My first reaction from yesterday’s three-team trade between Memphis, Toronto and Detroit was that in many ways, all were winners.
Whenever a deal of this magnitude is executed there’s an immediate surge of fuelled emotion most often guided with the intention to condemn, rather than investigate the realities of the move.
I would have though the trade that sent James Harden to Houston on the eve of the season, lambasted in many quarters but proven a roaring success for both teams, would have perhaps at least tempered the way deals of this ilk are so savagely disseminated.
They obviously haven’t.
Within moments of this deal I read ridiculous suggestions that Memphis have traded away their opportunity for an NBA Finals run which is not only idiotic, but breezes over the initial statement itself.
To begin with Memphis should be applauded for making a gutsy move which gives their franchise a lot more wriggle room where finances are concerned, adds in a draft pick, but most crucially keeps them competitive and relevant both this season and beyond.
In Rudy Gay, Toronto have landed the bigger-sized fish they’ve been chasing for some time while giving up players who have always been treated as the bait in their quest for such a fish.
As for the Pistons, well they say goodnight to their most cumbersome contract as well as the last link to their sort-of glory days of the last decade.
In return for losing Tayshaun Prince they’ll welcome in perhaps the cleanest set of hands in the NBA in Jose Calderon.
Try as I might, I just can’t see where the disgust and haste to call a loser in the trade comes from.
In fact, and as I suggested, I think all sides of this trade could head to bed tonight with a smile on their face and a genuine cause for belief that their clubs are in better states than when they began the day.
Finally, I can’t help but feel the key factor in this deal is Ed Davis. In the increasingly numbers driven world of professional sports, Davis shapes as a golden nugget.
The former 13th overall pick was easily Toronto’s best rebounder, perhaps their best defender all round and will represent a huge addition to a Memphis team seriously lacking depth in the realm of big bodies.
While the bulk of the noise concerning this trade will pertain to Gay, Davis will be the whisper I’m most keen to hear.
mushi
Roar Guru
James Memphis grizzlies actually rank a big old #1, as in best in the entire league, for rebounding rate which is the % of available rebounds do they get (52.7% of boards according to ESPN) So they are the league’s BEST rebounding team suggesting their front court is doing at least a decent job. Where the gap between your counting stats and the real level of rebounding proficiency comes from is that they allow the fewest shots from opponents per game.
Brandon Marlow
Roar Pro
Toronto lose in this trade. I can almost guarantee that Rudy Gay will look to get out of their as soon as possible, nobody wants to stay in Canada. I'm sad to see Tayshaun leave after being such a great performer for the Pistons but Jose coming in I'm really excited for the future. A team that looks like: Knight PG Stuckey SG Monroe C Singler SF Maxiell PF With Caulderon as sixth man this team is looking very bright.
james rosewarne
Roar Guru
I see where your coming from Eric in regards to Toronto. It is probably hardest to make a case for them in the context of this trade however I'm sure they'd argue that they've landed by far the best player in this trade and have done so by losing two players they've never exactly been in love with. If they do manage to trade Bargiani as well over the coming weeks then I'd be really interested to see how the squad shapes up, particularly in the front court. As for the back court, I think they're now quite nicely set with a core of Gay, DeRozan and Lowry along with Fields, Ross and Anderson (on pace for 100 3's) off the bench. None are standout defenders but all 6 constitute above average talent. A seasoned power forward, someone like Pau Gasol for instance, would really make this team both playoff worthy this season and for seasons beyond. Again though, they'd have to make sure they did something because their front court is still quite dodgy at the moment. sportingnumbers.blogspot.com
Bigrig
Guest
Sad to see Tayshawn leave... Last of the Pistons championship team... Was a great scrappy team! Im not convinced about Calderon but the only advantage I see with the Pistons is it free's up some much needed cash come next season... Need to keep Brandon Knight and Greg Monroe and build a team around them. Starting by getting rid of Stuckey!
Eric George
Roar Rookie
Fair enough, but I'm honestly much more interested in understanding how you think this trade makes the Raptors 'winners'.
james rosewarne
Roar Guru
Gasol Randolph Davis (Next.....) Memphis are ranked 28th/30 for defensive rebounds, 19th for total rebounds. To me that says a fair bit about lacking frontcourt depth. Afterall their 6 foot 4 shooting guard Allen is their 4th best rebounder now that Gay and Speights are gone . Where, outside of those 3 I mentioned, is the supposed 'stacked' front court talent?
Eric George
Roar Rookie
While I certainly agree that Memphis and Detroit are better off for this trade, there's no way the same can be said for the Raptors. Rudy is a huge gamble that comes with the max-est of max contracts. It was pretty clear in Memphis that if Gay was the best player on your team, you were putting a ceiling on your success. If Toronto are planning on Gay being their second option, then he's woefully overpaid. At this point, the Raptors have DeRozan, Bargnani, Gay and Lowry as their leading options, all with hefty pricetags. Not a single one has much interest in playing defence. As you already pointed out, the Raps traded away one of their only competent rebounders and interior defenders, to acquire another player with a questionable work ethic. Toronto just doesn't seem to be a happy place to send players who have had issues with effort in the past (see Turkoglu, Hedo). The most disappointing part about this is that Toronto were on the brink of building a really healthy outlook for the next 5 or so seasons. They've drafted really well over the past three seasons, brought in a smart coach, and had plenty of cap flexibility to lock up promising youth. Now they've given away much of that advantage for a player who seemingly isn't good enough to carry a contender. Where's the upside? Also, I have no idea how you could think that Memphis of all teams lacks depth in the frontcourt, they're stacked with bigman talent. Many people are already predicting they'll trade another forward (potentially Randolph) with the arrival of Davis.