HoopsHype.com Columns

Here's to the winners
by Graham Flashner / August 1, 2002

THE WINNERS

New York Knicks

The stakes are as high as they’ve ever been for the Knicks, whose fate rests on the surgically repaired patella tendon of Antonio McDyess’s left knee. Their draft day trade seemed nothing short of a coup: beset by cap problems and boasting few marketable players, they managed to land McDyess (along with draft pick Frank Williams) from the Denver Nuggets, in exchange for the talented but injury-plagued Marcus Camby, aging point guard Mark Jackson, and the rights to their lottery pick, Brazilian sensation Nenê.

In McDyess, the Knicks would appear to at last have the go-to power forward that Larry Johnson was supposed to be: an agile, post-up player who can average 20 points and 10 rebounds a night. McDyess’s arrival shifts the
ever-improving Kurt Thomas to center. More importantly, it adds dimension and size to a stagnant Kicks offense that relied too heavily on Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston.

Make no mistake, though: this trade comes with an “IF” bigger than Madison Square Garden. IF McDyess rebounds from the surgery that wiped out all but 10 games of his 2001 season… IF his lateral quickness hasn’t been compromised and IF he retains his explosive first move to the basket… this will be the best trade of the summer. Anything less, and the Garden will be anything but Eden this winter.

Denver Nuggets

Though the Nuggets’ moves may be even riskier than the Knicks, they’ve done a credible makeover. GM Kiki Vandeweghe will look like a genius if Nene plays up to potential… and if Camby can just play, period. The disgruntled McDyess had already checked out of Denver and needed to be moved. Camby, looking to prove to detractors that his frail body can withstand a full season, joins a team suddenly bursting with big men: the 6-9 Juwan Howard, the 6-11 Nene and the 7-0 Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Whether they play well together is anyone’s guess, but at least they’ll have Mark Jackson, who leads the league in returning to teams he’s played for, feeding them the ball.

Los Angeles Clippers

It took six weeks of negotiations, but the patient Clippers got the man they thought had slipped away on draft day: budding superstar Andre Miller. The young Cleveland Cavaliers point guard led the NBA in assists (10.9), averaged 16.5 ppg, and gives the Clips instant backcourt leadership. Can Miller do for the Clips what Jason Kidd did for the Nets? He certainly has enough go-to options, among them Lamar Odom, Elton Brand, and Corey Maggette. The acquisition of Miller cost the Clippers their 20 year-old crowd-pleasing hotshot, Darius Miles, but the Clips are already front-loaded, thanks to top draft pick Chris Wilcox. Did someone say, playoffs?

Los Angeles Lakers

It seems unfair that the three-time champs could get even better, but they have. It wasn’t enough they added speedster (and 19 ppg scorer) Kareem Rush on draft day. Seeking more offensive spark, they sent Lindsey Hunter to the Toronto Raptors for guard Tracy Murray, a sleek-shooting three-point specialist more reliable than Derek Fisher. Oh, and the Lakers re-signed Brian Shaw, Samaki Walker and Devean George, after the latter briefly flirted with free agency. George fooled nobody. Who’d want to leave this team?

Baron Davis

At first unhappy about the Charlotte Hornets move to New Orleans, the All-Star point guard considered jumping to a bigger market, but settled down instead in the Bayou, signing a seven year-contract and proving that old-fashioned loyalty and principles still exist.

THE LOSERS

Cleveland Cavaliers

They’ve decimated their backcourt, trading Andre Miller (to the Clippers) and top shooting guard Wesley Person (to Memphis, for journeyman guard Nick Anderson and second round pick Matt Barnes). Last year’s Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight has added yet another erratic big man -- the exuberant, but still unproven Darius Miles.

Miles may someday be a superstar, but he’s not a player to build a franchise around. A poor defender who lacks a complete offensive game, Miles’ best shot as a Clipper tended to be a slam dunk off an alley oop, but who’s going to get him the ball this year? The Cavs may draw more fans, but they’ll need smart bombs to find the basket.

Boston Celtics / Seattle SuperSonics

Let’s just say that the trade that sent Sonics Vin Baker and Shammond Williams to Boston, in exchange for Kenny Anderson, Joseph Forte, and Vitaly Potapenko, has the distinct possibility of being a lose-lose for both teams. Sure, Vin’s excited to be back East, and sure, the Celtics are salivating at the thought of their biggest frontcourt since the days of Bird, McHale, and Parish. But there’s a good chance Vin will turn out to be a bigger stiff than the corpses on Six feet Under. A shadow of the All-Star who once averaged 20 points and 10 boards a game as a Milwaukee Buck, Vin’s skills slipped noticeably as a power forward out West. In
Boston, he will be reincarnated as a center, and should fit right in alongside plodding East pivot men like Todd McCulloch and Dikembe Mutombo.

In Seattle, Kenny Anderson is already griping about an unfamiliar role as a backup in this case, to incumbent Gary Payton. The whiny, unpredictable Anderson kills as many rallies as he starts with his colorful playmaking
selection, and it’s too early to speculate how well he’ll fit in. If properly utilized, Anderson brings welcome speed to the Sonics’ transition game. Still, this trade looks more like a swap of overpaid veterans well past their prime.

Keon Clark

The Toronto Raptors’ free-agent 6-11 center went from being hot ticket free agent to damaged goods, after his recent bust for marijuana possession. Keon has a date in court, but it’s not of the hardwood variety.

Graham Flashner is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com

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