Cleveland, OH (My Sportsbook) - The
Cleveland Cavaliers nailed a buzzer- beater on Thursday, completing a three-team, 11-player trade with the Seattle SuperSonics and
Chicago Bulls just prior to the NBA's 3 p.m. (et) trade deadline.
In an attempt to beef up its roster for a playoff push, Cleveland acquired forward/center Ben Wallace and forward Joe Smith from the Chicago Bulls, as well as swingman Wally Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West from the Seattle SuperSonics.
Chicago received guards Larry Hughes and Shannon Brown, plus forwards Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons from the Cavs, while Seattle, apparently looking to cut some of its payroll, picked up former Cavs Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall as well as forward Adrian Griffin and a 2009 second-round draft pick from the Bulls.
"Our primary goal with this deal is to create a positive impact as we head through the final stretch of the season and into the playoffs," said Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry. "We were very methodical in the process to make sure it was the best deal possible for this team. We're very excited about what these players bring to us by adding a new dimension, and that we were able to impact this team without compromising future draft picks."
Wallace has been a mild disappointment for the Bulls after inking a four- year, $60 million deal prior to the 2006-07 season, despite helping Chicago reach the 2007 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Never an offensive force, Wallace has averaged 10.6 rebounds per game over his 12-year career, and is a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. However, both of those skills have eroded somewhat this season. The 6-foot-9, 240-pounder has seen his rebounds dip to 8.8 per game. He is also averaging 5.1 points per game this season, a number which, if it holds throughout the year, will be his lowest output since 1999-2000.
Szczerbiak is averaging 13.1 points per game this season, his ninth in the league. West, a fourth-year pro from Saint Joseph's, is averaging 6.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game this season for Seattle.
The veteran Smith was selected by Golden State with the first overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft out of Maryland, and has averaged 12 points and 6.9 rebounds over a 13-year career that includes stints with the Warriors, Timberwolves, Sixers (twice), Pistons, Bucks, Nuggets and Bulls.
This season, the 6-foot-10 Smith has gone for 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Wallace, Szczerbiak, Smith and West will all be expected to help fill the void left by injured regulars Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao, each of whom played key roles in Cleveland's previous two playoff pushes.
Hughes and Gooden were key components of Cleveland's runs to the Eastern Conference semis in 2006 and to the NBA Finals in 2007. Hughes, in his 11th season out of Saint Louis, has posted averages of 15 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game with the Sixers, Warriors, Wizards and Cavs.
The 6-foot-5 native of the Gateway City was scoring 12.3 points while grabbing 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season for the Cavs.
Gooden is in the midst of perhaps the best overall season of his seven-year career, averaging 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The Kansas product has averaged 12 points and 7.9 boards in 441 career outings with the Grizzlies, Magic and Cavs.
Brown and Simmons, each in their second NBA season, have combined to play in just 88 career games. Brown, a Michigan State product, is averaging seven points in 15 games this season, while Simmons has seen action in just seven contests. The former NC State star averaged 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds as a rookie with the Hornets.
Newble and Marshall arrive in Seattle as well-traveled veterans, and have each played significant minutes in Cleveland this season. Newble is averaging 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, and has posted averages of 5.2 points and three boards in his eight-year career.
Marshall, a former lottery pick out of Connecticut, has become primarily an outside shooter in the latter stages of his career, and was averaging just 3.7 points and 2,7 rebounds in 11 games with Cleveland this season.
For his career, the 6-foot-10 Marshall has averaged 11.5 points and 6.9 rebounds in 14 seasons with the Timberwolves, Warriors, Jazz, Bulls, Raptors and Cavaliers.
Griffin, the final throw-in headed to the Sonics, was scoring 2.3 points and grabbing 1.7 rebounds per game with the Bulls. The ninth-year pro out of Seton Hall has career averages of 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists with four different teams.
