With all the talk surrounding possible moves of Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, and Pau Gasol, it was fitting that none of it actually happened. Yesterday’s NBA trade deadline was so irrelevant, Juan Dixon was the headline. Juan Dixon hasn’t been the headline of anything since he led Maryland to the 2002 National Championship.

The Nets’ effort to cut some salary failed, as both Kidd and Carter stayed put yesterday. Kidd was rumored to be part of a deal to the Lakers or Cavaliers but neither came to fruition. He even got thrown around in an afternoon talk about a possible return to the Phoenix Suns. But that didn’t happen either, and with good reason. Why the hell would the Suns need Kidd? Raja Bell was rumored to be part of the deal, he’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Kidd can’t shoot and the Suns already have Nash to dish out assists. It’s a deal that made sense on zero levels and I’m glad it didn’t happen.

Another deal that fizzled out was the movement of Memphis’ Pau Gasol. All week, he was headed to Chicago. But when the deadline came and went, the poor Spaniard was still stuck in Memphis, quite possibly cutting his wrists at the Heartbreak Hotel. Ben Gordon and Luol Deng wanted to stay in Chicago and GM John Paxson didn’t want to break his promise by dismantling his young core? Translation. No deal.

Everybody has gotten on the Lakers for failing to act yesterday but I don’t understand why. I’m sure Mitch Kupchak entertained offers to bring Kidd to Los Angeles but the fact is, Andrew Bynum was the only way the deal was going to happen. If Kupchak was willing to give away a potentially great 19 year old center, he should be pimp slapped. Kidd is 33 and let’s face it, he’s not going to turn that injury-riddled Lakers team into a championship contender. The Lakers don’t need new pieces, they need their existing pieces to get healthy in time for a playoff push.