| Wallace Puts Celtics Ahead Of Magic, Cavaliers Authored by Randolph Charlotin - July 10, 2009 - 9:21 am
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Not to be outdone, the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic acquired prolific scorer Vince Carter and young forward Ryan Anderson for Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie.
While those two trades have "wow" factor, it is Boston's signing of Rasheed Wallace that makes the Celtics the most improved team in the East.
Normally the arrival of a reserve doesn't make the impact a new starter does, but adding Wallace to a healthy Celtics lineup will make significant a difference.
Strategically, what was the point of the trades?
Cleveland's addition of Shaq Diesel is clearly to put a stop to the Magic's Dwight Howard. In the Conference Finals, the Cavs couldn't stop Howard one-on-one with Zydrunas Ilgauskas or anyone else on their roster. Howard is too fast and athletic for any of the team's big men.
With that being the problem, is Shaq really the solution? At 37 years old, he isn't as quick as he used to be. Shaq simply doesn't have the foot speed to keep up with Howard.
Fortunately for Shaq, Howard lacks a mid-range jumper. That means O'Neal can wait for Howard to come to him in the paint. That's the area where Shaq can rely on veteran savvy to control Howard. O'Neal won't completely shut down Howard, but he will slow down the young center enough to make a difference.
The paint wasn't the Cleveland's only defensive problem. They were also killed by the Magic's outside shooting, and Shaq can't help in that area. The Cavaliers wanted to sign Ron Artest or Trevor Ariza, but they struck out on both. Acquiring a good perimeter defender would have made a greater difference than bringing in Shaq. Without one, the Cavaliers will come up short again.
Orlando is setting their sights higher after winning the Eastern Conference title. They have the confidence to know they can reach the Finals, but also know they have a long way to go to before challenging the Lakers. Unable to stop, slow down, irritate, or even slightly inconvenience Kobe Bryant, Orlando acquired Carter in hopes he could match Bryant point-for-point.
The Magic paid enough for Carter. Battie isn't a major loss, but giving up Alston strips away the depth behind starting point guard Jameer Nelson. Behind Nelson is Anthony Johnson, a capable player at the position, but not a difference-maker.
When Nelson went down with a shoulder injury last season, Orlando made a trade for Alston instead of elevating Johnson to starter. That's not a vote of confidence.
Orlando was set back by free agency also. Carter can be considered the replacement for small forward Hedo Turkoglu (sign and trade to Toronto), but Vince can't run the offense like Turkoglu did as a point-forward. Losing two ball handlers will hurt.
Boston tried to defend their championship with the weakest bench among the conference's contenders. The first step towards rectifying that is signing Wallace.
As the sixth man, Wallace will fill a major hole at backup power forward/center. By Game Seven against Orlando, the Celtics were down to Kendrick Perkins, Glen Davis, Brian Scalabrine, and a worthless Mikki Moore in the paint.
Kevin Garnett's return will complete a starting lineup that really missed his leadership and defense. He is expected to be ready for the season opener.
With 'Sheed coming off the bench, Boston has a true big man with range on offense and a tough defender. Whether Wallace subs for Garnett or Kendrick Perkins, Boston won't lose much when resting their starting front court.
However, one big man on the bench won't be enough. Boston hopes to retain Davis since Powe won't be back as he recovers from serious knee surgery. If the Celtics are able to keep "Big Baby," the front court will take a big leap forward.
Next for the Celtics is adding depth in the back court. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce played too many minutes last year and after Rajon Rondo, there isn't a proven point guard that can run the offense.
Free agency has just begun, so there's plenty of time for teams to fill important holes on their roster. But based on the early returns, Boston has gained a leg up on the competition.
Read more by Randolph Charlotin at his New England Patriots blog at RandolphC.com. He can be reached at talktome@randolphc.com. |
