in his last dozen games.

[smahmood26]

Meanwhile, Seattle gives up two players and takes back three, which means they have one less roster spot.

Which means they're more likely to buy someone out.

I like your style

[baseline bum]

I still think Larry Hughes has something to prove. He was phenomenal in his last year with the Wizards and has played well in his last dozen games.

Larry Hughes was the kind of player who put up numbers only because he got too many shots. His shooting percentage has always been horrible, and he used to be the most overrated defensive player in the game. He's been nothing but continued disappointment since his time in Philly.

[Ghost Writer]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3257159

There goes Wally as predicted...

[Mitch Cumsteen]

Presti just saved Seattle about $7 million.
Cleveland just traded Larry Hughes' terrible contract for Ben Wallace's terrible contract plus they add Delonte West, Wally, and Joe Smith.
Chicago gets Larry Hughes 'terrible contract and Drew Gooden.

I suppose Chicago is the winner here. They get to dump Ben Wallace and get some scoring. Hughes at least is still in his prime, even though he's horribly overpaid. Gooden is a solid player.

This deal doesn't make a lot of sense to me if I'm Cleveland. What the hell do you do with a front line of Ben Wallace and Ilguaskas? Their problem has always been offense, and they give up their best front court scorer in Gooden and Hughes who has been producing lately, and take back the worst offensive center in the game? Do they like Delonte West that much at the point? What do they expect from Sczerbiak other than endless chucking? If you thought Cleveland was painful to watch before, they are going to be brutal now.

[Budkin]

Meanwhile, Seattle gives up two players and takes back three, which means they have one less roster spot.

Which means they're more likely to buy someone out.

Welcome back Bones!

[timmy21_4rings]

good trade for seattle...

[JamStone]

I think this helps the Cavaliers but I'm not sure how much. It will obviously largely depend how Ben Wallace performs, if he's rejuvenated by the new team and LeBron James. I think Delonte West and Joe Smith might end up being the better players the Cavs acquired in the deal.

[Ghost Writer]

Presti just saved Seattle about $7 million.
Cleveland just traded Larry Hughes' terrible contract for Ben Wallace's terrible contract plus they add Delonte West, Wally, and Joe Smith.
Chicago gets Larry Hughes 'terrible contract and Drew Gooden.

I suppose Chicago is the winner here. They get to dump Ben Wallace and get some scoring. Hughes at least is still in his prime, even though he's horribly overpaid. Gooden is a solid player.

This deal doesn't make a lot of sense to me if I'm Cleveland. What the hell do you do with a front line of Ben Wallace and Ilguaskas? Their problem has always been offense, and they give up their best front court scorer in Gooden and Hughes who has been producing lately, and take back the worst offensive center in the game? Do they like Delonte West that much at the point? What do they expect from Sczerbiak other than endless chucking? If you thought Cleveland was painful to watch before, they are going to be brutal now.
I think the Cavs learned something from playing the Spurs in the Finals.

They just beefed up the frontcourt defense with Big Ben.

Delonte West is not bad and Sczerbiak can still score, man.

[tmtcsc]

I think this looks great for Cleveland.

Lebron
Z
Side Show Bob
Big Ben
Wally
Gibson
Devin Brown ?

Looks pretty good

[ancestron]

having Ben Wallace and Z together will be pretty effective.

[thispego]

Presti just saved Seattle about $7 million.
Cleveland just traded Larry Hughes' terrible contract for Ben Wallace's terrible contract plus they add Delonte West, Wally, and Joe Smith.
Chicago gets Larry Hughes 'terrible contract and Drew Gooden.

I suppose Chicago is the winner here. They get to dump Ben Wallace and get some scoring. Hughes at least is still in his prime, even though he's horribly overpaid. Gooden is a solid player.

This deal doesn't make a lot of sense to me if I'm Cleveland. What the hell do you do with a front line of Ben Wallace and Ilguaskas? Their problem has always been offense, and they give up their best front court scorer in Gooden and Hughes who has been producing lately, and take back the worst offensive center in the game? Do they like Delonte West that much at the point? What do they expect from Sczerbiak other than endless chucking? If you thought Cleveland was painful to watch before, they are going to be brutal now.
bad assessment. z can score. former all-star.

[Solid D]

Cleveland will be a power for sure, now. Ferry, Presti, and Buford workin' their triangle offense.

[Holt's Cat]

Cleveland will be a power for sure, now. Ferry, Presti, and Buford workin' their triangle offense.

Sign and trade Donyell Marshall for Robert Horry's non-guaranteed contract and the Spurs' 2nd round pick in 2013 this summer.

[Ghost Writer]

Sign and trade Donyell Marshall for Robert Horry's non-guaranteed contract and the Spurs' 2nd round pick in 2013 this summer.
Donyell is like a younger Horry, but is he as effective these days?

I don't think he plays much anymore.

[bostonguy]

With Gooden gone Cavs are starting ben wallace at the 4? Whatever low post game they had is now gone.

[Joe Schmoogins]

id rather have horry than donyell marshall

[Solid D]

You kidding me?
Ilgauskas (7'5")...Varejao
Wallace.............J. Smith
LeBron...............D. Brown
Szczerbiak...........Pavlovic
Gibson...............West

[Sigz]

With Gooden gone Cavs are starting ben wallace at the 4? Whatever low post game they had is now gone.
They still have Z.

It's not like Gooden is THAT much better the Wallace either...

[Mr. Body]

Not bad for Cleveland. I like it better than getting Bibby. Nicely done with what you had, Danny.

[picnroll]

Have there ever been so many contenders going a totally differnet direction at or near the trade deadline?

[Rummpd]

Cleveland wins East as i predicted all along.

[Ghost Writer]

Cleveland wins East as i predicted all along.
Wow, the team that went to the Finals last year?

You're courageous!

[Holt's Cat]

Well, they did make the most recent 'big trade'. So they're a lock.

[K-State Spur]

good. maybe now at least one of boston/detroit will have to do a little work in the playoffs in order to make the conference finals.

[adidas11]

In my opinion, Wally Z is the true asset in this deal. He's shooting 42% from 3pt line, and is a former all star with decent athletic ability. Now you're putting him on a team with Lebron James (who is an excellent passer and demands double teams all over the floor)? I could see Wally Z blowing up, like he used to do back in his Minnesota days.

Ben Wallace might do ok, but I think he is very overrated. He doesn't have much left in the tank.

Joe Smith could be a serviceable big man coming off the bench.

[remingtonbo2001]

This has got to be the craziest year in sports, PERIOD.

[mattyc]

Cavs just got alot better in my eyes, whilst the Sonics are just loving expiring deals at the minute.

[Holt's Cat]

3 James
4 Wallace
5 Ilgauskas

Say what you will, that's one nasty frontline. Ilgauskas shoots well enough to make it work offensively. Wallace to clean up the glass. Granted, Mike Brown has two months and 30 games to make it work.

[DespЏrado]

In my opinion, Wally Z is the true asset in this deal. He's shooting 42% from 3pt line, and is a former all star with decent athletic ability. Now you're putting him on a team with Lebron James (who is an excellent passer and demands double teams all over the floor)? I could see Wally Z blowing up, like he used to do back in his Minnesota days.

Ben Wallace might do ok, but I think he is very overrated. He doesn't have much left in the tank.

Joe Smith could be a serviceable big man coming off the bench.


I agree Wally is a very crucial piece for the Cavs and makes them allot better from a a shooting standpoint. He is the perfect compliment to Lebron's high flying kickouts.

Big Ben may surprise a few people with some left in the tank. I don't think he is completely done, just in a slump.

[ducks]

Cavs land James some help

By Adrian Wojnarowski

Thursday, Feb 21, 2008 4:05 pm EST

Finally, LeBron James has a supporting cast.

In an 11 player three-team blockbuster trade, the Cavaliers acquired Chicago's Ben Wallace and Joe Smith, Seattle's Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West before the trade deadline closed on Thursday, two league sources confirmed.

The Cavaliers sent Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons to the Bulls, and Donyell Marshall to the Sonics. Seattle also gets the expiring contracts of Chicago's Adrian Griffin and Cleveland's Ira Newble.

The trade marks the end of the Wallace experiment in Chicago, where the $60 million signing two years ago never fulfilled expectations. He'll try to revive his career alongside James, who has been desperate for an improved supporting cast. Smith, a 6-foot-10 forward, has been one of the Bulls' most consistent players, and Szczerbiak gives the Cavs a consistent outside shooting threat to go with Daniel Gibson.

Related: Cedric Simmons, Daniel Gibson, Ira Newble, Drew Gooden, LeBron James, Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace, Larry Hughes, Joe Smith, Donyell Marshall, Chicago Bulls, Countdown to trade deadline







NO MORE EXCUSE LITTLE JAMES

[ducks]

I Guess Ferr Does Not Want Tp To Win Finals Mvp Award Again And Think Wallace Can Stop Him :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes

[m33p0]

i thought cleveland was looking for scoring help? guess not.

spurs control the nba universe.... hehehe. :devil

[Ghost Writer]

Good trade for CLE, but they should've sent Ilgauskas to the Suns for Marion.

LeBron needs his Pippen.

[timvp]

Good trade for CLE, but they should've sent Ilgauskas to the Suns for Marion.

LeBron needs his Pippen.Why would the Suns have traded Marion for Ilgauskas? That's about the worst fit imaginable.

[Ghost Writer]

Um, did you notice that they traded for Shaq?

Ilgauskas is better now, pal.

[timvp]

Um, did you notice that they traded for Shaq?

Ilgauskas is better now, pal.Shaq in the year 2020 will be better than Big Z is now.

[adidas11]

Big Ben may surprise a few people with some left in the tank. I don't think he is completely done, just in a slump.

How can a hustle player be in a "slump"? His job is to run around the court and play defense, block shots, provide energy, and dominate with rebounds. Its not like he's in a shooting slump, or commiting a lot of turnovers. His entire game is hustle energy, that only comes and goes with motivation and determination (and athletic ability to a large degree).

So his "slump" in Chicago can only come down to two reasons: (1) he's older and can't provide the constant energy like he used to do in Detroit and Orlando, or (2) he just got lazy after getting the big contract with Chicago and has not been motivated.

Cleveland had better hope that its just reason #2. Because if he can't provide the hustle and energy due to reason #1, then Ben Wallace is just another body on the floor taking up space and being a liability to the team.

[adidas11]

i thought cleveland was looking for scoring help? guess not.

Did you miss the part where Cleveland picked up Wally Szczerbiak??

[Spurminator]

The Suns got Shaq primarily for his interior defense.

[Ghost Writer]

Shaq in the year 2020 will be better than Big Z is now.
You're on crack.