NBA Weekly: Andre Miller Signs With Portland, Why Lamar Odom Should Stay With The Lakers, 76ers & Celtics Rumors, Okafor For Chandler Trade?, & More

Andre Miller Signs With Portland Trailblazers

Miller has signed a 2 year 14 million contract with the Blazers with an option for a 3rd year. He definitely makes the Blazers better on paper simply because he is a much better player than Steve Blake. However, I think he is a little bit of a ball dominant PG and that could take the ball out of the hands of Brandon Roy more than it needs to be. He also can’t be used to stretch the floor because he is not a 3-point shooter at all. This could allow teams to play off of him defensively and make it tougher for Brandon Roy to get to the basket. Miller is more of a running, go to the hoop type PG and Portland happens to be one of the slowest paced teams in the league. However, the word is that they want to run more, which would fit Miller’s style better. The move won’t cripple the Blazers salary wise, so I think it’s worth a shot, but I don’t see this move getting Portland past the second round of the playoffs. Right now I’d have to say the Lakers and Spurs are still much better than Portland and then Denver and even Dallas might be better than them as well. Plus, there’s always a chance Utah, Houston, and New Orleans could finish ahead of the Blazers, depending on how well Miller fits in. I think they’ll finish somewhere between 3rd and 5th in the West and then lose to either the Lakers or Spurs in the second round.

Lamar Odom

Kobe seems pretty confident that Odom will be returning to the Lakers, but word of him headed to Miami is starting to heat up. If Odom wants to win another championship, he’d be wise to stay with the Lakers. If he’s just trying to get paid then he might as well just go to the Heat. Personally, I think even if he’s making less money with the Lakers, he’ll be worth more in endorsements and fame from playing in LA with Kobe on a possible dynasty. It’s definitely something he should consider when making his decision. Being a star player on a multiple championship winning team will pay him long after he’s retired. Playing with D-Wade in Miami and losing in the first round won’t, point blank.

Philadelphia 76ers

Word on the street is that Jamaal Tinsley could land in Philadelphia and have a chance to replace Andre Miller. You don’t know what you’re going to get with Tinsley, who has been away from the NBA for a while now. Either way I think the 76ers could take a step back this year if Elton Brand doesn’t return to form and if Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights don’t improve. I’m definitely sold on Andre Iguodala though; he impressed me a lot in the playoffs this past season. However, this team is in serious need of some guards, which is why they are also looking to sign Flip Murray as well. Even with Murray, I think the lack of play making guards on the 76ers roster could hold this team back this year for sure. They might want to make a trade with the guard heavy Wizards where something like a Nick Young for Jason Smith swap might make sense.

Boston Celtics

It looks like Big Baby Glen Davis will not be headed to the Nets and will in fact stay with the Celtics. The Nets know that Boston will match any reasonable offers for Big Baby and I also recently saw some comments from Danny Ainge that included Big Baby when he was talking about next year’s younger players on the Celtics. Sounds like he expects Davis to be back, so I’m gonna assume that’s how things will play out. There’s also rumors that Big Baby could be sent to the Nets in a sign and trade for Yi Jianlian.

In other Celtics related news, it looks like Cleveland is interested in Leon Powe and the Celtics are trying to go after Bruce Bowen. Not sure how much sense it would make to pick up Bowen, who doesn’t have much left in the tank if you ask me. Plus, I would think the Celtics still need to make a move for a backup PG.

Emeka Okafor For Tyson Chandler Trade?

Rumors started today that the Hornets and Bobcats are talking about a potential Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler swap. I personally think that Okafor is a better player than Chandler and if Okafor was to play with Chris Paul then it wouldn't even be a question who was better. Both are solid defensively and Okafor is coming off his best season and has more offensive capabilities than Chandler. They are about equal on the boards and also blocking shots. Okafor turns the ball over much less than Chandler. The only distinct advantage Chandler has is that he shoots a higher percentage from the floor, but I think a lot of that has to do with Chris Paul. Okafor would definitely see an increase in his FG% by playing with Paul. If I were the Hornets, I'd make the move right away.

Other NBA News

- The Cavs recently signed Jamario Moon, who is a solid player and should help contribute to an already strong Cavs defense. Not sure how he’ll fit in offensively, since he is not a solid shooter and would be coming off the bench behind Lebron at the 3. One thing I think the Cavs should consider this season is playing Lebron James at the PF spot at times and using him to create matchup problems similar to how Orlando does with Rashard Lewis.

- The Grizzlies pulled their offer for Hakim Warrick, but they insist it’s not because they are going to sign Allen Iverson. AI is still looking for a team to play on next season and it appears the Clippers are more interested in Ramon Sessions than Iverson as well. I still think this situation has Pat Riley and Miami Heat written all over it. Hell, if he came cheap I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Lakers or Celtics sign him for next to nothing.

- Drew Gooden signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He gives them some depth in the front court and probably will take over the role of Brandon Bass, who left for the Orlando Magic.

- Looks like the Knicks will be bringing back Nate Robinson on a 1-year deal, which I’m sure Knicks fans will be happy to hear. I’m not sure why the Knicks don’t want to keep Robinson around longer than one year as long as they could have him at a decent price. He’s the perfect scorer/igniter off the bench for an NBA team.

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NBA Weekly: Top Summer League Performers - Anthony Randolph, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, James Harden, Hasheem Thabeet, & More

Now that the 2009 NBA Summer League is over, I thought I would take a look at some of the top performers and big name rookies:

Anthony Randolph
26.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 2.2 steals, 60.9% FG

I'm not sure that the Warriors will be any good this season, but there's a chance they might be a lot better than last simply because Anthony Randolph played like a beast in the Las Vegas Summer League. If Randolph is as improved of a player as it seems he is, then the Warriors will be much better than last season, yet probably will still miss the playoffs. Regardless, whether Randolph's improvement is real or not he at the very least is soaring up Fantasy Basketball draft boards as we speak. He does a little bit of everything and could be in for a breakout season with a chance for some inflated stats since he'll be playing in high octane offense.

Blake Griffin
19.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 50.0% FG

Griffin had a solid summer league, but there were a few things I think we learned about Griffin as far as potential weaknesses. He is explosive at times, but I see him as more of a Carlos Boozer/Elton Brand type big man than a KG/Amare type big man when it comes to finishing around the basket. At times he will go up strong, but for the most part he will finish with a lay-in off the glass rather than a dunk. He also only averaged .4 blocks a game, so again the early signs point to a Carlos Boozer type player, which is good but definitely not # 1 player on a championship team. Time will tell if Griffin develops into that or if he ends up in the Carlos Boozer/Elton Brand type mold of big men.

Tyreke Evans
19.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals

I don't really care what position Evans plays in the NBA. All I know is that he knows the game of basketball and will find a way to be successful on the court. His numbers weren't mind blowing in the summer league, but he does a little bit of everything and should be a solid player for years to come.

James Harden
14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 47.6% FG

Everything about James Harden's game screams # 3 scorer and Manu Ginobili to me. He's sneaky good and I think with his high basketball IQ he'll fit in well with Durant and Westbrook. Put a KG type and a Perk on this team and I would think I was watching the next generation version of the Celtics.

Hasheem Thabeet
8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 45.2% FG

The 8.2 points a game doesn't really bother me too much and the 4.6 rebounds per game I'm not completely surprised by, but the 0.8 blocks is definitely disappointing. Maybe it has something to do with the run and gun style of the summer league, but I figured Thabeet would at least be able to block shots in the NBA. It could take Thabeet some time to adjust to the speed of the NBA game.

Jonny Flynn
15.0 points, 7.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 48.0% FG

Flynn looks like he will be the starting PG for the T-Wolves this season and he had a decent showing in the summer. The 7.4 assists are solid, but he also turned the ball over 5.2 times a game, so he'll have to protect the ball much better during the regular season.

Brandon Jennings
14.6 points, 8.2 assists, 3.6 steals, 2.6 rebounds, 37.9% FG

Jennings showed some good and bad things in the summer league with his game. The 3.6 steals a game from the PG position are tremendous and obviously the 8.2 assists are nice as well. The turnovers were at 4.2 a game, so while they are a little high, his assist/turnover ratio is still almost 2 to 1. He also shot the ball well from three at at 42.9% clip. The bad of course is the shooting percentage overall at 37.9%. The more I see Jennings play, the more I think of a young Gary Payton, especially the way he throws his alley-oop passes and all those steals don't hurt either. Payton struggled initially in the league, but turned out to be a Hall of Fame caliber player. Don't be surprised if Jennings does the same.

Stephen Curry
17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.4 steals, 32.5% FG

All the numbers for Curry look good except for one and that's the horrible FG%. Curry was gunning away in the Summer League, but he probably won't get as many shots with the Warriors during the regular season, which may actually be a good thing for him. I'm thinking less attention will be given to him and he can get some open looks, which should increase his accuracy from the floor.

JaVale McGee
17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, 54.2%

McGee is another second year player, who could make a big improvement over his rookie season. His biggest impact could be on the defensive end. He averaged 4 blocks a game over the summer and he definitely has the length to be a solid defender. The Wizards have plenty of scoring, so if McGee can shore up things for them down-low they can definitely return to the playoffs this season. I would still like to see him grab a few more rebounds though.

Ty Lawson
17.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals

Lawson looked pretty solid in all the highlights I saw of him. He's going to be coming off the bench, so less will be expected of him then some of these other players, but he should be excellent in that role and will get to learn behind one of the best PG's in the game.

Jordan Hill
14.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 43.8% FG

Something about watching Hill in highlights just leaves me unimpressed. I feel like he's going to turn into a Drew Gooden/Joe Smith type of player, who starts for bad teams at the beginning of his career, but ultimately ends up as a veteran journeyman.

DeJuan Blair
16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 52.9% FG

Blair was his usual efficient scoring and rebounding self in the summer, which comes as no surprise. Still can't believe he fell to the 2nd round, but it looks like he's going to be solid piece for another Spurs title run.

Austin Daye
17.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 47.1% FG

Daye's play in Summer League was better than I thought it would be, especially in the rebounding department. However, I think he will struggle more during the regular season once he goes up against some of the bigger and stronger players

DeMar DeRozan
17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 49.3% FG

Toronto loves DeRozan, but I don't see his game translating over to the regular season. He's an athletic guy, but he didn't rebound, steal, or block shots all that well in the summer league and got by offensively because of his athleticism. I think he's going to the struggle with his game early on in the season. He should make some highlight reel plays, but I think most of his game will be show instead of substance.

James Johnson
16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.0 blocks, 39.7% FG

Johnson struggled with his shot and could take a while to adjust to the NBA. He's athletic enough to help the Bulls in other areas, but other than catching alley-oops on the break from Derrick Rose, I don't see him doing much offensively.

Anthony Morrow
24.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 60.9% FG

You gotta love Morrow, who was born to shoot threes. He doesn't do much else, but damn this guy can shoot. He stood out to me last season in the Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues because he was so efficient shooting the three. That is a huge weapon to have off the bench and it will be interesting to see if he develops his game some more.

Other Summer League Players:

Chase Budinger: It looks like the Rockets got another steal with Budinger, who averaged 17.8 points, while only taking 9 shots a game. He shot a ridiculously efficient 68.1% from the floor, which should make him a very valuable offensive player off the bench for Houston. He also nailed 8 of his 11 three-point attempts.

Rodrigue Beaubois: Dallas might have found themselves a nice little player in Beaubois, who averaged 17.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals; while shooting 47.8% from the floor. He also earned himself the nickname "Roddy Buckets".

Dante Cunningham: Averaged a surprising 18.3 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Did most of his damage with face up jumpers. Wasn't very efficient from the floor though, shooting just 47.6%, which is just average for a PF. Since he won't get as many shots during the regular season, his production will be way down, but he could give some solid minutes off the bench.

DaJuan Summers: Another 2nd-round pick who surprised with 18.0 points and 5.4 rebounds a game for the Pistons. Again he wasn't efficient from the floor, shooting just 44.3%, so the scoring might not be there in the regular season, but he showed enough with the other parts of his game to earn some minutes off the bench.

Marcus Thornton: The former-LSU star showed some solid scoring ability and defensive skills averaging 20.7 points and 2.3 steals a game. He doesn't really have a position, but should be a solid scorer, shooter, and defender off the bench for the Hornets this season.

Jodie Meeks: Averaged 19.0 points on 55.7% shooting doing his best Michael Redd impression for the Bucks. That also means he didn't do much else besides score. Could be a Ben Gordon type off the bench for the Bucks.

Sam Young: Averaged 13.6 points and 4.2 rebounds a game and most importantly brought his nasty head fake with him to the NBA. Can't wait to see him try and use it on some of the NBA's best.

Earl Clark: 11.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 37.8% shooting. Yup, he's definitely the next Tim Thomas. Lamar Odom should be insulted they are comparing this guy to him.

Joey Dorsey: Dorsey averaging 9.8 points and a ridiculous 14.8 rebounds a game. He should get some run this season for the Rockets with Yao out and I can't wait to see him in action.

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NBA Weekly: Shawn Marion Traded To Mavericks, Carlos Boozer To Bulls?, Should The Cavs Have Signed Big Baby?, Orlando Summer League, & More

Shawn Marion

The Mavs have been busy over the past week, re-signing Jason Kidd and bringing in Marcin Gortat, but the biggest move they made was to trade for Shawn Marion and then sign him to what will be a 5 year, $39 million contract. Yup, that's right, we now live in a world where Anderson Varejao is making more money than Shawn Marion. Either way, I don't think this move makes Dallas a title contender. Marion had the worst season of his career last year, but I think the move to Dallas will make him a more efficient player, since he can probably focus less on scoring and more on rebounding and running the floor with Jason Kidd. Marion is coming to the Mavs pretty cheap, so I don't think it's a horrible move for them, but they can't honestly think they can compete with the Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, Magic, and Cavs for an NBA title. They still only have one superstar player and he really isn't a go-to-guy.

Carlos Boozer

Sounds like Boozer could be on the move to the Bulls with Tyrus Thomas headed to Utah and Kirk Hinrich going to Portland. This would be a decent trade for the Bulls because they would finally get a strong low post scoring option that they have been looking for all these years now. It would definitely help the Bulls, but losing Ben Gordon and Kurt Hinrich is still going to hurt this team. Gordon is a solid playoff performer who can get hot at any moment and having Hinrich coming off the bench with his solid outside shooting and good defense was definitely a plus and an advantage for the Bulls. In the end, I'm not sure the Bulls will be that much better if they do get Boozer. Maybe 45 wins, but I wouldn't think any more wins than that. I do like Portland getting Hinrich, who would be an upgrade over Steve Blake. Tyrus Thomas doesn't really seem to fit in Utah to me, but he does have potential.

Hedo Turkolgu

By now you know that the Raptors have signed Hedo Turkoglu to a 5-year, $53 million deal. I don't think this move is going to make a big deal for the Raptors because with Bosh, Bargnani, Calderon, and Turkoglu; the Raptors might be one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Sure they should score a ton of points, but we've seen teams go that route before and it never works. I also think this deal could look pretty bad towards the back end of it. Turkoglu just doesn't strike me as someone who's going to age very well.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Anderson Varejao is going to 6 years, $50 million from the Cavs to play defense and stay out of Shaq's way on the offensive end. I have to wonder though if maybe the Cavs should have went after Big Baby to play PF for them next season. He's the type of PF, who would fit well next to Shaq since he can hit the mid-range jumper. The only negative is I'm not sure how strong the Cavs would be down low with Big Baby and Shaq. I don't think they would be terrible though. The Cavs also added Anthony Parker, who should help them off the bench, but this team is loaded with wing players who can shoot the three so he's kind of redundant. I still think it would have been interesting to see Big Baby or even Antonio McDyess playing PF for the Cavs next season.

Orlando Summer League

A quick look at some players performing well and not so well in the Orlando Summer League:

Ryan Anderson: The "throw-in" in the Vince Carter Deal, Anderson is averaging 25.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists through 4 summer league games. A deadly outside shooter, he has knocked down 12 of his 25 three-pointers and is shooting 54.8% from the floor overall. He should be another solid shooter off the bench for the Magic and his acquisition shouldn't be overlooked.

Tyler Hansbrough: He's actually been playing well so far through 4 summer league games averaging 21.5 points on 46.9% shooting. However, there are two things I see as negatives here. First, he has shot 44 free throws, which has helped inflate his point total. Refs in summer league call and ridiculous amount of fouls and it's not uncommon for players to rack up big scoring totals simply by getting to the line. Usually it doesn't translate over to the regular season either. The other red flag I see here is that he's only averaging 4.8 rebounds a game against players who aren't even as physically gifted as whole he'll go up against in the regular season.

Roy Hibbert: He's averaging strong 21.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks, while shooting 66.0% from the floor. It will be interesting to see if he improves this year in his second season. One thing he needs to work on is his turnovers as he is averaging 3.3 of those a game.

Terrence Williams: T-Will is averaging 10.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 3.5 turnovers; while shooting just 35.6% from the floor. He's doing a little bit of everything, but as usual some of it is good and some of it is bad.

James Harden: Harden is off to a strong start in the summer and is averaging 15.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals, while shooting 55.9% from the field and 41.7% from three. He could be the early favorite for rookie of the year.

More NBA News

- I like the Antonio McDyess move for the Spurs and at times I wondered if the Pistons underutilized him offensively. He is great at knocking down the mid-rang jumper and he also ranked 10th in the NBA in rebound rate. Between Duncan, McDyess, and DaJuan Blair, I expect a lot of backboards to be cleared by the Spurs this season. Definitely an upgrade over what the Spurs had at the PF position the past few seasons.

- One thing that hasn't been talked about with Rasheed Wallace going to Boston is that I think this is going to keep KG's minutes down and will help him stay healthy for the playoffs. I wouldn't be surprised to see his minutes in the 30-35 range per game. In other Celtics news, it looks like they are going strong after Grant Hill, who could also spell Paul Pierce and keep him fresh. Not to mention he might even be able to bring the ball up for the Celtics since they are losing Marbury as their backup PG most likely. The Celtics would be pretty damn deep with Sheed and Grant Hill coming off the bench and possibly Big Baby as well.

- The Grizzlies are interested in signing Allen Iverson, but it would just be to sell tickets and they might better off passing because he doesn't fit into their future. Miami on other hand is a much better fit in my mind and I think Iverson may actually be able to help the Heat. Hell, Pat Riley might even decide to come back and coach him. Well maybe not, but I still think Iverson ends up with the Heat.

- The Blazers are looking to sign Paul Millsap to back up LaMarcus Aldridge and if that doesn't go through then they will look to go after Brandon Bass. There was also talk of Portland going after Lamar Odom, but that has died down now and it seems like Odom will be back with the Lakers.

- I bet you didn't know Marcin Gortat was 6th in the NBA in rebound rate last season. That's definitely why teams like the Mavs were so eager to sign him and Orlando will surely miss him. They probably will be in the market for a big off the bench now, but I'm not sure who is left out there that is any decent. Whoever they do get will probably come cheap though as the market seems to only have money left for a few more players.

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NBA Weekly: Ron Artest Signs With Lakers, Zach Randolph Traded To Grizzlies, Celtics Make Offer To Rasheed Wallace, Allen Iverson, Pistons, & More

Ron Artest Signs With Lakers

The Lakers made a huge splash this week by signing Ron Artest instead of re-signing Trevor Ariza. This move caught many by surprise including myself, since it looked like the Lakers were going to re-sign Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza and keep this year's championship team together. The move to sign Artest shows that the Lakers are in a win now mode and are trying to build a dynasty around Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and now Ron Artest. There's no doubt that while order than Ariza, Artest is a better offensive player than Ariza is. Defensively I'm not sure Artest is still head and shoulders above Ariza, so there might not be an upgrade there, but he will definitely provide more consistency to the SF position for the Lakers. I also think this move was specifically made with the Celtics and Paul Pierce in mind. Pierce has notoriously struggled mightily when squaring off against Artest and with the Celtics healthy again next season it's very much possible that we could be seeing another Celtics/Lakers finals. I think Artest could give the Lakers some added toughness to match up against the Celtics.

Boston Celtics Offer Rasheed Wallace Contract

Speaking of the Celtics, if they do face off against the Lakers in the NBA Finals next season, not only will Ron Artest be on the court, but it's possible that Rasheed Wallace may be as well. The Celtics have offered Rasheed Wallace the mid-level exception in hopes of luring him to Boston. I am personally drooling over the entertainment value of Rasheed Wallace and KG playing on the same team along with Kendrick Perkins. That would be one tough front court with a ton of attitude and nastiness. Not only that, but a Celtics/Lakers series with KG, Pierce, Allen, Rondo, Kobe, Pau, Odom and now possibly Artest and Rasheed would most definitely be a classic and a true matchup of titans. If Rasheed does sign with the Celtics, he would actually be coming off the bench and would probably see a lot of minutes subbing for Perkins. He would also probably see minutes at the 3 and 4. The Celtics wouldn't need much scoring from Wallace, which is perfect because he's never excelled at being one of the main guys, and he could then focus on defense, rebounding, and knocking down open three's. Think of him as a bigger version of James Posey.

In other Celtics news, Big Baby has the Pistons, Spurs, and Knicks interested in him and it looks like it's possible that Big Baby, Leon Powe, and Stephon Marbury may all not be back with them. That would probably leave some room for the Celtics to make a few other moves. A backup point guard would definitely be high on that list if they lose Marbury who just declined their latest offer and has said that he has three other teams interested in him.

Zach Randolph Traded To Memphis Grizzlies

So the Clippers did the right thing by moving Zach Randolph and creating more playing time for Blake Griffin. This is the major impact of this move, but I also think the Grizzlies will do alright by having Randolph on their team. His weakness is defensively, but that might not hurt the Grizzlies as much if Hasheem Thabeet is able to be a force on the defensive end in the paint. I don't expect the Grizzlies to be a winning team next season, but they definitely have a decent group of young players. I do have a few issues with their squad though. The first is that I don't really think Zach Randolph is going to help them in their rebuilding process, but I think since his contract expires after the 2011 season, then the Grizzlies will probably just hang onto him for this season and then flip him and his expiring contract next year.

The second problem I have with the Grizzlies is that while they have a decent group of young players in O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, & Hasheem Thabeet; I don't feel like any of those guys is a superstar type player that can win you a championship. Mayo should improve, but he is probably a 2nd option at best and Gay is probably a 3rd option. I think Conley is going to be good enough to be a solid PG on a championship caliber team and Thabeet if he's solid defensively is a nice part to have as well. However, at some point it may make sense for the Grizzlies to try and flip Mayo or Gay or maybe even both for a superstar type player who could help them win a championship. That of course would be a few years down the line, but if that doesn't happen then I could see this team peaking as perennial 4 or 5 seed that just doesn't have enough to win it all.

Houston Rockets

A rough week for the Houston Rockets, who found out that they most likely may be without Yao Ming next season and possibly forever if his injury is indeed career ending. They also lost one of their better players in Ron Artest to the Lakers and replaced him with a less consistent offensive player in Trevor Ariza. I know we all severely underrated this team last season, especially in the playoffs against the Lakers, but they just keep losing more and more scoring and at some point you have to figure they won't be able to sustain their success. Certainly a healthy Tracy McGrady would improve the offense, but there are no guarantees that McGrady will be healthy for a full season. I have to wonder what direction this franchise is heading in and if they are just trying to make the playoffs instead of shooting for an NBA title. It's great to find all these bargins and sleeper players like Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry, but if you don't surround them with superstars then it really doesn't accomplish anything.

Allen Iverson

There has been talk that Iverson may be forced into retirement because no team is going to be willing to pay him what he probably want. Iverson will probably be forced to take somebodies mid-level exception and I think that is what will eventually happen instead of AI retiring. The Bulls and Heat are two teams that are said to be interested in Iverson, who you would imagine might prefer to play in Miami next to Dwyane Wade. However, it's been reported that Iverson wants to play for the Grizzlies next season, which makes no sense to me for either Iverson or the Grizzlies.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons wasted no time in free agency signing two former UConn Huskies, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Both of them are solid offensively and can score in bunches, but they also are not the best defensive players, and I think that hurts their value to their team. I don't really think they are a good fit for what what Detroit already has on their roster as well, so I would expect the Pistons to be making a few more moves during the offseason. Rip Hamilton and Tashaun Prince could definitely be changing teams in the near future.

Other NBA News

- Marcin Gortat reached an agreement with the Dallas Mavericks and should be an excellent addition to their squad. Gortat really played well off the bench for the Magic last season and he should give the Mavs some more toughness downlow. This could also allow the Mavericks to package the expiring salaries of Erick Dampier and Jerry Stackhouse in a trade.

- Josh Childress is back on the NBA free agent scene and has visited with the Milwaukee Bucks this week. He could be a decent pickup for a playoff caliber team, but I don't see him making much sense for the Bucks.

- The Raptors have been trying to acquire David Lee, so that's something to keep an eye on. The Grizzlies were interested in Lee too, but decided to trade for Zach Randolph instead after they found out how much money Lee was looking for.

- Jason Kidd is a hot commodity right now as both the Mavs and Knicks are looking to offer him 3-year deals, which seems insane considering he's at least 3 years past his prime already. It's even more insane for the Knicks, who should be in rebuilding/save money for Lebron mode.

- Cleveland has some interest in Shawn Marion and also Anthony Parker and Linas Kleiza, who would all be solid additions to the Cavs.

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NBA Weekly: Richard Jefferson Traded To Spurs, Rajon Rondo & Ray Allen To Pistons?, & TWolves Trade Foye For #5 Pick

Richard Jefferson: The Spurs acquired Richard Jefferson by sending Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, & Fabricio Oberto to the Bucks in what is pretty much a cost cutting move on the part of Milwaukee. I've been critical of Richard Jefferson in the past because I don't feel like he's someone you build your team around as a 1st or 2nd option. However, on the Spurs he would be the 4th option most likely after Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and even Manu Ginobili. What this does for the Spurs is it gives them another wing who can score, especially if Ginobili is not healthy. I also like the athleticism of Jefferson on the defensive end, so the Spurs shouldn't lose too much on that end by losing Bruce Bowen. It's possible that Bowen ends up back with the Spurs anyway though because it looks like Milwaukee is going to cut him in order to save even more money. I like this move for the Bucks too because they were overpaying Jefferson and they need to rebuild. Jefferson is not a player you really want to build around, so they are better off without him even if it makes them worse off this season. Welcome to the life of an NBA role player Richard and I mean that in a good way.

Boston Celtics: There have been rumors that the Celtics offered Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen to the Pistons for Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince, and Rip Hamilton. I have no idea why the Celtics would offer such a crazy trade and I'm even more clueless why the Pistons would turn it down. Tayshaun Prince was basically useless in the playoffs and Hamilton is probably on the decline as well. Stuckey could turn out to be a decent player, but he will probably never going to be as good as Rondo. What confuses me even more is why the Celtics would offer this trade. If the trade went through, the Celtics would certainly be worse off and I don't think they would have any chance to win a title next season. With KG and Pierce being older players, you would think the Celtics would be trying to load up for 2010 to make a run at another championship. However, this trade offer suggests that the Celtics don't want any part of giving Rajon Rondo a max contract in 2010 and are willing to give him up this year even if it means making the team worse. I think this could be a major story that hovers around the Celtics next season.

Minnesota Timberwolves: So the T-Wolves shipped Randy Foye & Mike Miller to the Wizards for the 5th pick in the draft along with Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas, and Darius Songaila(otherwise known as a bunch of trash). The T-Wolves now own the 5th and 6th picks in the draft and it should be interesting to see what they do with the two picks. It seems pretty clear that the first 4 picks in the draft will include some combination of Blake Griffin, James Harden, and Ricky Rubio. Hasheem Thabeet is likely to be drafted in the top 4 picks as well, but I've seen some mock drafts that have Hasheem Thabeet not being selected in the top 4, because they have Stephen Curry getting drafted 4th by the Kings. If that was to happen then it's possible the T-Wolves could draft both Thabeet and Tyreke Evans. That would be the best case scenario for Minnesota in my mind because then that would give them a center to back-up Al Jefferson and a big guard in Evans who can also handle the ball. It seems highly likely that the T-Wolves take Evans with one of those two picks and the other pick will probably be either Thabeet, Stephen Curry, Jordan Hill, or Brandon Jennings. I'm assuming that James Harden & Ricky Rubio won't fall out of the Top 4. Another interesting point about this trade is that Minnesota is basically trading away most of their three point shooting with Foye and Miller. Evans is not a strong outside shooter, so I have to wonder if Minnesota is looking at drafting Stephen Curry and pairing him with Evans in their backcourt. That would give them a starting 5 that would probably be Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, Ryan Gomes, Evans, and Curry. Definitely something to keep an eye on at the beginning of the draft.

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NBA Weekly: NBA Playoff Matchups, Analysis, & Predictions

Truth be told I haven't exactly been keeping up with the weekly part of NBA Weekly, but you can't really blame me, because the last part of this NBA season was boring as hell. Now that the playoffs are here, I was pretty hyped to see the Celtics and Cavs square off, but now KG is probably out for the postseason and that definitely killed some if not all of the hype for that possible series. It looks like we are headed for the inevitable matchups of Lakers vs. Cavs, which may or may not be an entertaining NBA Finals.

1st Round Matchups:

Eastern Conference:

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (8) Detroit Pistons

Offense Eff.: Cleveland (4) 109.7, Detroit (21) 104.5
Defense Eff.: Cleveland (3) 99.4, Detroit (16) 105.2
Pace: Cleveland (25) 91.2, Detroit (30) 89.1

Analysis: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Detroit Pistons are no longer an elite team in the NBA ranking below average in offense and just about average in defense. Cleveland should have no problem with Pistons in Round 1. This is most likely a sweep or 5 game series at most.

Prediction: Cavs in 4

(2) Boston Celtics vs (7) Chicago Bulls

Offense Eff.: Boston (6) 108.1, Chicago (19) 105.1
Defense Eff.: Boston (2) 99.4, Chicago (18) 105.8
Pace: Boston (18) 92.7, Chicago (9) 95.8

Analysis: Now that KG is out for this series there is at least some possibility that this series will be more competitive than originaly thought. The Bulls do have a couple things in common with the Hawks from last season. The first is that they are a younger team that likes to run, since they are 9th in pace this season. They also have some guards who like to penetrate with Derrick Rose, John Salmons, Ben Gordon, and Kurt Hinrich. This could potentially cause a problem for the Celtics. The problem for the Bulls of course is that they don't have the athletes on defense like the Hawks did and the Celtics will most likely be able to score on them whenever they want. I don't see anyone on the Bulls that can check Pierce and Rondo. The best part of this series is going to be the royal rumble beef between Kendrick Perkins/Big Baby and Brad Miller/Joakim Noah.

Prediction: Celtics in 5

(3) Orlando Magic vs (6) Philadelphia 76ers

Offense Eff.: Orlando (8) 107.2, Philadelphia (20) 104.7
Defense Eff.: Orlando (1) 98.9, Philadelphia (14) 104.7
Pace: Orlando (12) 94.6, Philadelphia (20) 92.6

Analysis: Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are both banged up and could miss time in this series. If they were both healthy, than I think Orlando would cruise in this series because they have the top defense in the league and Philly is below average offensively. However, I think Orlando will struggle on the road in this series, which will extend it some. Philly's best chance is to try and slow down Orlando and ugly this thing up. Believe it or not, they actually run less than Orlando, and if they slow things down they will make Dwight Howard less effective offensively, since he doesn't really have any low post moves.

Prediction: Magic in 6

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs (5) Miami Heat

Offense Eff.: Atlanta (10) 106.6, Miami (18) 105.1
Defense Eff.: Atlanta (11) 104.6, Miami (13) 104.7
Pace: Atlanta (24) 92.0, Miami (23) 92.3

Analysis: It's really amazing how even these two teams are and this will be the best 1st Round series in the East for sure. This basically comes down to whether or not Dwyane Wade can takeover the series for Miami or if Atlanta's more balanced attack will win out. As much as I like D-Wade, I think that since Miami counts on a couple of rookies in Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers their inexperience could be what prevents them from winning this series. Both teams struggle on the road, so I think this might be one of those home team wins all the games series.

Prediction: Hawks in 7

Western Conference:

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (8) Utah Jazz

Offense Eff.: Los Angeles (3) 109.8, Utah (9) 107.1
Defense Eff.: Los Angeles (5) 101.9, Utah (12) 104.7
Pace: Los Angeles (6) 96.9, Utah (10) 95.6

Analysis: This is a bad matchup for both teams, since Utah is way better than an 8 seed, but still has to play the best team, and I'm sure the Lakers aren't happy to see Utah in the first round either. Luckily for the Lakers, Utah is really bad on the road sporting a 15-26 record. I think the Lakers will be able to steal one in Utah and the return of Andrew Bynum should help them with Utah's muscle down low.

Prediction: Lakers in 6

(2) Denver Nuggets vs (7) New Orleans Hornets

Offense Eff.: Denver (7) 107.5, New Orleans (13) 106.2
Defense Eff.: Denver (8) 103.5, New Orleans (9) 104.1
Pace: Denver (5) 97.0, New Orleans (28) 90.0

Analysis: Another great matchup in the West. This is going to be a big series for Carmelo Anthony, who should see a lot of James Posey throughout. I think Carmelo needs to step it up offensively and be the guy for Denver just like Chris Paul is going to do for New Orleans. If Carmelo doesn't play well, then I think the Hornets will win the series. I do like the fact that Billups can probably matchup with Chris Paul pretty well since he's probably physically stronger than Paul. I like Nene down low for Denver as well and along with Chris Andersen & Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets should have enough down low to match Tyson Chandler and David West. This series could come down to who gets hotter from the outside between Rasual Butler/Peja Stojakovic and J.R. Smith/Linas Kleiza. If anyone of them gets ridiculously hot from the outside, then that could definitely swing the series in that teams favor.

Prediction: Nuggets in 7

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs (6) Dallas Mavericks

Offense Eff.: San Antonio (12) 106.2, Dallas (5) 108.1
Defense Eff.: San Antonio (6) 102.0, Dallas (17) 105.3
Pace: San Antonio (27) 90.4, Dallas (16) 93.9

Analysis: This should prove to be an interesting series for the Spurs, since they will have to play without Manu Ginoboli and we saw how much that hurt them during the playoffs last season. One thing in the Spurs favor is that Dallas is not the best road team with just a 18-23 record away from home. The Spurs are historically tough to beat in the playoffs when they have home court advantage. The Mavs have also been inconsistent on defense this season ranking only 17th in the NBA. I also think Tony Parker is going to destroy Jason Kidd and I don't see any reason why Tim Duncan won't go off either. Between Roger Mason, Drew Gooden, and Michael Finley I think someone will step up too.

Prediction: Spurs in 6

(4) Portland Trailblazers vs (5) Houston Rockets

Offense Eff.: Portland (2) 110.7, Houston (16) 105.4
Defense Eff.: Portland (10) 104.5, Houston (4) 101.4
Pace: Portland (29) 89.2, Houston (19) 92.7

Analysis: This is going to be a very low scoring series in my mind. You have two of the slower paced teams in the NBA and Houston is a defensive minded team that is just average on offense. If Ron Artest, Shane Battier and company can slow down Brandon Roy then I think Portland could be in trouble because the rest of their squad struggled offensively against the Rockets during the season. Houston's offense definitely concerns me though because outside of Yao Ming they don't really have any big time scorers. I think this is where they miss Tracy McGrady the most because Von Wafer, Aaron Brooks, and company are probably not going to get things done consistently in the playoffs. I really don't like the guard play of the Rockets enough to pick them to win the series because I don't see anyone who can create his own shot in case Yao Ming can't get a good look down low.

Prediction: Trailblazers in 7

2nd Round Predictions:

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (4) Atlanta Hawks: Cleveland in 6 since the Hawks have trouble on the road.

(2) Boston Celtics vs (3) Orlando Magic Boston in 7 since the Magic might be just as banged up as the Celtics.

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (4) Portland Trailblazers: Lakers in 5 since Portland is not ready to compete in the playoffs with the Lakers.

(2) Denver Nuggets vs (3) San Antonio Spurs: Spurs in 7 since they generally have the Nuggets number although I do really like this Nuggets team. I'm not entirely sure they get past New Orleans in the first round though.

Conference Finals Predictions:

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (2) Boston Celtics: Cleveland in 6 since they have homecourt and the Celtics have no KG.

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (3) San Antonio Spurs: Lakers in 6 since San Antonio has no Ginoboli and I think the Spurs will be burnt out from their 2nd round series.

NBA Finals Predictions:

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (1) Cleveland Caveliers: Lakers in 6 since I still say that if Jordan can't win without a Scottie Pippen then neither can Lebron. Plus, I think Bynum gives the Lakers one more weapon then the Cavs can handle.

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NBA Weekly: Dwyane Wade Playing Like An MVP, Detroit Pistons, & More

Dwyane Wade: D-Wade has been getting his beast on in the past 12 games for the Heat. Wade is averaging 36.1 points, 10.5 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks a game, while shooting 56.3% from the floor, 43.1% from three, and 86.3% from the line. Those are some ridiculous numbers and have me wondering if maybe D-Wade should be the MVP over Lebron this year. I don't think you can wrong with either one, but one thing to keep in mind is that the Heat are just 7-5 in their last 12 games, so while Wade has certainly been impressive it's not translating into more wins for the Heat. Of course, without Wade putting up the monster numbers, the Heat would probably lost 3 or 4 of the 7 games they won. If D-Wade keeps playing like this for the rest of the season, then I would have to strongly consider him for the award. However, for you stat heads out there, Wade currently trails Lebron in Player Efficiency Rating and both Lebron and Chris Paul in Win Shares.

Detroit Pistons: Just when the Pistons looked like they were going to be left for dead after losing 8 games in a row they have fone 5-2 in their last 7 games since losing Allen Iverson to a back injury. In those 5 wins, they have beaten Orlando twice, Boston, and Denver. As much as I hate to say it because I love AI, it's pretty clear that this Pistons team is better off with Rip Hamilton in the starting lineup and Allen Iverson either on the bench or not playing. Rip has been averaging 25.0 points a game on 49.6% shooting from the floor during that 7 game stretch. I would love to see what Iverson can bring to a team off the bench and if it would make him a more efficient player overall. No matter what happens with Iverson, one thing is clear though: the Pistons are a completely different team with Rip Hamilton in the starting lineup.

Other NBA News:

- The Celtics are banged up with Rajon Rondo now sitting out with an ankle injury and joining KG on the sidelines. The Celtics are more concerned with them being healthy for the playoffs, then trying to get them back to win enough games to finish first in the East. It's looking more likely that the Cavs will have the top seed in the East.

- Rasual Butler has quietly been having a strong season for the Hornets and has played a big part in their recent resurgence. Butler averaged 14.3 points a game in February, but is now averaging 19.2 in the month of March, while the Hornets have gone 5-1. Butler has definitely stepped his game up and helped fill a void for the struggling and injured Peja Stojakovic.

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NBA Weekly: Jazz & Hornets Coming On Strong In The West, Drew Gooden To The Spurs, Charlotte Bobcats, & More

Utah Jazz & New Orleans Hornets: The Utah Jazz have been on fire lately and have won 8 straight games after starting the season slowly due to injuries. The Jazz are now just a game and a half behind division leading Denver, who has been just average as of late. If Utah can pass both Portland & Denver to win the division that would give them a home playoff series where they would be tough to beat. Meanwhile, the Hornets have won 5 straight games and have been playing a lot better lately since Tyson Chandler has made an energizing return to their team. They sit 3 games behind the division leading Spurs, but could still win the division or at least grab a home playoff series. It looks like the Lakers and Spurs finally have some company up at the top of the West to challenge for a Finals berth now that Jazz and Hornets are starting to put things together. I wouldn't count the Rockets out either, since they have been playing well of late, going 8-2 over their last 10 games.

Other NBA News:

- Drew Gooden signed with the Spurs and should be an excellent addition for them. A team like the Spurs doesn't need their role players to do too much in order for them to win, but to have someone with Gooden's size and talent as a role player only makes the Spurs stronger in the end. He could probably give the Spurs some quality minutes against someone like Pau Gasol or David West.

- The Cavs signed Joe Smith, who was with the team last year. Smith should provide some good minutes off the bench for Cleveland, especially with Ben Wallace out with a broken leg. I don't think this is a move that will win them a championship though, it pretty much just provides some depth.

- I mentioned a while back that I thought the Bobcats would end up grabbing the 8th playoff spot in the East. They were struggling for a while, but they now have won 4 straight games and are just 1 game behind 8th place Milwaukee in the loss column for the last playoff spot. Looks like they still have a chance to prove me right.

- Stromile Swift was cut by the Nets and will sign with the Suns. Swift was actually the 2nd pick in the NBA Draft in 2000, but he really has been a huge bust, averaging just 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds throughout his 8 year career. Of course 2000 was probably the worst draft in the history of the NBA, producing just 3 future NBA All-Stars: Kenyon Martin, Jamal Magloire, & Michael Redd. Hedo Turkoglu & Jamal Crawford are the only other players drafted in 2000 that have been consistent starters throughout their careers.

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NBA Weekly: Stephon Marbury To The Celtics?, Orlando Magic, Could The Pistons Miss The Playoffs?, & More

Boston Celtics: It looks like the Celtics have made their playoff moves, first by adding big man Mikki Moore and now they are looking to add Stephon Marbury as their backup PG. Both of these additions would improve the Celtics bench greatly. Moore is 6'11, but he weighs only 225 pounds, so I'm not sure how helpful he will be on defense or if he is even any good on defense. His defensive rating for his career is 108, which means he gives up 108 points per 100 possessions, and his rating has been getting worse as he gets older. Now that could partly be because the Kings are so bad on defense that no one individual defender is going to look good statistically on defense. The Celtics as a team have a defensive rating of 100.3, which means Moore is about 8 points worse than the Celtics per 100 possessions. Considering he'll probably only play 20-30 possession a game maximum, it shouldn't be too big of a deal. What he does provide is another big man who can hit jump shots, which is something Leon Powe and Big Baby can't do on a consistent basis. This should help spread the floor out some for the second unit. Yahoo Sports says this about Moore: Moore’s a hard worker and has some length, but isn’t a big rebounder/shot blocker type of power forward and he gets overpowered by bigger bodies. Guess that clears up the defensive part.

As for Marbury, well I don't think anyone would deny that having Marbury as your backup PG is going to help your team. Marbury can still score and should be able to create shots for the second unit as well. He also gives the Celtics another option if Rondo goes on a cold streak at the end of games or if the Celtics just want another 3-point shooter on the floor. I have no doubt that the Celtics will get the best out of Marbury, since KG alone should be able to motivate him. Now Marbury isn't guaranteed to go to the Celtics, because he still has to clear waivers I believe and it's possible someone like Miami might want to pick him up, but I'm pretty sure Marbury will choose the Celtics when all is said and done.

Orlando Magic: Unfortunately for NBA fans, Jameer Nelson is now officially done for the season, which means the Magic will not be 100% healthy to challenge the Celtics and Cavs in the East. However, they did trade for Rafer Alston to help ease the loss of Nelson and so far Alston has been playing well. The main thing Orlando needs Alston to do is distribute the ball and he is doing that for the Magic averaging 7.3 assists in 3 games. However, Alston is a terrible shooter from the floor percentage wise and typically shoots under 40% from the floor, so the Magic would do best to advise him to not shoot too much. He can knock down some open 3's, but even then he is just a 35.5% shooter from three for his career. The play of Alston, along with Courtney Lee and Anthony Johnson, will play a big part in just how deep this Orlando team can go in the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons: I mentioned a few weeks back that the Pistons were finished as a contender and you could write them off for this season. Since then, they have gone 1-7 after having lost their last 7 games, including 4 straight at home. Ouch, even I didn't think they would fall off THAT bad. Right now they are only two games up on Chicago who is in 9th place in the East, which means there's a very realistic chance that Detroit might not even make the playoffs. Things don't look like they will get better for the Pistons anytime soon either, since they have 3 straight road games against New Orleans, Orlando, and Boston.

Other NBA News:

- Bad news for anyone who picked the Nuggets to win the NBA Finals: Nene will out at least two weeks with a right knee contusion. By the time he comes back, the Nuggets might have slipped out of having home court in the West for the first round.

- The Cavs could be adding Robert Horry, who could possibly help them in the playoffs. He wouldn't be a bad option to try to suck away opposing PF's from the paint and he can guard a few different positions.

- One of my personal favorites, Ryan Gomes, is averaging 20.2 points and 16.2 shots per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, since Al Jefferson went down with a knee injury. Nice to see Gomes stepping it up, too bad it hasn't resulted in more victories for the T-Wolves though.

- Head Coach Patrick Ewing? Hell, I'd love to see that and so would he. Imagine the sweat he would work up on the sidelines though.

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NBA Weekly: Hornets Trade Tyson Chandler, The Phoenix Suns Are Babies, Tracy McGrady Out For Season, Lakers & Spurs, Vince Carter Trade Rumors, & More

Tyson Chandler: The Hornets have apparently given up on their playoff chances by trading Chandler to the Thunder for Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox. While neither Smith or Wilcox are stiffs and are both capable players, they are not the type of defender that Chandler is. For the Hornets to be able to compete with the Lakers and Spurs, they needed a big man like Chandler who could defend Gasol or Bynum and Duncan. Now they don't have that and I don't see how this team is going to compete out West. Hell, even the McGrady-less Rockets might be able to take down the Hornets now that Yao won't have to deal with Chandler defending him. Unfortunately, this move was a financial one for the Hornets and the players on the team aren't too happy about it to say the least. They understood the value of Chandler and what he meant to their chances in the playoffs, but with this move the Hornets might have crippled their chances of winning a title for not just this year but future years as well.

Tracy McGrady: Once again McGrady is injured only this time he's out for the season, because he's going to have knee surgery. I always felt like McGrady was slightly overrated, but the Rockets did need him to compete out West in the playoffs. The team was not playing as well as they should be this season, but a healthy McGrady at least would have given them a chance to make some noise out West in the playoffs. Now I think the furthest they can get is the second round and that's only if they stay in the 4th or 5th playoff spot. After that I can't see them getting past the Lakers or Spurs in the second round.

Vince Carter: Word on the street was that the Nets were going to hang on to Vince Carter, but now it appears that they have discussed trade possibilities with both Portland and Houston. The trade with Houston originally included Tracy McGrady heading to the Nets, but since McGrady is now out for the season a different trade has been proposed. The Nets would send Vince and Josh Boone to the Rockets for Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Luther Head and Carl Landry. Seems like a lot to give up for Vince, because Artest and Battier are their best two perimeter defenders. The Portland deal would send the expiring contract of Raef Lafrentz to the Nets along with Travis Outlaw and Sergio Rodriguez. I'm not sure what Portland wants with Vince, since he is a similar player to Brandon Roy, but I guess he would improve their offense. Portland does seem to have a lot of wing players already though, so I'm not sure how much better Vince really makes them. The Spurs are also intrigued by Carter and would offer the Nets a package of Roger Mason Jr., George Hill and Bruce Bowen. However, I can't see the Spurs giving up Mason and Bowen for Vince. It looks like Vince getting traded to the Rockets is the most likely scenario at this point.

Lakers & Spurs: With the trade of Tyson Chandler and Tracy McGrady's season ending injury, the Lakers and Spurs are clearly in the driver's seat out West. The Nuggets are probably the only other team out West that I could see making it to the Western Conference Finals and that would still be a mild surprise for them to beat the Spurs to get there. I think the Lakers have a pretty clear path to the NBA Finals. I would say they have about a 75% chance to make it there and the Spurs are the only team that can stop them from getting there. I think the Spurs would put up a better fight then they did last season against the Lakers though and would not be totally surprised to see them pull off the upset. I won't count the Spurs out yet and neither should you, but it looks pretty certain with the recent turn of events that those will be the two teams battling out West. The Nuggets are going to be a tough out this year though and they shouldn't be taken lightly either.

Phoenix Suns: The Suns fired coach Terry Porter and have replaced him with assistant Alvin Gentry, who plans to return the Suns to their old run 'n gun style. Now I don't know what issues the Suns players had with Porter, but they have been complaining all season how they don't like their new style of play and wanted to play the old way. Well you know what? The old way didn't work in the past and it ain't gonna work now. Terry Porter may or may not be a good coach, but he had the right idea, because this team is going nowhere unless they play some defense. Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, and whoever else was complaining about having to play defense and not being able to run are a bunch of babies. Steve Nash is great on offense, but he sucks on D, and his defense and Amare's defense are the reason why this team hasn't and won't ever win anything. Steve Nash gets a free pass because he is the media's darling, but he's just a whiney baby who can't play any D and I'm the only one who will call him out on this. Amare could be even better than KG if he put in the effort and focused on the defensive end, but all he cares about is being the guy on the offensive end. So go ahead and run Phoenix, score your 140 points against the crappy Clippers and think you have turned things around, but to me you are just a bunch of babies who don't want to work hard on the defensive end. I hope you make the playoffs, so you can get swept by the Lakers in the first round.

Other NBA News:

- The Celtics traded Sam Cassell to the Kings, which might seem like an odd trade to some, but there is definitely a couple of levels to this one. First, the Celtics also sent some cash to the Kings, who are struggling financially right now, so a nice thing for the C's to donate to charity here. The Kings help out the Celtics by taking Cassell off their hands, which opens a roster spot for the Celtics to be able to make a trade or sign a free agent. The only question is what move are the Celtics going to make now? This also means Cassell is probably ready to start his coaching career next season.

- The Kings are looking to make some other moves as well and could send Mikki Moore & Quincy Douby to Minnesota for Rashad McCants. It's also likely that they will send John Salmons to the Thunder and Brad Miller could be headed to the Cavs, Mavs, or Knicks. Portland has also shown an interest in Salmons.

- The Knicks and Blazers have been discussing trade possibilities for David Lee with the Blazers offering Jerryd Bayless and Travis Outlaw. The Knicks haven't been blown away by that offer though and it looks like they are still insisting teams take Eddie Curry in any deal that include Lee.

- Marcus Camby is a name that has been mentioned as a trade possibility, but so far there haven't been any specific teams or trade scenarios linked to Camby. He is definitely a player that could alter the playoff outlook of a number of teams though. If he moves to a contender, it could be the trade that makes the most impact this season.

- You already know about my thoughts on the Jermaine O'Neal for Shawn Marion trade. Both guys should be in action tonight. Miami is also likely to add some PG depth before the deadline. Seems like Pat Riley is confident that his team can make a run in the East this season and with the way Dwyane Wade has played this year I certainly don't blame him.

- Zach Randolph punched Louis Amundson in the face last night, in case you missed that one. I think it's funny how hockey players fight all the time and people don't say a word about it, but as soon as NBA players start fighting they are all labeled as thugs and hoodlums. Competition is competition and stuff like this is bound to happen at some point regardless of the sport.

- Apparently Allen Iverson cutting off his cornrows didn't help him or the Pistons last night. AI had just 10 points on 4 of 13 shooting in the Pistons 92-86 home loss to the Bucks.

- Dwight Howard scored a career high 45 points last night against Oklahoma City. I'm actually kind of surprised that 45 was a career high for Dwight, although I probably shouldn't be since he really isn't a big time scorer. He's averaging a career high of 21.0 points a game this season.

- Howard's teammate, Jameer Nelson, is healing quickly and still hopes to play this season. Nelson should know within the next few weeks if he will be able to come back. I hope he does come back, because I would love to see what this Orlando team can do at full strength in the playoffs.

- Don't forget to check out this really good interview with Danny Granger and his father by John Thompson. Granger is an under the radar superstar personality-wise and this interview tells us a little more about who Granger is and where he comes from.

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NBA Weekly: Amare Stoudemire Trade Rumors, Jermaine O'Neal To The Heat?, Al Jefferson Out For Season, & More

Amare Stoudemire: It's quite apparent that Amare Stoudemire is on the trading block and numerous teams are lining up potential deals so that they can acquire him. So far Miami and Chicago have tossed out potential deals to the Suns. The Miami deal would send Shawn Marion back to Phoenix along with rookie Michael Beasley. While Chicago's deal would send Tyrus Thomas, along with the expiring contracts of Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons, and possibly Joakim Noah to the Suns. Phoenix is not interested in Miami's deal because they would rather have Tyrus Thomas than Michael Beasley, so it seems like the Miami deal is not likely. Thomas has been actually playing pretty damn well lately and now has a double-double in four straight games.

It's also believed that there are two other teams who have made better offers than both Miami & Chicago, one of which I believe to be the Portland Trailblazers, who reportedly have offered to send LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless, and Raef LeFrentz’s $12.7 million expiring contract to the Suns for Amare. If I'm the Suns I'd pull the trigger on that deal immediately. You get a replacement for Amare, a future replacement for Nash when you let him leave in 2010 as a free agent, and the cap space from Lafrentz' expiring contract.

Now supposedly there are two offers better than the offers of Miami & Chicago, so if Portland is one of them, then who is the other offer coming from? I know Detroit, Toronto, New York, & Golden State have thrown their names into the mix, but I can't see either one of them offering all that much. Toronto wants to put Bosh & Amare together, so stop thinking that Bosh trade to the Suns is likely. I'm thinking there must be a mystery team out there that has yet to come forward. Taking a quick look at the rest of the teams in the NBA, I can't really see a team where a trade for Amare makes sense without completely breaking up the core of a team that is already pretty solid. I still think the Suns should take that Portland deal ASAP.

Jermaine O'Neal: Word on the street is that if the Heat can't get Amare Stoudemire from the Suns, that they are seriously thinking about trading for Raptors center Jermaine O'Neal. That trade would send Shawn Marion & Marcus Banks to the Raptors. I'm not a fan of this move for the Heat on the court, because I don't think you trade for Jermaine O'Neal unless you think you can ride him to an NBA title this season. I don't think the Heat, even with O'Neal, are going to be able to compete with Boston, Cleveland, & Orlando over this season and next season when O'Neal's contract expires. Now notice that Jermaine O'Neal's contract expires in 2010, which means the Heat would have about $22 million of cap room to go after one of the bigger free agents after they sign Dwyane Wade of course. Since Pat Riley usually makes good moves, I'm thinking that is the reason they don't mind grabbing O'Neal right now. They can stay competitive this season and next and then will be in good shape to sign 2 players from the big free agent class of 2010.

Miami Heat: In addition to O'Neal, the Heat are also rumored to be interested in trading for Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets and Kings center Brad Miller. Both trades would include Shawn Marion as well. Not sure why the Hornets would want to move their best low post defender, since that would basically eliminate them from having any chance to beat the Lakers or Spurs this season.

Al Jefferson: Bad news for the T-Wolves who will have to play the rest of the season without Big Al Jefferson, after Jefferson tore the ACL in his right knee. Jefferson is one of only three players averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds a game this season and had he been on a better team would most likely have been an All-Star. Kevin Love should see even more minutes now that Jefferson is out, which isn't such a bad thing for Minnesota, but this team is already thin down low and I would expect their poor defense is going to get even worse. It's really a shame that Jefferson went down, because this T-Wolves team actually had a chance to become the first Wolves team to ever win 30 games without Kevin Garnett. They actually still have a chance to do so, but would have to go 13-18 without Jefferson to accomplish that.

Other NBA News:

- All signs point the Nets hanging on to Vince Carter, but if he is traded it will most likely be to a Western Conference team, possibly Dallas. VC heaed to Dallas would certainly be intriguing, since Vince has surprised me and others by sharing the basketball this season a lot more than originally thought. The last two seasons, Vince has had the highest assist per game averages of his career. Carter could also help ease the loss of Jason Terry, who is out for a while with a fractured finger.

- Larry Hughes could soon be headed back to the Wizards for Etan Thomas & Mike James. Looks like it would just be a move to dump Hughes by the Bulls.

- The Lakers traded Vladimir Radmanovic to Charlotte for Adam Morrison & Shannon Brown. I guess Radmanovic was buried pretty deep in Phil Jackson's doghouse.

- Mo Williams was named to replace Chrish Bosh in the All Star Game and also J.R. Smith will replace the injured Rudy Gay in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. You can check out more on the Slam Dunk Contest below:

Dwight Howard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAG3QYCWR6U

Nate Robinson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WolTNEMucXI

Rudy Fernandez: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp0dWl2iDsw

For more info, see the official Sprite Slam Dunk page: http://www.nba.com/dunk

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NBA Weekly: Jameer Nelson Is Out = Give Courtney Lee More Minutes, Andrew Bynum's Injury & Effect On The Lakers, Hornets, Jason Thompson, & More

Jameer Nelson: The Orlando Magic were hit with a devastating blow when Nelson tore the labrum in his right shoulder, which could cause him to have season ending surgery. Nelson is going to try and deal with the pain in his shoulder over the next several weeks before he decides whether or not to have surgery. My initial reaction to the injury to their All-Star guard was that the Magic would be toast even in the regular season. However, after thinking things over, I think they can manage to hang in there with the big boys out East during the regular season. It's rumored that the Magic are now looking to make a trade to acquire a PG to help out backup Anthony Johnson, but the Magic don't have enough assets to acquire anyone who will make a major impact on the team. Some names that have been thrown out there include: Stephon Marbury, Jamaal Tinsley, Carlos Arroyo, Sergio Rodriguez, Ramon Sessions, Earl Watson, Chucky Atkins, Kyle Lowry, Earl Boykins, & Jannero Pargo.

I say, yeah, go ahead and get Tinsley or Earl Watson as insurance, but they should be giving a majority of the minutes to rookie Courtney Lee. I have seen enough of the kid to think that he would thrive with more playing time at this point in the season. In January, with 29 minutes a game he averaged 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 45.4% from the field and 42.1% from deep. His defensive rating on the season is actually slightly better than Nelson's, so there would be no drop off on the defensive end. I would then have Hedo Turkoglu share the point guard duties from time to time with Anthony Johnson and whoever else the Magic decide to pick up. I think that would leave Orlando in pretty good shape to compete in the East and then they would just have to hope that Nelson will be healthy for the playoffs. If he's not, then I have a hard time believing they will be able to beat Cleveland and Boston. With Nelson, I feel like Orlando is the second best team in the East after the Celtics. Without him, I'm not so sure and if Nelson doesn't come back I'm gonna be real disappointed that I won't get a chance to see just how good Orlando really is.

Andrew Bynum: The Lakers were also hit hard by injury when Andrew Bynum tore his MCL, which will cost him 8 to 12 weeks. The Lakers should be fine without Bynum during the regular season, because you know they do have that Kobe guy, who just happened to drop 61 points on the Knicks. However, the playoffs are another story. Without Bynum or at least a 100% Bynum, the Lakers will most likely not win the NBA Championship and could possibly lose before the NBA Finals out West. I'd have to say San Antonio still has the best chance to knock off the Lakers out West, because I am not yet a believer in the Houston Rockets and I don't see New Orleans playing at the same level they did last season. Denver might even be a dark horse to beat the Lakers, but again that's probably a very long shot. I still see the Spurs as the # 1 competition for the Lakers, but I would imagine that without a healthy Bynum, the Lakers would at least have a tough time getting past the Celtics in the finals. I think they would have a better chance against Cleveland or Orlando if one of those two teams was the make the NBA Finals out of the East, but could possibly lose to either one of those two teams as well.

New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets dodged a bullet with Chris Paul because his is just day-to-day with a mild groin strain. Losing Paul for an extended period of time would have killed the Hornets season and seen them possibly drop out of the playoffs, since they are only 3 games up on 9th place Utah. I don't like the way the Hornets have played this season and I'm not sure why they have struggled so much. This might be a team that is cruising through the regular season, because they have bought into their own hype. A veteran team like the Spurs can skate through the regular season a little bit from time to time, but I don't think a younger team like the Hornets can get away with it.

Jason Thompson: Kevin Love has received a lot of props this season for his outstanding rebounding, as he should, since he rates #1 in the NBA in offensive rebound %. However, there is another rookie this season that has been quite impressive on the boards as well and that is Kings rookie Jason Thompson. Thompson currently ranks 18th in the NBA in total rebound percentage grabbing 15.7% of all possible rebounds when he is on the floor. He is even better at grabbing offensive rebounds, where he ranks 8th in the NBA grabbing 11.8% of those. That bodes well for the rookie, who should improve and end up having a nice career in the NBA. He's one of the hidden gems of this rookie class and is averaging 10.5 points & 6.9 rebounds on 50.4% shooting this season in just 25.9 minutes a game. Lately, he has been even better, having scored in double figures in 14 straight games. During that stretch, he is averaging 14.7 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 57.3% from the field.

Other NBA News:

- Andrew Bogut will miss 8 weeks with a stress fracture in his back. Milwaukee is improved from last season and currently hold the 8 seed in the East, but I think they might have a hard time holding onto that spot as the season goes on.

- You can officially write off the Detroit Pistons for this season if you haven't done so already. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have dropped to the 5th team in the East and I could see them possibly falling behind Miami & Philadelphia into 7th as the season goes on. They are definitely no longer contenders in the East for this season at least.

- Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors had to shoot down rumors that Bosh asked to be traded. I wouldn't be surprised if he did ask, since the Raptors are horrible right now and seem like they have given up on the season. They are currently next to last in the East with a 19-31 record. I told you that Jermaine O'Neal trade wouldn't do much for the Raptors.

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NBA Weekly: Mo Williams is NOT An All-Star, Steve Francis Waived, Brad Miller for Shawn Marion?, & More

Mo Williams: Mo Williams blew up the other night and dropped 43 points on the Kings and now everyone suddenly thinks this means he should be an All-Star. Look, it's great that he scored 43 points, but in case you haven't noticed the Kings are the worst team in the NBA and give up 108 points a game. Putting that aside, he still should not be an All-Star over other players like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Devin Harris, Vince Carter, and hell even Jameer Nelson. Williams currently ranks behind all of them in PER, where he is ranked 67th overall....right behind Matt Bonner. He also ranks behind these guards in the East: Joe Johnson, Nate Robinson, Andre Miller, Mike Bibby, Andre Iguodala, and Jose Calderon. To top it off, while still respectable, Williams has a lower shooting percentage than last year and is averaging less assists and steals, yet nobody was trying to get him selected to the All-Star game last season because he was on a horrible Bucks team. Williams is a solid player, but he is nothing more than that, and he certainly doesn't deserve to be in the All-Star game simply because his teammate Lebron has the Cavs off to a great start.

Steve Francis: Stevie Franchise was waived by the Grizzlies and it's possible he may never play for another franchise in the NBA again, nevermind actually being the franchise. Francis has averaged 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in nine seasons with Houston, Orlando, New York, and Memphis. He was also an All-Star three times. It's amazing how quickly his career has fallen off. I never really saw him as a great player and he was kind of a bootleg Allen Iverson, but he certainly was a solid player who had plenty of talent. The problem with Stevie Franchise was that he never improved and was always seen as someone who was not a team player or who made his teammates better. Unfortunately, when you are a point guard, that is a tough label to shed. I'm not sure what kind of interest is out there for Francis or even how much Francis can help a team at this point in his career. I imagine the Celtics would be involved at some point if they can't land Marbury.

Other NBA News:

- The Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings are talking trade with Shawn Marion and Brad Miller the key guys thats would be changing teams. Brad Miller would be a nice pickup for the Heat because they need more size downlow. I still don't think it makes them a contender in the East though. Nice move, but just not enough for them to compete with Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando. The deal would also send Kenny Thomas to the Heat and possibly Marcus Banks to the Kings.

- Carmelo Anthony is eying January 30th for his return from injury. The Nuggets have gone 6-3 since 'Melo was shut down because of a nagging hand injury. I had mentioned that Linas Kleiza & J.R. Smith should be able to fill 'Melo's scoring void, while he was out with an injury and they both have been able to do that so far. Kleiza is averaging 15.7 points a game since 'Melo's injury, while J.R. Smith is averaging 16.3 points a game. Both have helped Denver keep their lead in the division with a 30-15 record.

- Charlotte's Gerald Wallace left the game against the Lakers the other night after being hit by Andrew Bynum and he suffered a possible collapsed lung and fractured rib. This is bad new for the Bobcats, who have gone 6-4 over their last 10 games, and look to be improving with each game. Their improved play made me believe that they would sneak into the playoffs as the 8 seed in the East. Wallace is one of Charlotte's best players along with Emeka Okafor and to lose him for a significant period of time would certainly hurt their chances of making the playoffs for the first time in team history.

- Bucks SG Michael Redd out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee. The Bucks are currently the 8th seed in the East, but I would imagine they will fall out of the playoffs before all is said and done.

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