The Kendrick Perkins trade to the Oklahoma CIty Thunder makes the Thunder  immediate title contenders.

The Thunder lose the talented-but-inconsistent Jeff Green, but gain a formidable defensive presence who possesses championship experience against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Thunder shipped Nenad Kristic along with Green to Boston for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

This deal is significant because the Thunder had already pressed the Lakers hard last season during the playoffs without a legitimate center. All bets are off now in the Western Conference now that Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have a defensive stalwart  in the middle.

No offense to Kristc, but he falls directly into the category of “Euro Softie” as a seven footer who as a starter was ineffective on the glass.

It became clear early on this season that Green was not in OKC’s long term plans once they refused to offer him an extension.

Add into the mix the acquisition of Nazr Mohammed from the Charlotte Bobcats, and the Thunder are now stacked with Perkins, Mohammed, Serge Ibaka, and Nick Collison.

The Thunder possess enough strength up front now to give the Lakers all they can handle.

Will there be enough time for the Thunder to gel together, and challenge the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for Western Conference supremacy?

One thing is certain, the playoffs will be far more interesting to watch now that the Thunder have made these moves.

The Houston Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey has a reputation for making headlines whilst the trade deadline is looming. Possessing a beauty of a trading chip, such as the large expiring contract of the uber-brittle Yao Ming,  it was  easy to believe a major blockbuster deal with a team seeking expiring contracts would happen.

Morey instead opted for minor scale trades. Most notable is how Houston ditched the unidimensional Aaron Brooks to the Suns for Goran Dragic, a younger and more capable team player with some serious upside.

Don’t take it from me, take it from Steve Nash:

“Just landed in the T Dot and found out we traded my good friend Goran Dragic,” Nash wrote. “Great teammate and person. Has a chance to be great.”

Dragic is younger (Dragic 24, Brooks 26), and has been mentored by Steve Nash over the past 2.5 seasons.

At this point in his career Brooks is a known commodity: a three point shooter/scorer who does not think pass first.  Which, when playing the point,  is never accommodating to a team dynamic.

Once the Rockets established that Kyle Lowry, a more physical and defensive presence than Brooks (and also far more durable) would remain the starter, moving Brooks became paramount.  Brooks had a growing disruptive attitude, stemming from a lack of minutes, and was being disruptive.

Lowry’s has been effective when left open to the tune of .358 from three point range, gets to the free throw line, finishes in the lane, and ensures the entire roster is involved on offense. Brooks would constantly be pounded and could not handle the punishment inside.

In a competitive sport like basketball it makes complete sense that Brooks would be disgruntled after being relegated to a reserve role after his breakout 2009-10 season in which he received the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, but I find it shameful that he would remain professional and try to work his way back into the lineup.

Gerald Wallace was been traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and is bound to inject some infectious defensive prowess while pumping some life into a depleted and oft-injury-riddled lineup. In this season that has marred by an absurd quantity of injuries, Blazers fans have something to get excited about as the Blazers are in position now for a playoff run.

Portland gets kudos for giving up next to nothing to acquire Gerald Wallace : Joel Pryzbilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks, and future first round draft picks. This move clears roster room, and allows for some interesting waiver wire acquisitions.

The question remains how efficient Wallace can be when installed into Nate McMillon’s slowed down offensive scheme. Wallace has grown accustomed to running and gunning as a Bobcat, so it will be interesting to see how his offensive game will translate when slowed down by Nate McMillan.

Regardless of how the Blazers operate offensively, Wallace is an enigmatic defensive presence, and should solidify the Blazers frontcourt. Wallace will also allow the Blazers to forge a new lineup that can compensate for a meniscus-less Brandon Roy.

A new starting five featuring Andre Miller, Wes Mathews, Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge and Marcus Camby will provide the Blazers flexibility in easing Roy back into the rotation.

The Blazers can remain extremely competitive, and if Roy can regain anything near 75% of his former All Star self on the floor, the Blazers bench will look good.

Seems like GM Rich Cho is making his mark in his first season with the Blazers.

Make no mistake, the Deron Williams trade to the New Jersey Nets is fact the trade of the year. Carmelo Anthony and his move to New York might be the deal capturing the most headlines, but Williams is surely going to have the most bang for its buck.

The Nets shipped lottery draft pick Derrick Favors and Devin Harris to Utah. Can anyone say steal of a deal?

Deron Williams will pair up with the best center of his career, the young and talented Brook Lopez. New Jersey was wise to not give up everything they had to acquire Williams, as New York basically did to get Melo. Favors was a talented project type, and Harris was never going to evolve into Deron Williams.

Coach Avery Johnson now has the quarterback for his team that is ideal. A rugged, tall inside-out threat who is a superb defensive player, seasoned by Jerry Sloan.

Fold into the mix a separate deal with the Golden State Warriors which ships out the disgruntled Troy Murphy and brings in defensive platoon role player Dan Gadzuric, and salvage project Brandon Wright, and the Nets literally “netted” the most in return for what was shipped out.

Seems like Mikhail Prokhorov has a plan after all, and a damn good one at that.

The amount of buzz surrounding the Carmelo Anthony situation could wake the dead. The Knicks currently are the main trade suitor who’s interested in acquiring Melo, but apparently Denver is asking for a steep price tag.

Allegedly, the Denver Nuggets want the Knicks to give them Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Eddy Curry’s crazy contract, and a future 1st round draft pick in exchange for Melo and Chauncey Billups. Seriously Denver? Are you sure you don’t want to go for Amare Stoudemire as well?

That is comparable to some of the pipe dream transactions my friends send me in my fantasy basketball league. Well, maybe not that bad. Someone did offer me Jonny Flynn for Carlos Boozer afterall.  Well, it is in the same proximity of insanity level to be sure.

If I am the Knicks I would do this: nothing. The Nuggets are and will be screwed once Melo leaves.

Without trading Melo, Denver loses completely, so they have to trade him. Besides that, his individualist style of play lately is killing team morale.

The bottom line: Melo wants to play for New York.

There’s no point to give up the future by losing standout players like Felton and Galinari, when they can keep them, let Eddy Curry head out to greener pastures, and then sign Carmelo after he plays part of a season wherever he is “rented out” for the duration of the 2010-11 campaign.

It’s quite a huge gamble that Melo will like where he ends up if it’s not New York. Perhaps Mark Cuban can pull the string to get Melo to Dallas, and maybe Melo will like it, but other than that I cannot see Melo signing anywhere else other than New York.

And if Carmelo does decide to play somewhere other than New York, the Knicks can chase after Chris Paul, whom is undoubtedly a far better pieze of the puzzle for the Knicks.

Josh Smith has got to be a complete moron if he thinks he has any chance of winning the appeal to his $25,000 fine.

His logic behind his appeal is more outlandish in nature, and shows Smith could have benefitted greatly from a college education:

“I was upset,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of players, past and present, doing the same thing. I wish they had sent me a memo saying I couldn’t do it before I did it.”

Really Josh? You are actually saying you wish they sent you a memo? Lets think about this dude. You spontaneously grab your nuts after hitting a three, and justify it because people have done it before as to why you think you shouldn’t be fined?

People kill people. People commit many types of crime. Some get caught, some don’t. Those are hard realities that exist in life. Most of the people who get away with these heinous acts usually make sure they are not being recorded by television cameras.

Josh Smith you are a NBA player on a national spotlight. You’re a member of an elite league currently in a scrupulous-police-like-state aiming to curb the poor image of the NBA in the Post-Arenas Gun Era.

Did you get that memo, Josh Smith?

Troy Murphy has asked the New Jersey Nets to trade him after the Nets announced they will not be attempting to trade with the Denver Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony. This is the same reason that Murphy has been “excused” from the team.

It comes as no surprise that Murphy wants out. The strong-rebounding-long-range-threat power forward has not been able to see the floor this season, even after he has fully recovered from all his physical ailments.

The call was made by Avery Johnson so that lottery pick Derrick Favors could see the floor, gain experience, and with the upsurge of Kris Humphries, there were no minutes for Murphy to play a spot in the rotation.

Murphy has a lot to offer a team. He represents a $11.9 million expiring contract and can also rebound and shoots the three quite well. If no trade suitor is found prior to the trade deadline, it’s highly likely a buyout will be sought and arranged so Murphy can try to join a new team via free agency.

Look for a team like Portland, with a injury riddled frontline, or perhaps a marginal playoff bound team, looking to push themselves over the hump, like the Houston Rockets, to take a look at Murphy before the deadline.

Upon discovering that former All Star center Yao Ming will miss the rest of the season with yet another injury, the Houston Rockets have officially closed the book on the Yao Ming Era and have begun shopping his expiring contract around the league.

This move all comes in light of the fact that the Rockets have played well without Yao. With Yao and Aaron Brooks both sidelined, the Rockets still managed to succeed and win with a surprise breakout year from Kyle Lowry, whom played nothing less than brilliant as the starting point guard, leading Houston to a respectable 15-15 record.

It seems like the Rockets’ roster is packed with players whom can step it up on any given night. Shane Battier is always good for back breaking threes, but on certain nights you will get a gem performance from the likes of Chuck Hayes, Chase Budinger, or old man Brad Miller will put his savvy veteran game on display.

If the Rockets can dispose of Yao’s contract and get something, say another center, or better yet someone young and talented, in return the Rockets should dump Yao as soon as possible.

In Houston it is clearly time to end the old, and replenish the roster with more young talent.

At this point, Yao is on the outside looking in, looking for some hope.

The Rockets have been rumored to be in discussions with Sacramento, but that is bunk because Daryl Morey asked for DeMarcus Cousins in the swap, which has proven to be an automatic deal breaker.

Perhaps if Houston includes Aaron Brooks in the deal they could sway Sacramento into a deal. Brooks is undersized but  a valued shooter who can put up huge offensive lines in addition to provide deep threat scoring.

Kyle Lowry has proven to Houston he can indeed shoot during games and is a stronger defender than Brooks. Lowry has more size than Brooks, and he strengthens the Rockets defensive presence because he can defend the leagues bigger point guards,whereas Brooks clearly weakens the team. Selling Brooks high is not a bad idea since Lowry has proven his worth.

Regardless of where Yao is traded, the odds are he will never play again in the NBA. Yao is a proud man and will do everything to prepare himself for a comeback, wherever that might be, but in reality he possesses peanut brittle for bones and there’s just no way he can come back without being another year slower and removed from the game.

The Orlando Magic made major moves this week by reacquiring the multifaceted Hedo Turkoglu from the Phoenix Suns. The move marks Turkoglu’s return to the team he led to the 2009 NBA Finals only to lose at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Orlando dispatched Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, and Mickeal Pietrus to Phoenix in exchange for Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Earl Clark.

This deal is what a player such as Hedo Turkoglu desperately needed. He returns to where he had the most success and meaning as a player during in his career, a place where the fans loved him before, and will likely love him again.

Daddy is back in town guys, time to make the postseason matter again.

For Orlando this deal represents the franchise’s admission of failure in that they are reacquiring Hedo, a player they let walk after they should have paid him in the first place. He did lead them to the NBA Finals after all. You know, the place where every team wants to be, but only two lucky teams can go each season?

Hedo was a major reason Orlando performed well during the playoffs and even made the surge to the finals. He’s streaky but always has a knack for rising up in meaningful games.

Vince Carter has lost a step or two in recent years. He now joins another player who is undoubtedly on the decline, Steve Nash, to play together on a team in a tougher Western Conference. It’s hard to imagine that the two stars remain in Phoenix for the rest of the year.

Carter can post highly inflated stats playing out meaningless games as Phoenix tailspins into further futility, or he might find himself as the lone alpha dog surrounded by young new blood if Phoenix trades Nash to a team willing to give up enough for the Suns to make another move.

The winner in this trade is unquestionably the Orlando Magic.

The Magic get their catalyst back in Hedo, swap out Vince’s old knees and declining game for ultra-athletic Jason Richardson, and lose Marcin Gortat (and his whining for playing time) for a low risk high reward scenario in Earl Clark.

Mickeal Pietrus fits into this equation, but I am still not sure how, other than making the salaries work.

I believe that this deal could work out well for the Magic, and definitely more so for the Magic than it will the Suns. It’s hard to imagine that this would have happened if Steve Kerr still ran things for the Suns.

The Magic made a deal moving Rashard Lewis to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Gilbert Arenas that will also help Orlando. Orlando now has powerful offensive weapons in Arenas, Richardson, and likely a resurgent Hedo Turkoglu. They gain even more by means of subtraction in that they were able to ditch Lewis’ rediculously high contract to Washington.

Both trades in my opinion make the Magic stronger, however, in the bigger picture of the Eastern Conference, it won’t help them much in their attempt to get past Boston or Miami.

It was reported today that the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and New Jersey Nets have agreed on a three-way deal sending Sasha Vujacic and a first round draft pick to New Jersey, 2009 #11 overall fist round pick Terrance Williams to New Jersey, and Joe Smith to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The New Jersey Nets have secured 5 first round picks now, and can offer Denver a much more enticing trade offer for Carmelo Anthony than the New York Knicks. It remains to be seen if Carmelo will bite in terms of an extension if the deal happens, but Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov will likely step in for the hard sell.

Even if the Nets give up a couple first round draft picks, Derrick Favors, and the expiring contract of Troy Murphy, the Nets will still have soem decent pieces in place to build around Carmelo: Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, and a handful of first round picks to fill in the gaps.

Even if the Melo trade doesn’t come to fruition for New Jersey, look for someone to take Murphy’s expiring deal, and the Nets will have options moving forward with a wealth of first round picks.

It will only be a matter of time before head coach Avery Johnson places Sasha Vujacic in his doghouse. If an ultra-laid-back Phil Jackson cannot find a use for him, how can a high-stung coach like Johnson put his services to use?

No get no ring for riding the pine in New Jersey Sasha..

Sure Vujacic hits threes, but his self serving nickname “The Machine” is better amended and rebranded as “the Foul Machine” based on how he plays. The guy is a head case who sincerely believes he has never committed a foul. Perhaps he will replace Troy Murphy’s role as the player at the end of the bench.

So Vujacic’s role will remain the same, he will just have to learn to embrace losing while being unable to do anything about it. Fun times for Sasha. At least he gets to marry Maria Sharapova.

Terrance Williams has a new lease on life joining the Houston Rockets. He will have a chance to develop his game under Rick Adelman, one of the more savvy coaches in the league with a reputation for squeezing the most out of his talent. Williams possesses the tools but seems to be lacking focus at this stage in his career.

If Williams can get his mind right, and adjust to the Rockets system, he has the potential to make this deal continue to make Darryl Morey’s genius as a GM grow.