I still wish the Magic could have traded Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson for a solid point guard, but they didn’t and this team is what it is for better or worse. The Magic’s biggest rival and strongest competition on the other hand did make a big trade. The Cavs traded for Antawn Jamison and although everyone in the basketball world is touting the greatness of the trade and anointing the Cavs Eastern Conference champs, I disagree 100%.

I love the trade from the Magic’s perspective, but from the Cavs’ perspective it’s a bad deal all the way around. It’s a bad short-term solution, it’s a real bad deal long-term for the Cavs and it’s a also a huge gamble for the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.

From a short-term perspective Antwan Jamison is a solid scorer and he’ll give the Cavs another scoring threat, but last time I checked the Cavs don’t have any issues scoring points. The Cavs only had one issue and that was stopping Dwight Howard in the playoffs. Lost in all the noise and hype about Antwan Jamison’s offensive abilities and his modest rebounding skills is the fact that the Cavs gave away Zydrunas Ilgauskas. You see Jamison is soft like warm butter and he plays defense about as well as Anderson Varejao, which is to say he sucks on D. Jamison can’t guard Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard, Vince Carter or Mickael Pietrus, which means he’s a liability. Ilgauskas not only contributed 20 plus minutes a game, spelled Jabba the Shaq, but he also provided 6 fouls and good interior rebounding and defense. The addition of Jamison doesn’t make the Cavs a better team, it makes them a softer team that will fold when like a card house during the playoffs.

The long-term ramifications of deal are horrible for the Cavs. Not only did they take on an aging 33 year old power forward that doesn’t play defense, has propensity to make bad passes, but he’s on contract for 2 more years for big bucks. If the owners get a new CBA, that contract will an albatross for the Cavs. He’s going to eat into the cap and the Cavs aren’t going to be a able to sign anyone of value, well unless Lebron James bolts for greener pastures, which is very real possibility if the Cavs don’t make it and win the NBA Championship. The Cavs also gave up their first round pick in 2010, it won’t be a high first round pick, but the Cavs sold their soul and I think it will come back to haunt them.

Team/Player Photos: Boston Celtics v Orlando Magic on May 16, 2010

The trade is a huge gamble in many ways. Part of the reason the trade was done was to sell and appease Lebron James. If the Cavs win a Championship then it was a good move, but if they don’t then I’m going to say Lebron leaves town for the bright lights of New York city. The Cavs are betting that Jabba the Shaq will stay healthy for the rest of the season and still be effective in the playoffs. The Minnesota Vikings made that same bet and although Favre had a great season, when it counted most the pounding the Saints gave him finally caught up to him and he faltered at the wrong time. I don’t want to see Jabba the Shaq get hurt, but he’s old, fat and slow and there’s a good chance something might give out when the Cavs need him most. If it happens there won’t be an Ilgauskas to fill his shoes, the Cavs will forced to play Varejao, Jamison or Hickson at center. Hickson is having a nice year, but Howard would destroy him in a seven game playoff series.

The Cavs are still an awesome team, but as a Magic fan I’m happy they made the trade, because we match up better against them now. When the long season winds down Jabba will start breaking down and once Jamison realizes he’s no longer in DC where the expectations didn’t exist, he’ll wilt under the new found pressure and be a non-factor. But it really doesn’t matter, because when the playoffs start Lebron will turn into a hog the ball, take his team out of the game and try and win it all by himself and in the end he will expose himself for the selfish punk ass he really is.