Wallyball!

One thing that I find unsettling about the NBA, in comparison with the other major sports, is how dramatically the character and quality of a team can change in an instant with one (or two) big trade(s) or free agent signing(s). Shaq’s moves to the Lakers and then to the Heat, LeBron joining the Cavs via the draft, and this year’s Celtics are good recent examples of this phenomenon -- which bothers me much less when it’s my own favorite team that is the beneficiary. Yesterday’s blockbuster between the Cavs, Sonics, and Bulls might be the most recent example. There is little question in my mind that the Cavs are a much better team after sending Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Ira Newble, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons packing for Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and Joe Smith.

Anyone who doesn’t think that the Cavs are substantially better likely overestimates the contributions of Hughes and Gooden, who both came out of college with their games focused entirely on scoring points -- almost entirely from mid-to-close-range. Neither of them shoots a consistent three pointer, and neither is a dominating physical presence inside. Neither Hughes nor Gooden does anything that LeBron does not already do much better (see Exhibit A below), yet both demanded their shots, and complained when they didn’t get them. They both seemed to think that they were there to play the same role as LeBron, which is somewhat understandable because this was the role that they both played in college. Neither adjusted to being second fiddle. Gooden was rarely in the lineup at the end of close games, and little needs to be said of Hughes blog-inspiring performance in last year’s playoffs. Finally, neither Hughes nor Gooden carried themselves on the court in a way that projected any discernable veteran leadership.

Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak each bring something to the Cavaliers that was missing before. Szczerbiak gives the Cavs a three point threat that they have not had in the LeBron era. He has improved his shooting percentage from behind the arc in each of the last five seasons, and is shooting 42.8% from downtown so far this season. Szczerbiak will open the floor for LeBron and Z inside, and instantly makes the Cavs a more dangerous team on offense. Wallace brings a physical presence that is matched by very few in the league. While he has been a disappointment in Chicago, the Cavs do not need him to be the same player that he was when he was four-time Defensive Player of the Year in Detroit. Wallace can bang with any big man in the league --East or West -- something else the Cavs have not had in the LeBron era. Moreover, a change of scenery is particularly likely to rejuvenate Wallace, who was a bad fit in Chicago from the start. Recall that former Bulls coach Scott Skiles would not let Wallace wear a headband in games. Would you not be disgruntled if you had hair like Ben Wallace's and Skiles told you that you weren't allowed to pull it back with a headband? Wallace will be treated like a grown man on the Cavs, who should reap the benefits of Ben’s new outlook.

Delonte West and Joe Smith are also good additions. Before he was shipped to Seattle from Boston in the Ray Allen trade, West was steadily developing into a solid pro, improving every year in Boston before moving to an uncertain situation in Seattle. The Tacoma News Tribune describes West as “a good shooter (37% career on 3 pointers) who – at 6-foot-3 – jumps well, can drive to the basket and defends bigger players well.” We’ll take it. Thanks. Joe Smith should help too. A former number one draft pick, Smith is a solid veteran who is having an excellent season. As NBA guru John Hollinger reports, Smith will consistently hit an open 17 footer, and, along with Szczerbiak and West, “will reduce the number of “five on one” defenses that LeBron has to face.”

Finally, all four of these newcomers arrive in Cleveland, oasis of hoops promise (LeBron makes it so), having been saved from depressing situations in Chicago and Seattle. If these players stay healthy, they will do things for the Cavs that the players they will replace did not and would not have done (as pictured in Exhibit B, below). We know that with LeBron, anything is possible in the Playoffs. Cavaliers fans should be very excited about these possibilities after this trade.

Update: Hughes continues to complain -- 2/23 Akron Beacon Journal, Page C4: "It's no secret that my style of play didn't fit the system. . . . I felt I could be more productive. There wasn't as much ball movement and player movement. There was just a lot of 'space the court and wait.' That's just not how I like to play." Gosh Larry, it must have been awful playing with LeBron, having to play in the NBA Finals and everything. We wish you the best in finding a team that lets you play how you like to play.