Breaking Down the Stars-Cosmos Deadline Blockbuster

Sunday, May 24-- AS the time ticked away late Sunday afternoon, it appeared as if the Hoop League's (HL) inaugural trade deadline was going to pass without any news to speak of. Indeed, such was how it seemed, right down until the very end-- that is, until 16 minutes before the deadline, whereupon arguably the largest blockbuster in the history of the Hoops League was completed, as the Los Angeles Stars sent superstar Joseph Canny to the Houston Cosmos for rising star Polan Stronk. We've got all of the details covered, with grades for each team and an explanation of both sides of the deal below.

The Skinny: Raw Trade Details

Joseph Canny

Canny is a 32-year old Two-Way Shot Creator in his 15th season in the League. He's in the second year of a massive deal he inked with the Stars two years ago, worth $13.4 million annually and $26.8 million overall, as two years remain on the deal. Though billed as a Two-Way player, Canny is known better for his prodigious offensive abilities, as he has an 8/10 rating in both Shooting and Dunking, with a 6 in dribbling. He does have an 8 in Stealing and 7 in blocking, but during the season he had mustered only a few blocks and steals (3 and 2 respectively, when stats were last updated). Some of this is owing to the fact that he has only played in 8/10 games at last statistical update. Nevertheless, such numbers are hardly dominant defensively. On the offensive side, Canny had put up 8.4 PPG, with an effective FG% of 51.5 and an overall PER of 8.988, one of the middle to high middle marks in the league. Despite having struggled throughout the year, like the rest of the Stars' roster, to gain traction, Canny is still widely viewed as one of the best players in the league, and his talent is undeniable.

Polan Stronk

On a numbers-level alone, Stronk for Canny looks like a brutal mismatch. Seeing only reserve time on a relatively shoddy Houston Cosmos team despite being widely recognized as one of the league's premier young stars, Stronk had only played in 6 games as of the last statistical update, scoring just 1.3 PPG on an EFG of 44.4%. Even worse are Stronk's advanced stats: he has been a huge defensive minus, as shown by his -0.144 PER-- the fourth-worst mark in the league. Nevertheless, Stronk oozes with potential, with his shooting a 7/10 and dribbling an 8, all while only at age 19.

The Cosmos' Side of the Deal

Why It's Good: The Cosmos have shown real promise post-1.6, with the horrific blowouts they were previously so accustomed to suffering now a thing of the past. Though their record remains a poor 4-13, they play in the far weaker conference, as the Stars and Quakes are their only competition for the second playoff spot, with those teams posting 5-12 and 6-11 records respectively, meaning that the playoffs are still within reach. Despite their tangible improvements, the Cosmos were clearly a few pieces away from true contention, as their offense would be best described as anemic up to this point, highlighted by their complete refusal and inability to shoot the 3 point shot. Regardless of his struggles, Canny is instantly the best offensive option on the Cosmos. What's more, the Cosmos already have arguably the best defense in the league, spearheaded by Alex Sinclair and Piotr Vesely, and it's not too much of a leap to suggest that all the team is missing is a consistent offense. Finally, Canny is the perfect complement for the Cosmos' other offensive superstar, the playmaking star Jose Mendes, who had previously shouldered the majority of the Cosmos' offensive workload despite a relative inability to shoot.

Why It's Not: This is a HUGE gamble for the Cosmos in a number of ways. First, they are essentially going all-in on this season in the next with the addition of Canny, a move that can be described as dubious at best. The playoffs this year are hardly a given, with their 4-13 record still very much a factor and the Quakes clearly convinced (as proven by their inactivity at the deadline) that they can still compete for the second spot as is. Even if they do make the playoffs, it will be a struggle-- Portland has defeated them in all of their meetings this year, and on the other side of the bracket, Boston and Chicago both pose matchup nightmares over a prolonged playoff series. Second, it may seem obvious that the Cosmos' only problem is their offense. Yet the offense itself has many problems, problems cannot be solved immediately by the addition of one player alone, especially when that player has struggled tremendously through stretches this year. Canny will have to greatly outperform his numbers from earlier in the season for Houston to make it to the playoffs, and he will have to consistently do so for them to win a ring. Finally, Stronk was arguably their best shooting asset, and arguably had the potential to exceed Canny some point in the next few years. Trading him mortgages the long-term future for the immediate future, and considering the state of the league, it's hard to say that that's a shrewd tactic.

Grade: C-

The Stars' Side of the Deal

Why It's Good: The Stars were going nowhere with their present roster, and Canny was an albatross in a number of ways. Not only was he old, getting in the way of what little young talent they have, he was expensive, and their ridding themselves of his contract was a boon in multiple facets, principally that they now have far more cap space than previously to chase free agents for the next few years, something they ought to do given their significant free agent pull. Moreover, Stronk has the makeup of a bona fide superstar, and given that he develops correctly, he potentially augments their offense in the years going forward. Finally, Canny was underperforming, and it's incredible given his numbers that he fetched such a high price. Meager at best as his numbers were, they were largely keeping the Stars afloat, and they can now safely tank for the draft, acquire a high (possibly the #1) pick and get another star to put beside Stronk, putting them in great position to contend in a few years. Their timeline could even be accelerated with the acquisition of a few key free agents.

Why It's Not: Canny is a probable Hall of Famer, and though he was slumping, he was the face of the franchise. Even with their shoddy performances thus far, they had as good of a shot as anyone else with him on the roster to make the playoffs, and trading him is something of a give-up. They also are not equipped right now to do a full-scale rebuild-- Stronk is the only really enticing player on their roster who we can expect to be good in the next few years, and everyone else is a mid-tier aging veteran, the type of player you would have expected them to trade had you known they were planning a teardown. Essentially, they are betting on themselves to succeed in the draft and free agency-- a fair bet, particularly given LA's free agency renown, but a bet nonetheless, and until they get some decent young pieces to surround Stronk, they will not be very fun to watch.

Grade: A-

That will do it for this segment from the Koality Times. Be sure to check back after the big games, trades and everything else for more apt analysis and reporting.