HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

The 2011 NBA trade deadline will go down as one of the most memorable in recent memory. We saw the deal that we’ve been expecting for months in the Carmelo Anthony trade, which was followed by a flurry of moves that nobody saw coming. Earlier today Jason Fleming took a look at the deadline’s winners and now we take a look at those teams who could be regretting their involvement in some last-minute swaps.

Boston Celtics

For the Celtics this summer was all about keeping a team that was one victory away from winning the NBA championship together. Ownership came out of pocket to ensure that they kept their core intact, while adding some additional pieces as well, to make at least one more run at the O’Brien Trophy.

With a record of 41-15 the Celtics were looking just as formidable as last year despite only being 100% healthy on a few occasions. Yet, they still opted to make a major shakeup – sending Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic.

The Celtics’ players are already fuming over this trade as they should be. Perkins, set to be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, was a vital part of their success and will undoubtedly be missed as will Robinson’s explosive scoring ability. Kristic brings nowhere near the same type of defensive mindset to the table as Perkins. Green is a talented player in his own right, but he too is going to be a free agent (restricted) at the end of the year. There’s also a concern about whether or not he’ll be able to defend up to Boston’s standards.

Ownership’s reasoning for trading Perkins is they didn’t think they could keep him this summer. They already offered him a four-year, $30 million extension, which he turned down. They’ll wish they increased that offer, though, when they’re getting killed on the boards in the playoffs this year. Meanwhile Perkins and Robinson will be playing integral roles in the Thunder’s development into championship contenders.

Indiana Pacers

If Thursday’s trade deadline was 20 minutes later the Indiana Pacers definitely would have been on the winner’s list. Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo is having a down year, but getting him for Josh McRoberts and a first-round pick would have been an absolute steal. Unfortunately for the Pacers time ran out on their robbery as the New Orleans Hornets pulled out at the last minute, killing the potential three-way trade.

Although power forward is the biggest need in Indiana, pairing Mayo up in the backcourt with Darren Collison was too promising to pass up on. He would have been a great addition for the Pacers, but the likelihood of Mayo ever playing in Indiana went down drastically once the deadline passed.

Charlotte Bobcats

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan did the fan base and head coach Paul Silas no favors at the deadline by shipping off Gerald Wallace and Nazr Mohammed for a group of players that will likely be non-factors for them. Just a game and a half out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference Jordan made the task of getting to the postseason for a second consecutive year even tougher.

Nothing against Sean Marks, D.J. White, Morris Peterson, Dante Cunningham and Joel Pryzbilla, who could be bought out, but they aren’t adequate replacements for Wallace and Mohammed. Their departure will likely end up being the reason why the Bobcats end up in the lottery. This is just another prime example of Jordan being just as bad in the front office as he was great on the court. It’s hard to imagine the Bobcats becoming serious contenders for anything other than high draft picks as long as he’s calling the shots.

Denver Nuggets

It’s important to preface the Nuggets’ inclusion on this list with the fact that they could have gotten much, much worse than what they ended up with for former superstar Carmelo Anthony. They got everyone they wanted from the New York Knicks in Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Galinari and Timofey Mozgov along with draft picks. Not only do they save money with the deal, but they still stay relatively competitive with a group of guys that are eager to prove themselves with Anthony now gone. Their willingness to trade Anthony to his most-preferred destination could also help them down the line with future free agents.

Still, when you lose a player of Anthony’s caliber without getting another proven All-Star in return the deal has to be looked at as a loss. Anthony has been the face of the Nuggets franchise since he first entered the league. He helped take them to the Western Conference Finals in 2009 and is still in the prime of his career. Chauncey Billups going with him makes the deal even harder to swallow for Nuggets’ supporters, but it had to be done.

Now the Nuggets embark on a new era. They’re already 1-0 without Anthony and Billups, but don’t hold the same kind of potential that they did before the deal went down. Luckily for them, the rebuilding process is nowhere near as daunting as it would have been had they gone with the New Jersey Nets’ package instead.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are on here for the exact same reason that the Denver Nuggets are. They actually got quite a nice package in return for All-Star point guard Deron Williams in Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and two first-round picks. However, it’s still a step backwards in the short-term.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Harris is a solid point guard who will be able to take over the starting role and produce immediately for the Jazz. The big wildcard is Favors. If he lives up to his potential this deal goes from being decent to great for the Jazz. With Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, Mehmet Okur and Kyrylo Fesenko they can afford to bring him along slowly and wait until he’s completely ready before handing over the reins.

After seeing what the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors went through with their superstars headed towards free agency Utah decided they wanted to no part of that. It’s hard to fault them based on where those three franchises are at now, but losing Williams is a big blow. They were a bit quick to ship him off, especially considering that they could have dealt him for a package like the one they got anytime they wanted to over the next two years before he could leave.

Baron Davis

There’s no denying that Baron Davis had made some wholesale improvements from where he was at to start the year for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was a big part of their recent resurgence and had been forming some great chemistry with all-everything rookie Blake Griffin. However, a solid couple of months doesn’t outweigh two-and-a-half years of disappointment in Los Angeles.

The Clippers have almost regretted signing Davis to a five-year, $65 million contract in 2008 from day one. Sending him to the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Mo Williams was a no-brainer for the Clippers. Williams is a better fit who is more reliable and motivated at this point in his career.

Davis will now reunite with his former coach Byron Scott, who he frequently clashed with in New Orleans. The two have settled their differences since, but it’s easy to do so when you’re not working together. Take two with Scott and Davis will be interesting to watch to say the least. It won’t be long before Davis is yearning to be back in Los Angeles with Griffin and company.

Mike Bibby

It’s been clear for awhile now upgrading the point guard position was a priority for the Atlanta Hawks. Mike Bibby knew a demotion was inevitable, but instead he was outright replaced as he was shipped to Washington for Kirk Hinrich in a multi-player deal.

In Atlanta he was living a point guard’s dream with some of the best targets he could ask for, now he’ll be living something close to a nightmare with the Washington Wizards. Not only are the Wizards out of playoff contention, but they have one of the best young point guards in the league in rookie John Wall.

Bibby’s minutes in Washington will be significantly reduced from what they were in Atlanta. Veterans hate nothing more than warming the bench for a lottery team late in their career, but a buyout doesn’t appear to be on the horizon for Bibby – meaning he’s going to have to tough it out until at least the summer.

Toronto Raptors

Yes, the upcoming draft could be fairly busy week, but that still doesn’t justify giving up a first-round pick for James Johnson. Even in a weak draft the Raptors likely could have found someone in the middle-to-late portion of the first round that could help them more than Johnson will.

What cements the Raptors’ spot on this list is their inactivity outside of that trade. With plenty of assets to try to shake things up, the 16-42 Raptors pretty much stood pat. The trade exception they got for now Miami HEAT forward Chris Bosh will go unused and the future will continue to bank on the development of DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, and the rest of the Raptors’ young core.

General Manger Bryan Colangelo’s seat is awfully hot and by not making any kind of splash at the deadline he could have sealed his fate.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Who else is excited to see what Kevin Love can do on the boards now that Eddy Curry is going to be drawing attention away from him inside? Just kidding, Curry will never wear a Timberwolves jersey as he’s headed towards the waiver wire. Former Knicks’ teammate Anthony Randolph will, but he’s failed to break rotations in New York and Golden State already. There’s no telling if he’ll see any more success in Minnesota, although Wolves head coach Kurt Rambis does seem like a good fit for him.

The Wolves have been touting their financial flexibility, which they gained more of as a facilitator in the Carmelo Anthony deal, and young players all season long as pieces they could use in a potential blockbuster deal. But at the deadline they failed to do anything of substance with them. They’re still the same 13-45 team with some more cap space and Anthony Randolph instead of Corey Brewer.

Wolves owner Glen Taylor’s patience is quickly deteriorating. Unless the Wolves finish the season very strongly he could make some big changes in the summer.  

Richard Hamilton

Pistons head coach John Kuester has brought Rip Hamilton off of his bench once in the team’s last 22 games. Hamilton wants out and obviously isn’t wanted or respected by the Pistons’ organization, but they’re still working together for some reason.

The Pistons were in discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers about Hamilton and there were also a few playoff teams that voiced interest. In the end, though, Pistons GM Joe Dumars decided to hold onto Hamilton, who is owed $38 million over the next three years.

Hamilton deserves to be in a situation where he can at least play. Even at the age of 33 he can still contribute and help a team win. Detroit had the opportunity to send him somewhere where he could do that and didn’t, further damaging their relationship with the swingman whose given them everything he has since 2002.

HOOPSWORLD’s senior NBA and NCAA analyst Yannis Koturoupis will be hosting his weekly chat later today. You can get your questions into him here. You can also follow him on twitter and reach him there.