12 Jan 11 Unspoken Truth: The NBA Trade Deadline Is Highly Overrated

Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesThe past few weeks have been rife with speculation on possible trade destinations for numerous players, and the impact their presence will have on their respective teams.In truth, few of these proposed deals will involve any of the franchises that have a legitimate shot at competing for a NBA Reebok Chicago Bears #54 Brian Urlacher Realtree camo Jersey
championship and the others will have more to do with finances than success on the court.There are only a handful of teams which are truly contenders and the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, and Atlanta Hawks are among their ranks.A few other teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets have an outside shot at a title, but are there really any players available which will thrust these teams into the upper tier of title contenders? Probably not.Various deals are made around the deadline, but there are only a few instances which I can think of that enhanced a team's status, and were responsible for deep postseason runs.In 2008 the Lakers made a trade with Memphis for Pau Gasol, which was arguably the biggest deal to materialize in years, and one the Lakers only made due to an injury suffered by Andrew Bynum.Gasol transitioned seamlessly into the Laker scheme and was a major factor in Los Angeles reaching the NBA Finals in 2008, but it's important to note this deal was done out of pure necessity.Had Bynum not been injured the Lakers would probably not have made the deal, which means the biggest trade in recent history was more happen stance rather than strategic maneuvering.Last season the Orlando Magic made a deal for point guard Rafer Alston under similar circumstances due to an injury to starting guard Jameer Nelson, a move which stabilized the Magic and helped them reach the 2009 Finals.But once again this was a move the Orlando Magichad to make in order to remain a viable contender, Reebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
not one which upgraded their roster in any particular way.Cleveland is the only team among the contenders facing injury concerns at the moment and the Cavaliers may be reluctant to make a deal because the team has thrived in the absence of guards Mo Williams and Delonte West.Why would the Cavaliers tamper with their chemistry anyway, considering their current status as the NBA's number one team, coupled with the fact that help in the back court is the least of their concerns.Cleveland was done in last year by a lack of versatility at the forward position, so the rumored deal involving Amare Stoudemire makes more sense, but is still not likely to happen.I'm willing to bet that each of the contending teams will stand pat with their current rosters and the real deals around the deadline will be confined to a number of low level deals whose impact will be restricted to financial concerns.Money will likely be the main motivation for many teams as franchises scramble to dump expiring contracts and position themselves for the assumed free-agency bonanza of Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
2010.So, don't anticipate any block buster deals that will alter the landscape of the NBA and thrust anyone on the edge of contention into the title conversation, because it probably won't happen.The trade deadline is reserved for fans of fringe teams who have dreams of NBA championships but often wake up to the harsh reality of their team ending up in pretty much the same condition after the deadline has passed.