If the NBA season can be compared to a presidential race, December 15th is the Iowa Caucus. Players who were signed to free agent contract in the offseason cannot be traded until December 15th and it is generally the beginning point for when we begin to see trade activity.

In 2004, Howard Dean was the early favorite to win the Democratic nomination but a third place showing led him to make a fiery speech that was quickly lambasted and probably at least part of the reason why those former PayPal employees created YouTube a year later.

Otis Smith had his 'Dean Scream' a few days after December 15th when he brought in Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark for Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and a first round pick in 2011.

What the trades may have lacked in savvy, it made up for in boldness, or desperation if you wish to be cynical. Leading up to the trades, Orlando had lost five of six games and appeared to be in an entirely different class in comparison to the Celtics and Heat. The trade was undeniably risky, but you couldn't blame Smith for pulling the trigger, even if it could become his Dead moment.

Almost two months have passed and the Magic went on a  nine-game winning streak before going through an uneven patch over the past month where they have struggled to beat an elite team. They are essentially in the same position as they were in before the trade; Stan Van Gundy needs Dwight Howard to be completely dominant on both ends of the floor to have a chance. Howard is a much better offensive player now than during the Finals appearance and his post game has improved, but he still is at his best when he doesn't have to go at it alone.

The fundamental problem for Orlando offensively is that they don't have anyone still talented enough to create offense off the dribble when things break down. Arenas and Turkoglu were once those types of players, but they are really only spot-up shooters at this point.

Desperation Meter: Short of trading Jameer Nelson for a better pure point guard, Smith only has ancillary trade options available to him.

Nobody is touching Arenas or Turkoglu, so their only recourse to do something significant if dealing Nelson is something they wouldn't want to do given the fragility of the Howard situation already would be to test the market with Jason Richardson's expiring contract.

Nelson is a good player and the kind of guy you want on your team, but his limitations are holding Orlando back. Their transition offense is horrible, something that should never happen when you have Howard and four three-point shooters on the floor at most times.

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