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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cavs pull off monster deal

Tom Withers Associated Press

CLEVELAND – At 2:59 p.m., one minute before the deadline expired, Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry called NBA officials in New York to say he was making a major trade. Two, actually.

They must have been surprised.

Ferry was dismantling his team.

In a complex, 11-player swap involving Cleveland, the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle SuperSonics, Ferry dealt half his active roster to acquire center Ben Wallace and forward Joe Smith from the Bulls, and forward Wally Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West from the SuperSonics.

LeBron James wanted help to win an NBA title. Ferry got it for him.

“I didn’t think we were good enough to win the championship,” Ferry said, explaining his motives for the move. “I thought we had a very good team. But I do believe if we have a chance to make ourselves better we should try.

“Was it a risk in doing so? Yes, it was a risk. But we’re going to have to make some decisions that have some risk in them if we want to continue to build and grow.”

Unable to finalize major deals in the past, Ferry pulled off a colossal one at the 3 p.m. buzzer. He sent guards Larry Hughes and Shannon Brown plus forwards Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons to Chicago for Wallace, one of the game’s top inside enforcers, and Smith, a versatile veteran.

Cleveland also acquired the sharp-shooting Szczerbiak and West from Seattle for forwards Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall, two expendable parts. In addition, the Cavs will get Chicago’s second-round pick in 2009. The Sonics will receive guard Adrian Griffin from the Bulls.

While giving the Cavaliers a new core to surround James, Ferry didn’t hurt his team’s long-term salary cap flexibility. He did create one short-term problem, however. Because their new players have to take physicals, the Cavs could be short-handed for their game today.

“I think Mike Brown might be a player/coach,” Ferry joked.

He’s dead serious, though, about getting the Cavaliers an NBA championship. James, who led them to their first finals last season, had publicly campaigned for Ferry to do something before the deadline.

James got his wish. Ferry overhauled the Cavs, trading 60 percent of the starting lineup Brown had Wednesday night.

The deal caps a busy month of trades as several stars, including Shaquille O’Neal, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and Pau Gasol, were dealt to new teams. The Gasol swap triggered an arms race of sorts among the Western Conference’s top squads, while this one could have a major effect atop the East.

In Wallace, 33, the Cavaliers are getting a defensive intimidator. Wallace will give them next to nothing on offense, but that’s not what the defending Eastern Conference champs need.

Wallace was a major disappointment for the underachieving Bulls, who are 17 1/2 games out of first in the Central. Chicago signed Wallace to a four-year, $60 million contract in 2006.

Szczerbiak, who was part of the draft day trade that sent Ray Allen to Boston for the No. 5 pick – Jeff Green – and West, added scoring punch in a reserve role for the rebuilding Sonics.

West never found a spot in Seattle’s rotation. Nagging foot injuries shuffled him farther down the bench, and when coach P.J. Carlesimo finally settled on a rotation, West was the odd man out.

The dealing by young GM Sam Presti only adds to the flexibility the Sonics will have in their rebuilding. Combined with the trade of Kurt Thomas to San Antonio for Brent Barry (released Thursday), Francisco Elson and a 2009 first-round pick, the Sonics have 13 picks in the next three drafts and acquired three players with contracts expiring after this year.