A look at aftermath of NBA trade deadline

Thursday’s NBA trade deadline was a bigger ruse than the Y2K scare.

All the big names stayed put.

Enlarge this image

AP

The Suns’ Amare Stoudemire went from the trading block to out for the regular season after eye surgery.

MORE ON THE HAWKS

• Schedule • Standings • Stats

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

In fact, none of the top teams, in either conference, made a deal that dramatically changed the landscape going into the final months of the season.

Dating back to the first week of the season, Detroit and Denver’s swap of All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups for All-Star shooting guard Allen Iverson remains the only trade this season that changed (two) team’s fortunes.

Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the NBA trade deadline:

The Good

How about the deals that didn’t get made?

Phoenix had All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire on the trading block for weeks. They tried to shop him all over, hoping to get two promising young players and a future first-round pick in exchange for one of the league’s top power forwards. They fired Terry Porter instead, changing the culture of the franchise back to a run-n-gun style, and then announced Friday that Stoudemire was out for the remainder of the regular season after eye surgery. Nice. Now how exactly would they have explained that to the team that traded for Stoudemire?

The runner-up has to be New Orleans’ failed trade of Tyson Chandler to Oklahoma City for Joe Smith. The deal was rescinded after Chandler failed his physical. Sure, the Hornets, like many teams, are strapped for cash during these tough economic times (if that can be said about NBA teams willing to spend the way the Hornets did on Peja Stojakovic a couple summers ago). But Chandler, when healthy, remains a major piece in New Orleans. And come playoff time, the Hornets will need him to move beyond the first round.

The Bad

You know you’re desperate when you start swapping past-their-prime All-Stars.

And that’s exactly what Toronto and Miami did last weekend when Jermaine O’Neal went to the Heat for Shawn Marion. The Heat got the low-post presence they needed in O’Neal, and the Raptors got the expiring contract they desired in Marion. But did either team actually take a step forward to solidify its place in the Eastern Conference playoff field? Marion hasn’t been the same since he left Phoenix and won’t be playing with an elite point guard in Toronto either — sorry, Jose Calderon, but you’re no Steve Nash. And O’Neal, while still a factor inside in a league with a dearth of quality big men, won’t have an elite player guarding his back in Miami.

Honorable mention goes to Boston for trading Sam Cassell to Sacramento for a conditional second-round pick. This was a straight salary dump for the Celtics, allowing them to free up a roster spot for a P.J. Brown type (or perhaps P.J. Brown himself) for the playoffs. But it’s a tough way for Cassell to go out after a stellar career. His best days, though, are long gone.

The Ugly

The last deal done at the deadline will leave the biggest mess.

The three-way deal among Orlando, Houston and Memphis sent Rafer Alston to the Magic to replace All-Star Jameer Nelson, whose season is over after shoulder surgery. The Rockets get Magic forward Brian Cook and Memphis point guard Kyle Lowry. The Grizzlies received the Magic’s first-round pick and fillers Mike Wilks and Adonal Foyle.

The entropy comes in Orlando, where coach Stan Van Gundy will have a small mountain of aging point guards to sort through. Former Hawks point guards Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue, both of whom joined the Magic since training camp (Johnson as a free agent and Lue in a trade) should take this slight personally. It’s clear Magic general manager Otis Smith didn’t feel comfortable turning the team over to either one of them.

And what happens if Alston becomes the facilitator the Magic have always needed with Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu all ranking above Nelson on the list of scoring options? Alston has another year left on his contract at $5.2 million. Johnson has another year left as well, making for a wickedly competitive training camp in Orlando next season.