Winners, losers emerge from deadline-day deals

Well, it's over, the annual marathon known as the trading deadline. And now it's time to sift through the rubble and take stock of the people who influenced what we saw the last few days, and those who will be influenced by what just happened.

Gilbert Arenas. Where would the Cavaliers and Mavericks be if he'd kept his guns at home? You could say, with one regretful decision, Arenas built two championship contenders (Dallas and Cleveland) and wrecked a playoff contender (Washington). If the gun incident wasn't shocking enough, the tremors spread far and wide from the Washington epicenter. Depending on how this plays out, Arenas was responsible for tilting the balance of power in the NBA, and the Lakers aren't too happy about it.

Ted Leonsis. The incoming Wizards owner essentially told general manager Ernie Grunfeld to strip it down and start over. It was a feeding frenzy until the end, blood in the shark-infested waters, with bargain hunters galore. Would Abe Pollin have done that same?

Antawn Jamison. I think he just set the speed record from Washington to Cleveland. And he didn't travel by train, bus, car or even plane. He just floated ... very quickly. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, by the way. Jamison deserved better than a Wizards rebuilding process.

Daryl Morey. Mr. Moneyball, the guy with the computer science degree from Northwestern who personifies today's geeky, stat-obsessed general managers, just earned his stripes in Houston. He saved the Rockets roughly $10 million with some nifty maneuverings that didn't weaken the club; if anything, he strengthened the Rockets' future. Of course, that all depends on whether or not Jordan Hill is a bust and if Kevin Martin can bring it. But the Rockets, on paper anyway, are a better-looking team.

Dwyane Wade. He's now the unofficial No. 1 free agent next summer, since we all suspect LeBron James just removed himself from contention. It's a tough decision upcoming for Wade: Does he convince Chris Bosh to join him in Miami? Or New York? Or does he go home to Chicago and take lob passes from Derrick Rose? Wish all of our "problems" were that difficult.

Dan Gilbert. The best owners hire the right people, keep their stars happy and spend money. Is there any question that Gilbert's got it? He made it possible to absorb contracts belonging to Mo Williams, Shaq and now Antawn Jamison, which means he'll have to write a hefty luxury tax check. While other owners are cutting corners and are downright allergic to the tax, Gilbert is trying to win a championship. And don't think LeBron hasn't noticed.

Pat Riley. He couldn't pull the trigger to get Carlos Boozer and now must hope he has better luck with Wade this summer. As of right now, all Riley can promise Wade is sunshine, while keeping his fingers crossed that Michael Beasley doesn't have an offseason like the last.

Amar'e Stoudemire. He didn't go anywhere for a few reasons. First: Teams were worried about giving up assets for a player who could sign elsewhere next summer. Second: Teams were worried about Stoudemire keeping his $17 million option for next summer and putting them into luxury-tax land. Third: Teams were worried Stoudemire, who tends to pout, would be a disruption and not worth the 19 points and nine rebounds he delivers. And fourth: That's a lot of money for someone who plays no defense.

Drew Gooden. He's now with his seventh team, and next season, it'll probably be eight. This wasn't supposed to be blueprint for someone who was a fourth-overall draft pick.

Isiah Thomas. It was a rather tame transaction at the time: Knicks sign Jared Jeffries in 2006 to a reasonable contract. Who knew it would take so much to erase another one of Isiah's mistakes? In order to dump Jeffries and his $6 million contract to free up more money for this summer, the Knicks essentially surrendered a pair of first-round picks and last season's top pick, too. There's still one last Isiah fingerprint on their roster: Eddy Curry, the immovable object.

Joe Dumars. He spent his money last summer on a pair of players (Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon) who are turning out to be nothing special. So the Pistons had to sit this one out, because nobody wanted the contracts of Tayshaun Prince and/or Rip Hamilton. Basically, the Pistons are still paying the cost of that 2004 championship.

Larry Brown. The best teacher in basketball loves to get his hands on raw players with promise and then make them productive. Well, wish him good luck. Brown has his hands full with Tyrus Thomas, who's all athlete, no skill.

Bob Ferry. He built the Bullets into a world champion and perhaps his son, Danny, is in the process of doing the same with the Cavs. Bob is still around, helping Danny with scouting, and no doubt a very proud father right now.

Mike Dunleavy. Now a full-time general manager, can he convince someone -- anyone -- to take Donald Sterling's money this summer? Even better, can he convince Sterling to spend money this summer?

Stephen Curry, Warriors: 40 minutes, 10-for-15 field goals, 15 assists, three steals, 24 points against the Kings.

Sure, this was the same game C.J. Watson came up with the performance of his life, getting 40 on the Kings. But Curry's effort, and his last month-and-a-half actually, are what the Warriors are excited about (when there's little else to be excited about). Once they get around to stripping themselves of all the worn and unwanted parts and moving toward the future, Curry will be the centerpiece of any rebuilding process.

The reasons are obvious: He's a good guy, works hard, plays well and makes people pay to see him.

While Monta Ellis was a borderline All-Star this season, and right now is a better player than Curry, he's not the future. Curry is showing what he's capable of doing without Ellis around, and the Warriors should take note. If they can move Ellis this summer for any combination of young talent and cap relief, it would be the right step.

Charlotte Bobcats: 96 minutes, 0-for-2 this season, vs. the Nets. Boy, if the Nets do finish with the worst record all-time, how do you suppose the Bobcats will feel?

Tough season for A.I. just got tougher. The one team he always placed above all others is the team back home. You don't have to be an Iverson fan to wish all the best for his daughter and his family as they deal with her health issue, which caused Iverson to take some time off, including the All-Star Game.

Is the economy putting a pinch on coaches' salaries? George Karl got a one-year deal from the Nuggets. The Hawks will wait until the summer to deal with Mike Woodson, and even then, he may not get a big raise. Before player salaries are scaled back, you can bet coaches will be lighter in the wallet.

By getting John Salmons, the Bucks believe they're in position to make a run at a playoff spot in the East, which says plenty about Milwaukee's moxie (and also something about the lack of it in the East).

Nate Robinson will not wear out a welcome in four months, which is why he fits in Boston ... for now.

Speaking of Boston and Robinson, what do you think Larry Bird would've done if one of his teammates intentionally took a shot at the wrong basket?

Carmelo Anthony's earning potential just got better for the summer of 2011.

This Sunday. Cavaliers. Magic. In Orlando. Watch.

Shaun Powell is a veteran NBA writer and columnist. You can e-mail him here.

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