In 29 days, we’ve seen four Game Sevens, several suspensions, a 58-point beatdown of New Orleans courtesy of Denver, and Mark Cuban call out Kenyon Martin’s mom.
And the NBA Playoffs are only about halfway over.
How did the Lakers, Nuggets, Cavs, and Magic get this far? By having a competent front office.
It has taken forever, but the NBA finally has its version of the Final Four — the Lakers, Nuggets, Cavaliers, and Magic. Some took longer to get this far, but all four have one thing in common — a smart front office. Each team can basically point to one move that provided its missing piece.
Cleveland snags Mo Williams in three-team deal
Quick, name who the Cavs gave up in last year’s three-team trade to get Mo Williams. You probably can’t. That’s because one player Cleveland lost (Joe Smith) re-signed with the team, and the other (Damon Jones) couldn’t even crack Milwaukee’s rotation. Williams (17.8 ppg, 4.1 apg) is more than just a sidekick to LeBron James. On a lesser team, he’d be the No. 1 option.
Denver swaps Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups
Perhaps no trade has ever had such drastic impact on both teams as this one. Detroit went 24-30 with Iverson in the line-up. Denver went 52-25 with Billups. Iverson missed 24 games. Billups missed one. Iverson’s Pistons are sitting at home. Billups’ Nuggets have an outside shot at a championship.
The Lakers get Pau Gasol from Memphis for garbage
Not even Isaiah Thomas would make the deal Memphis made. The Lakers pried two-time All-Star Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies for the hefty price of major bust Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and strangely, Gasol’s younger brother Marc. Only Marc Gasol still plays for Memphis, while Pau (18.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg) has given the Lakers much-needed inside scoring. Pau may be a soft defender, but the Lakers have a realistic shot at their second straight Finals appearance since his arrival. He has to be doing something right.
Orlando drafts Dwight Howard over Emeka Okafor
In 1995, Orlando reached the Eastern Conference Finals with Shaquille O’Neal, a dominant center nicknamed “Superman” who could score and defend, but couldn’t shoot free throws. This year, Orlando reached the Eastern Conference Finals with Dwight Howard, a dominant center nicknamed “Superman” who can score and defend, but can’t shoot free throws. A shot-blocking machine, Howard has by far been Orlando’s best big man since Shaq left town almost 15 years ago. And the three-point happy Magic don’t even get him the ball.
