Still Moves to Be Made for NBA’s Elite Teams

Oh, I’m sorry. I got so caught up in the hype around the deadline, when big names could in theory change teams, that I forgot about what happens next: buy-out and free agents for the stretch run. What, the names Earl Barron, Jason Williams, Mikki Moore, and Joe Smith don’t titillate like the LeBron-for-Kobe swap that only the real insiders knew about? Well, get used to these small-but-crucial moves, since deep in the playoffs, when someone gets in foul trouble, or suddenly runs out of gas, these will be your light and saviors.↵
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↵Windhorst has dubbed this the “second transaction season.” It’s especially relevant for his Cavs, who are said to be pursuing Smith, Barron, and maybe even a currently dry-docked Robert Horry. The Boston Herald cryptically explains that the Celts like Moore, but “he is not at the top of their list of potential big man signees.” And to think, this would be on top of the newly-acquire Patrick O’Bryant!↵
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↵What else ... Jason Williams, the former White Chocolate whom Hubie Brown ushered into respectability (and a ring with Miami), has officially asked to un-retire. You think Boston, who was rumored to have interest in bringing in a bought-out Starbury, might take a look at J-Will? Lakers, wherefore art thou in all this? Oh right, you’re still hoping your newly-dominant center Andrew Bynum recovers in time for the postseason.↵
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↵See, this just proves how much these teams are on another level. With the exception of that grotesque Shaq-to-Cleveland rumor, the Cavs, Celtics, Lakers and by implication, the stand-pat Spurs, are all about thinking forward to those five-minute stretches in the second game of round two. Maybe that’s over-confidence, but it’s also about sizing up your opponents, realizing their strengths and weaknesses, and trying to imagine every conceivable way you could have to exploit those -- or shore up your own.↵