Lebron James - Inked That Deal!

Update: If you happened to miss my tweet this morning, I just inked a major deal. Sent Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace out the door for Lebron James. Thieving at it’s best right there. True, if Jackson and Wallace do not slow down, which they very well might not, then he got the better end of this deal. No doubt there. All you have to do is add up the stats to see that Jackson and GWall have LBJ covered. However, the X factor in the deal is my ability to now start Carlos Delfino on a regular basis. Once you factor that in, it’s not even close. Two takeaways for you all here: First, note that (as I mentioned) I had this kid in my back pocket. He was in the middle of the pack early on and has been slipping of late. I counted on him at least considering that he’d need to turn Lebron into 2 players, for depth. While he probably didn’t like dealing with me (as I’m in first place), no one made such a strong offer. Second: I made that strong offer because I considered the X factor. That ‘hidden’ player in the deal. Be it a guy sitting on your bench that you can now slide into the rotation or a guy sitting on the WW that you know you can grab. It’s not a complete deal until you add him into the mix. This is the very essence of the 2-1 deal. It has to be strong enough that the manager you are targeting at least breaks even on the deal. He’s incentivized to deal with you because he does not consider the X factor.

Quick update on CP3. Did you see Darren Collison last night? 16 points, 14 dimes, 4 boards, 1 trey, 1 steal and one heck of a dunk in the first quarter. He’s still a little rough around the edges, so it’s likely we could see these numbers maintain going forward. No doubt learning from the best has really helped his game. Still, if you lost CP3 and have now Collison, expect a drop in both points and steals. I can’t see this kid matching Paul in either category. Also Thornton looked good last night (Frye did too in the same game) and is worth a grab if you have a guy you’re looking to dump (or if you can ink the ole 2-1). As for Paul himself, the timetable is still undecided (indefinite) as he’s seeking more advice on whether or not to do the surgery. We should get more info today and tomorrow on the decision.

Other notes from around the league: Rodrigo Lopez looked pretty good last night too. Antawn Jamison is officially a BUY LOW right now (2-17 last night). Randy Foye saw extended time on the pine, I think this was to just give him some rest. Carlos Delfino continues to impress, he offers a very good stat line. Kevin Martin missed a lot of shots, but still put up good numbers, slump is officially over. Someone tell me why the Jazz won’t move either Boozer or Millsap?