What was Expected vs. What Really Happened on Deadline Day

I wrote an article days before the trade deadline about what the active trade deadline teams were expected to do by most NBA analysts. That article is below and the trades these teams actually made is also included.
With the NBA trade deadline coming up there are tons of different rumours about what trades that could happen. The Celtics, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Nets and Magic are the teams that will be the most active as the trade deadline emerges. Here are the players that those teams are looking to trade away and looking to receive through trades.
(All this information has come from espn.com, nba.com, bleacherreport.com and deadspin.com)

Boston Celtics: 
Willing to trade away: Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett
Looking to receive: Michael Beasley Josh Smith, Chris Kaman
Analysis: Rondo has been told he won't be traded, and after his montrous game against the Knicks the odds of him being traded are very low. It seems the Celtics are willing to break up their big three though. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have both been in many trade rumours, with the most likely to be traded being Ray Allen. The Celtics were looking to receive Josh Smith for the likes of Ray Allen, but the Hawks were not liking the idea. The Celtics are trying to land a talented young big man but are struggling to make a deal.
What really happened: Nothing.

Los Angeles Lakers: 
Willing to trade away: Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Draft Picks
Looking to receive: Michael Beasley, Raymond Felton, Kirk Hinrich, Ramon Session, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash
Analysis: The Lakers need a point guard. Of the names above Sessions is the most likely to land in LA and is actually a very good player who's stuck behind Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. Also a Beasley for a first rounder deal was offered and declined, but LA may still end up with Beasley by the trade deadline.
What really happened: Received: Jordan Hill, Ramon Sessions Traded away: Derrick Fisher, 1st round pick (Dallas), and a protected 1st round pick.

Los Angeles Clippers:

Willing to trade away: Randy Foye, Eric Bledsoe, Ryan Gomes, Draft Picks
Looking to receive: Ray Allen, Jamal Crawford, virtually any solid SG available
Analysis: Chauncey Billups' injury left a gaping whole in the SG position for the Clippers. Ray Allen and Jamal Crawford are two guys who the Clips looking to trade for, and they might need to trade away Randy Foye and some draft picks to get either of those guys.
What really happened: Received: Nick Young Traded Away: Brian Cook and "possible draft pick"

Minnesota Timberwolves:

Willing to trade away: Michael Beasley
Looking to receive: Pau Gasol, Draft Picks
Analysis: Michael Beasley and his huge contract just doesn't fit in Minnesota. The Timberwolves are aggresively trying to shop Beasley, and could get draft picks in return. Minnesota is also looking to receive Gasol in a larger deal with the Lakers.
What really happened: Nothing

New Jersey Nets:

Willing to trade away: Anyone but Deron Williams
Looking to receive: Dwight Howard
Analysis: The Nets really want Dwight Howard. They will trade away anyone on their team except for their exceptional point guard Deron Williams, for the big Howard. The Nets are the current front-runner in the Dwight Howard Sweepstakes.
What really happened: Received: Gerald Wallace Traded Away: Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, future first round pick
Orlando Magic: 

Willing to trade away: Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu
Looking to receive: Monta Ellis, Draft Picks
Analysis: The situation for the Magic is a complicated one. They are trying to get good players in Orlando to play with Dwight so that when the summer comes Dwight will want to stay. The problem is that most teams don't want to trade any good players to Orlando because they want to receive Dwight back in return. Orlando doesn't have good enough players outside of Dwight to trade for another good player, so Orlando might end up trading Dwight to a team like the Nets, Warriors or Rockets for a number of good young players.
What really happened: Dwight decided to stay in Orlando for another year. 

The Dwight Trade That Will See Nash in Toronto

Firstly I would like to say if you have a reason why this trade couldn't or wouldn't happen, please comment and tell me. The above is a trade that I think could, and should be done before the trade deadline. Most of the players involved in this trade have been involved in trade rumors and are unhappy in their current surroundings. This four team trade would really affect all these teams, but all in a good way. Each team is recieving 3 players, and each team is recieving players they need to be a contender in the future. This trade would work with the salary cap, and is a trade these teams should all consider to make them better. Here's how the trade would go down:

LA Lakers Receive: Dwight Howard (C) Andrea Bargnani (C/PF) Jamal Magloire (C)
LA Lakers Trade Away: Pau Gasol (PF) Andrew Bynum (C)

Analysis: This trade would instantly make the Lakers one of the main contenders in the West. Kobe's scoring ability matched with Howards inside presence and Bargnani's amazing shooting would be absolutely lethal. Howard and Bargnani would be an upgrade from Bynum and Gasol, which is mainly why the deal would be done. Also although the Lakers would not receive one of their main needs, a point guard, this trade would still make their team a lot better.

Orlando Magic Receive: Andrew Bynum (C) Jose Calderon (PG) Michael Redd (SG)
Orlando Magic Trade Away: Dwight Howard (C) Jameer Nelson (PG) J.J. Redick (SG)

Analysis: This deal is a dream come true for the Magic. They get an upgrade at the point guard spot going from Nelson to Calderon, and although they trade away the best center in the league they get the second best center in the league in return. The Magic would mainly do this deal because they know if they don't trade Dwight now he would most likely sign somewhere else during the summer and the Magic would get nothing in return.

Phoenix Suns Receive: Pau Gasol (PF) Jameer Nelson (PG) Justin Harper (C/PF)
Phoenix Suns Trade Away: Steve Nash (PG) Marcin Gortat (C) Michael Redd (SG)

Analysis: It's no secret that the Suns are looking to rebuild after this season. Pheonix has actually done pretty well this year, but it's all thanks to Steve Nash. Nash is getting old and there is currently no good option at backup point guard (Sebastian Telfair is not a good option) which is a large worry for the Suns. This trade would bring in a point guard who could be a solid player for many years to come, and also brings in Pau Gasol who could really thrive if given more touches then he currently gets with the Lakers.

Toronto Raptors Receive: Steve Nash (PG) Marcin Gortat (C) J.J. Redick (SG)
Toronto Raptors Trade Away: Andrea Bargnani (C/PF) Jose Calderon (PG) Jamal Magloire (C)


Analysis: The team that would be the most hesitant to pull the trigger on this trade would be the Raptors. They would be giving up their two best players, and receiving a 38 year old Nash as the main prize in return. I think this deal would be very smart for the Raptors though. This trade would turn the Raptors into a much younger and more skilled version of the current Suns, which could be a contender. Also Nash would be a perfect mentor for Jerryd Bayless, who is a great scorer just struggles at sharing the ball, and who would eventually turn into the Raptors starting point guard. This trade would turn the Raptors into an instant playoff team, and would give them a lot of hope for the future. Also Nash might want to be part of the Raptors to end his carer because he's from Canada, and because the Raptors have a good upcoming team.

New Starting Fives: In my opinion all these starting fives are improved from the current starting fives.

Orlando Magic:
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: Jason Richardson
SF: Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Ryan Anderson
C: Andrew Bynum

Los Angelas Lakers:
PG: Derrick Fisher
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Metta World Peace
PF: Andrea Bargnani
C: Dwight Howard

Phoenix Suns:
PG: Jameer Nelson
SG: Grant Hill
SF: Jared Dudley
PF: Pau Gasol
C: Channing Frye

Toronto Raptors:
PG: Steve Nash
SG: J.J. Redick
SF: Demar Derozan
PF: Amir Johnson
C: Marcin Gortat

Kobe is the Most Overrated Player in the NBA

Kobe Bryant. Fierce competitor, a winner, and one of the top 10 scorers ever. But at the same time is one of the top ten most overrated players ever. Kobe is often in the "Best Player Ever" conversation which is absolutely ridiculous. Kobe has shot too much throughout his career, which has often hurt his team. At the same time though, Kobe has a competitive edge to him which people love, and which often intimidates opponents. Kobe's a great player, but has definitave and very important negatives and positives to his game.

Positives: Notable achievements: 5 nba championships, 2 nba finals mvp, 1 regular season mvp, 2 scoring championships, 14 time allstar, 11 time all devensive team, 81 points in a game.

There are many things to love about Kobe. He's a winner. There's no one in the NBA that wants to win more then him, and that will do anything to win like he will. Miss or make he'll always demand taking the final shot, and a lot of the time he does make it. Kobe has won two championships without Shaq, showing he can win without him. Kobe can shoot from anywhere on the court, making him very hard to stop. Lastly, and most importantly Kobe puts the team on his back and gets his team succes.

Negatives: Notable Stats: Career .45% shooter, career 4.2 assists per game, since Shaq's departure Kobe's averaged 22 shots per game
Kobe's problem has been different in different years. In the Shaq era his problem was he was not clutch at all. Every time the playoffs came around Kobe's production would decrease forcing Shaq to score more, which did end up happening. Once Shaq left another problem arose. Kobe's teamwork. From 2004 to 2007 the Lakers had no supporting cast, so the team was awful. Kobe seldom passed the ball, and took a ton of shots. No one had a problem with it in those days because Kobe had no good players to pass to. In the next few years the Lakers got Bynum (all-star) Pau Gasol (all-star) Ron Artest (all-star), Derek Fisher and Trevor Ariza. As well Lamar Odom started playing to his full potential. Even with all the star power on his team in the last 4 seasons Kobe has only averaged 4.4 assists per game. Kobe does not pass enough, and even when he does he's not very good at getting open shots for teammates.

Reasons for Being Overrated: Elite players make their teammates better. Kobe doesn't do that nearly as much as other of the best players in the league. He's a great shooter but plain and simply shoots too much. For example this season generally the more Kobe shoots the ball, the less successful the team has been. Kobe's lack of teamwork takes him out of the top 10 players ever, and the top 5 players right now. Kobe is an incredible player, but is not as good as people make him out to be. It also makes him one of the most overrated players ever.