2008 NBA trades- HoopsCorner.com

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March 06, 2008

By Tyson Wirth

Since 2008 dawned, two practices of normally mild nature have exploded in use and exposure. They’ve strangled America’s airwaves, splashed new angles across our newspapers almost daily, and sparked speculation unmatched in recent history.

The practices, of course, are 1) politicking and 2) trading professional basketball players. And I think we’re well overdue to mix the two. With that intent, I have played Mad Scientist. A flurry of major NBA trades went down in January and February and below they’re ranked in order of which franchises helped themselves most, in both the short and long term; NOT where teams will finish in the standings.

The style of these squads, and trades, is where the politics come in. Each franchise has evolved – or solidified – their ‘fit’ with a political figure. Why? Because I just love the idea of making a hardcore Democrat root for her new favorite ‘McCain,’ or a diehard Republican cheer on his ‘Hillary.’ And because… why not?

One final caveat - no, you should NOT feel guilty about reading this article instead of using your time in such silly pursuits as researching the actual presidential issues which will shape our children’s’ futures. It’s up to Dwight Howard and Lebron James to shape our children’s’ futures – not parents! To the list!

Los Angeles Lakers (Pau Gasol)
Were: John Edwards. Became: Barack Obama.
In one swipe the Lakers transformed from also-ran respectability into the co-favorite for the Western Conference's Finals nominee. They are now in as good a position as anyone to win a championship this year. What's better for citizens of L.A. is that if failure rears its head despite the excitement of the moment, they're young and talented enough to be a major contender for the foreseeable future.

All four members of the Lakers' core (Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom) are on the right side of 30; expect Bryant's bunch to be in the race when the 2012 elections roll around (incidentally, your candidates' TV ads will begin in December of this year).

New Jersey Nets (Devin Harris)
Were: Bill Richardson. Became: Bill Richardson
The Nets are a nice team, likeable and not without talent, but they’re simply outclassed in a crowded field. Getting Harris, Diop and picks for Kidd was a coup, as Harris’ quiet ascent and Kidd’s subtle decline means they’d make a pretty even debate right now.

Miami Heat (Shawn Marion)
Were: Fred Thompson. Became: Fred Thompson.
Accusations of complacency and subpar drive derailed what looked, before the action started, promising on paper. The Heat’s roping of Shawn Marion – while escaping Shaquille’s massive contract – gives the franchise hope that enough talent can be developed to keep Dwayne Wade around, but for this campaign, it was way too little too late.

San Antonio Spurs (Kurt Thomas)
Were: Hillary Clinton. Became: Hillary Clinton.
The Spurs are shrewd, experienced, and tough. They've been the top administration - admittedly, with different circumstances – for multiple terms and can never be counted out, even when on the ropes.

The little-heralded addition of Kurt Thomas from Seattle didn't get much play with the press, but it could provide the muscle to match up with Phoenix and Shaq if San Antonio faces the behemoth in a seven-game series.

Phoenix Suns (Shaquille O’Neal)
Were: Mitt Romney. Became: John McCain.
Love or hate what they stood for, the Suns were a known quantity before their blockbuster acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal. Now, the Suns seem more akin to their Arizona representative, John McCain.

They say they'll stick to the exciting values which made them popular and effective in the first place (early results are mixed, with a 2-2 record since Shaq suited up), but will they flip-flop to the 'other side' and become more moderately-paced come playoff time? That flexibility might give them enough of an edge to squeak out wins in the killer West postseason.

Seattle SuperSonics, Memphis Grizzlies (picks, cap space)
Were: Mike Gravel. Became: Ralph Nader.
Both these teams knew they had no shot in the present, so they sacrificed quality campaign managers (Gasol for Memphis, Wally Sczerbiak and Kurt Thomas for Seattle) for the chance to be relevant tomorrow. We won’t know if the strategy was smart or not until future salary cap space and draft picks are exercised, but most polls are saying Memphis got much less than it could have for Gasol.

It’s hard to imagine many votes support the Grizzlies’ strategy when considering two first-round picks received from the Lakers (2008, 2010) are likely bottom-five selections.

Atlanta Hawks (Mike Bibby)
Were: Not running. Became: Rudy Giuliani.
Pulling the trigger to nab Mike Bibby before the Cavs could is commendable. Ultimately, though, Giuliani couldn't overcome his lack of highest-level experience; neither, in the near future, will the Hawks.

Dallas Mavericks (Jason Kidd)
Were: George Bush. Became: John McCain (yes, I know I’ve used him before, when you become Mad Scientist, you can make your own crazy rules).
The Mavericks’ exchange of Devin Harris, two first-round picks and parts for J-Kidd leaves them with more or less the same principles and chances as before; but suddenly, they’re old (Kidd will be 35 in March, Harris will be 35 in 2018. McCain is 104.).

They do trade the reputation of choking, however, for one of being battle-tested veterans (Bush turned post 9/11 approval ratings of 90%, according to USAToday.com, into a current rating of 19-30%... Dallas conceded a 2-0 Finals lead to Miami in 2006, and then surrendered to No. 8 seed Golden State in the first round of 2007. McCain is a war hero.).

New Orleans Hornets (Bonzi Wells)
Were: Mike Huckabee. Became: Mike Huckabee.
Be honest – before the regular season campaign began, you gave these guys about the same odds as a pheasant at a Thanksgiving shoot. So did I. We were wrong. They’re for real (37-18 as of Wednesday). And while they’re facing some seriously tough and experienced competition this year, they’re definitely contenders as soon as the next race commences. The Feb. 21 addition of Bonzi Wells isn’t earth-shattering, but it didn’t hurt.

The other trade-happy teams either made largely lateral moves (yes, that’s YOU Cleveland, with your swapping of Larry Hughes’ terrible contract for Ben Wallace’s worse one… talk about needing campaign finance reform!), didn’t meet the time frame (Utah’s acquisition Kyle Korver was in late 2007, but still… kudos on a shrewd negotiation across the aisle), or involved players of minimal importance (think Dennis Kucinich).

So who will this year’s nominees actually be? That’s another story entirely. But it’s shaping up to be a heck of a race in 2008.

E-mail HoopsCorner writer Tyson Wirth at Tyson-wirth@uiowa.edu.

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