Me, oh my! I’ve been a fan of the consistent mediocrity that is Utah Jazz basketball for so long! What shall I do now?
The trade itself is fairly shocking, although it probably shouldn’t be. It was becoming increasingly evident that Deron Williams no longer wanted to stay in Utah over the long-term. And usually when a superstar starts to tip in that direction, the situation can only get worse.
So there goes my favorite player…from my favorite team…in what used to be my favorite sport. Que sera, sera.
But since I like to play armchair G.M. anyway, I might as well give my two cents on this deal (assuming the early reports are correct).
Here’s what New Jersey gets:
- Deron Williams (PG), easily one of the best point guards in the league. At age 26, still in his prime years…and under contract through next season with a player option for 2012-13.
Utah gets:
- Derrick Favors (PF), 3rd overall pick in last year’s draft. Mixed results in limited action so far this season, but incredible potential and highly-valued prospect.
- Devin Harris (PG), an underrated, savvy point guard with solid skill set. Soon-to-be 28, should still have a few years left as a legitimate NBA starter. Contract goes through the next two seasons, at a considerably lower price tag than Deron would have.
- 2 First Round Draft Picks? Seriously? Reports say that one of the picks will be New Jersey's first rounder for this year’s draft, and the other is Golden State's for next year.
- And $3 million on top of that?
If you consider that Deron Williams was probably not going to stay in Utah, then I can’t blame the Jazz for pulling the trigger here. They get two starting players for the price of one, with 2 first-round picks and cash to boot. For a fringe-playoff team with no clear direction, it doesn’t get much better than this.
I recently wondered if they would try to trade Deron, especially with the fan backlash he received over Sloan’s resignation. I didn’t expect it to happen this soon, but at least it didn’t drag out like the Carmelo Anthony situation.
All in all, this is a great value deal out of a situation that wasn’t likely to get any better. The pieces are now in place to maintain mediocrity for years to come. Crisis averted. Go Jazz!
Williams was really good, but to get what they got for a guy that wasn't going to resign was a pretty good deal.
ReplyDeleteI haven't followed the "basketball association" for a while now(not since the internet decided to provide me with so much free porn). I do know that Williams is one of the few sports stars to come out of WV and stay out of trouble. Well, White Chocolate stayed out of trouble but he couldn't keep his inbred mouth shut.
Hopefully the Jazz use those picks wisely. Who knows, maybe Big Country has a lil' bro? There may be a little Eric Montross ready for the bright lights of Salt Lake?
Not sure I have much faith that the Jazz will use those draft picks wisely. Last year they finally get a top 10 pick, and end up taking a goofy white guy named Gordon. He wouldn't even be a top 10 pick for kickball during Middle School recess.
ReplyDeleteOne can only hope that the next generation of Montross or Ostertag is out there somewhere. They should have thought ahead, and put a baby-making bonus in Mark Eaton's final contract.
Should be fine though, I think the first crop of Shawn Kemp kiddos should be close to NBA age. Hopefully they address that in the new collective bargaining agreement to make sure that every team gets at least one Kemp kid.