Trading Camp Frenzy

It is now only the first week of NBA training camp and already the landscape of the league looks completely different. First the Bulls and Knicks and later the Raptors and Rockets, executed trades that have effected the futures of at least three of those teams. It is those trades that will be definitive in the up and coming weeks in the NBA.

The Bulls shipped Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis to the Knicks for Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney, Jermaine Jackson and future conditional draft picks. This trade enables one of the Knicks greatest shortcomings to become an asset. Adding Curry and Davis is essentially adding a starting frontcourt. The prospect of bringing Jerome James off the bench is a lot less daunting for the Knicks fan than having to watch him play the whole game. This move also gives Channing Frye a little bit of space to develop at the power-forward spot. For the Bulls, they loose two starters, but gain some piece of mind in knowing that they’re not responsible for putting an at-risk player on the court. They also add Mike Sweetney, a probable starter, to the lineup. This is really the key to the trade for the Bulls. If Sweetney is able to start in the frontcourt with Chandler at center, then the Bulls shouldn’t loose too much frontcourt power. Sweetney’s biggest problem in the past has been his inability to defend without fouling. Playing with Chandler will make this less of an issue for Sweetney because Chandler has a way of freeing up the post with his imposing defense. If Sweetney can stay in the game, he should put up numbers that at least match Curry’s. Tim Thomas will fit nicely into this team coming off the bench and will be able to play backup minutes at both forward positions. This trade also gives the Bulls a guy named Jermaine Jackson. This is never really a bad thing.

Neither is adding a point guard to a team that desperately needs one. That’s just what the Rockets have done by adding Rafer Alston. Alston is a starter and should enable Bob Sura to spend more time at the shooting guard spot, the position he came into the league playing. Sura was not bad as a point guard last season, when he wasn’t injured, but that certainly doesn’t look like his primary position. Alston is a spectacular passer and a great ball handler. Playing within Jeff Van Gundy’s offense should cut down on the turnovers that he was prone to last season. This trade makes the Rockets even more dangerous than they already were. While Mike James is a good add for the Raptors, nothing they can do short of acquiring a franchise player, and Mike James isn’t a franchise player, is going to making them a factor in the league this season. This trade doesn’t really mean much for the Raptors except that Sam Mitchell, the Raptors coach, no longer has to deal with Alston.

So how will these trades affect the rest of the league? Well for starters the Knicks could be a favorite to win the Atlantic division. The Nets are a very good team, but not nearly as deep in the frontcourt as the Knicks will be. Curry adds a whole new dimension to this team. The Rockets are, without a doubt, one of the top 5 teams in the NBA by adding Alston. He gives them legitimacy at a position that was formerly one of their weakest. Alston should be able to run a very smooth offense and should see his assist numbers skyrocket. This will be the first time in his career he’s played with anyone as good as Tracy McGrady or Yao Ming. The Bulls performance will be the question out of these trades. Their season will depend very much on how Sweetney fares. If he can average an effective 30mpg, the Bulls should be poised to return to the playoffs and not loose much footing from last season. If he can’t the Bulls could fall, maybe even out of the playoffs. Bulls coach Scott Skiles seems to have a way with troubled big men, ala Curry and Chandler, so things should be looking up for the Bulls. Look for them to be somewhere near where they were last season. Plus they have a guy named Jermaine Jackson.

These trades are arguably the most exciting ones of the summer, as they may actually make the biggest differences for the teams trading. The Rockets and Knicks become instant contenders, the Bulls have the potential to stay strong and the Raptors should have at least a little more unity in their clubhouse. Training camp is here and its time for the teams to pass out the new uniforms for their players. It should be fun to see a few new faces in those uniforms this season.