More trade news from the NBA and I'm not a fan of this move at all. Deron Williams, star point guard of the Utah Jazz, was sent to the New Jersey Nets and, in return, the Jazz received point guard, Devin Harris and a promising rookie in Derrick Favors. Williams is clearly one of the best point guards in the NBA today (see past post on NBA point guards) and many teams have coveted his services. The Nets pulled off the move less than 24 hours after Carmelo Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks and it almost seems that the Nets wanted a superstar on their roster so badly that they didn't think through this deal very hard before executing it.
It's no secret that New Jersey wanted LeBron James in the summer and that they desperately tried to make a trade with Denver to land Carmelo. Now they have Williams, but the problem is that they gave away two young players that had loads of potential. Harris and Favors along with center, Brook Lopez, made up a pretty good, young core that could have led the Nets back to the glory days of the early 2000s. Without a doubt, Williams is an improvement from Harris but he really has no one to pass to. He and Lopez could have the same success that Williams had with Carlos Boozer in Utah but there is no supporting cast. At first glance it appears that the Nets have a pretty solid roster of young talent but it really isn't. At 17-40 they are 4th in the Atlantic Division and have no shot at the playoffs this season. After Williams and Lopez the Nets have an overrated, overpaid and injured player in Troy Murphy. Sasha Vujacic has a decent jumpshot but other than that all he has going for him is Maria Sharapova. Damion James's best basketball days were in Austin, Texas as a Longhorn and Travis Outlaw got a hefty contract in the offseason and has produced very little. Williams is stuck with a bunch of players that will not win.
On top of all that, Williams is a free agent at the end of this season and I would be surprised if he stays in New Jersey. Unless they can pull together some pieces and convince him that they have a shot at being a contender he will most likely leave for a better team. I have thought that he may want to go to Los Angeles to play with Kobe. Yes, Phil Jackson is leaving and there certainly will be some changes to the Lakers but Williams could run the point and have Kobe, Gasol and Odom to pass to. Derek Fisher is on the way out and LA will need somebody to run the Lake Show. It's definitley a place where he can win a championship or two and cement his legacy as an elite point guard. A friend of mine also brought up the idea of Dallas. Jason Kidd, like Fisher, is almost done and the mavs will need a point guard. Williams is from Dallas and could play in his hometown with Dirk Nowitzki and work for Mark Cuban. What player doesn't want to play for Cuban? Point is, there are going to be many destinations more popular than New Jersey at the end of the season. The Nets could only have him for half of a season and then he will be gone, but Utah has Harris and Favors for a long time.
Another thing that bugs me about this trade is Utah's timing. A few weeks ago williams and former Utah head coach, Jerry Sloan, reportedly got in an argument and when all was said and done, Sloan resigned. He was one of the NBA's best coaches and had been with the Jazz for 20 years. However, Williams got the best of him or the franchise picked their point guard over their coach and told Sloan to resign. What ever it was, Jerry Sloan is now at home. Williams is no longer in Utah either. Why didn't the Jazz tell Coach Sloan that if he waited just two more weeks Williams would be gone? That's no loyalty to a man who has been around for a long time. Jerry Sloan deserved better than that.
Photo courtesy of financebehavior.co.uk
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