Over the last week there have plenty of trade rumors swirling around the NBA. Shaq and Antwan Jamison have been rumored to rescue Cleveland fans from the agony of possibly losing Lebron while the Celtics seem to be shopping Rajon Rondo(their best player in this years playoffs) and Ray Allen.(Mr. Invisible). Yet after all the huffing and puffing, the San Antonio Spurs drew first blood. Usually the trades that don't get much hype are the ones that end up materializing, and this trade is just one of many examples.(Anyone remember Gasol to the Lakers rumors?) The Spurs sent Fabricio Oberto(Later traded to the Pistons for Amir Johnson)Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas to the Bucks for Richard Jefferson. Both teams accomplished their goals with this deal; the Bucks are expected to save $15 million in cap space for the free agent gold rush in the 2010-2011 season(Good luck getting Lebron James to Milwuakee) and the Spurs received a much needed boost to their offense with a legitimate scorer in Richard Jefferson.
The negative side to the trade is that the Spurs gave up a couple of quality big men. Oberto played a key role for them while playing along side Duncan. He's a tough defender, can make an open 12-15 footer, is a quality rebounder, and fit well in the Spurs system. Kurt Thomas is just a great vet to have going to war with you. He's known for his post defense and makes it difficult for opposing players to establish themselves on the block. Then you have Bruce Bowen, the long tenured perimeter defensive ace who guarded the opposing team's best player for years. Last year he slowed a lot and fell out of Popovich's rotation, so he was somewhat expendable. The loss of the bigs hurt because it doesn't leave them with much. Along with Duncan they have Matt Bonner and Francisco Elson(ugh). Unless they have some other moves in the works, its going to be tough to get it done with that front line.
On the positive side the Spurs get a younger, athletic scorer to join their big three. With Ginobilli's injury, Jefferson's scoring will help supplement the offensive load. Duncan and Parker will benefit greatly from this addition, especially since both have had to do so much scoring last season. Duncan is only getting older and will need to stay as fresh as possible if the Spurs have any chance of challenging for a Chip again. Parker for the first time has a athletic running mate to race down the floor with. For the his career he's been a one man fast break, now he has RJ to toss lobs to and finish on the break.
Overall this was a good deal for the Spurs and the Bucks. We will have to wait until next year before we can see if this is one of many moves for the Spurs that catapult them back to the promised land.
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