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posted February 26, 2008 at 12:19 in NBA Articles

Last Thursday’s trade deadline was almost fated to be anticlimactic for NBA betting fans, what with Pau Gasol and Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kidd already being dealt. But leave it to Danny Ferry. The Cleveland Cavaliers GM stepped in at the last minute to submit the following three-way deal for league approval:

To Cleveland from Chicago: Ben Wallace and Joe Smith

To Cleveland from Seattle: Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West

To Chicago from Cleveland: Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons

To Seattle from Cleveland: Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble

To Seattle from Chicago: Adrian Griffin

This trade (since approved) has been called something of an overhaul for the Cavaliers, but in reality, the only player of consequence to the way Cleveland was playing basketball was Drew Gooden – and even he was having a subpar year for the Cavs at 12.72 PER (Player Efficiency Rating) and a Roland Rating of minus-2.9. Larry Hughes (12.01 PER) has been a bust for Cleveland ever since coming over from Washington three years ago; the Cavs are happy just to get out from under the last two years and $25 million of his contract.

They’ll need most of that money to pay Ben Wallace, who will make $28.5 million over the same two years. Wallace looked well past his prime in Chicago while posting a 12.17 PER, but there is hope he will regain his Pistons-era swagger now that he’s once again playing for a title contender. The first returns are encouraging. Starting at power forward next to Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Wallace had 12 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of steals in Sunday’s 109-89 triumph over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies (+11.5).

Digging deeper into Cleveland’s treasure trove, Wally Szczerbiak and Joe Smith each scored in double figures off the bench. Delonte West started at point guard in place of the injured Daniel Gibson; although the rookie struggled on 2-for-12 shooting, West added six assists and three steals as he continues his uneven development at the NBA level.

Wallace and Smith were expendable in Chicago because of the impressive development of Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. Gooden will support them, but the key player for the Bulls in this trade is Hughes. This is a slashing combo guard who simply didn’t have a role in Cleveland next to LeBron James. Hughes can go back to his strength in Chicago, and he can do it while making Ben Gordon (15.88 PER) and his contract demands redundant.

Although the competition in the East (Boston, Detroit) is tougher this season, the Cavs did make the Finals last year and may have some value on the futures market at +1500. But how about the Bulls at +8000? They were one of the preseason favorites to win the East, and despite their brutal 22-33 record (23-32 ATS) were just two games out of eighth place at press time. This is a fresh start for the Bulls – and not a day too soon. Check the NBA odds for the latest on these two improved teams.

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