Mulligan Season Continues
Ben Wallace, Larry Hughes, and Wally/Delonte are all swapping addresses in the year's biggest trade of mistakes past.
Chicago finally brings an end to the Ben Wallace Era. The man who was supposed to lead the team to the promised land actually proved to be anything but a steadying presence. Even worse, he wasn't very good on the court either. Larry Hughes gives them the shooting guard that they never really needed. He and Hinrich could combine to be one of the more overrated defensive backcourts in the league while Luol Deng and Ben Gordon have probably gone back to being happy that they didn't re-sign with the Bulls. I think they both will be more than happy to leave Chicago in their wake. Also in the deal is Joe Smith, making him the third #1 overall pick (and 2nd #1 disappointment) to be traded this month. That has to be a record. Also coming to Chicago is Drew Gooden, a #4 overall pick whose never really found a home.
Danny Ferry, meanwhile, erases the Larry Hughes Mistake that has hung around his neck for so long. Granted, in doing so he added an overpaid Ben Wallace who really doesn't offer much but who knows, maybe he'll be able to shut down KG, 'Sheed, Jamison, Bosh or any other opposing big man the Cavs may face in the playoffs. Wally Szczerbiak gets to go back to being second fiddle to a high schooler, a role he so hated in Minnesot. Personally, I'm just not a huge fan of this deal. Delonte West should be a super-sub for the Cavs but they already had one in Daniel Gibson. They really should have pushed for moving West to Chicago and getting a pure point guard like Chris Duhon. I know Danny Ferry had to make a move to keep LeBron happy but he just added a couple of guys who've basically made many of their former teammates pretty miserable. On the bright side, the Cavs rid their roster of #4 draft disappointments Gooden and Donyell Marshall.
As for Seattle, this means they basically gave up Ray Allen for Jeff Green. I think the people of Seattle might chase the team out of the state for that one. (Oh wait...)
In other news, the Human Mulligan Gerald Green is heading to a new team. Gerald is heading home to Houston to frustrate his hometown fans with bonehead plays, a pure stroke that never seems to find the target, and one game that screams potential followed by a month of games that have fans, teammates, and coaches screaming bloody murder. I have to be completely honest, the odds of the 2nd round choice the Rox gave up might have better odds of becoming a useful player than Gerald or Kirk Snyder (who Minny also got in the deal).
In the end, part of me feels that these trades haven't made the teams better, they're now just different.
