Josh Smith Moves West; Yao Welcomed With Open Arms

Yao is headed in the opposite direction - to the Far East

Thursday was a busy day for both the Kings and the Raptors, as trade talks heated up, and eventually turned from mere discussion to transaction. In the proposed deal, Toronto will send 2nd year forward Josh Smith and recently drafted Amir Johnson to Sacramento for centers Yao Ming and Chris Andersen. Smith had a great rookie season as the starting small forward for the young team, however never had a chance to shine as the offensive power he could very well be, with Wade, Kaman and Abdur Rahim leading the offensive attack. In fact, Smith was 5th of the starters on the offensive end, guard Paccelis Morlende greatly improved his shooting abilities over last summer.

Moving to the Kings, Smith is expected to carry the load for the rebuilding franchise, which was led to the playoffs by the aforementioned Yao. With nobody in the starting lineup over 25, Smith's impact should be felt immediately. While the high school project never got his offensive game off the ground, he did average excellent shooting numbers, proving when given the opportunity Smith could become a powerhouse on both ends of the floor. Averaging 1.5 steals and 1 block per game as a rookie, his numbers were nearly as impressive as his former teammate Dwyane Wade's 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks a game which earned him All-Defensive 2nd team honors in 2004.

The other piece moving to Sacramento, Amir Johnson, was reportedly highly sought after during the past draft. Holding the 17th overall pick, Kings GM "Will" said after the draft was complete, he had hoped to land his next starting power forward with the pick, however was pleased to introduce Washington star Nate Robinson as the future point guard.

For Toronto, the deal was exactly what Mr. Stephens desired - a second defensive center, that also brought in an incredibly polished offensive game. In Yao, he couldn't have asked for much more after the 7'5" giant averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. His shooting numbers were almost nearly as spectacular - shooting 49% from the field, and 80% from the free throw line. Like it was mentioned before, Kings GM "Will" even supported the notion that Yao was the reason the team made the playoffs last season.

That kind of impact is what the Raptors organization was looking to put next to Dwyane Wade, who will be entering his contract year at the end of next season. Now, with one of the most talented 1-5's in the Eastern Conference, the team is preparing for their first extended season in almost 5 years. It's no secret that Wade wants to win, and win big - therefore Raptor management knew it was crucial to surround Wade with adequate talent to win as fast as possible.

Some would remember, just 2 seasons ago Mr. Stephens took the job, dealt Abdur Rahim and Stoudamire - the teams two greatest assets - away for 4 draft picks, what many in their eyes saw as ludicrous. However, in that span the team has gone from a starting lineup of Alvin Jones, Andy Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Dwyane Wade and Paccelis Morlende to an All-Star touting cast of Yao Ming, Chris Kaman, Shareef Abdur Rahim, Wade and Morlende. If this team doesn't make the playoffs, the Raptors will be sure to go back to the drawing boards to bring in better talent, find the weaknesses and fill them.

Pictures speak... really loud sometimes

Also coming from Sacramento is 6th year F/C, and defensive ace Chris Andersen. Andersen was a last minute request from Mr. Stephens, as he realized he would be losing a lot of defensive off the bench with the deal - Andersen adds that punch effectively and immediately. For his career, "Birdman" is averaging 5 points, 7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in just 25 minutes playing time.

This kind of energy, defense and rebounding ability is a perfect fit next to Danny Fortson on the second team. While Fortson provides great offense and rebounding - everyone knows his main weakness is his defense being undersized against players like 7'5" Yao Ming. The duo of pure energy should be very effective, even against some teams starting post players. Both are set to receive adequate playing time, as both players skills are greatly desired on the court.

Both cities seem fairly excited about the recent deal, with Sacramento giving the final push into the rebuilding movement, while Toronto seems to have found the final piece to it's winning puzzle.

A final glance at both teams projected lineups with current rosters:

Toronto:
Center - Yao Ming/Danny Fortson/Martynas Andriuskivicius
Forward - Chris Kaman/Chris Andersen/Erazam Lorbek
Forward - Abdur-Rahim/JaRon Rush/Andy Ellis
Guard - Dwyane Wade/Keyon Dooling/Dijon Thompson
Guard - Paccelis Morlende/Tito Maddox/Ricky Minard

Sacramento:
Center - Curtis Borchardt/David Harrison/Amir Johnson
Forward - Amir Johnson/David Harrison/Curtis Borchardt
Forward - Josh Smith/Yaroslav Korolev/Tayshaun Prince
Guard - Mickael Pietrus/Keith Bogans/Ronnie Price
Guard - Nate Robinson/Derek Fisher/Will Bynum

While the Kings roster is still yet to be completed with the final day of Free Agency on the horizon, they have a very nice core of young players, with very few weaknesses overall in their future. The Raptors are set to have an eventful offseason with Yao Ming, Paccelis Morlende and Shareef Abdur Rahim all needing new contracts, among a number of other key bench pieces. However, that's an entire season away and right now, the team is looking to secure the now - and cross that bridge when they get there.