In 11-Player Trade, Cavs' James Gets His Wish for Reinforcements

The most frantic NBA trade season in recent memory ended with yet another blockbuster deal yesterday as the Cleveland Cavaliers finally addressed LeBron James's pleas for more help.

The defending Eastern Conference champions essentially swapped disappointing free agent signings with division rival Chicago, with former Washington Wizards Larry Hughes and Ben Wallace headlining an 11-player trade involving Cleveland, Chicago and Seattle.

Cleveland acquired Wallace and Joe Smith from Chicago plus Seattle's Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. The Cavaliers sent Hughes, Drew Gooden, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons to Chicago, and Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble to the SuperSonics. The Bulls also sent Adrian Griffin to Seattle.

"I didn't think we were good enough to win the championship," Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry told reporters during a news conference in Cleveland. "I thought we had a very good team, but I do believe that if we can make ourselves better, we should try. Was it a risk in doing so? Yes, it was a risk. But I think [it's] a good risk."

The trade was completed in the final hour before the 3 p.m. deadline and concluded a wild month in which several stars switched teams, notably Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd. Most of those deals involved powers in the Western Conference, but this deal could affect the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Cavaliers tried to get Mike Bibby for more than a year, but he wound up going to Atlanta on Saturday. James didn't hide his desire for Cleveland to obtain Kidd, his friend and U.S. Olympic teammate who wound up with the Dallas Mavericks.

Wallace is a rugged, four-time defensive player of the year, but he has failed to meet expectations with the Bulls after signing a four-year, $60 million deal two summers ago. He's averaging 5.1 points and 8.8 rebounds -- his lowest total in eight years -- for an underachieving Bulls team that fired coach Scott Skiles in December and is two games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

Cleveland is hoping that Szczerbiak can provide another outside threat for James. Szczerbiak is a career 40.7 percent shooter from beyond the three-point line and is hitting 42.8 percent this season. He and West were both part of the draft day deal last June that sent Ray Allen to Boston. West, a graduate of Eleanor Roosevelt High in Greenbelt, was elated to join the Cavaliers, according to his agent, Noah Croom. "It's safe to say he's excited to back in the East, and with a playoff team," Croom said yesterday.

The Wizards likely will face a depleted Cavaliers team tonight, with most of the additions watching from the sideline.

Hughes struggled as James's sidekick after leaving the Wizards to sign a five-year, $60 million contract in the summer of 2005. He also battled injuries and an unreliable jumper for most of his tenure with the Cavaliers. Hughes spends part of his offseason in Chicago working out with Michael Jordan's former trainer, Tim Grover. Gooden could help the Bulls solve their problems with interior scoring. He's averaging 11.3 points this season.

The Bulls and Cavaliers, who have yet to play each other this season, will face off four times, beginning on March 2 in Cleveland.

The surprising New Orleans Hornets, the top team in the stacked Western Conference, added more depth in a trade with Houston and Memphis that landed Bonzi Wells and Mike James. The deal involved three teams. The Hornets also sent rookie guard Adam Haluska and forward Marcus Vinicius to Houston, then Houston sent Vinicius, the rights to Malick Badiane and cash to Memphis in exchange for the rights to Sergei Lishouk.

In a separate deal with Minnesota, the Rockets also got Houston native and former slam dunk champion Gerald Green for Kirk Snyder.

The Pistons acquired another former Wizard, getting Juan Dixon (Maryland) from Toronto in exchange for Primoz Brezec and some cash. With Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Jarvis Hayes, Detroit has four former Wizards on its roster.

The Denver Nuggets had been rumored to have interest in Sacramento's Ron Artest and West, but settled for getting point guard Taurean Green from Portland in exchange for seldom-used guard Von Wafer.