Cavs get Ben Wallace

No joke: I was right in the middle of writing that the Cavs were working out a blockbuster deal for Bulls big man Ben Wallace when the magic refresh button sent Cavs fans for a fresh pair of pants. The Cavs are getting Wallace, as well as Wally Szczerbiak from the Sonics, ESPN reports. Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown are out.

Could it have gone any better for the Cavs? Everyone has been screaming for LeBron to get some help, and now he has it in the best possible way. Wallace isn't what he was in Detroit, but he can still bring in the boards and play defense. An argument can also be made that his mediocre production this year is the result of his playing on the hapless Bulls. Wallace will undoubtedly produce much more with a supporting cast around him.

As it stands, what the Cavs had to give up was pennies on the dollar. This was a matter of quantity and quality. Name one person the Cavs gave up that could easily be labeled as indispensable. Drew Gooden was productive, but Wallace is a better defender, and he will make Ilgauskas a better player. Wally is a better pure shooter than Larry Hughes. Cleveland is making the leap they needed. Cavs fans should be excited, and, by the looks of things, they are. It's tough to satisfy a fan base at a trade deadline, but Cleveland's done it.

Other deals

• The Dallas Morning News has apparently received enough emails complaining about the Jason Kidd trade to overload an inbox, but Tim Cowlishaw writes that the trade can only make the Mavs better. Can't argue with that. After the Lakers' blockbuster for Pau Gasol and Phoenix's surprise trade for Shaq, you knew Mark Cuban was going to do something to show that his team wasn't standing pat, and this was about as good as it was going to get.
• The Hornets also made a move, getting Bonzie Wells and Mike James from the Rockets for backup point guard Bobby Jackson and two other players. I don't think this was the kind of trade New Orleans wanted or needed. They hold the best record in the West right now, but can you really make the argument that they're better than the Lakers and Suns? I don't think they're as cut out for a battle for the title as the other elites in their conference, best record or not.
  
• Vince Carter isn't going anywhere...at least for now. The Nets have left open the possibility of a trade down the road, but the Nets are still adamant about making the playoffs, and without a little charity and divine intervention, that isn't going to happen without Carter.

More NBA trade stuff later tonight when the dust has settled. Plus baseball goodness.

WTF Moment 3/31: Raptors vs. Wizards

I have to start out by saying that I'm not usually a fan of the NBA. In fact, for the most part, I abhor it. I often never even turn a game on. But I felt compelled to comment on a mind-boggling video highlight I saw on SportsCenter last night recapping the Raptors-Wizards game.

Imagine you're a Wizards player. There are three seconds left on the clock. You have the ball in your hands, and your team is up, 109-106. What do you do?

You would probably just dribble around the top of the key or pass the ball out to the wing to avoid the foul, right?

Not if you ask Michael Ruffin of the Wizards. He'd probably answer with something like, "Toss the ball up into the air with the strength of a second grader in celebration of a relatively meaningless win."

You probably don't want the ball in this guy's hands in the closing seconds, then, as the Wizards found out on Friday night. After the Wizards pulled ahead with a clutch three-pointer with 30 seconds left and seemingly iced the game with free-throws to keep the lead at three with only three seconds left, the Raptors tossed the ball the length of the court. Intercepted by Ruffin, game over, right?

Well, Ruffin obviously forgot to look at the clock, because as soon as he did his celebratory schoolgirl heave, Morris Peterson of the Raptors caught the ball and immediately heaved it from 30 feet out toward the basket with purpose. Somehow, the ball banks in, the Raptors celebrate, the crowd is in stunned silence, and the Wizards end up losing the game by five in OT.

One thing I wonder is why the hell you would toss the ball up like that at all. The Wizards already lead their division and are a mortal lock for the playoffs in the abysmal Eastern Conference. The Raptors are a surprise team this year, no doubt, owning a 39-32 record going into the game and leading their division as well. But heaving the ball up into the air like that should be reserved for locking up the eighth spot in the conference or winning the NBA Finals, not beating the Raptors in late March.

Not to mention the fact that Ruffin tossed the ball into the air with so much time to spare that the sportscasters for Comcast SportsNet could only wait in silence for the buzzer to sound. They literally had no words for Ruffin's actions. From three seconds remaining to the buzzer in regulation, all they could say was "aaaannnnnndddddd....." before the divine intervention.

And let's face it, it was one seriously lucky shot. There was no time for Peterson to set his feet, so he basically had to toss the ball up the moment he plucked it out of the air. After this, overtime just felt like a formality. There was no way the Wizards were going to come back from that.

This is one of those "this has got to be our year" moments. Like when the Marlins came back to win Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS over the Cubs or any number of moments for Boston after game 3 of the 2004 ALCS (Ortiz' 12th-inning homer, Ortiz' 14th-inning homer, A-Rod's blunder). I'm ready to put my money on the Raptors in seven for the Championship.

Oh wait, except this is the Eastern Conference, and it's going to be the Mavs, Suns or Spurs anyway.