NBA

AFTER THE STORM
Trade winds blew through, altering the face of the NBA. Now what?
By Ric Bucher

Four out of five GMs surveyed in early February expected a quiet trade deadline. So what happened? Why the sudden frenzy of headliner deals?

"A perfect storm," says Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, whose team did not take part in the
11 trades that went down during the past three weeks, including five Feb. 21 deadline-beaters. "You had teams looking to win a title paired up with teams looking for cap space and draft picks. It all just lined up."

To suggest that last summer's deal that sent Kevin Garnett from Minnesota to Boston or even that the Feb. 1 trade of Pau Gasol from Memphis to the Lakers inspired the deadline-beating frenzy is simplistic. Allen Iverson's move from Philadelphia to Denver last season spawned only three minor deadline deals. But the KG and Gasol trades did provide a blueprint: Bad Team A looking to unload a superstar and his bloated contract finds Good Team B with expiring contracts and title hopes. The Nets and Mavs, Heat and Suns, and Sonics and Cavs (with the Bulls in the middle) all followed that plan.

Not by coincidence, most of the major transactions were also interconference. The ideal? A rebuilding franchise sends its star to a place where he can wreak havoc on his former club only twice a season. Case in point: The Nets persevered through a week
of uncertainty and a significant deal revision (Trenton Hassell and Keith Van Horn replaced Jerry Stackhouse and Devean George) because they wanted to send nine-time All-Star Jason Kidd to the West.

On the other hand, Cleveland could pay the price for not shipping key players far enough. As part of their three-team, 11-player deal, the Cavs sent starters Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to the Bulls. Sure, they ended up with Ben Wallace and Joe Smith from Chicago and Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from Seattle. But the wisdom of the trade will be determined over the next six weeks, when the Cavs and Bulls play all four of their season matchups—on national TV.

And if you think Frantic February will diminish the trade volume around the draft, think again. Names certain to resurface in June include Eddy Curry, Vince Carter, Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest.

"A lot of the talks that started now and didn't result in anything getting done," predicts one East exec, "have laid the groundwork for this summer."

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INSIDE ADDITION
Think the Pistons don't cut it on offense? Check your math.
By John Hollinger

Are the Pistons an offensive juggernaut? Well, no. But that characterization is a lot closer to reality than anyone might be willing to admit. Sure, their pace still plods (90.2 possessions a game, fewest in the NBA), and they don't light up the scoreboard every night. But they make up for all of that by being mind-numbingly efficient.

This team gets the most out of each time down the floor. Just 11.3% of its trips end in turnovers, the best rate in the league. Add solid offensive rebounding, and the Pistons lead the NBA in a category I call "shot tries": attempts per trips down the floor. Detroit's rate of 99.9 per 100 is three shots above the league average of 96.5.

Not only that, but these days, the Pistons are also getting a bit more bang out of every possession. They've added another weapon: the three-pointer. After hitting just 34.4% of their treys last season (26th in the NBA), Detroit has vaulted up the rankings to a ninth-best 37.3%.

Heck, midrange king Rip Hamilton competed in All-Star Weekend's three-point contest. Okay, so he didn't win, but his contribution to a more diversified attack will give Detroit a greater chance at a much bigger prize.

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