Jan 12, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Memphis Grizzlies power forward Marreese Speights (5) shoots the ball over Dallas Mavericks power forward Elton Brand (42) during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Grizzlies 104-83. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

When major NBA news breaks, Right Down Euclid always has you covered. But when the news could affect the entire landscape, editor Zak Kolesar and contributor Chris Manning will sit down and break it down in a conversational format. Today the series, titled Countertop Conversation, will cover the recent Cavaliers–Grizzlies trade, as well what types of trades could happen as we get closer  to the February 21st trade deadline.

On Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers struck a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies that sent little-used forward Jon Leuer to the Memphis Grizzles for forward Marresse Speights, guard Wayne Ellington, guard Josh Selby, and a future first round draft pick. Although the pick has protections, the Cavaliers will own the pick no later than the 2019 NBA Draft. In this Countertop Conversation, Zak and Chris will discuss this season’s NBA Trade Market with a focus on what the Cavaliers can do with the expiring contracts of Luke Walton and Daniel “Boobie” Gibson.

Chris Manning: In my opinion, this was a great trade for the Cavaliers. Marresse Speights is the player I am most excited about. The Cavaliers are thin at the forward position, and the Florida product also has the ability to face up and shoot the jump shot. That skill, which no other active forward has, is something that I expect will earn him an immediate spot in Byron Scott’s rotation. The sleeper here is Josh Selby. With Jeremy Pargo now gone and Shaun Livingston not signed to a long term deal, the Kansas product could sneak in and become the backup to Kyrie Irving long term. And honestly, that is not a bad gig to have.

Zak Kolesar: Receiving the first rounder from the Grizzlies was the most pivotal part of this trade. I know it may not be worth anything this year or the next, but with Cleveland’s chances of receiving a first rounder from the Los Angeles Lakers deteriorating with each frustrating loss, it was important to make up for the (possible) mistake. Even if the stockpiling of picks by GM Chris Grant elicits a mega trade from the front office, this team is still in a very favorable position in regards to their trading/drafting assets. Vastly improving the bench with Wayne Ellington, Speights and Selby while only shipping away Jon Leuer and waiving Pargo was a crucial move. We may find a regular rotator among these three guys.

CM: I don’t think it’s fair to call trading Ramon Sessions for that first rounder with restrictions was a mistake. Like most everyone in the league, Grant assumed that the Lakers would make the playoffs this season. Obviously that may not happen now, but I doubt anyone out there can truthfully claim that they predicted the Lakers would be this bad. I do agree, however, that that first rounder is what makes this trade a real slam-dunk. That pick, even if it comes in six years, will give the Cavaliers a chance to acquire a young piece in what will (hopefully) be Kyrie’s eighth season as a Cavalier. And they could even trade that pick to acquire a player to be a sidekick to Kyrie if that player could be a Scottie Pippen to Kyrie’s Michael Jordan.

Dec 8, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Daniel Gibson (1) makes a three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

ZK: That’s why I said possible mistake. I still think the Lakers will find a way to make it into the postseason, but Grant needed to be aggressive and make a deal like this to improve the present and future of his team. That’s why I believe, with the signing of former North Carolina star Ellington, that Daniel Gibson should be the next player on the trade block. His injuries have kept him from achieving his true potential these past few seasons, and I believe Ellington’s move to Cleveland will give him the boost in his game that he has searched for over the past four seasons. Gibson’s statistics have been declining ever since the first post-LeBron season, but his three-point shooting has still stayed at a respectable level. That’s why I believe that a team vying for the playoffs would be interested in taking Gibson, who is in his final contract year.

CM: I think both Gibson and Luke Walton are going to get looks from teams looking to clear salary and make moves this offseason. Gibson would offer a team like the Brooklyn Nets or the aforementioned Grizzlies a shooter that they need – even if he has struggled of late. Gibson, I think, could net the Cavaliers a first rounder in the right deal. Walton, in my mind, is the wild card. For whatever reason, Coach Scott gives him real minutes, but he is not a piece long term. A team like the Boston Celtics, who may be looking to blow up their roster and then be aggressive this offseason, would be a team I could see making a play for Walton. And honestly, I think salary dump deals are going to be the trend as the deadline approaches.

ZK: As far as Gibson’s worth goes, I think it has really taken a dive this season. The concussion keeping him out of the game for an extended period of time hurt his trade stock, and I’d be happy if we got away with a second rounder at best. If the Cavaliers don’t end up making any moves before the trade deadline, I won’t be mad. This was a really smart move by the Cavaliers front office, and I think it deserves more kudos than it has received already. A bench blindly looking around for answers got (best case scenario) potential role players and formidable backups for close to nothing. Dealing with a team like the Grizzlies with the salary cap on our side should steer the Cavaliers in the right direction in future trades.

CM: As odd as it is to say, the Cavaliers could end up being the biggest player in the trade market. There is no Dwight Howard-type player out there drawing major interest, and a lot of the top-level teams do not have the right assets to make a major move. As I said before, I think teams are going to be making salary dumps, and after February 21^st, I think we will know who truly views themselves as contenders for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. When the dust settles, expect teams like the Celtics to drop out, and for there to be eight or nine teams still contending. From the East, it will be Miami, New York, Brooklyn, and Chicago. In the West, I look for Oklahoma City, San Antonito, the Clippers, Grizzlies, and Warriors to be primed to make a real run looking ahead to June.

Jan 22, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers reacts in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

ZK: I think a lot of the teams that are thinking/believing title are content with their current roster situations. Like you said, the Celtics need to be in championship-or-bust mode due to their aging situation. This team could be among the league’s bottom feeders if they don’t make moves sooner rather than later. If there’s a move to be made, it may include Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol. These are two players that are, right now, under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. I doubt there is a scenario that involves Dwight resigning with the Lakers at the end of the season, so making the best of that situation now should be the approach that the Laker front office is taking. We know that Dwight has fantasized about landing with the Nets, so something is definitely brewing between those two camps.

You can make valid arguments on behalf of both teams that make it sound like they’re the better team.  Now, I was two years old when the 1992 Olympic team took the court, so I can only say how good they are from what I have heard. Comparing these two teams that are 20 years apart form each other is no easy task, but we can compare their stats.

During their Olympic tournament run the numbers from both teams are pretty similar.  The 2012 team shot better from thee-point range, but the Dream Team shot 56.5% from the field, edging out the 2012 team’s 52.3%.

The major edge the Dream Team holds over the 2012 team is that their big men are far more talented.  The starting center for the 2012 team was Tyson Chandler.  Chandler is the reigning 2012 Defensive Player of the Year, but I think even he would have a difficult time trying to stop Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, or David Robinson in the paint.  The 2012 team wasn’t deep with big men.  Their bench of big men consists of Anthony Davis, who has zero NBA experience, and Kevin Love.

However, the athleticism of the guards from the 2012 team may make the teams even.  With Larry Bird in the starting lineup for the 1992 team, no way at the age of 35 could he guard Kevin Durant or LeBron James.

If these two teams were to ever face off, a huge factor you have to determine is their age.  As shown in the stats, the average age of the Dream Team was 29, compared to the 2012 team who averaged just above 25.

Maybe one of the biggest factors that cannot be ignored is the competition.  I don’t think anyone can argue that the teams the Redeem Team played in the 2012 Olympics were far more difficult than the competition the Dream Team had.  The 2012 team definitely blew some teams out in the tournament, defeating their opponents by 32.1 ppg.  That is nothing compared to the Dream Team beating teams by 43.8 ppg.  Their winning margin would change drastically if they had to face All-Star players like Pau and Marc Gasol from Spain, Manu Ginobili from Argentina, or even a team like Brazil that has four NBA players on the roster.

The Dream Team faced Croatia in the 1992 Olympic Championship game.  Compared to the 2012 Championship game opponent Spain, Croatia couldn’t tie Spain’s shoes.  Croatia had zero NBA players on their roster, compared to 2012 Spain who had eight NBA players.

The NBA has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Back then it wasn’t common for players to enter the draft out of high school or after a year in college.  So the average age of the Dream Team being nearly four years older than the team this year wasn’t surprising.  Age and time of career is certainly something you must factor in.  Jordan is in the prime of his career averaging 30 a game for the Bulls, but LeBron is also in the prime of his career.  Magic Johnson is at the end of his career and did not play in the 1991-92 NBA season due to his health.  At the age of 33, Kobe is no longer in his prime, but still hit a hot streak from beyond the arc.

It doesn’t matter how many times you go over the stats or how many computer simulations you do.  Nobody will truly know the result of the game between The Dream Team vs.The Redeem Team.  All you will ever know is if America comes out victorious (what else is new).  In words of former Iowa QB and current Kansas City QB, RickyStanzi, “This is America, Love it or Leave it.  U.S.A. #1”.

Jan 20, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives against Chicago Bulls point guard C.J. Watson (7) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

A lot has happened within the men’s Olympic camp in the short amount of time that Team USA has been training. Some of the headlines you may already know about it, as they have surround Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving. After this video of Blake Griffin throwing it down and Irving running circles around the Olympic team surfaced, it didn’t take long for people to notice how lucky the Cavaliers are to have such a talented leader on their team.

Irving emerged as the star on the USA select team, the team of young and up-and-coming stars that train against the men’s Olympic team to toughen them up for their international opponents. His bulldog attitude has also shown when conversing with his soon-to-be USA teammates. After challenging Kobe Bryant to a one-on-one game of basketball, with the $50,000 stake going to charity, people from around the league saw Kyrie as a fearless attacker. Cavaliers fans were not surprised about any of these happenings, as they have seen it all last season in his rookie campaign.

A campaign that landed him NBA Rookie of the Year honors and garnered him looks for an All-Star selection after only playing in 11 collegiate games as a Duke Blue Devil. Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Kyrie for the limited time he was at Duke, has hinted at Irving being a possible selection for the Olympic team in Brazil next time around. But with Kyrie fracturing a bone in his right hand, his amazing summer has come to an end. No worries though, he will be available come training camp in late September.

With Kyrie aside, the U.S. Olympic team is gearing up for a very special showing in London very soon. As talks about the Dream Team vs. the 2012 men’s basketball team surfaced, the media flocked to the U.S. Olympic basketball scene.

July 14, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; United States forward Kobe Bryant (10) smiles from the sidelines during USA team training at the DC Armory. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Chairman of USA basketball Jerry Colangelo, who helped rebuild the Olympic team from a disappointing bronze medal performance in the 2004 games to gold-medal dominance in 2008, will take nothing less than gold this year. Bryant seems to be shooting higher than that, declaring that this year’s team would beat the Dream Team of 1992. Michael Jordan, a star on that ’92 team, had this to say:

For him to compare those two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done.

In fact a lot of the members of the Dream Team spoke up, a lot saying that a 2012 team without Derrick Rose, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Blake Griffin would still not be able to compare to a team that beat their international foes by an average of more than 43 points and had a roster consisting of 11 Hall of Famers. Kobe justified his comments by describing the ’12 Olympic squad like this:

Bunch of racehorses, players who are incredibly athletic, while the Dream Team consisted mainly of players at the tail end of their careers.

But with Griffin, one of their most athletic players, out with a knee injury the team will be missing the height and athleticism that Colangelo and Krzyzewski thought they would have for the 2012 games after they finalized the roster. He has already undergone arthroscopic knee surgery, which will have him ready for the start of the 2012-13 NBA season. The diagnosis for his injury was a torn medial meniscus in his left knee.

Although it is the same knee that Griffin injured before the start of his rookie season in 2009, it is not related to the injury he sustained while training for the Olympics. He also sprained that same knee in a playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies this past season, but hasn’t missed a regular season or playoff game since his injury before the 2009-10 season. The Los Angeles Clippers star averaged 20.7 points and 10.9 rebounds last season and just recently signed a five-year, $95 million extension.

Anthony Davis, who was initially cut from the team, was assigned to the roster after Griffin went down in practice last Wednesday.

But Griffin’s absence hasn’t slowed anything special that Team USA has been doing so far in the time before the Olympics. Two games, one which was a close-fought victory against Brazil, have been sort of a scale for the United States to see how close they are to capturing that gold medal again. Colangelo had this to say about this year’s roster:

The Dream Team will always be the team people recognize as the team of all time. But this team here is a strong team, and compared to the 2008 team . . . this team will be successful too, and I think it’s deeper in terms of the roster. Very talented. Very versatile. People will say we don’t have size, but we have quickness, versatility, athleticism. We talked about it. You go with what you’ve got and there’s guys in this group who can play two to four positions. You don’t take big just to have big. Kevin Love, Chandler can play center. LeBron can play the one, two, three, four or five.

July 12, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; United States guard Kevin Durant (5) controls the ball against the Dominican Republic in the second half at the Thomas and Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

In the first exhibition game before the real games start in London was against the Dominican Republic, whom the U.S. completely rolled over in a lopsided 113-59 victory. Durant scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half, also grabbing a total of 10 rebounds. The Oklahoma City star hit five of six three pointers from off the bench

The Dominican Republic, which was coached by Kentucky coach John Calipari,barely missed qualifying for the London games. Durant was the MVP of the world basketball championship games two years ago, but is not a starter on the Team USA roster for now. Andre Iguodala had 18 points and Carmelo Anthony added 13.

In a second matchup, one that was against possible threat Brazil, the United States struggled a bit more. In a game played at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. Brazil gave the United States all they could handle, as the team that Bryant thought could dismantle the Dream Team had to come from behind to win. It was a hard-fought 80-69 victory for Team USA.

With the United States improving to a 2-0 record in a five-game exhibition series, the Brazilian frontcourt gave the U.S. all they could ask for. Looking at the international teams as a whole, Brazil and Spain pose as some of the biggest threats to Coach K’s team. That is because the Brazil frontcourt of Nene, Tiago Splitter and Anderson Varejao and the Spain frontcourt of Marc and Pau Gasol.

LeBron James was a big reason the U.S. came home with a win Monday night, as the MVP and Finals MVP scored 30 points and snatched six rebounds. James didn’t play enough minutes to have any sort of impact in the first game of the exhibition series.

Team USA will be traveling overseas to Manchester Arena to play Great Britain on July 19.

Stay tuned to Right Down Euclid for more Olympic coverage