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We're just one day removed from the massive trade becoming official and I'm already pining to witness Andrew Bynum in the red, white, and blue come October. You've all seen how we at Liberty Ballers feel about the trade. Jordan broke down Bynum's stats compared to the rest of the Sixers front court and what the starting lineup will and should shape up to be. Mike talked about that other guy who the Sixers traded for (Jason Richardson) and gave his fond farewell to Andre Iguodala. But what has been the reaction from the other teams involved in this trade? That's what I'm here for, guys. I got your collective backs.
Silver Screen and Roll says Howard trade is great both short and long term
Looking at the long term, if Howard were to commit to the Lakers, the franchise would be set for the next near decade. We've known for a while that Kobe and Pau Gasol are settling into the downside of their primes, as well as new acquisition Steve Nash nearing the age of 40.
Though Howard is only one man, keep in mind that he transformed a team that had Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson into two Eastern Conference Finalists, one of those squads going to the big dance in 2009.
The prospects for the Lakers look especially bright for the coming season, but even better, for the next six or seven.
Denver Stiffs on Andre Iguodala and where Nuggets stand in the West
While it doesn't get the Nuggets over the hump, it does take them another step up. This shows, once again, that Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri is not afraid of making a deal ... even if it means parting with a player who was generally loved by Nuggets fans (Afflalo) and loved by a Nuggets coach (Harrington).
As constituted, the Nuggets should compete for home court advantage in the playoffs. With each acquisition the excuses for failure in the first round start falling away, so keep that in mind as the year progresses.
More analysis from around the league after the jump.
It’s a win for Iggy and Denver because he is a better fit with George Karl’s more open, up-tempo offense than he has been in Philly — Denver will use him in a way more like Team USA is using him in London.
More importantly, he will dramatically improve what was the NBA’s 20th ranked defense last season, filling the Nuggets big need as an elite perimeter defender.
The up-and-coming Sixers now have the best center in the East — Andrew Bynum is an All-Star who is just coming into his own. He provides a real matchup challenge for Miami. Put him in a starting five with Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young (who has earned the extra minutes) and maybe Spencer Hawes and you have a good team. And the core of that team is all under 25 — they will grow over the next couple years.
Orlando Pinstriped Post on former Sixer Nikola Vucevic
This article also has insight from this Michael Levin guy. Never heard of him.
The biggest flaw I see in Vučević's game is his inability to get to the foul line. Despite taking 52.3 percent of his shots within the restricted circle, Vučević attempted only 34 free throws for the entire season. His free-throw attempt-to-field-goal attempt ratio of 0.116 ranked among the worst in the league in 2011/12.
If Vučević can develop the physique of an NBA-caliber center and is able to draw contact more effectively, he should be a decent rotational big man in this league for quite some time. The 21-year-old already knows how to board at this level. Now it's a matter of learning and growing in other areas.
Zach Lowe analyzes the trade - Sports Illustrated
Bynum, 24, is a budding franchise centerpiece, the kind of player the Sixers were extremely unlikely to get via any other means. The 76ers relied on a top-three defense last season, a unit that will suffer with this trade. Iguodala might be the best perimeter defender in the league, and Bynum, despite his ability to protect the rim, has occasional effort issues in transition and (like most big men) struggles to guard in space above the foul line.
Regardless, the 76ers just dealt for the second-best center in the league, and they have plenty of good defenders left to keep the defense from slipping too much without Iguodala.
A club that looked to be the most likely candidate among last season’s eight playoff teams in the East to fall into the lottery now appears like a safe postseason bet — a blow to Milwaukee, Toronto and anyone else pushing for the No. 8 seed (more ripple effects).
Sebastian Pruiti breaks down how Howard, Bynum and Dre fit with new teams - Grantland
His two best skills are his ability to work in the post (55.6 percent of possessions/PPP of 0.897/74th percentile) and his ability to read dribble penetration and cut off of it (16.3 percent of possessions/PPP of 1.553/96th percentile). Those are two things the Sixers didn't do much. They rarely posted guys up (9.3 percent of the time), and they rarely hit cutters (only 9.7 percent of the time). This is probably a result of having ball-dominant, score-first players like Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams on the perimeter.
With Bynum's ability to create space and passing lanes for himself, Holiday and Nick Young, who replaced Williams, are going to have to adjust and start looking for the big man on dribble penetration.
Bill Simmons likes the gamble Sixers are taking with Bynum - Grantland
They finally made a real move! Who knew the Sixers could make trades and stuff???? I loved this particular risk for them — basically, they flipped Iguodala (with whom they never won anything), Harkless (a project), Nik Vucevic (a young banger with potential) and a protected first-rounder into the league's second-best center and a proven/overpaid 2-guard who was out of shape for much of last year but isn't washed up by any means (Jason Richardson).
Fear No. 1: They're building around someone who just played his first injury-free season in five years. You can't forget the injury risks here, even if (to paraphrase Val Kilmer in Heat), the Bynum is worth the risk.
Analysis from Bill the Intern:
Andrew Bynum? I like him.