The Hoop and The Harm

Somebody needs to give Danny Ferry something to do. Because it looks like he’s been spending WAYYYYYYYYY too much time playing with the Trade Machine.

After hours of negotiations, Ferry pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal that involved three teams, eleven players, and a draft pick in a drastic attempt to give LeBron a supporting cast. After all, a Cavalier who does not support the King is not really a Cavalier at all; if you don’t get it, ask someone who knows something about English History.

So what does it mean? Assuming no one ends up on the DL or in Mike Brown’s doghouse, this trade should provide a boost, but is it enough to vault them past the Celtics or the Pistons in the playoffs? Potentially, and here’s why.

- Statistically, Ben Wallace is having a down year. Age may be an issue, but let’s be honest, Wallace wasn’t the only Bull having a bad season. And being a 6′9″ center isn’t easy. Joining a team that already has a legit center in 7′3″ Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Wallace should spend most of his time at power forward, meaning that his height will no longer be an issue. Wallace is still perhaps the strongest man in the NBA, and now that he’ll be battling for boards againsts fours instead of fives, expect both his rebounding numbers (under 9 a game with Chicago) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg) to increase dramatically.

- Homecoming King? Although ‘King’ might not fly in Cleveland - I heard the nickname’s already taken - it should be a return to remember for Wally Szczerbiak. The former Miami of Ohio sharpshooter had his best years in Minnesota, thanks in no small part to Kevin Garnett. Once again alongside a superstar, Wally has a great chance to resurrect his career - he’s a 40% career three-point shooter and a former All-Star.

The Cavs also received Delonte West in the deal. West, who played in the same backcourt as Jameer Nelson when St. Joseph’s started 28-0, had been with Boston prior to this year. He was shipped to Seattle in the Ray Allen deal, but was buried on the depth chart there with both Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour also on the Sonics. He should help - on this team, how can a young point guard who can shoot from the outside NOT help?

Sure, Chicago and Seattle were involved in this trade, but they’re not heading to the playoffs this season. Cleveland, on the other hand, is trying to prove that they can play with anyone in the conference, if not the league. Remember, they are the defending conference champions, and they have the best player in the NBA who has two healthy pinkies. Will they make it back to the Finals? We don’t know yet. But we do know that lately, it has been unwise to bet against LeBron.

Let’s start with the Pistons at the Heat. Both teams will be shorthanded. The Pistons short two rookies in Rodney Stuckey and Amir Johnson with the Heat going without star Dwayne Wade. The advantage here has to go to the pistons. If you look at the history of this match-up, the only way the Heat wins is on Wade’s shoulders.

I’ll take the Pistons 93 - 84 over the Heat in both teams season opener.

Next up, Houston at Utah. Utah was the surprise team last year and with the great play of point guard Deron Williams it is hard to pick against them. Houston is always a threat to blow away the competition with the McGrady/Yao combo and the rest of the team looked pretty good against the Lakers on Tuesday. This one should be a great game and come down to the wire. Look for turnovers to make the difference. Williams know how to take care of the ball but my gut is telling me that McGrady down the stretch will prove too much for the Jazz.

In an overtime thriller I will go with the Rockets 107 - 105 topping the Jazz.

In tonights final game the highly entertaining Suns will be traveling to Seattle to take on rookie standout Kevin Durant and the SuperSonics. All conventional logic says this one is a no brainer. The Sonics are young and inexperienced and the Suns are one of the top 5 teams in the league. Seattle looked pretty good at times against the Nuggets who are also one of the top teams this year in my opinion but they couldn’t hang on and they are playing for the second night in a row while Phoenix is on fresh legs with this being their season opener. Steve Nash will be impressive as always and will end up with double digit assists and Stoudemire will pull down 12 boards to go with his 23 points. You would have to be crazy to think Seattle has a chance. Well I have been called it before and it doesn’t bother me. The Seattle crowd should be crazy with their first look at Durant and we saw last night he is not afraid to shoot. I can’t imagine him not improving his percentage.

With a breakout performance from Durant and emotion from the crowd, look for 30 plus points and 12-15 boards in a 113 - 105 upset special Sonics over the Suns.

Brendan Howe can be reached at hoopsbrendan@yahoo.com