Okay, so I was wrong when I predicted that there wouldn't be any blockbuster deals at the MLB trading deadline.
Many minor (and a few somewhat major) deals were swung in baseball today, but it was the NBA that stole the show. As I am short on time and energy this evening, I'll put down a few thoughts and point you to a couple of good links on the day's goings on.
In baseball, the Texas Rangers stole the show. You may be wondering what in the world I'm talking about, but they received a boatload of highly-rated prospects in two separate deals. Yes, they gave up slugger Mark Texiera and lights-out closer Eric Gagne, but they also saved a ton of money and made huge progress toward the future.
The Rangers weren't going anywhere this year anyway, but I have a lot of respect for Jon Daniels' forward-thinking. Look for the Rangers to contend in 2-3 years; how does a Rangers-Marlins World Series sound in 2010?
For much more in-depth analysis of today's baseball trades, I'd recommend MLB Trade Rumors.
But the truly momentous news of the day belonged to the Boston Celtics, who landed Kevin Garnett. It's not every day you can add a five year 20-10-5 guy, and it's not every season when you can fill your lineup with the likes of Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
Celtics' GM Danny Ainge clearly expects this team to win now, but I'd be surprised if they do. The talent is obviously there, but I have a lot of questions about how three superstars will gel together. Two was a crowd in Los Angeles; why are we to believe three will be company in Beantown?
Time will tell, though. In the meantime, check out a post on the subject by Andrew at Empty the Bench, who thinks the deal was a great one for both sides.
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7 comments:
I am ecstatic about Gagne.
I don't know if chemistry is the issue with the Garnett Trade, so much as they don't have anyone else on the team. They have three aging stars and 9 scrubs.
I'm glad my Rangers have moved some players, particularly Tex. Given the prospect crapshoot, let's hope some of these pan out in our favor.
As for the Celtics, are these really three super stars? Garnett, yes, but is Pierce a SUPER star? Allen? I think you have one super star and two stars, and all three know they can't win alone.
Plus, the three combined don't have the ego of either Shaq or Kobe, so I don't see any problems there. As bad as the East is, the Celtics will contend next year.
Bill Simmons has a pretty good article as well about how their personalities and strengths/weaknesses will play off each other well. Wild prediction? Boston wins the East this year. I don't mind climbing out on limbs.
I'm still not convinced Gagne will be a huge impact, but between him, Papelbon, and the Japanese lefty, they should have a solid 'pen. If their offense can stay healthy, they are definitely favorites for the Series, I think.
Kevin, it will work in Boston becasue the three stars are unselfish. Which i guess you could take that as a dig at Kobe Bryant if you want. Garnett is known for being an unselfish superstar,(sometimes to a fault), and these guys haven't sniffed playoff success in a while. This trade easily gets them on the list of top teams in the NBA.
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@Chris - Are we going to have to get into a debate about the difference between stars and superstars? Sort of like the difference between a sport and a competition? :-) But seriously, I think I get what you're saying, and Kasey alluded to that with his comment. These guys are big-time players, but they seem to be one notch below Kobe on the ego scale. I guess egos aside, I wonder how things will go when Paul Pierce starts to average 14 points or Ray Allen only gets to put up 12 shots.
Does star/super star need to be debated? I alluded to ego, too, but it is more that that. Pierce and Allen are nice players, but if I'm running down a list the top players in the NBA, I have to skim down a while before I get to their names.
For most of their careers they have played for losers. Super stars aren't losers, not in the NBA. With only five guys on the court, super stars dominate, they will their team to win.
There are only a handful of true super stars in the NBA, and Pierce and Allen are not two of them.
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