Despite Stephen Colbert’s best efforts, the overwhelming message that resonate with attendees of the “Rally to Restore Sanity and or Fear” was reasonableness. An estimated 200,000 people came to Washington to express their frustration with the status quo of craziness and urge a more rational approach to politics.
Did I attend? No. There were too many people, it was kind of chilly, I couldn’t get close to the stage and the beer is cheap at Chef Geoff’s Bar and Restaurant during all-day happy hour on Saturday.
So I watched the rally at a bar downtown on TV, because IT WAS THE REASONABLE THING TO DO.
Imagine applying this principal to NBA trades. How many scenarios are there where trades could and should be made, benefiting players, teams, and the collective sanity of basketball fans? Dozens? Perhaps more?
Let’s start with two that should happen tomorrow, while the NBA season is young and players are still getting acclimated with each other. If GM’s wait any longer, it’ll just be more difficult to build chemistry later on.
(Again, I’m trying to think reasonably here. If you can’t handle it, stop reading before this gets any weirder.)
1) The Los Angeles Clippers trade Baron Davis to the New York Knicks for Eddy Curry and Kelenna Azubuike.
I subscribe to the Bill Simmons line of thinking when it comes to Davis – he excelled in Golden State playing for a passionate, loud fan base that kept games lively and fun. Davis, an emotional guy, plays his finest in that atmosphere, which is why he’s struggled mightily in LA. The Staples Center is anything but lively when the Clippers call it home.
Davis would make a killing in New York, where’d he play in free-wheeling offense under Mike D’Antoni on a team where no one, save Amar’e Stoudemire, needs the ball much.
Most importantly, he’d play half the season at Madison Square Garden, where it’s easy to get up to play.
The Clippers get to continue rebuilding by shedding the most expensive contract on their roster and saving $39 million over the next three seasons. Curry’s contract expires at the end of the season, and the Clippers become a factor in free agency next summer.
Azubuike is thrown in for cap purposes, but he also provides some insurance at small forward for injured draft pick Al-Farouq Aminu.
And Davis’ departure frees up more playing time at point guard for Eric Bledsoe, who starting to show how much playing backup to John Wall at Kentucky hurt him on draft night.
2) The Minnesota Timberwolves trade Kevin Love and Lazar Haywood to the Washington Wizards for Andray Blatche and Hamady Ndiaye.
This is probably the most unreasonable trade of the two simply because of how underrated Kevin Love is.
Also, because Andray Blatche is never going to get “it.”
John Hollinger will tell you that given 35 minutes a game, Kevin Love will be the next Basketball Jesus. I’m not as high on the UCLA product, but I do think he was born to play on a team that wants to push the ball in transition.
And no team is more reliant on points in transition than the Washington Wizards. They cut into leads by picking off the ball at the point, and then must score before the defense gets back to force them into running the same screens over-and-over in their halfcourt offense.
Love won’t improve the Wizards’ defense much, but he’ll get rebounds that lead to his superb outlet passes. And who better to receive those passes that John “J-Wow” Wall. Love has never played with a player this fast. By the time Love collects a rebound and looks up court, Wall will have already sped behind all the opposing teams’ players to collect a well-placed pass with a clear path to the basket.
I admit the Timberwolves don’t get much in return here. But Kahn seems to have a thing for not-quite-washed-up power forwards who settle for jump shots, a la Darko. Kahn, I give you Blatche.
And Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis seems to have a thing for high energy forwards with little to no talent to speak of, a la Anthony Tolliver. Kurt, I give you Ndiaye.
Everybody gets what they want. Sounds reasonable. So I’m sure it won’t happen.
