Larry Brown Strikes (Out) Again

The Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Bobcats agreed to a five player deal that will send Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley, and a future second round pick to Phoenix in exchange for Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary. The deal is cover-your-eyes awful from the Bobcats perspective. In all likelihood, Larry Brown is up to his old tricks again. Brown has a reputation for complaining about his players and constantly requesting trades. Occasionally, his front office will give in and usually some other team benefits greatly. Brown has shown a preference for players who play hard as opposed to those who play well. This deal appears to be a perfect illustration.

From a financial perspective, the deal is basically a wash. The contracts values are roughly equal for this season and in 2010. Charlotte saves about seven and a half million dollars in 2011, but will have to shell out an additional nine million in 2012 as a result of the deal.

Although the dollars might match up, there is a major disparity in the talent changing hands. Richardson is a great secondary scoring option who should complement the Sun’s attack perfectly. Amare and Shaq draw constant double teams and when the Suns spread the floor with players like Richardson, Nash, Barbosa, and Barnes, they should be impossible to defend. Richardson is only 27 years old, so while his contract is clearly bloated, it is not nearly as bad as some others around the league. In Jared Dudley, the Suns acquire an intriguing young player who can help fill the void left by Diaw.

The players Phoenix sent out are not nearly as inspiring. Raja Bell had a nice four year stretch – beginning in Utah – where he was an excellent role player. In his prime, he was an elite defender who knocked down enough of his open jumpers to help space the floor on offense. His prime, however, is clearly behind him. Offensively, he has become nearly invisible on the floor. According to John Hollinger’s “usage rate,” Bell has used only 12% of Phoenix’s possession while he is on the floor this season. By contract, Richardson used nearly 24% of Bobcat possessions. Bell’s PER, which peaked at 12.94 in 2006 is on pace to decline for the third consecutive season and sits at a meager 9.27. Defensively, Bell has lost a step and in the process has regressed from an excellent defender to one who is merely good. He remains tough and competes hard every night, but when an undersized player loses his quickness, there is not much left. The Suns have actually allowed more points per possession with Bell on the court this season.

Boris Diaw had an excellent season for Phoenix in 2006, was rewarded with a massive six year contract, and has played like a solid backup ever since. He is an excellent passer and a reliable scorer when he is involved, but he seems to disappear for long stretches and is a poor rebounder for his size. In exchange for being a slightly below average NBA player, Diaw will be paid nine million dollars per season through 2012. Singletary and the future second round draft pick included in the deal are both relatively inconsequential.

Through this trade, Phoenix took a major step toward securing a playoff spot in a loaded Western conference that will likely have a very good team watching the playoffs from home. Charlotte, on the other hand, presumably took a major step toward appeasing curmudgeon Larry Brown. Their fans will not be nearly as pleased when they see the results.

(Note: Thanks to ESPN.com's John Hollinger and 82games.com for stats)