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New teams, new life?

At the NBA trade deadline, two key players for the NLL Raptors moved to new NBA teams. Jae Crowder was traded from the Cavaliers to the Jazz, and Willy Hernangomez left the Knicks to join the Hornets. In both cases, Jae and Willy were traded out of difficult and frustrating situations where neither had the ability to showcase their talent.

In Crowder's case, he was coming off of an excellent year in Boston, statistically the best year of his career. Known as a defense-first forward, Crowder has never wowed anyone with his offensive production. But if he can pair his outstanding defense with an effective offensive contribution, then he proves himself to be an indispensable member of a successful team. So the NBA Cavs brought in Crowder and Isaiah Thomas in a deal that was essentially forced by Kyrie Irving, who was looking to escape the enormous shadow that Lebron James casts.

While there was some optimism that Jae might thrive when paired with James and the cast of aging stars that had been assembled for this year's Cleveland team, it was quickly evident that Crowder was far from his comfort zone. He put up a good front and never complained while he was in Cleveland, despite the fact that it was clear that he wanted to be just about anywhere else. Yet as soon as he arrived in Utah, he was downright giddy about his new team. "I got back to having fun playing basketball with a great group of guys," Crowder gushed. "We're playing off one another. Once I get better with these guys, it should be better," Crowder said. "We're playing freeâ€”Coach gives a lot of freedom to these guys, some structure but a lot of freedom, and I love it. I love playing within a system. It'll be fun."

He's only played three games with his new team but, so far, things are looking very promising for Jae Crowder. His spirits are up, his numbers are up and, hopefully, his 2k ratings will be up.

The other big trade was the Raptors' young big man, Willy Hernangomez. Willy had a stellar rookie season for the New York Knicks, averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds in 18 minutes of play. The thought by many was that with Joakim Noah's steady decline, the starting spot would likely fall in Willy's lap. But at the beginning of the season, the Knicks moved the much maligned Carmelo Anthony in exchange for Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott. With that trade, the wind was sucked completely out of Willy's sails. Not only was Kanter the stronger player, but he's still a young guy. So that hope of becoming the next Knicks' starting center evaporated as quickly as a Phil Jackson bong rip.

And to add insult to injury, Jeff Hornacek took a liking to Kyle O'Quinn, opting to favor him in the backup role. So, Willy Hernangomez, the presumptive starter for the New York Knicks, was now riding the pine as a 3rd stringer. He did his best to put on a good face for the press and say the right things. But the string of DNP-CDs eventually took their toll. Willy began to voice his frustration that he just wanted to play, to help contribute to the team. But as the trade deadline neared, all subtlety was out the window. Willy wanted to be traded. He wanted to play and he wanted to go to a team where he'd get that opportunity. So his wish was honored and he got traded to.....the Charlotte Hornets? The Charlotte Hornets that have Dwight Howard starting and Cody Zeller backing him up?

Willy has said the right things so far but there must have been a huge sinking feeling when he found out where he was going, wondering if he was going to end up in the exact same situation that he just left. That remains to be seen. But there is no doubt that Willy is far too talented a player to be spending his time on the bench.

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