The Sports Rumors

March Madness, NBA Season Winding Down, MVP Race

It’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve written on my world renowned website… well, not really renowned. But it has been what, a month? There were so many times over the past few weeks where I felt like I had to put my two cents out there and ruffle some feathers but something kept coming up. You people with the angry text messages and emails forget that I have a job and a career! But regardless, that’s neither here nor there though because I’m back and I guarantee that I’ll have a good percentage of you foaming at the mouth, pissed off and wanting to strangle me. But that’s what I do and that’s why you read, so let’s get this thing going.

First order of business. As you all know, we’re in the center of March Madness. Every year, ESPN goes absolutely ape sh*t about this month and all the upsets and how crazy fun this time of year is. Let me be the one to say it as a former college student and now working professional:

MARCH MADNESS IS OVERRATED.

Wait, what? Did he just say that? Yeah, you’re damn right I said it and I’ll say it again. March Madness is the most overrated event that we have in sports. And please, spare me your financial figures. I know it grosses the most money in Vegas. Here’s why, genius… it’s a month long! There are 63 games (check my math on that one). 63 games present 63 opportunities at minimum to gamble. You think if the Super Bowl was a month long, it wouldn’t gross a higher dollar figure? Secondly, if you like watching school’s you have never heard of, with players you likely won’t ever see again, and free throw shooting percentages from the top seed Memphis that make Shaq look like Jeff Hornacek, then go for it. Watch all the March Madness you want. Me, personally… I like to watch players who can sink open jumpers. I like to watch teams score more than 50 points a game. I don’t like watching players who are incapable of beating a backcourt trap. I like quality, skilled basketball.

Now mind you, I wasn’t like this before. You go back to the days of UCLA and the O’bannon brothers, the Duke years, the Fab Five years, and so on and so forth; that was quality college basketball. Today? Not so much. For God’s sake, the best players in the college ranks are freshmen! The only reason they are even playing in college is because they are forced to. Kevin Love, Rose, OJ Mayo, Beasley… that is talent. Tyler Hansboro is a good college player, but in the NBA, he’s just a more skilled Mark Madsen. Yeah, I said it. He won’t amount to anything in the NBA other than a nice off the bench energy guy. Think I’m wrong? How’s the career of JJ Redick and Adam Morrison working out?

Now I won’t be a total scrooge, and there is no getting around the fact that filling out those brackets and joining office pools is fun. But seriously, I just care about if the teams I selected win; I don’t care how they did it and I certainly don’t care for watching the games. I can honestly say that I’d much rather watch the Warriors-Lakers or Suns-Celtics than Wisconsin-Davidson. That brings me to my next topic of conversation…

God the NBA is so great right now. I can’t remember a time where I was so into every single game and every single box score. Think of all the compelling stories. The Western Conference playoff seeding, the MVP race, Lebron vs The East, the injury bug hitting contenders, and even garbage teams like the Knicks publically preparing to make a run at Lebron and Wade. Since I haven’t written in a long time, it’s hard for me to cover every interesting story in depth, but I will touch on a few.

My ranking of the best teams? Not going to be one of the topics I hit on. Why? Because I don’t know. If I don’t know something enough, I won’t talk about it and hopefully, you can respect me for it. I can’t tell you if the Lakers are the best team in the NBA because I don’t know how healthy Gasol and Bynum will be. I don’t know what the state of the Spurs is because they have been so topsy turvy the past few weeks. I don’t know if the Suns are just hitting a little fluke or if they are actually adjusting to each other (which I doubt). I can’t tell you how good or bad the Mavs are. I can’t tell you with certainty if the Celtics have enough to beat a western conference team in a series, or even the Pistons for that matter. I just don’t know. I do know that ANYONE in the west can beat anyone. I do know that Boston and Detroit from the east are going to be a hell of a challenge in the finals for the Western Conf representative. I do know that Lebron won’t be in the finals this year, much to David Stern’s dismay.

What I do know is that the MVP race is between two, and only two players.

All season long, I was convinced that Kobe Bryant was the most valuable player in the league. I had the following ranking in mind:

1. Kobe
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Lebron James
4. Chris Paul

That’s how I saw it for much of the season. But then I reevaluated things.

Lebron James has all but fallen out of the race in my opinion due to his team’s record in the east. You’re not the most valuable player in the league if you’re team is 40-31 in the east. I’m sorry, but you’re not. This is the conference where the Atlanta Hawks are nine games below .500 and have sole possession of the eighth and final playoff seed. Only three teams in the east have a winning percentage greater than .600, and Cleveland is not one of them. The “Lebron has no help” argument is getting old. Zyrdunas Illguaskas, Drew Gooden, Ben Wallace are three of the big men he has played with. That’s more than a lot of teams have had.

Kevin Garnett has, without a doubt, turned the Celtics from a bottom feeder to a title contender. However, it’s hard to give an MVP award to a guy who has Ray Allen and Paul Pierce playing alongside him. I’m not knocking KG in any way. He’s the pin that keeps that team intact. However, they would still be a playoff team without him.

That leaves us with two players. Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. Ironically, both are tied for first place in the western conference, which makes this even harder.

If you are not impressed by Chris Paul at this point in the season, you never will be. I responded to friends who asked me about him after the first 30 games and I said, “Let’s wait and see if he can sustain it over a whole season.” Sustain it? He has surpassed EVERY expectation I could have set for him. He is a fierce competitor, makes his teammates better, finds ways to win and can do everything on the court. He can score 40 plus, he can dish 20 dimes, and he could be the first player in league history to average three steals a game. He has an average supporting cast that he has made look great. Basically, he has done everything that he could possibly have done to win the MVP award. Unfortunately for him, the next guy is also balling at a very high level.

Kobe Bryant. He’s been the best player in the game for the past three, maybe four years. No one compares with his tenaciousness and pursuit of perfection. No one. In the past, he did not make teammates better. Now, he does. Look at guys like Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujacic, and Luke Walton. They are all playing the best ball of their careers and it’s because Kobe has finally learned how to involve and trust his teammates. Put your past perceptions about him aside and look at this single season alone. He has gotten his teammates involved, sensed when he has had to take over, and done so accordingly with a strikingly high success rate. Pau Gasol has been a great help, but keep in mind, he hasn’t even played 20 games yet with the Lakers. Just in the past ten days alone, Kobe has gone on the road and led the Lakers to victories over the Mavericks and Jazz, snapping their 19 game home win streak. There is nothing more that he can do to win the MVP award, just like Paul.

So who’s my MVP right now?

I’m an honest person and I’ll be real. My bias as a Lakers fan AND the fact that Kobe has been robbed of MVP awards in the past leads me slightly more on his side. I mean, he was ranked the second best shooting guard by ESPN and affiliates in NBA History, second only to the great Michael Jordan, yet he’s never been the most valuable player? That just doesn’t make sense. Now I said it was a slight edge to Kobe. How slight? I’ll give Kobe 50.5% of the vote and Chris Paul 49.5%. And believe me, for those of you who know me and my religious following of Kobe, that’s saying something.

Chris Paul does get love for being in the best damn commercial I’ve seen in a long time though, as seen below:

The NBA season is far from over. Actually, the real season is just about to begin. I cannot wait to see every single playoff matchup (Except the Celtics-Hawks…. I think I’ll pass on that, thanks). I was going to end this article with a mundane sentence, but maybe this will be better, or at least give you a chance to hate on me a little more. Here are some predictions for you to chew on:

Rookie of the Year: Luis Scola (Has intangibles that Durant doesn’t)

NBA Regular Season MVP: Kobe Bryant

Biggest Underachievers: Dallas Mavericks

Surprise Playoff Team: Washington Wizards

Best Playoff Series: Suns vs Spurs

Worst Trade: Shaq to Phoenix (Ruined what that team was based on)

Best Trade: Obviously, Pau to Lakers for dirt

Eastern Conference Champion: Boston Celtics

Western Conference Champion: LA Lakers

NBA Finals: Lakers over Celtics in 6

NBA Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant

And of course…

Ugliest MotherLover in the League: DJ Mbenga

Trade Deadline has Passed

3:12pm 

I don’t know whats going on because I have heard nothing for 20 minutes.  Last I heard, at 2:50pm, it was Cleveland sending Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden and someone else to make the numbers match for Ben Wallace and Chris Duhon.

I also heard that the Nuggets were close to trading for Ron Artest.

Since 2:50, I have heard nothing.  The trade deadline was 12 minutes ago.  Wait to see what happens.

NBA Trade Buzz

The Spurs have acquired forward Kurt Thomas by sending Brent Barry and Francisco Elison to the Seattle Supersonics. Somehow, they are apparently still in the running for Ron Artest. How? I don’t know. It’s what I hear.

The Denver Nuggets have become the favorites for the Artest sweepstakes.

The Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, and New York Knicks are still in talks that would supposedly send Zach Randolph to the Heat, Jason Williams and Ricky Davis to the Nets, and Vince Carter to the Knicks. Pat Riley denies it, but take that for what its worth.

Lots of talk about Sam Cassell to the Rockets or the Caveliers. The Cavs would include Daniel Gibson and someone else or a combination of picks. Last time the Cavs made a deal in haste, just to please the disgruntled King James, they signed Larry Hughes. I’d think long and hard if I were Danny Ferry.

Lakers To Acquire Another All-Star?

The big buzz around the league today is that the Lakers are in trade talks again to acquire another player who will make the squad the clear cut favorite to win the title. Who is this mystery player? Caron Butler, the Washington Wizards’ All Star forward who was traded by the Lakers a few years ago for Kwame Brown. Rumors are the Lakers are trying to ship Odom for Butler, straight up, despite the $5 million more that Odom makes. The move would make sense for both teams on the court, maybe not financially. By acquiring Butler, the Lakers would have a small forward who can score 25 points a game and grab 12 boards or score 8 points, grab 14 boards and have 4 steals and still be happy. Butler’s unselfish attitude and willing to do whatever it takes has made him a much sought after player. Not to mention, he has shut down defense capabilities.

The move would make sense for Washington because they would acquire a tall, lanky power forward in Odom who can shore up their mediocre interior presence. By having Odom and Haywood playing inside, Antawn Jamison would be able to move back to the small forward spot where he has a much easier time playing defense. The critics of this deal say that Odom is better playing small forward than power forward. This is true; in the west. The guys who he has to face in the west when he plays power forward are the likes of Amare, Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, and so forth. In the east, as a power forward, he would face guys like Drew Gooden and Hedo Turkoglu. Big difference. Adding a presence inside will make the Wizards a force and adding Butler to the Lakers will make them even more dangerous than they already are.

I have a feeling that the Nuggets are going to make a sizeable splash any minute now. Word got out that they were pursuing Ron Artest from the Kings, given the fact that the Kings are looking to unload (despite what they say), and the fact that Artest doesn’t come with a heavy price tag. Throwing him into the mix of Melo, AI, Kenyon Martin, and Marcus Camby will make the fifth best defense in the league the best, right away. Imagine being the three seed in the West and having to face the Nuggets in the first round. Scary thought.

If the Nuggets don’t go the Artest route, look for them to get big man from New York Zach Randolph. The Knicks seem to have realized they made both a personnel and financial mistake in acquiring the power forward less than a year ago. Picking up Randolph won’t be as nice as Artest, but an improvement nonetheless.

ESPN had a report that Avery Johnson wanted to trade Dirk Nowitski after last year’s first round loss to the Warriors because Dirk was a softy. Apparently, Johnson’s opinion was shot down by who else; Mark Cuban… a.k.a. Mrs. Nowitski.

Cassell to the Celtics? Rockets? Caveliers? Sam Cassell wants to be on a contender right away and look for the three aforementioned teams to make some sort of a push to acquire the veteran point guard. If he is not moved by the trade deadline, he could be released later in the season in time to make a playoff roster.

Mavs Try for Kidd - All Star Saturday Recap

Think about some of the worst decisions you’ve ever made. I can bet that at least half of them, if not more, were made in a rush to judgment, altered state of mind, or a panic. Looking back on those decisions, I think it’s safe to say that they could have been avoided had a little more thought and rationale gone into them. The same goes for the Dallas Mavericks.

Sometimes not making a trade is a better move for a franchise than making a trade in haste. Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers have catapulted themselves from a bottom five to eight seed to a top two team, almost overnight. It is a fact that they pulled of a stunning and lopsided trade. The Suns also made a trade, one that can be viewed as either a great move or a dud, depending on your opinion on Shaq. Two of your biggest rivals have made moves; that doesn’t mean you need to. There is no question that Jason Kidd would be a great addition to the Mavericks and would give them a great chance at reaching the Finals again. But the question is, at what price?

If you believe in selling the farm for a one shot run at the title, I’m sure you agree with trading away Devin Harris, Diop, Stackhouse, picks and cash for a 35 year old point guard. But if you believe in having a team that is competitive perennially, then this trade does not make sense. Fans of all sports have one thing in a common; a short memory. It was only two seasons ago that the Dallas Mavericks were in the NBA Finals. It was just last year that they were the top seed in the West with an incredible record of 67-15! I know they lost their first round meeting with the Warriors, which was as big an upset as any, but you can’t take one series loss and say, “Well, we’ve got to blow this thing up because it’s not working.” Winning 67 games out of 82 doesn’t happen by accident; it is an incredible feat, especially considering that they overcame any sort of hangover from losing in the Finals the year before. This year, amidst all this trade talk, they are only two games out of first place in the west. Obviously, what they have works and where I come from, you don’t fix something that ain’t broke. Period.

Suppose somehow this trade does go through, which at this point looks unlikely given the block by Devean George and the moronic comments to the media by Jerry Stackhouse. (For those who haven’t followed as closely, Stackhouse made public comments about how the Nets will buy out his contract and he’ll return to the Mavs after 30 days. The league didn’t like this and have made clear that they will not allow Stack to rejoin the Mavs.) But take a hypothetical situation and figure that the Mavs somehow find replacements in the deal for George and Stackhouse. Trading away Devin Harris, a 24 year old point guard who is arguably the best defender at his position, is not a good idea. The guy has improved each year he’s played and is the one point guard who has the speed to keep up with Tony Parker. Desagna Diop is also extremely valuable considering the only other center on the roster for Dallas is…. wait for it… Erick Dampier! Now correct me if I’m wrong, but it is the Western Conference that boasts the likes of Yao Ming, Shaq-Amare, Pau Gasol-Andrew Bynum, and some guy named Tim Duncan, right? You want to go to war against those guys with Erick Dampier? I wouldn’t.

Jason Kidd is a magnificent player who creates openings and makes plays that make you hit rewind on the DVR, just to see if your vision is still 20/20. There is absolutely no question in my mind that adding Kidd would help the Mavericks, IF they can hold on to at least Diop. Trading Harris and Diop for Kidd is a bad move and it will set the Mavericks back. The Mavs need to take a deep breath and look at the facts and they are as follows:

*The Spurs may look sloppy because they are in “coast” mode right now, but you never know. One thing you do know is that they aren’t getting any younger.

*The team you have right now is better than the Suns with Shaq. Why? The biggest nuisance for Dirk when playing the Suns was Shawn Marion. He’s not there anymore.

*The Lakers got better, but injuries aren’t being kind to them, and we don’t know what Bynum will be like when he comes back.

Will bringing Kidd in and the shipping away of Harris and Diop make the Mavs better than the Spurs?

No.

Better than the Suns?

Definitely not.

Better than the Lakers?

Highly doubt it.

If the Mavs take all that into consideration, they will avoid looking back at this season two years from now when former MVP Dirk Nowitski is 31 and wondering if they let the actions of others dictate their success; or lack thereof.

ALL-STAR SATURDAY

Dwight Howard is a freak! If you missed the dunk contest last night, you missed greatness. Howard’s first dunk, a toss off the back of the backboard, catch, windmill around the front while still having his head behind the glass made me cover my mouth with both hands, gasp with my eyes wide like a 13 year old girl at a Hannah Montana concert. If you didn’t see the dunk but just watched the reactions of spectator NBA stars like Kobe, you’d be thinking you missed something along the likes of Jordan’s free throw line dunk or one of Dominique’s highlight reels. What made the contest even better was Howard followed that first amazing dunk with even more entertaining ones, like “The Superman”. Gerald Green was amusing as well with “The Birthday Cake”. Anyone who was still skeptical of whether the dunk contest was legit isn’t skeptical today; I can tell you that much.

Jason Kapono can gun it. I knew he won the 3 point shoot out last year but to defend it again this year by tying the record with 25 out of 30 is really impressive. At one point, Kapono buried ten in a row. I really wish Ray Allen was in this contest because there is only one pure shooter who I think is better than Kapono, and he wears 20 for Boston.

The All Star game itself is tonight and I can’t wait. It is the best All Star game of any of the major sports and despite what people may think, these guys get real competitive as the game nears the fourth quarter. One sidenote/grip I have is with the NBA and their handling of the Kobe situation. As you probably know, he was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his pinky. He has made it clear that he wants to avoid surgery and play through the pain so that he can keep his Lakers on track AND so that he can compete for the United States in the Summer Olympics. League rules state that if a player played his last game before the All Star weekend, and intends to play his first game after the weekend, he is required to participate in the actual All Star game. Look, if the guy is willing to risk further injury to his body for his team and for the United States Olympics team, that is admirable and he should be allowed to do that. But risking further injury by playing in an All Star game or facing suspension and fines is taking away from the spirit of the game itself. Everyone knows that Bryant has always tried to put on a show for the fans; see last year’s All Star game in which he was the MVP. It is clear that he is not being selfish and is trying to do what’s best for his team. Give the guy a break and let him sit out if he wants to. It’s not like you’re doing the fans a favor by having Kobe come out half hearted, play for the first two minutes and then sit down for the remainder of the game. Such rules should take situations into consideration, case by case.

Enjoy the All Star game tonight folks and check back tomorrow for my thoughts on that, and much more.

A Month to Remember

Can you remember the last time there were as many enormous sports stories as we’ve had thus far in February? I certainly cannot. You had one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, the Clemens-McNamee saga, arguably the greatest center of all time traded to the best team (record wise) in the Western Conference, the Commissioner of the most popular sports league in the country called to answer questions and defend his strange actions in Washington regarding Spygate, and most recently, you have one of the top five point guards in NBA history on his way to being traded to Dallas, only to have the transaction blocked by a bench player with a clause in his contract. Not to mention the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers traded their dirt for gold, leaped to become favorites to win the Championship (according to Vegas odds makers), and now suddenly face the possibility of losing Kobe Bryant for 6-8 weeks if he opts for surgery.

Catch your breath yet? I haven’t.

Each one of these stories deserves its own write up, but in the essence of time, I will give you my take on each event, starting with Clemens.

Clemens Reputation Ruined

Well, you’ve got to admit, the guy didn’t hold back when it came to defending himself. He didn’t hide from the public, didn’t hide from 60 minutes, didn’t hide from Congress even. Maybe he should have? It’s hard to tell. The reaction would have probably been even more negative had he stayed silent. However, based on his stories and accounts which were constantly changing, one thing is clear. Roger Clemens is no saint.

I wanted to believe that he was clean, but deep down I knew that it was highly unlikely that he was. It’s hard to believe that the guy’s best friend and training partner was using HGH and he had no idea. What makes it even harder to believe is that Debbie Clemens, his wife, was using HGH and he didn’t know what the stuff even was. Come on, who are you trying to fool? This entire saga is so odd because of the lengths Clemens has gone to and the risks he has taken to clear his name of using steroids. He’s risking jail time stemming from possible perjury charges just so people believe him. But when you look at everything, and you look at how he can’t seem to keep his story straight, it’s really hard to take the guy’s word for it. Make no mistake; Brian Macnamee isn’t some credible witness who’s out there trying to do the right thing. He’s as big a joke as any. But the accounts that he has given have added up. Clemens accounts have not.

I don’t think the judicial system will push for perjury charges against him though, and I think that this was the last time we’ll have to see a baseball related Congressional hearing. The Rocket was consistently right about one thing though; No matter what he does or says, his reputation will never be restored.

Shaq to Phoenix

Everyone piled on at first saying that the Shaq trade to Phoenix was absolutely ridiculous. Then, as always, people listened to Shaq talk and bowed down to “The Big Aristotle” and changed their views. Suddenly, they went from saying “There is no way Shaq can run with that team” to “OH, uh, Shaq.. Shaq’s a great teammate and he won’t mind being the fifth option. He’ll make it work!”

Bull.

If you honestly believe that a 300lb plus, old and slow center that’s well past his prime can fit into a system run by Steve Nash, you’re lying to yourself. I’m so sick and tired of people falling in love with Shaq like he’s Jessica Alba. Look at the facts. He’s not an offensive threat anymore. He was taken out by Pat Riley to avoid getting the record for most consecutive games fouling out. He can’t play defense anywhere like he used to and teams in the West all have big guys who can play inside AND outside. Shaq can’t run the fast break.

“Well, he’s going to grab the boards and outlet.”

Umm, somehow I think that a fast break with Nash, Marion and Bell is better than Nash, Bell and Grant Hill while Shaq is back on the other end of the court eating a donut. Maybe that’s just me. Also, this absolute GARBAGE talk about how Shaq is a great teammate drives me through the roof. Every team he has left, he’s left on bad terms. Okay, Orlando was retarded to not try and resign him and he had a falling out with Penny Hardaway. Blame that one on Orlando. Okay, Kobe and Phil piled on Shaq in the media calling him fat and lazy; blame that on the Lakers. What about Miami? What about the guy Shaq was in love with? You think Dwayne Wade and Shaq were on good terms? They weren’t even speaking to each other anymore. Pat Riley and Shaq weren’t speaking either. You think it’s a coincidence that every place he leaves, it’s because of a problem with the other star player? I don’t. I think Shaq is a selfish ego maniac who gets too much credit for being a great teammate just because he gives the media good soundbites. By the way, don’t forget what Shaq said about Nash winning the MVP. He said that the MVP award has “lost its credibility”. When asked about those comments, he suddenly had amnesia and forgot ever saying it. Here’s the fact of the matter.

- You can’t have both Amare and Shaq playing inside together because they have the same, one dimensional game. Stand within 6 feet of the basket, catch the ball or rebound it, and dunk. Neither one of them can step outside and shoot worth a nickel.

- The Suns get open shots when in half court situations by running the pick and roll. They are as good as any when it comes to running it. That’s why you don’t see Bell or Barbosa dribbling around; they run through screens, catch and pop. Shaq cannot play in the pick and roll because he’s not a threat to catch and shoot a jumper.

- Shaq’s enormous body will clog the very same lanes that the Suns have thrived on running through for open looks.

- Duncan and Gasol-Bynum will abuse the Suns inside because both have the ability to step away from the basket and hit shots. Don’t forget the biggest weakness in Amare’s game is his defense.

- Speaking of defense, losing Marion takes away your best defender. Raja Bell is a stud defender when he’s not picking up a foul per 30 seconds, something Kobe and Manu have caused him to do. Marion also spreads the floor by means of being able to shoot from deep. By losing him, you take away your best defender and one of the most versatile players in the league.

Everyone who’s in favor of the Shaq deal says, “The Suns didn’t get to the championship with Marion before.” Hit rewind and think back to last year. The Suns lost to the Spurs because of the suspensions handed out to Amare and Co. because of Robert Horry and the whole incident that happened with the flagrant foul. Had that not happened, the Suns would have won that series. Anyone who argues otherwise is misinformed.

My point is, you don’t break up a team that is winning (first place when they made the trade) to pick up a slower, older, and more expensive player. It doesn’t make sense and the Suns will suffer the consequences soon enough. One last point I wanted to make; Shaq is suddenly talking about winning a championship and playing healthy the rest of the season. Doesn’t anyone find it strange that just a couple of weeks ago, he was injured and unable to play at full strength for the rest of the season? Funny how no one calls him out on that. I just did. He’s a selfish player who will limit the Suns from advancing deep into the playoffs. Take that to the bank.

(Doesn’t sound like Wade is going to miss Shaq too much, does it)

More to come on Goodell vs. Congress, Dallas Trading for Kidd, and the landscape of the NBA.

Suns’ Big Blunder

Though I didn’t have time to write an article on the Shaq-to-Phoenix trade today, I thought I’d paste part of my conversation with site contributor, Colin, here for you all to see and get my take on the move.

The more I think about the trade for Shaq… the less sense it makes to me

I don’t understand the concept of bringing in a 36 year old, 300lb center who isn’t 1/4th of what he used to be.. Can’t run the floor, is average at best offensively for that position..

Throw in the fact that he’s due 20 mil over the next two years.  You bring that in for what? How is that going to work? You’re going to run 4 on 5 fast breaks while he lags behind? Or are u going to have 4 on 5 defense when he’s stuck on the other end after a defensive rebound?

Or what, you’re going to slow down the game and play half court, which has been Nash’s weakest point. He’s been the MVP by RUNNING the floor.  You won 62 games, 61 games, and on pace to win 58 while playing average right now… still first place in the west. How can u disrupt that?

And even if u want to get rid of Marion.. fine.. at the end of the season let him walk.. Clears up 17 mil for u to play free agency with. Now what?  Now u got 20 mil this year for Shaq and 20 mil next year so u can’t do jack in the free agent market

What did the Celtics do by bringing in KG and Ray ray.. They brought in pieces to the puzzle.. You had a great small forward in pierce, added the inside game with KG and the outside threat with Ray ray.  That’s building a team.  What did the lakeshow do?  You had Kobe running the guard position, have a solid young guy in Bynum playing center.. so u bring in a great player in Gasol to assist on the inside and let Odom move down to small forward where he’ll be sick… that’s a good trade, improves your team.

Phoenix??  Unbelievable what they just did.  Makes less and less sense by the minute.

Shaq on the Move?

Thanks to Peter for this bit.

The Miami Heat have told Shaquille O’Neal and his representation that they should be prepared for him to be traded in the near future.  Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that Phoenix has discussed sending forward Shawn Marion and point guard Marcus Banks to the Heat in return for O’Neal. Shaq’s representatives said they have been made aware that discussions with Phoenix are serious and ongoing, but that a deal was not definite. Marion can opt out of his contract worth $17.1 million at the end of the season. And if he opts out, the Heat would then have substantial salary cap space this offseason, when potential free agents include Gilbert Arenas, Baron Davis, Elton Brand, Marion, Antawn Jamison, Ron Artest and Corey Maggette. Stay tuned. 

Kobe vs Shaq in Western Conference Finals?  Could it be?

Bold Men Take Bold Actions

Everyone has an opinion on how to fix the New York Knicks.  You ask the roughly 20 million New Yorkers out there and you’ll get 20 million different ways to do it.  But at the end of the day, everything I’m hearing is the same stuff just recycled and reworeded.

“Fire Isiah Thomas.  That’s the problem!”

“Get rid of Isiah and trade Stephon Marbury.”

“Trade Jared Jefferies and Marbury for solid young guys… and get rid of Isiah.”

If this were a video game in which you could package a $20 million dollar bust of a player along with an overpaid Jared Jefferies, and trade them for Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, then yes, these ideas would work.  If firing Isiah Thomas would suddenly make the Knicks play at an elite level like they were with their last coach, Larry Brown, then yes, you have solved the problem.  (Note to readers:  I was being sarcastic about Larry Brown).  Fixing a team that is in utter disarray is not as simple as it seems.  You can’t trade your junk for someone else’s goods with the click of a button.  This is real life, with real people and real issues.

Common consensus among those who are familiar with the NBA, the salary cap, and how things really work is to move the priciest and most disappointing players piece by piece.  You start by getting rid of Marbury and his large salary.  You move Zach Randolph, who you just acquired this past year by the way, and clear up some space.  You go down the list of overpriced players and move them, piece by piece, until you have cleared some cap room.  You bring in a new coach who will breathe new life into the city and the team.  Take care of all that and make a run at Lebron, Wade, or Melo in two years.  If we lived in a clean world without politics and hidden agendas, then this would work. 

However, things aren’t that simple.  Do you think Knicks owner James Dolan is really that dumb when it comes to Isiah Thomas?  Do you really think that he doesn’t see the fact that Isiah Thomas is not a good coach?  Of course he does!  But what we don’t know is the exact reasons for Dolan choosing not to fire, or anger, Isiah Thomas.  Much like Marbury had “dirt” on Isiah, it seems through rumors and people who know what’s what, that Isiah has a lot on Dolan.  This team is so dysfunctional, from the ballboys to the owner, that common logic and common sense don’t apply.  You can talk about moving this player and that player until your blue in the face. Your ideas are probably great, definitely better than what the Knicks have done up to this point, but those ideas and scenarios don’t matter because there is more than what meets the eye with the New York Knicks.  We simply don’t know the dirt that’s been swept under the rug for years, the same dirt that is keeping franchise benefiting moves from being made. 

Here’s where my idea or suggestion comes in.  It’s time for David Stern to get involved.  He is the commissioner of the league and he is the one who oversees everything.  We’re not talking about the struggling Seattle Sonics or the Milwaukee Bucks organization.  We’re talking about a marquee franchise in the most marketable city in the country, if not the world.  New York is not Memphis.  New York is New York.  You cannot have this kind of a bottom feeding franchise in your most marketable segment. 

Take any sport.  Let’s look at the NFL.  The NFL draws the most interest when its marquee teams have success.  Hate them or love them, but the Dallas Cowboys draw interest from everyone.  The New York Giants draw interest from everyone.  The Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Skins and so forth all draw a lot of interest because their markets are so enormous.  They are nationally relevant.  San Diego Chargers barely sold out their playoff games!  Ditto with Tampa Bay.  Big teams in big markets make leagues successful.  Look at the MLB.  Baseball is at its peak when the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox are involved.  Your opinion, good or bad for either team, is irrelevant.  You are interested either way; better for the league.  The success of failure of the Kansas City Royals doesn’t mean jack.  The failure of the Yankees or Sox means something.  And more directly, look at the NBA.  Come playoff time this year, I guarantee you the ratings will be higher than they have been in recent years.  I guarantee it.  You know why?  Because the Boston Celtics are good.  Because the Los Angeles Lakers are good.  People watch because they want to cheer them or hate them.  Either way, they’re watching.  The Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs of recent years have both been better basketball teams than the current Lakers and current Celtics.    No one cared.  People crave Boston.  People crave LA.  People want to see New York!

So David Stern needs to get involved NOW before it gets too late and the Knicks miss the boat on having a chance to nab one of the young anchors of the league (Lebron in particular). 

What exactly should he do? 

David Stern is a very, very bright man.  Though I don’t always agree with his decisions (dress code for example), I have always had the utmost respect for how he handles his matters and keeps the league relevant, despite the fact that it has to compete with the NFL when football season is at its peak interest.  If I were in Stern’s shoes, I would take this bold, unprecedented action. 

Have a meeting with James Dolan.  Tell him he has three months to make some drastic changes that will show that he is on track to getting the team better.  That starts with firing Isiah Thomas, followed by moving some of the enormous, wasted contracts and freeing up cap space.  I’m not giving him half a year; I’m giving him three months.  If I don’t see him making moves, taking action, then that’s it.  He’s out.  I don’t know the legal course of action that would need to take place but there are ways of forcing someone to sell their stakes if you really want to them to.  Sometimes, as the big boss, you have to be a bully for the sake of the future success. 

The new owner, whoever it may be, would have a daunting and difficult task but he could go down as a New York legend if he pulls it off.  Here are the immediate moves, in order of necessity. 

Trade Stephon Marbury to whoever is willing to give you the highest draft choice in return.  I don’t care if it is the second round pick number 20; take it.   

Same thing goes for Jared Jefferies.  He may not even be worth a draft choice, so take the cheapest bum off of the other team who is willing to take his contract on and leave it at that. 

Inside, you have Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry and David Lee.  You want to keep David Lee because he’s a good teammate and a good character guy you want to have.  You need to move either Curry or Randolph.  I’ll move Randolph because he has a history of having attitude issues and his contract is significantly bigger.  I don’t care about how he’s acting right now; I’m going by reputations and history, and his isn’t very good.  I’d trade him for the best young player (low salary) or draft choice that I can get in return.  You know you’re not going to get a player as skilled as Randolph, but I’ll take 40 cents to a dollar at this point. 

That leaves you with Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford, David Lee and Eddy Curry as your nucleus.  You are still stuck with heavy salaries with Malik Rose ($7 mil), Quentin Richardson ($8 mil), and Jerome James ($5 mil).  Trade them to whoever wants them for future draft picks or expiring contracts if you can get them.  Even if you trade Richardson to the freaking Heat for a 2011 second round pick, do it.  You are getting all of these disgusting rosters off your books.  You have to come to grips with the fact that you will not be competitive for the next two years, but you are building for the future. 

Your roster, if you move all those salaries off your books in the next 12 months or so will look like this by the start of the 2009 season; Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson at point, Mardy Collins at shooting guard, Renaldo Balkman at small forward, David Lee at power forward, and Eddy Curry at center.  If you win 20 games, congrats-a-freakin-lations.  We’re not worried about 2009.  You have now freed up money to throw at Bron Bron, who seems to have a fondness for New York (much to the dismay of his hometown, Cleveland).  You also have accumulated some draft picks, which may or may not be worth anything.  You also have money to chase down some other free agents and if you have a solid young coach, someone like Eddie Jordan, then you are set.  You will be a playoff team the instant Lebron signs with you and big time players will want to come play in New York and be a part of turning around one of the greatest franchises in all of sports.

If they follow this path, bite the bullet and be terrible for the next two years but clear the salaries and the current administration, the years 2010 through the day Lebron James retires will be oh so nice. 

Make it happen David Stern.  We want New York to be New York again. 

Memo to Donald Sterling: Shut Up!

Stories like these really irk me.  I mean, they really get me fired up.  If you are in your waning days of “football mode” and have yet to tune into the NBA, let me explain what I’m about to talk about.  Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, has gone out publically and said that he will make a change if head coach Mike Dunleavy doesn’t “turn this thing around”.  Currently, the LA Clippers are 13-25 and last in the Pacific division.  I can understand how under a normal team’s circumstances, this comment by the owner would be somewhat acceptable.    

However, we’re talking about the Los Angeles Clippers.  This team has been a complete joke for the last 20 years.  Who has been the general manager for the last 20 years?  Elgin Baylor.  Who has been the owner?  Donald Sterling.  Who has been the head coach for the last few years, years in which the young Clippers took Phoenix to Game 7 in the playoffs?  Mike Dunleavy.  So you’re going to tell me that NOW you feel that you can make a change?  You didn’t want to make a change for 15 plus years that Elgin Baylor kept showing up at draft lottery shows to see if he could get the highest pick for his sorry roster? 

Mike Dunleavy is dealing with two starters being injured and unable to play; Sean Livingston and Elton Brand.  Sean Livingston is a tall, lanky point guard who is up and coming in this league.  He lacks offensive skills right now, but has the ability to shut down opposing point guards.  That’s important in the west when you have guys like Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Baron Davis, and Deron Williams. Elton Brand is a top 8-12 player every single year.  He also plays the important position of power forward in the west.  So there is a reason the Clippers are struggling.  I’m not going to say that Mike Dunleavy should get a free pass forever and ever just because he got the Clippers to be relevant for the past few years.  But the guy is trying to shoot a gun without bullets!  Give him a chance to reload his roster and if he’s still struggling, then feel free to call him out. 

Similar to Dunleavy’s public response, I’d love to see the Clippers go out and get another coach.  There is no one out there right now, no one, who could do a better job with a Clippers team decimated by injuries than Dunleavy.  Donald Sterling should go back to keeping his mouth shut and let people who know basketball run the basketball team.  End of story.