Thoughts on the "Ben Wallace" Trade

I love how ESPN keeps calling this the "Ben Wallace trade." I know they are focusing on the notoriety aspect of the deal, but in actuality, Big Ben is the worst of the four players who were shipped to Cleveland. Not only is Wallace clearly past his "prime" -- a prime which is debatable in itself -- but he doesn't fit the Cavs' roster, not even in the slightest bit.

Unless Anderson Varejao's injury is considerably more serious than Cleveland has led on, the Cavs have no need for Big Ben. Yea, I know the cliche is that Wallace brings rebounding, defense and toughness, but can we please get past that? He's one of the worst three free-throw shooters in the entire league and contributes virtually nothing offensively. He's a liability on the floor at the end of close games because of his foul shooting and let's not forget that he was a complete and utter bust for the Bulls.

Wallace is an undersized center and multiple injuries have done serious damage to his athleticism. His athleticism and hustle were the only things that allowed him to be a dominant defensive force in his days with Detroit -- all that's left now is the hustle. Even the hustle isn't the same, he's in slow-motion lately.

If Varejao gets back to full strength at some point this season there is no question in my mind that he'll be the better player for Cleveland. Varejao is a much better offensive player than Big Ben -- he has a decent mid-range jumper, creates uniquely off the high-post dribble and has a much softer touch at the foul line and around the rim.

But let's move on to the positive aspects of the deal for the Cavs: Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. I list Smith first because I truly believe he's the best player Cleveland received in this deal. Most media outlets listed Smith as the afterthought in the deal, behind Wallace, Wally and Delonte. However, Smith is having one of the best seasons of his long career and (knock on wood) he's remained relatively healthy. Smith is an excellent option in the post, he has a soft turnaround jumper and virtually flawless footwork on the block. He plays with more confidence in his game than Drew Gooden, and for that reason I think LeBron will like Smith as a teammate.

Of course, what Wally brings is outside shooting. He's arrived in the nick of time for Cleveland-- sharpshooter Daniel Gibson suffered a nasty ankle injury a few nights ago, putting him out of commission for 4-6 weeks. Wally will step into Gibson's role as a spot-starter/sixth man who provides spacing for LeBron and some rainmakers from beyond the arc.

Last but not least is Delonte; I really like this aspect of the deal for the Cavs. I've never been in love with Delonte's style of play, he tends to take some bad shots and doesn't pass much for a "point" guard. "Point" is in quotes because his style is more conducive to the shooting guard position. However, Delonte has fresh legs and he's a very capable penetrator. In addition, while I question his shot selection, he's actually an above-average perimeter shooter. Defining West as a point guard may be questionable, but he's still the best point guard on Cleveland's roster. Damon Jones can still knock down shots but he's primarily a spot-up shooter now, and Eric Snow is finished -- plain and simple.

When totally healthy I think their lineup should be:
PG-West, SG-Szczerbiak, SF-LeBron, PF-J.Smith, C-Ilgauskas

However, it'll probably be:
PG-West, SG-Pavlovic, SF-LeBron, PF-Wallace, C-Ilgauskas

I think the success of this trade will depend on head coach Mike Brown's rotation. If he goes with my suggested lineup with Gibson, Varejao and Wallace off the bench in that order, there's no question the Cavs will be the third best team in the East. If he goes with the second lineup -- which ESPN analyst Jon Barry suggested -- Brown is going to have problems finding enough minutes between Szczerbiak and Gibson.

From the Bulls' standpoint, the deal was a little unusual. They have to be ecstatic about getting someone to take Big Ben and I commend them on that. However, Smith has been arguably their most consistent player this season. Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni have had substandard seasons and Ben Gordon and Luol Deng have been injured and out of the lineup frequently. Adding Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons creates a huge roster logjam for them.

Let's see if I can shake out the cobwebs and figure this thing out. If totally healthy they'd be looking at a lineup of:

PG-Hinrich, SG-Gordon, SF-Deng, PF-Gooden, C-Tyrus Thomas...with Andres Nocioni interchangeable with Gordon at the 2/6.

Where does Hughes fit into that? What about combo guard Thabo Sefolosha who has stepped up the past month? Chris Duhon? Joakim Noah? Aaron Gray?

I don't know, it's confusing. I guess you could say this deal gives them good depth, but it's also going to create substitution headaches and some very unhappy players. I like their talent but if the playing time situation goes haywire then I don't think they'll squeak into that No. 8 playoff spot.