Cavs acquire help for James

After a couple of weeks of making faces, stomping his feet and all but threatening to stop rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers – as he had abandoned his hometown baseball team in favor of the (bleccchhh!) Yankees – LeBron James finally got his wish last Thursday. The Cavs made a big deal that should improve his team.

Gone are Ira Newble, Donyell Marshall, Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes. In are Delonte West, Ben Wallace, Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak. It didn’t have the same star power as most of the Western Conference deals, but it may well turn out to be a good move for Cleveland, which finds itself in the tough position of defending its conference title from the fourth position in the playoff hierarchy and little hope of climbing above that spot.

It is wise to remember that life in the Eastern half of the NBA world is hardly as tough as its Western counterpart. Boston may have the league’s best winning percentage, but no one is conceding anything to the Celtics. In fact, most believe the Pistons to be better than the Boston five. Listening to the teams from the two hemispheres talk about their respective lots in life is almost like hearing a kid complaining to his father, who utters the inevitable, “Why, when I was a boy, we had to…” Let’s face it, when you’re staring at the possibility of finishing with the West’s best record and perhaps facing a 48-win Denver team in the first round, it’s hard to muster any sympathy for any team in the East, which will struggle to field more than five teams with above-.500 records. That’s horrible.

So, if Cleveland has to play Boston in the second round of the playoffs, pardon the Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Mavs et al for not commiserating. They’ll be too busy beating in each other’s brains. Not that Cleveland has an easy job, trade or no trade. The Celtics may not be on their way to 73 wins any more, but they will win 60-65. The question is whether the trade-deadline deal will help the Cavs or keep them spinning their wheels. Despite praise from some corners, it’s tough to tell whether Cleveland benefited.

Let’s first look at what the Cavaliers surrendered. Though Newble can rebound a little and score some inside, and Marshall can hit the occasional three, neither of them is going to be missed all that much. For all of his physical skill and his ability to score in bunches at times, Hughes is not a colossal subtraction, that is if Daniel Gibson comes back from his ankle sprain quickly. If he misses two months, Hughes’ absence will be acute.

But the big loss in this is Gooden, a strong interior player who can rebound well and score enough to create room for both James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Gooden isn’t going to be an All-Star, but he is a valuable piece, and the Cavs took a chance letting him go. They’re betting Wallace’s board work and defense will make up for the loss of offensive productivity. We’ll see.

Mostly, we’ll see whether Wallace is going to perform at close to the levels he did in Detroit, when he helped the Pistons win a title before cashing in with the Bulls on a giant contract many thought was too much for a one-dimensional player heading toward his mid-30s. Wallace’s numbers have declined steadily the past four seasons, and it’s a big question whether he’ll be able to provide the steady interior play the Cavs feel they need on defense, or if he’ll be susceptible to quicker four men. It’s no secret Cleveland has made its turnaround this year based on its defense, and Wallace’s specialty can be found at that end of the court. He’ll need to rebound more effectively and be able to handle the likes of Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace for the Cavs to have a chance at making a return trip to the Finals.

West is an interesting case. He proved with Boston that he can score in double figures, but that was a bad Celtics team. He’ll be asked to run the team, bring open-court energy and hit some three-pointers. With Gibson out, West becomes extremely important for the Cavs, because he must play at a higher level than which he played in Seattle. He’s capable but must deliver. As for Szczerbiak, he can hit the long-range shot, and that’s good news for a team which needs to create space for James. If Szczerbiak can be a reliable outside weapon, the Cavs will benefit.

The verdict on this is a push, because losing Hughes and Gooden will hurt the team. Their losses may have a greater impact down the road, especially since Wallace is aging, and his and Szczerbiak’s contracts won’t give the Cavs much flexibility. But this was done for today, and that’s important, because the Cavs needed to show James they were committed to improving, or he could opt out of his contract in a couple seasons. I don’t think it’s enough to get Cleveland past either Detroit or Boston, but it suits the team a little better now, because Wallace is a proven defender, West can play the point, and Szczerbiak can shoot. If it doesn’t help this year, though, it could be trouble down the road.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Cleveland at Boston, Wednesday

Now that KG is back, the Celtics can resume their run-away-and-hide strategy in the East. Boston returns home after a Western swing to find James and the new-look Cavs, who will no doubt be hoping their new formula can pass a serious test. If the season ended today, Cleveland would face the Celtics if both teams won their first-round playoff series. LBJ vs. KG/Ray-Ray/Paul Pierce. Now that’s a TV exec’s dream.

IN THE PAINT:

Don’t look now, but the Lakers have won eight straight and look downright scary. Just imagine what will happen when Andrew Bynum returns. Yikes!

It would appear as if the Spurs are getting serious. They’re 9-1 in their last 10, and Manu Ginobili is playing like a madman. Knocking off the defending champs won’t be easy, and there’s still a chance San Antonio will get the top seed in the West.

Yeah, the Jazz have Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, but the arrival of Kyle Korver, who is making 36.3 percent of his three-pointers, has been the key to Utah’s move to the top of the Northwest Division. Getting him for Gordan Giricek’s expiring contract was a great move for the Jazz.

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