As the NBA Trade Deadline draws near (Thursday Feb 23rd at 3pm ET) the rumors continue to run rampant.
Typically we see these deadlines come and go with lots of smoke but very little actual fire. Can we expect much of the same again this year?
We have already seen the trade that could easily be the biggest move of the season when the Kings moved DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans for Buddy Hield and an assortment of other pieces.
What else may we see before the deadline is upon us? Lets take a look at one of the big trades we are hearing around the rumor-mill:
Minnesota PG Ricky Rubio to the New York Knicks for PG Derrick Rose.
I took a quick poll on my Twitter feed (@EBIHester) on if my followers would make this trade and "YES" is currently winning, so it sounds like I'm not with the norm on this one.
Just by watching Derrick Rose's actions from a distance the last few years I would want absolutely no part of this guy on my team. Between sitting out during playoff games because he didn't want to take a chance on doing long-term damage to his body to disappearing from the arena before a game this season, Rose strikes me as a selfish player with a "me first" mentality. At any other position on the floor that may be somewhat acceptable, but not at the point guard spot. The PG is supposed to be the floor leader that works to get the team to play together as one. Rose has yet to show any ability to do that during his NBA career. Even when he was a MVP caliber player in Chicago it was based more on his ability to score than it was his ability to lead a team.
Ricky Rubio is no where near the scoring threat that Rose is, but what he does do is focus on getting the ball to the elite scorers on the team in Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns. Rubio can score when called upon but does not need to see the ball go through the hoop to keep him involved in the game. That is what a throw-back point guard does and, in my opinion, is what this team needs. I can't see a scenario in which Towns and Wiggins will be pleased with taking a backseat to Rose and his antics.
The main cog driving this trade is Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau who Rose played for in Chicago. Thibodeau was able to get the best out of Rose during his time in Chicago but he was a different player then and not the broken shell that he seems to be today.
The reason this trade could make sense boils down to the fact that Rose would become an unrestricted free agent after this season thus freeing up the PG slot for the club's 5th pick from 2016, Kris Dunn.
Dunn has shown flashes of brilliance when given the chance to start this season and he is the type of player that can fill up each category in the box score while doing all of the little things that it takes to win ball games. Bringing in Rose for the rest of this season would give Dunn more time to grow while coming off the bench and then free up the starting spots as well as some salary cap space heading into next season.
Typically when a coach as powerful as Thibodeau wants a move to be made, it gets made. I will be surprised if this trade is not completed, but I will go on record in saying that I do not like the move from the Minnesota side of things.
Rubio going to the Big Apple and tossing passes to Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis could be a match made in Heaven. This move would free up more shots for New York's "big 2" and Rubio's 'pass-first' mentality could potentially lead to some highlight reel plays from the athletic front court players in New York.
