Last night was one of the nights where it was just awesome to be a basketball fan. Despite the Celtic's loss(and thus my awful mood this morning that was ever so nicely met by a snowstorm in LATE MARCH in Boston), you have to appreciate the talent that we saw. While Boston and Miami were certainly the center of focus, multiple games fit the bill. Well, except for Charlotte vs. Washington. Here's some notes from the goodies.
(Last night Jeff Green played at an all-star level on both sides. Unfortunately the MVP was his opponent.)
Gold: Miami 105, Boston 103: Boston showed the NBA how to beat this version of Miami: Force Lebron to pass out of the lane by double or triple teaming him when they drive, and have the guards shoot threes. Now I want to remind you of something, the guys shooting threes are Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, and Shane Battier. This is why Miami has won 23 in a row.
Also, poor Jeff Green. Check out this line: 43 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals while shooting 14-21 from the field and 5-7 from three. Oh, and he was guarding Lebron most of the game on the other end. You have to wonder what the Celts can be like when Green plays like this AND Kevin Garnett is the one patrolling the paint and not Chris Wilcox.
Silver: Denver 119, Chicago 118(OT): While the Celts and Heat were stealing all the headlines, a classic was brewing in Chicago. The leading scorers for each team? Wilson Chandler(35 points off the bench) and Nate Robinson(34 points in 46 minutes). I'll give Nate this, his hustle is unquestioned in games like this. This game had street fight written all over it, and unfortunately the game came down to a very controversial offensive goaltending call. See it here and let us know what you think yourself.
With this win, the Nuggets have quietly won 12 straight, and sit just a 1/2 game back of that third spot in the West.
Bronze: Philadelphia 101, Portland 100:Unless you live in Portland or Eastern Pennsylvania, you probably weren't watching this game. While Andrew Bynum's drunk knees stole the headlines again(Bynum is officially done for the year as he is having surgery on both knees), Jrue Holliday and Damian Lillard went toe to toe. The jump that Holliday has made now that he is the man on this roster(and probably deserves Bynum's contract for it) has been fun to watch. He had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and was 3-6 from outside to outduel Lillard who by no means backed down(27 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5-7 from outside.) Lillard made a three late but the Blazers couldn't covert in their last possession giving the Sixers the one point win on an otherwise down night for the franchise.
Almost everyone else in the world took celebrating St. Patrick's Day as a way to relax and kick back. Not Spencer Hawes though. Definitely not Spencer Hawes.
Can you say Blue Steel? Also, mad props for the Sonics snap back. (Conspiracy Theory?)
"The consensus around the league continues to be that Smith is gone, either by trade or free agency. The situation in Atlanta continues to deteriorate to the point that the Hawks seem to have little choice but to let him go now -- unless they can find a way to pry away Dwight Howard from the Lakers to play alongside his friend Smith.
The latest intel, via our own Chris Broussard, has the Nets entering the picture for Smith. The question is whether a package of Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks is enough to make a deal. That's doubtful. The Hawks would prefer a young center.
The Spurs have been mentioned as a possible suitor, but unless they are willing to part with Kawhi Leonard (highly unlikely), they don't really have the assets.
Look for the 76ers, who have been dangling both Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner to other teams, to be a potential landing place."
Why for Philadelphia:
Josh Smith is an elite talent playing at a position of need for the 76ers. Fitting him next to Thaddeus Young and Smith would create a long athletic 3/4 combination that would cause match up problems around the league. With the emergence of Jrue Holliday, Philadelphia would be best served to surround him with as many athletic players to run the floor alongside him as possible.
If Bynum, is healthy next year and remains in Philadelphia, the Sixers would have the makings of a long athletic team that defends at an elite level and breaks out off of every miss. Should Bynum and/or Smith decide to leave Philadelphia could find themselves with a large amount of cap room to rebuild their team in any way they see fit.
Why for Atlanta:
The Hawks have been trying to move Josh Smith for a while, but have yet to get an offer that they consider worthwhile. With the new CBA changing the rules for sign and trades it becomes even more imperative that they move him before he becomes a free agent this summer.
Since, Danny Ferry took over Atlanta they have been looking to build a team with young talent and financial flexibility. Bringing back Turner for Smith would allow the Hawks to bring back a young player that could be an all star presence in Atlanta for years to come.
Ford's rumor of moving Spencer Hawes in the deal makes sense for Philadelphia, but less so for Atlanta. Since Ferry has started remodeling the team, cap flexibility has been stressed. If they move J-Smoove taking back at least one expiring deal would be a necessity. Including Nick Young in the deal allows the Hawks to keep some of their cap flexibility while adding young talent. A first would have to be included by the Sixers to make this feasible for Atl.
Check out the other posts in our February Trade Rumors Series:
As the Knicks continue to pace this division, both the Nets and Celtics look to be turning their seasons around. Since the coaching change in Brooklyn, PJ Carlesimo has had this team rolling to a 5-1 record, finally showing the offensive balance that this team anticipated after landing star Joe Johnson to pair with the trio of Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Gerald Wallace. Deron Williams looks to be playing more comfortably and seems to have found his confidence that was lost somewhere in Avery Johnson's duffel bag. Then there is the Celtics, who had lost their patented style in the KG era of lock down defense and half court offensive execution. It just wasn't there this season as Doc Rivers searched to find a lineup that would mesh like teams of the past. Finally, Boston got back it's defensive bulldog in Avery Bradley, a player that not only will harass the opposing teams' best wing player, but also allows Rajon Rondo to play off the ball and save some of his energy for the offensive end. For this divisional roundup, I'll switch up the style a bit and while each team will still be evaluated on current play, I'd like to start the NBA rumor season with kicking up some dust on a few rumors of my own and working the NBA Trade Machine.
New York Knicks: The Knicks continue to struggle with injuries, as Rasheed Wallace will miss his 12th straight game tonight when the Celtics visit MSG and they continue to be without Raymond Felton who will miss another 4 weeks or so nursing a broken pinkie finger. Thankfully for the Knicks they have the depth and talent to withstand this mid-season doldrums period. While Carmelo Anthony is still the offensive force on this team scoring over 29 a game on 48% shooting (nearly 44% from downtown too) another player has emerged as a true offensive weapon for the Knicks. JR Smith has been absolutely on fire the past couple weeks. In his last 5 games he is averaging 24 points, 7 rebound, and 4 assists all while providing incredible energy and highlights like this one:
While gushing over Smith's talent has been something that NBA scouts have been doing for years, I recognize that he has a propensity for inconsistent stretches of play, hitting numerous lows and highs throughout an NBA season. The Knicks also celebrated the return of Amar'e back to the lineup, though he has been on a serious minute limit, averaging just a shade over 18 mins a game in the three games he has played in so far. While his shot has not fallen consistently in those three games, Amar'e still has a bunch left to give to the Knicks. As long as he recognizes that he is no longer a focal point of the team's offensive strategy, he could be a big piece for them as they head toward the second half and an eventual playoff run (or they could trade him-see below).
Now Lets Look at a Trade: Team Need: Depth in frontcourt
This is a tough team to trade with since they have huge salaries and few tradeable pieces. Here's one scenario I came up with for them in which they trade one of their "untradeable" pieces.: The Knicks get more size up front that they can pair with Tyson Chandler at what would be an excellent center rotation. The Wiz would rid themselves of one year of Nene's contract by taking on a 3yr contract in Amar'e rather than the 4 owed to Nene. John Wall will also get that all important pick and roll partner he will need to succeed in this league. The Knick would also have to throw in a future first or a couple second round picks to get this done. Brooklyn Nets:
What a turnaround for the Nets! After getting out of the gates hot and then struggling mightily in December, they made the decision to change coaches and go with NBA veteran PJ Carlesimo. So far the results have been quite satisfactory for owner Mikhail Prokhorov. As mentioned above, the team is 5-1 in the Carlesimo reign, showing a much improved offensive balance as well as renewed confidence from franchise player Deron Williams. While Williams stats don't jump out as much improved, he is getting his teammates involved in better positions for them to score or to make an extra pass. Proof of this is that in the last 5 games Brook Lopez is averaging 23 points on 57% shooting, while Joe Johnson has been scoring 19 a game and shooting 49% in that same stretch.
This team is pretty much impossible to do a trade for, I've tried to make something fair on the trade machine for an hour and just can't come up with something that's not one sided. If the Nets are really going all in this year they could trade Mashon Brooks, Keith Bogan, and another minimum salary for Jermaine O'Neal and Sebastain Telfair from Phoneix. I wouldn't do it as a Nets fan since the team won't win it all this year anyways.
Boston Celtics:
This team has turned in back to back performances that brought to mind the 2007-2008 club. They dominated defensively allowing only 75 and 81 points respectively against Indiana and Atlanta. In fact, after being down 15 at halftime against Atlanta, the team allowed only 28 total second half points from the Hawks, while scoring 51 themselves including 33 in the third quarter. Avery Bradley's defense makes this team look younger and much more aggressive on both ends, as it allows Rondo to expend his energy getting to the cup and providing for his teammates instead of having the greater responsibilities on the defensive end. The speed of the Celtics backcourt is a difficult matchup for any opponent and remain their biggest strength on both ends of the floor. As has been the case for the past few years, the Celtics biggest weakness is the lack of a legitimate center to pair with the ever springy Kevin Garnett. The Celtics have the second worst rebounding differential in the NBA, trailing only the struggling veteran group in Dallas. Rumors have been swirling about adding DeMarcus Cousins, but I didn't want to limit it to just him, so here are a couple potential trades for the Celtics:
1. For Cousins-Can we acquire him without giving up Rondo or Bradley? Not in this scenario...
2. For Gortat-we also include a draft pick...I don't give up Bradley in a deal for Gortat.
3. Varejao-Do you trade Bradley and Sullinger for Varejao, a legit center w/ 3 more years on his contract? Either way it would seem unrealistic to acquire any player without giving up our two best tradeable assets in Bradley and Sullinger. Do any of these sound like something you'd be willing to do? Sound off in the comments Philadelphia 76ers:
Losers of 5 of their last 6 and 11 of their last 14 games, this team is reeling right now. Teams seem to have figured out how to limit the backcourt combo of Turner and Holiday. While Holiday leads the team in scoring at 18.4 per game as well as dishing out 8.9 assists per, Evan Turner has been struggling recently, shooting under 40% and scoring only 11 a game in his last 5. This team gets very little from its frontcourt outside of Thaddeus Young. We are supposed to get an Andrew Bynum update this week, which we will bring once Phili holds a press conference but in the meantime this team is left as a bottom feeder in the league. My trade idea for this team: Go get DeMarcus Cousins. he could be paired with Andrew Bynum in the future creating the best twin tower combo since Duncan and Robinson.
Phili would get it's big fella, but would also take on all of Sacramento's poor contracts, but i think it's a sacrifice they would be willing to make. Sacramento would get a nice building block in Evan Turner as well as ridding itself of some terrible contracts. They would also require a first round pick from Phili. If i was Sacramento I would not do this, but it would save the Maloofs money and that's the only point of interest for the worst owners in basketball.
Toronto Raptors:
Despite losing back to back games to Sacramento and OKC, this team continues to play really well. Demar Derozan, Kyle Lowry, Jose Calderon, and a seemingly-out-of-nowhere Alan Anderson have been playing well of last for the Raptors. PF Ed Davis continues to play well scoring 13 and grabbing 7 boards over his last 5. Andrea Bargnani will likely be returning at the end of the month, but that shouldn't stop the progress Ed Davis has made. Coach Dwayne Casey has indicated that Davis will remain in the starting lineup when Bargnani returns. This team is still no where near ready to compete for the playoffs, but they have some solid trade chips that could help them there rebuilding process moving forward.
LA gets much better for this season, surrounding Kobe and Howard with a very good backup PG and a PF/C that could excel in the pick and pop with Nash when Howard is out of the game. Both Gasol and Bargnani have has injuries this season, but the star power of Pau Gasol in Canada could help Toronto become more relevant. They would also acquire an expiring contract for next season which they could use to acquire players for the future if things aren't working out. This is the most far fetched idea I have come up with, but i've been on the trade machine for hours and starting to put together more rediculous packages by the minute.
Later tonight or tomorrow morning I will post gift ideas for each team, many will be trades, so check back for that fun later. I will not include trade talk in this roundup, but look for it in future roundups.
It's time for the Atlantic Division's annual post Christmas west coast road trip, but first, let's see what they did this past week: Here is your Atlantic Division Roundup:
NY Knicks: Last weeks games: 2-2 1. Loss vs. Houston 109-96 2. Win vs. Brooklyn 100-86 3. Loss vs. Chicago 110-106 4. Win vs. Minny 94-91 Upcoming Games: Projected Record 2-1 1. Dec 25th (Xmas Day) @ LAL 3:00 PM EST 2. Dec 26th @ Phoenix 9 PM EST 3. Dec 28th @ Sacramento 10 PM EST This was certainly a rough week for the Atlantic Division. Starting at the top, the Knicks split their 4 games this past week looking less than stellar in doing so. Despite winning the subway series against the Nets, they dropped games to Chicago and Houston. They also pulled out a late win yesterday against the Twolves who were without Kevin Love, and could have easily lost the game as they trailed late. Carmelo Anthony finally looked to be coming back down to earth too, shooting just 32-72 (44.4%) in the three games he played, often relying on his old habit of settling for long jump shots. Carmelo, coming off his own mild ankle sprain wasn;t the only Knick nursing an injury. Injuries to the front line include Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, and the soon to be returning Amar'e Stoudemire. Another point of interest for the Knicks was their scuffle in the waning minutes of their loss to Chicago. Joakim Noah is one of the most infuriating players to play against no doubt, but both Tyson Chandler and Carmelo let their emotions get in the way of the Knicks comeback attempt, as each earned an ejection. The Knicks got beat up in this one, but need to show better poise going forward. I still think this team is the best in the Atlantic, but they looked beatable this week.
Brooklyn Nets: Last Weeks Games: 1-2 1. Loss vs Utah 92-90 2. Loss @ NYK 100-86 3. Win vs. Phili 95-92 Upcoming Games: Projected Record 2-2 1. Dec 25th vs. Boston 12 PM EST 2. Dec 26th @ Milwaukee 8 PM EST 3. Dec 28th vs. Charlotte 7:30 PM EST 4. Dec 29th vs. Cleveland 7:30 PM EST Staring up at the Knicks in the division, the Brooklyn Nets continue to struggle in finding their groove. Supposed franchise player Deron Williams, who has absolutely been the biggest disappointment for me this season, finally started playing better but the team still lost 2 of 3. Williams is still shooting below 40% for the season but shot 17-33 (51.5%) this week. Brook Lopez is also healthy again, although it looks as though he is still trying to find his shot. Thankfully for the Nets, both Joe Johnson who looks to have found his 3 point stroke, and Gerald Wallacewhoserebounding and hustle give the team much needed energy have helped to carry the load. This team has the core to play with anyone, but the depth they need is very apparent when this team matches up against the elite.
Boston Celtics: Last Week Games: 1-2 1. Loss @ Chicago-100-89 2. Win vs. Cleveland 103-91 3. Loss vs. Milwaukee 99-94 OT Next Weeks Games: Projected record 3-1 1. Dec 25th @ Brooklyn 12 PM EST 2. Dec 27th @ LAL 10:30 PM EST 3. Dec 29th @ Golden State 10:30 PM EST 4. Dec 30th @ Sacramento 9 PM EST Boston is not happy with their hometown team these days. The Celts have lost 4 of 5 and 2 of 3 this week, including being swept 3-0 in the season series against Milwaukee. This game was particularly discouraging because the Celtics made a valiant comeback in the final minute, showing poise and execution that seemed to disappear in overtime. Paul Pierce played amazing this week, scoring 30.3 a game on a ridiculous 65% from the field. On the flip side, Rajon Rondo looked bad this week, lacking aggressiveness in the Milwaukee game. This team also looks desperate for big bodies With Chris Wilcox out for a month and Jason Collins being added to the starting unit, it wouldn't be a surprise if the team was active in the trade market. They Signed NCAA all time blocks leader Jarvis Varnado, but unless he can make a Greg Steimsma like contribution, this team is in trouble up front. The guard situation is great though as they get back Avery Bradley next week and hope for Jason Terry to get out of his recent shooting slump. This team should finish first of second in the division, but they need to start winning now. They face the Nets tomorrow on Xmas day at noon.
Philadelphia 76ers: Last Week: 1-3 1. Loss @ Dallas 107-100 2. Loss @ Houston 125-103 3. Win vs. Atlanta 99-80 4. Loss @ Brooklyn 95-92
Next weeks Games: Projected Record 1-2 1. Dec 26th @ Memphis 8 PM EST 2. Dec 28th @ Golden State 10:30 PM EST 3. Dec 29th @ Portland 10 PM EST
The 76ers, also look up at the Knicks in the division This team is in a tailspin, dropping 6 of 7 and look to be, as said previously on this blog, the 4th best team in the division. They will battle for a playoff spot, but won't go far this year. Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, and Thaddeus Young all continue to play well, but after them this team is struggling. NBA teams have no fear of playing Phili these days.
Toronto Raptors: Last Weeks Games: 3-0 1. Win @ Cleveland 113-99 2. Win vs. Detroit 97-91 3. Win vs. Orlando 93-90
Next Weeks Games: Projected Record 1-2 1. Dec 26th @ San Antonio 8:30 PM EST 2. Dec 28th @ New Orleans 8 PM EST 3. Dec 29th @ Orlando 7 PM EST
Has this team responded to their star calling them out? No, I'm not asking about the Lakers, I'm talking about the Toronto Raptors. A week after 'star' player Andrea Bargnani called the team the worst in the NBA, the Raptors have rolled off 5 straight wins. Bargnani is actually hurt, so he hasn't been contributing to this, but some of his teammates have stepped up their games in his absence Rising star Demar DeRozan , energy big man Ed Davis, steady point guard Jose Calderon, and little known Alan Anderson on the wing have this team rolling. Calderon has averaged 15 and 10 assists during the win streak. This team actually looks to have pretty excellent offensive balance. They are certainly no longer the NBA's worst.
Later I will post gift ideas for each team, including trades for some that could help them reach the next level.
