So it turns out that the Melo-Drama was actually just foreplay. After Carmelo Anthony finally made it to NYC, the floodgates opened and teams started trading players like they wanted to get in as many trades as possible before the possibly lockout. So teams did well, others did poorly, and most just ended up exactly where they started. So where do the teams stand after their moves? Here's my stream of thoughts.

Portland: The Blazers acquired Gerald Wallace for Dante Cunningham, two first round picks (their own 2013 pick and the 2011 pick they got from New Orleans for Jerryd Bayless), and Joel Pryzbilla's expiring contract. The odd thing about this trade is that the Blazers refuse to deal Nic Batum but now they've traded for a guy who plays his position and makes 30+ million over the next three years. While I like Batum's potential, if you were going to make a move for a small forward, why not see what adding Batum into the mix could have fetched you? Instead of Wallace, might they have added Danny Granger? The Blazers have solidified themselves as a playoff team but are they really a threat to the Spurs, Mavs, Lakers, or Thunder? I also don't know how well Wallace fits in with Brandon Roy who prefers a slow down game. The bottom line is that until the Blazers are willing to move one of their key assets, they'll be stuck being a team with a second round ceiling.

Charlotte: Charlotte, a game and a half out of the playoffs, just jettisoned arguably their best player for a mid-first round pick in this year's draft and what will likely be a future late first rounder and an backup forward in Dante Cunningham. They also shipped out their on-and-off starting center Nazr Mohammed for Morris Peterson's expiring deal and low-ceiling prospect DJ White. There's basically no reason to watch the Bobcats for the rest of the year and next year isn't looking much better unless they can pull off some miracle deals. Also, it's hard to get fired up about adding draft picks given the fact that the Bobcats have squandered most of their picks in the past. In the end, these trades might have made Charlotte the East's best option for contraction in the near future.

Houston: The Rockets have been on the decline the last couple of years but they had a decent cache of middling prosects and a lot of expiring of money to throw around... and they ended up adding nothing but a few more middling prospect to their roster. They ended up dealing Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks, and Ish Smith for Hasheem Thabeet, Goran Dragic, and two future first round picks (which one would think are lotto protected.) The reason this is worrisome is that Kevin Martin (28) and Luis Scola (30) aren't getting any younger while the Rockets aren't getting any better and if they don't pull the trigger on a deal for those two soon, they'll end up getting nothing special for them (ala the Bobcats and Gerald Wallace.) If the Rockets can't make a blockbuster trade next year (which doesn't seem very likely), it may be time to blow the team up and start over from scratch.

Phoenix: I was really hoping that the Suns would make a crap contract swap of Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick for Baron Davis because then Baron and Nash could make more silly videos together and Baron & Vince Carter would form arguably the biggest waste of talent backcourt in the history of the NBA. Plus, as lazy as Baron may be, he seems like a nice guy and he's going to be miserable in Cleveland. As for what the Suns did do, it wasn't much. Brooks is a bit more exciting but he's just as flawed as Goran Dragic so it's not like the team is going to be improved. And while I would knock them for trading a first round pick in the deal, they usually end up selling their picks on draft night anyway so it's not like that really a loss. This one would be like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic but let's be real, the 2010 Suns' expectations weren't as good as the Titanic's.

Thunder: Oklahoma City added some bulk in the middle with Nazr Mohammed and Kendrick Perkins but my fear is that Perkins isn't just banged up a bit but that he's slowly deteriorating. While he's only 26, Perkins is an 8 year veteran who has now has knee issues to go with his shoulder problems. Is Sam Presti really going to want to invest a long term deal on Perk? Because that's what it will take to keep him since lord knows that some other GM will gladly throw a stupid deal at the defensive minded big man. And while adding a defensive anchor is nice, I still think the Thunder could use a low post offensive threat and neither Nazr nor Perk fills that need. The trade should solidify the Thunder's lineup this season but it probably won't get them past the second round.

Celtics: As the one time proprietor of the Can Danny! website, some might expect me to bash Danny Ainge's move but I think it was too good to pass up. Boston probably wasn't going to be able to re-sign Perk and I don't know if he was ever going to be even 90% this season. Yes, the C's are now relying on an injury prone trio of Shaq, Jermaine O'Neal, and Nenad Krstic in the middle (and maybe Troy Murphy if they can sign him after his buyout) but I think those guys plus KG in spot minutes should be enough. And adding Green will give the C's someone to spell Paul Pierce, which is key. Also, the Celtics got a Clippers top 10 protected first round pick which should help them restock the roster a bit for the future. The deal that doesn't really make sense, however, is just giving away Semih Erden and Luke Haragody for nothing. And I'm not just saying that because Semih-Pro and Luke Nukem were two of my favorite nicknames on the team. Erden was a nice emergency backup and now they have to hope that they can sign someone who is bought out to fill the void. Still, the C's were the best team in the NBA, in my opinion, when Perk was out and they bolstered that lineup with Green and Krstic. It's a definite risk but, then again, so was relying on Perk's knees this season.

Cavs: At first I thought that the Cavs were idiots for taking on Baron Davis's deal but after getting the facts straight and thinking about it for a second, all they did was pay 12 million over the next two years to get an unprotected lottery pick. If that pick lands in the top 3, it's a steal. If it doesn't, it's still something for nothing (but money.) Which might be the best thing for Cavs fans - it's clear that Dan Gilbert isn't afraid to spend money on his team and a willing owner means almost everything. And they added a decent backup in Semih Erden for shits and giggles as well. Baron might be a huge headache but if he, Rashard Lewis, and Gilbert Arenas can be traded in the same season, I see no reason why the Cavs couldn't find another crap for crap deal or take back a longer deal and grab another pick for Davis. The Cavs still suck but they're trying!

Clippers: The Clippers cut salary so they can go after a couple of high priced free agents in 2012 and they also added Mo Williams who will be easier to dump than Baron. Could the 2011 pick bite them in the ass? Most definitely. If this deal costs them Kyrie Irving or another top prospect, it'll hurt. But it also strikes me a bit like of the Celtics dumping the #7 pick in the draft to cut a year off of Raef Lafrentz's deal. The Blazers landed Brandon Roy but the Celtics used Ratliff to land KG and become an elite team. The Clippers still have Chris Kaman as a trade asset and own the rights to the Timberwolves unprotected 2012 draft pick so it's not like the trade asset cupboard is bare either. If Donald Sterling screws up having Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon and loads of cap space, the NBA might as well contract the Clippers and send Blake and Eric to real franchises.

Hawks: Short story shorter: Bibby was washed up, Hinrich has a little gas left in the tank and plays defense so it improves the team. It doesn't, however, improve them enough to get them out of the second round. It was a small tweak on a roster that needs a major move. If Josh Smith is still a Hawk at this time next year, then the Hawks aren't trying to win it all; they're just happy to get a handful of playoff game ticket sales and call it a day.

Wizards: Getting a first round pick and Jordan Crawford isn't terrible but this is a team that needed to make a bigger move. Maybe they tried and nobody wants Aundray Blatche or everyone just wanted to wait for Josh Howard to be bought out but they're really no better than they were before.

Hornets: Earlier in the year, I proposed Thornton for Jason Thompson and I think that's a better deal since Thompson could play alongside either center Emeka Okafor or PF David West. Instead, they got Landry, an older power forward who is also a free agent and might fly the coop at the end of the year (just like West.) This is a team that needed to use their assets to keep Chris Paul happy and they've now dealt a potential future backcourt of Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton for Trevor Ariza and Carl Landry. In other words, unless there is a franchise tag, Chris Paul is gone next season. I know winning this year has been fun but I think they seriously should have considered going after Philly's young talent in a deal for CP3. Something like Paul for something like Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thad Young and filler. CP3 still has to carry this team and it'll take everything he's got to get it to the second round.

New Jersey: While I do think that the Nets had to make a move, they now put themselves on the other side of the free agent circus. Instead of wooing Melo, they'll have to do everything in their power to keep Deron Williams happy, which might not be that easy. The Nets don't have a lot of prospects to deal for more help and the best free agent haul might be Nene or David West and Jason Richardson and I'm not sure Deron will be thrilled about tying his future to a bunch of 30-somethings when he can wait a year and head to Los Angeles and run with Blake and Griffin or head somewhere alongside Dwight Howard. Avery Johnson's head coaching style probably isn't going to make Deron any happier to be in New Jersey either. It's a tough call. Getting a superstar for Derrick Favors and two middling lottery picks is almost impossible to pass up but I just don't have faith in Billy King to make the right moves to keep Deron. In the start of 2012, I think the Nets are going to be back at square one.

Utah: I like that they learned from Toronto's mistake and moved their obviously erstwhile star. But I feel like they could have gotten a better deal than Devin Harris, a project in Derrick Favors and two likely mid-lotto picks in this year's underwhelming draft (that could get even worse if a lockout is looming and prospects opt to stay in school.) Still, it's not a horrible and they can make some noise in the offseason (if there is one) by dealing Harris, Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, or Mehmet Okur's expiring deal. I can't say that it was an ideal trade but they got decent talent and have assets that might just be able to land them a new star player.

Denver and New York: So much has been said of his trade but I think it's a win-win. The Nuggets got good talent back for 'Melo and the Knicks landed a marquee star who will excite the fan base and make them, at least, a top five team in the East. I know that a lot of people don't think that they can add the missing piece to make them an elite team but this is a team that people were laughing at in the offseason so just being in the conversation is good enough for now. It is kind of upsetting that neither Amar'e nor 'Melo would take less money so the Knicks could add one more star but beggars can't be choosers and a few months ago, the Knicks were most certainly begging. As for Denver, they made the most out of a bad situation; can't fault them for anything.

Perhaps the craziest thing about the craziest trade deadline ever is that I don't think it really made any difference. A couple of low end playoff teams might have solidified/sold out their playoff spots but other than that, the powers that be are still the powers that be and the next level teams are still chipping away at that glass ceiling.