Non-Spurs basketball stuff

Superstition prevents me from talking about the Spurs during this Finals run, but here are a couple other quick things on the NBA landscape via TrueHoop.

1. Corey Brewer
This guy's going to be the steal of the draft, even if he goes at #3 (which he won't, because it's the Hawks). Word is, Doc Rivers really liked the workout the uber-wing gave last week. The Celtics would be smart to follow this hunch.

Brewer's got the skills and the track record. Two NCAA titles. Tourney Most Outstanding Player award. He succeeded in an system that stressed teamwork over superstars. He can play three positions in the NBA. Defense is his calling card. He knocks down open shots. And that's before we even talk about his ability to slash to the bucket. Great player. Seems exactly like the glue the C's need.

If Boston fans could stop whimpering for just a second, they might realize they're still getting a potential franchise cornerstone in Brewer. He'd be my #1 pick if not for Durant and Oden.

2. Two trades
While I know everyone wrongly thinks they could be an NBA GM, that won't stop me from proposing a couple trades that make sense.

Assuming the C's draft Brewer, what about offering Paul Pierce to the Clippers for Maggette, Kaman, and salary cap fodder? The deal works for both teams, I think, but only if the Clippers' owner is willing to give up Maggette, a personal favorite of his, in exchange for dumping Kaman's suddenly onerous contract.

Finally, it's clear the Utah Jazz are trying to move AK-47, but can't because of his massive contract. "There aren't many teams that are going to want to take on that financial load unless they're assured he's going to be a top-notch player," owner Larry Miller said (scroll down).

But what if another team owed an equally absurd amount of money to an underperforming star? In fact, one such team, Cleveland, has a player in Larry Hughes that exactly fits what the Jazz are looking for: an athletic, lock-down defending 2 who can hit open set shots.

Kirilenko for Hughes, straight up, works.

From Cleveland's perspective, Hughes has been misused ever since he came to town. He simply doesn't fit into their system. Cleveland does none of the things that Washington did to create on-court chaos that made Hughes an All-Star. Like Ginobili, he needs to be allowed to roam, to create steals, to make hustle plays on offense -- not initiating the offense.

With the emergence of Daniel Gibson and the assumption that Pavlovic will shake off his current jitters with age, the Cavs are fine at guard. With Kirilenko they become even better defensively and they add another player who is an excellent facilitator, which might, God willing, free LeBron up from dominating the ball. The move also makes Drew Gooden expendable. If they could trade him cap space to resign Varejao and a late 1st round pick, they could take a talented, pass-first PG, like Marist legend Jared Jordan.

Starting 5: Jordan, Gibson/Pavlovic, James, AK, Big Z.
Go big: Gibson, James, AK, Varejao, Big Z.
Go small: Jordan, Gibson, Pavlovic, James, AK.

That's a heck of a lot more versatility than they have this year, and the defense-first attitude is still preserved. But they have to acknowledge that they'll never win a championship with the offense they have now, and this offseason is the best time to address it.

To that end, the more I think about it, the more this deal makes sense -- except for the injury history of both players. It's essentially like trading two Faberge eggs. We'll see, I guess.