On the Offensive.

By Migs

The NBA world's been shaken up by the recent Phoenix-Orlando-Washington trade. Of the three teams involved in the deal, I would have to say that the Magic got the biggest piece of the pie. Orlando got what the wanted- but did they get what they needed?

Jason Richardson, Gilbert Arenas, and Hedo Turkoglu equals tons of offense.

For a team that looks to shoot opponents to the moon, their season low 14 points in their first period against the Hawks earlier today does not bode well for what's to come. They looked discombobulated on the floor, and as expected, it seemed like there weren't enough basketballs for everyone to get their hands on. I recently read an article which posited that Orlando will not win a title so long as Dwight Howard's post game stays in the Triassic era. I totally agree. You could have surrounded Hakeem Olajuwon, for example, with all the Kenny Smiths and Vernon Maxwells of the universe, butif Hakeen didn't have a vaunted post game in him, defenses wouldn't have doubled him and his shooters would have been without any open looks. Furthermore, Orlando needs a backup for Howard now that Marcin Gortat has taken his "hammertime" to Phoenix.

Washington's MO in this deal was to finally be able to move on from Gilbert Arenas. Arenas' tenure in DC has been controversial, and his departure has given the Wizards a shot at a fresh start, with rookie John Wall at the helm. If Wall keeps hitting the rookie wall any more than he has, though, then this is going to be a long season for the Wiz. Rashard Lewis' arrival should help stretch the floor a little bit, and Josh Howard's return should add some punch off the bench in terms of slashing and midrange scoring, but neither are game changers. The most notable downer here is the game of Lewis, who has gone from all around threat to stand still shooter who, err, can't shoot. Ouch. What's more, the Wiz do save $24 million USD by swapping Gilbert for Lewis, but still, they still owe the former Sonic and Magic star a boat load of money. So far, Javale McGee has shown that he's just a glorified dunk contest type player (takes too many defensive risks, limited offensively). Nick Young, who has improved, is still just a poor man's Jason Terry, without the clutch prowess. So yes, the Wizards are still in the doldrums despite this trade having gone down.

The sun is setting and setting fast in Phoenix. Steve Nash keeps getting costly junk to work with (except Grant Hill), and while he may be blase about staying in Arizona with his current cast of puppets, hoops fans would probably be correct to surmise that Nash is not happy with what he's got now. Yes, he's called Phoenix home, and Nash isn't a whiner, but the competitor in Stevie must be eating him up. The Suns are at the .500 mark, and a faded Vince Carter isn't going to help. To me, when lazy, Vince can be the biggest waste of talent there is. He's got ridiculous athletic ability, but has always seemed to be off kilter when called upon to harness it for the greater good of a franchise. He isn't clutch, either, and in the tight Western Conference, clutch could mean everything between nabbing a playoff spot, and calling it a season early on. Marcin Gortat should provide toughness inside which the pillowy-soft Channing Frye lacks, but he isn't exactly Amare Stoudamire. 8-10 points and 8 or 9 boards an outing should be a reasonable set of expectations from the Polish prodigy. Anything more would be a bonus.

The Magic may have gotten the biggest piece of the pie in this move by their usually low risk GM Otis Smith, but then, I think that they are far from being a team that can consistently compete with the Bostons and Lakers night in, night out. Live by the jumper, die by the jumper. Couple that with minimal D and what you've got is a formula for disaster.

Washington isn't in it to win now, so, given how things are, anything more than becoming a cellar-dweller would be a nice touch.

Phoenix, in my opinion, might want to explore trading Steve Nash not only because the organization owes him a shot at a ring considering all he's given them, but also because he ought to be traded while he still has value. They can trade him for a decent piece or two, plus picks, and there you go. Steve gets his shot at glory. Phoenix gets financial flexibility. Trade Grant Hill while you're at it, too. The 38 year old Duke star has been a model NBA citizen for far too long and he, like Nash, deserves to be on a playoff team.

I wouldn't be shocked if all three teams mentioned in this piece make more moves as the season wears on. For all intents and purposes, these squads are all in flux, and in the NBA, "wait a little longer" often doesn't cut it.

-MC-