Billy King, Take a Bow

No sooner do I finish up my glowing review of the Webber trade, when I get the news that Billy King has pulled off the impossible. He has gotten rid of Glenn Robinson, the poster child for excessive contracts (OK, a poster with him and Matt Geiger) in a deal with the New Orleans Hornets for Jamal Mashburn and Rodney Rogers.

Not too much to say about this one, other than Billy King has had an amazing day. He brought in one superstar, got rid of an overpaid, oft-injured, disgruntled one, and reinvigorated the team and fans of this city. Not a bad day. I have made two posts today, so I know how he feels. Drained, excited, nervous. Bloggers and NBA GMs are like two peas in a pod, or something like that.

While Jamal Mashburn is the big name coming here, Rodney Rogers is the one who will make this deal a big success. The Webber deal took some quality big men away, but getting Rogers fills any holes that were left. He has good range, is a big body, and will give good minutes night in and night out. He has struggled this season, especially from three, but I think that he will not have to shoulder much of a scoring load here. That, coupled with reuniting with Coach Jim O'Brien, should make this a good addition. Rodgers played well under O'Brien with the Celtics, as his game seems made more for the coach's uptempo style.

Mashburn appears to be on the verge of retirement because of his bad knees, and will not play for the Sixers. Therefore, his remaining two years would not hurt against the cap (correct me if I am wrong, please). Plus, let's not forget that Robinson was not going to contribute to the Sixers, so just getting rid of him was a positive.

I will leave you with this quote from Lebron James, in an ESPN.com article, talking about the Sixers after the trades, to sum it all up:

"They're going to probably win the Atlantic now," Cleveland Cavaliers guard LeBron James said of the Sixers. The Webber trade is "going to make them one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. I know Iverson is very happy about it. I'm going to call him and tell him he got an early Christmas present."

I cannot wait to see how well Iverson plays in the second half of the season, as he has had one of his best years ever to date. Now, he will be reinvigorated by the moves, he will have Webber drawing attention away from him, and he knows that the team has addressed his biggest concern. The game just got serious, y'all.