HoopsHype.com Columns

Deadline goes by without a whimper
by Eddie Johnson / February 25, 2007

The trade deadline went by without much happening and because of it the Mavericks and the Suns will go into the playoffs as the favorites to win it all.

The Spurs, Lakers and Heat all had chances to upgrade, but just could not get it done.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are in desperate need of bench help. Brent Barry has been the only consistent threat outside the Big Three. The Spurs could have used another scorer like Shareef Abdur-Rahim or the energy of James Posey.

The Lakers could have elevated themselves past the Rockets with the acquisition of Jason Kidd, but would not part with Andrew Bynum – who could become one of the best big men in the Western conference in a few years. But will Kobe be Kobe in a few years?

The Heat, in search of a point guard because of the shaky knees of Jason Williams and the aging of Gary Payton, are really in deep water with Dwyane Wade possibly finished for the season. Marcus Banks would have helped them tremendously.

I am really trying to figure out why teams continue to hold on to players who are close to passing their prime and eat up most of the salary cap. I was under the assumption that when players like Kevin Garnett received over 50 per cent of the salary cap they were expected to win a title.

Garnett, Vince Carter and Jason Kidd (two Finals visits) are all paid a ton of money, but are not in position to win a title. So why keep them?

The Timberwolves need to stop worrying about the public relation effect of trading Garnett and just do it. Garnett is extremely loyal to owner Glen Taylor and the team that has made him one of the wealthiest players in league history. So if they are waiting for an “I want to be traded” blow-up from Garnett, they can forget about it.

The Nets might be in the worst position of any franchise because they could lose Vince Carter at season's end and get nothing in return – running the risk of having an aging Jason Kidd without a big-time scorer like Carter to complement him.

When you look back, there are many teams that held on to stars past their prime out of respect for what those players have done for the franchise. But most importantly, afraid of public backlash.

The reason the Celtics have struggled since the Larry Bird years is because they would not trade Larry, Robert Parish or Kevin McHale when it was obvious late in their careers that they could not manufacture titles any more. Just imagine the position the Celtics would be in now had they moved those players to contending squads for younger talent or picks.

The Jazz held on to Karl Malone and John Stockton past their prime as well and allowed the second highest scoring player in league history to bolt to the Los Angeles Lakers for nothing. They could have traded him two years earlier and gotten a boat load of talent or draft picks.

Minnesota, are you listening?

Thoughts on DJ

Dennis Johnson has left us much too young. I can’t remember one time meeting DJ without a smile on his face and a hug waiting for me. People sometimes wonder where professional athletes get their drive from and how they maintain it. Well, DJ was a great example. Here is one of the greatest players ever, who won three championships, working as a head coach in the D-League just to prove that he deserved a head coaching job in the NBA. He was the consummate professional and a humble family man who will be sorely missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to Dennis Johnson’s family and friends.

Eddie Johnson is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com

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