Of course, with the Miami situation, this has been on the front burner for awhile. But, once the theory (other teams) became reality with Carmelo Anthony joining Amare Stoudemire in NYC, it’s no longer something to simply speculate about.
Wednesday afternoon another shoe dropped when the Nets traded Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and two #1 draft picks for Deron Williams of Utah. The #1 picks will be the Nets’ 2011 – which will probably be a lottery pick and the Warriors’ 2012 – which also could be a lottery pick.
Make no mistake about it, Williams is one of the best PGs in the league – some would argue the best. Whether he is technically #1 or not, he’s extremely close. The question I would ask is exactly the same thing I asked in the Carmelo Anthony trade… Is it worth it?
The rationale used by New Jersey is that in order to compete in the increasingly competitive East, they need to start stocking superstars. With an owner who has no restrictions on cash spent (other than salary caps), they have a shot at accomplishing the same thing Miami has done and New York is attempting to do.
The question is whether it is possible for New Jersey to accomplish this feat. Remember, two superstars ain’t gonna cut it – especially when you have to give away the farm to get them. So…
1) Who are the other two S-Stars that NJ plans to attract? I don’t have the faintest idea.
2) At the very best, the Nets stayed even with the Knicks in NYC based upon the two trades. IMO, Williams is a better player than Anthony and will win more games, but along with the glitz and glammor (I say filth and squalor) of NYC, Anthony is seen as the bigger coup.
3) Who wants to play in New Joisey? In order to attract players, it isn’t just about money. It’s about prestige. The Nets haven’t won anything. Of course the Knicks haven’t either – at least not in anyone (this side of Hubie Brown)’s lifetime. But, the Knicks are still remembered for those two championships 40 years ago. What are the Nets remembered for?
4) Deron Williams is only under contract for 1.5 years. No law says NJ can keep him. The one advantage they have is that they can pay him more than any other team. But, he’s not happy to be there. Who would be? Unless the Nets pull some rabbits out of the hat – and soon, I can’t see him sticking around one minute longer than he has to. The extra money didn’t keep LeBron in Cleveland and it won’t keep Williams in NJ.
The dilemma N.J. and their rich owner face is whether they can sit on the sidelines and be satisfied with a decent team – one that certainly could exist without any superstars. I can’t say they should have been satisfied, but unless the DW gambit pays off, this will end up being a catastrophe. The Nets are giving up a ton and a half for Williams. If they can’t keep him after next season, it’s a disaster.
On the other hand, Utah was at least as smart as Denver IMO. In their case, they get two likely high #1 picks along with a proven scoring guard in Harris and the #3 pick in last season’s draft (Favors). That’s a tremendously high price for any single player. In fact, I’m not sure there is a player in the NBA worth that much unless his name is LeBron James… and even then.
Utah rightly recognized that they would lose Williams after next season. He’s all but made that public. They decided they simply were not going to be held for ransom by DW in 2012, so the best thing to do was to get the most possible for him this year. I think they further benefited by the fact that N.J.’s owner is filthy rich and was bound and determined to get some kind of a star – especially after failing on James and Anthony.
If I had to bet which team will be better over the next five years – New Jersey or Utah, I’d put my money on the Jazz.
Since I’m betting, if I had to bet which team will be better over the next five years – New York or Denver, I would go with the Knicks. The reason isn’t necessarily because they made the best trade, but because they have two stars, the odds are pretty decent they can recruit a third some time in the next year or two. At that point, you have to give them some serious consideration in challenging for the title.
But, while I’m on that subject, apparently ESPN did a poll and 15% of the people voting said the Knicks would win it all in 2011. Yeah, that’s right… this season.
That’s absurd! I would not be surprised if their record (.500) is no better post trade than pre trade. Irrespective of whether it is or not, there is almost zero chance they are going to win the East – much less the NBA championship. That poll tells you right off the bat that there are either 15% of the voters that are homers or 15% that don’t have a clue about basketball.
Deron Williams is a great player and a fantastic person to build around. However, in order to be successful, New Jersey must be able to attract other stars. I realize they are going to be moving to Brooklyn along with a new arena. That will help a little. But, they are still called the “Nets” and they will still be a very bad team whenever superstar #2 would join them.
Of course, the big question in all this is whether it is good for the fans or for the NBA. I can pretty well guarantee it isn’t good for most of the NBA cities. But, that may work right into David Stern’s plan to contract. I think it may be good for the NBA overall and fans of the league. It’s one thing to have a Kobe Bryant against a Dwight Howard on national TV, but it’s quite another to have Wade/James/Bosh up against Anthony/Stoudemire and, say, Paul. When they start putting those kinds of teams together, the draw (at least on TV) is going to be enormous!
As for me, I’m up in the air. Parity is a great thing in the NFL, but I’m not so sure it works to the benefit of baseball or basketball. It’s not like there has been all that much parity anyway in either sport, but at least in B-Ball, it looks to be less than ever.
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