The Next Movement

Following fast on the heels of Buffy and Fat Jubas' trade, Squirtle Squad knew they had to make moves if they wanted to compete for the playoffs. All three teams are currently sitting at 7-8 and are fighting for a Chamberlain Conference wild card spot. Oliver's Half Man Half Amazing is one win up on all three but with a few more regular season weeks to go, it's still anybody's game. With competition really heating up, the Squirtles have had three solid wins over big competition but also suffered two blowout losses (including a 0-8-1 loss to Fat Jubas last week) in their last five games.

That inconsistency is the reason why Squirtles' management pulled the trigger on a huge deal: franchise forward Al Jefferson to Funk Coalition in exchange for swingman Joe Johnson. They will also exchange Nate Robinson for Arron Afflalo. Jefferson has been having a down year recovering from last season's ACL tear. Averaging just 17.1 PTS, 9.3 REB, 1.1 BLK on 49.1 FG% in sixty games, he's even been in Timberwolves' coach Kurt Rambis' dog house the last week. Darko Milicic has been getting crunch time minutes for the T-Wolves. Free Darko indeed.

Concerned about Jefferson's health whilst in the middle of the playoff hunt, GM Brian decided it was time to part ways with him to bring in a steady veteran presence. Joe Johnson, the most underrated superstar in the league, fit that description perfectly. So far this season, Johnson has solidified his winning reputation and is putting up his typical 21.8 PTS, 4.7 REB/AST, 1.1 STL, and 1.7 3PT a game. With free agency looming, Johnson is looking to cash in big this off-season but not before making a splash in the fantasy post-season. Delighted to be traded to a winning team (Funk is 5-9-1 as of this writing), Johnson didn't even bother to pack on his way out of Funktown. Johnson will be immediately inserted into the Squirtles lineup, combining with Baron Davis and Tyreke Evans to form a powerful trio. The center spot for the Squirtles will be a bit empty, with only Shaquille O'Neal and Robin Lopez manning the middle for the Squirtles, but next year they get Blake Griffin.

As for the Funk side of the trade, it was no secret that in recent weeks, GM Jon had been shopping Joe Johnson furiously in order to get some offensive help for his non-scoring front line. Jefferson and Aldridge will combine with double double machine Joakim Noah to make the frontcourt the strength of the Funk franchise.

Asked about what other players they were willing to move for, GM Jon said, "I can't reveal the other players we were targeting. That would just hurt their families and the relationship with their teams. I can say they were all power forwards but what swung the decision for us was Jefferson's youth and his shot blocking ability. Plus he's an ex-Celtic, so we had to bring him into the fold. Are we concerned about Al's injury history? Sure, but you gotta roll the dice with a once in a generation player that's been tutored individually by Kevin McHale."

Speaking of Celtics, the newest Boston resident, Nate Robinson, will give Funk some offensive spark and outside shooting to replace Johnson's contributions. Arron Afflalo has been a nice surprise this season with his outside shooting but was deemed expendable since Funk already had the other Nuggets' shooting guard on their roster, JR Smith. Rumors swirl that more deals may be in the works for the Funk, who is preparing for a long swirl in the Toilet Bowl.

The trade deadline is March 10 at 12 EST so let's hope a few more trades happen soon!