5:30 p.m. AnalysisAll of the deals might not be done, but the deadline has passed. So let’s take a look at how the trades that happened will impact the Jayhawks in the NBA.
1. Drew Gooden to Sacramento Gooden gets yet another fresh start, this time on the West Coast, where maybe he’ll have a future. The Kings don’t have much inside now that they’ve gotten ridden of Brad Miller and John Salmons so maybe this could be the place Gooden sticks. He’ll still be a free agent after this season so there’s no telling what his future holds. He undoubtedly will test the market but Sacramento might be in the best position to give him the most money and might actually covet him as a productive veteran presence on a rebuilding team.
2. Larry Hughes to New York Hughes wasn’t playing a ton for Chicago anyway but now that he’s gone, there’s no doubt that Kirk Hinrich will remain an important part of the Bulls’ rotation for at least the rest of this season. Don’t be surprised if Chicago tries to shop Hinrich this season… in fact, you should expect it. But, for now, he’ll get his minutes and hopefully will deliver more games like his 31-point explosion Wednesday night.
3. Jermaine O’Neal to Miami This trade, which took place last week, was without question the blockbuster deal of the season. The Heat pick up former All-Star Jermaine O’Neal and ship Shawn Marion to Toronto. How does this affect a former Jayhawk? Only in that it gives PG Mario Chalmers another viable option to get the ball to. Think about it: Your options now include Dwyane Wade, Michael Beasley and Jermaine O’Neal. Wow. Watch for Chalmers’ assist total to go up the rest of the way.
4. Chris Mihm to Memphis The Lakers were simply dumping Mihm’s salary and in doing so announcing that they’re content with their crop of big men for the stretch run. No surprise. Mihm probably won’t play much more in Memphis than he did in L.A., making him virtually no threat to Darrell Arthur’s minutes.
5. Rafer Alston to Orlando Although the Rockets were making inquiries about adding players, they actually wound up shipping one out when they sent point guard Rafer Alston to Orlando and replaced him with PG Kyle Lowry by involving Memphis in the deal. Draft picks and other players rounded out the transaction and this has virtually no impact on any Jayhawks except for the fact that it gives Orlando — a threat to challenge Boston (Paul Pierce) and Cleveland (Darnell Jackson) in the East — a legit point guard to replace Jameer Nelson.
Final Thought
A day that begin with blockbuster promise and fizzled out with little excitement did not include any of the major deals we were expecting. Super stars Shaq, Amare Stoudemire, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson stayed put and Pseudo Stars Kirk Hinrich, Wally Szczerbiak, Jared Jeffries, Marcus Camby, Baron Davis and Tyson Chandler did as well. Yawwwwn. That said, the impact of this year’s trade deadline deals might not show up now but might play a huge role in these team’s ability to sign big name free agents in the future. Stay tuned to this blog for any updates on post-deadline deals that may impact the ‘Hawks in the NBA. 2:00 p.m. UpdateThe trading deadline is officially here and no more Jayhawks have been moved. In fact, very little has happened today at all. Many of the big names rumored to be on the move — which ranged from Shaq and Vince Carter to Richard Jefferson and Kirk Hinrich — have stayed put. Carter’s still a Net, Shaq (rumored to be headed to Cleveland) is still a Sun, Jefferson’s still with the Bucks and Hinrich continues to call Chicago home. As with most pro league deadlines, things can still happen after the deadline expires, but in the case of the NBA in 2009, it seems unlikely. Check back later for a recap of how the trades that did happen might impact former Jayhawks in the NBA. 12:43 p.m. UpdateRumors out of New York have the Knicks acquiring Chicago’s Larry Hughes in exchange for Tim Thomas and Jerome James. Although this deal doesn’t involve any Jayhawks, it’s completion would likely mean that Kirk Hinrich is staying in Chicago. Even if no more Jayhawks are dealt, check back later in the day for a look at how all of the deals might impact the former Jayhawks’ current situations.The official trade deadline is 2 p.m. CST, so we’re approaching the final hour. Stay tuned. 11:30 a.m. UpdateSources around the league are saying that GM Kevin Pritchard (a former Jayhawk himself) and the Portland Trailblazers are done dealing. That means three things: No Vince Carter to the Blazers, No Richard Jefferson to the Blazers and No Raef LaFrentz changing addresses. Although the allure of dumping LaFrentz’s large salary was appealing, it appears that the Blazers are now content to keep it and watch it expire off of their books this summer, therein giving them more cap dollars to make an offseason move. Moving LaFrentz now means they’d get someone in return, which means they might free up some cap space but not much. Although the idea of Vinsanity playing in Portland alongside Brandon Roy was fun to imagine, this is probably the best move for the franchise overall. They have the talent to make the playoffs as it stands today and probably aren’t going to win it all anyway. Save the money, get a bigger name (maybe even a younger name) this offseason and make a run next year. Another nice move by Pritchard and crew. ***It’s trade-deadline day in the NBA…. Do you know where your former Jayhawks are? If any of the rumors come true, a handful of them could be playing in different cities by night’s end. At least one former Jayhawk is certain to be in a new uniform come Friday, as Drew Gooden was dealt by Chicago to Sacramento as part of a six-player deal. The trade, of which Gooden and Sacramento center Brad Miller were the principle pieces, sent Gooden, Andres Nocioni, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons to Sacramento in exchange for Miller and forward John Salmons. Proving that there are no feelings involved in trading, Sacramento then immediately shipped Ruffin to Portland for forward Ike Diogu and cash. The deal marks the fourth time that Gooden has been traded during his six-year NBA career. Originally drafted fourth overall by Memphis in the 2002 NBA Draft, Gooden was shipped from Memphis to Orlando in Feb. of 2003, from Orlando to Cleveland in 2004 and from Cleveland to Chicago last season. No other deadline day action involving former Jayhawks has become official yet, but there are several rumored deals being worked behind the scenes. Among them include: Chicago trading guard Kirk Hinrich to Minnesota. Apparently, this one was very close to being done late Wednesday night but fell apart around 2 a.m. today when the two sides could not agree on the particulars of a deal. Clearly, Hinrich was not affected by the trade rumors, as he poured in a season-high 31 points in a win against Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Perhaps he was auditioning for a new team. Portland shipping big man Raef LaFrentz to New Jersey. LaFrentz, like Gooden, has been traded his share of times during his career. Because of his large and expiring contract, it seems like at least one more trade is in the works for the former KU All-American. The latest rumor has LaFrentz and Channing Frye being sent from Portland to New Jersey for Vince “Half Man, Half Amazing” Carter and Maurice Ager. Those are the only names of former Jayhawks that have been reported to be involved with trade rumors in the past 48 hours, but anyone who knows the NBA knows that anything can happen up to the time the clock strikes midnight. Could the Hornets, who had traded Tyson Chandler only to have the trade rescinded because of a failed physical, try to move him again and include the disappointing Julian Wright in the deal? Have the Pacers grown tired of Brandon Rush hitting the wall after a hot start by the rookie? Could Gooden be shipped to yet another NBA team before day’s end? Check back with this blog throughout the day for updates on all NBA trade activity involving former Jayhawks.
