Make way for the other players! (Camby for Steve Blake trade)

Kaboommmm!!!

(Photo from YouGotDunkedOn)
Marcus Camby's expiring contract was traded for Steve Blake's expiring contract, Travis Outlaw's expiring contract and $3 million dollars cash. Not a lot to read between the baselines here: The Clippers aren't making the playoffs and cashed in on $3 million bucks due to the expiring contracts canceling each other out. The Blazers needed a big man for a playoff push with Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla out with injuries and Juwan Howard as their only big man besides Lamarcus Aldridge.

So Portland filled a hole in their lineup and the Clippers got $3 million and two back up players and all three players are free agents in the summer.

So what else can we read into besides the obvious? This trade opens the door for some other players. Let's start with the Clippers:

The Clippers had a lot of big men. Kaman and Camby, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan (and Brian Skinner). Moving Camby out now means that DeAndre Jordan can get some solid minutes. Although he's a raw talent mainly getting his points off of putbacks and lobs, he does play good help defense (like Camby did) and can rebound well. Tonight's game in Portland (a loss) DeAndre put up 14/11 on 7-8 shooting, 6 offensive boards, and 3 blocks in 27 minutes. Take it with a grain of salt: as mentioned, the Blazers have a 6'9'' PF playing as a Center and the Blazers crushed the Clippers. We'll have to wait and see how DeAndre responds to more playing time but the in game experience will only benefit him.

And for the Blazers:

Spin move!

(Photo from Zimbio)
With Brandon Roy out due to injuries, Steve Blake and Andre Miller were starting together. If you remember to the beginning of the season, Andre Miller was coming off the bench in favor of Blake. Miller was getting 25-28 minutes a game and the Blazers started 2-3. Nate McMillan wised up and put him in the starting lineup which resulted in the Blazers going on a six game win streak. He was getting 30-35 minutes a game (this after a season in Philadelphia where he was averaging 36 minutes a game). When Roy went out with injury, Miller and Blake were getting big minutes as being the only playmaking point guards. But with Roy coming back from injury, Steve Blake would again take minutes away from Miller from the bench. Now that he's gone, Miller will get those 36-40 minutes a game where he can really run the offense efficiently.

The Blazers did lose a good 3 pt shooter and a good play maker in Blake but the lack of size in the middle was too overbearing and they would be exposed quite easily in the playoffs (if they had made it). If they do make it, Camby fills that void with some solid help defense, rebounding and outlet passing.