West Round 1
1. New Orleans vs 8. Denver - AI passing the little man torch to CP3. In a wide open series CP3 may even appear better than he is, and he is REALLY good.
2. LA vs 7. Golden State - Captain Jack & Kobe chat'n it up for 5 or 6 games, bound to be an incident and suspensions. I may even take a trip to Oak Town to take in game 3.
3. Phoenix vs 6. Houston - This match up guarantees Phoenix advances & Steve Kerr can rest a little easier, for now.
4. Utah vs 5. SA - Utah, I beg you, please win this series.
West Round 2
1. New Orleans vs 4. Utah - CP3 vs Deron.
2. LA vs 3. Phoenix - Would there ever be a Conference Semi-Final with so much on the line? I am confidant Kobe would rather die a slow and painful death than lose this series. Shaq trying to prove he can still play when it matters. Perhaps Nash's last chance @ a title. Steve Kerr hoping he's not heading back to TNT.
Western Conference Finals
1. NO vs 2. LA - Will the real MVP please stand up?
East Round 1
1. Boston vs 8. NJ - NBA gets a name, Vince Carter as an opponent to Boston & the rest of us get to see just how foolish Cuban was in letting Devon Harris go.
2. Detroit vs 7. Philly - Philly might just win this .. did I just say that?
3. Orlando vs 6. Toronto - Howard vs Bosh .. good times.
4. LeBron vs 5. LeWiz - Legit Rivalry, just ask the Wiz.
East Round 2
1. Boston vs 4. LeBron - The Massholes will be nervous !!
3. Orlando vs 7. Philly - Aren't we all just a little tired of Detroit?
Eastern Conference Finals
1. Boston vs 3. Orlando - Superman takes on Beantown
NBA FINALS
Boston vs LA - Biggest ratings in NBA finals history?
Friday, March 28, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
S.O.S.
Shaq to Phoenix? It’s not that Shaq can’t still play, it’s that Shawn Marion was far more valuable than most realized. Ironic a team that was criticized mostly for defense traded away their two best defensive players, Kurt Thomas & Shawn Marion. The trade potentially shortens Nash’s tenure in Phoenix. If the experiment does not work the Suns will have 33m in contracts between Nash & Shaq for the 09/10 season and Nash’s contract is a team option. Remember it’s Robert Sarvar writing the checks, and they will be faced with a dilemma if the 08/09 season goes poorly. The only way I can see this working is for the Suns to become a half court team. Shaq has to be where the offense starts or he is just going to be in the way. I am hoping for a LA/Phoenix 1st round match up, that would be fun.
Kidd to Dallas? The trade is acceptable only to the extent they @ least still have a chance with Kidd. Although now, they HAVE to win. The problem with this trade is that it wasn’t needed. Dallas was already a very good team, as a trip to the NBA finals and a 67-win season would indicate. They were 24-7 vs. the West this season before the trade and they gave up a very good young point guard. The 2nd point guard Cuban has sent out of town in the last 4 years. This was a lateral move @ best and the Mavs gave up some size & depth in Diop. Makes you wonder if the 06 finals were officiated differently would this trade ever been made?
Shaq for Kidd! This will never happen simply because it makes way too much sense. The Mavs & Suns gave up very valuable assets in acquiring aging superstars that simply don’t fit their respective systems. These stars, Shaq & Kidd can still play in this league. The way I see it, the only way these two teams can survive these poor decisions is to do the unthinkable. Trade Shaq & Kidd in the off-season.
Shaq fits perfectly with Dallas. He can be the anchor in the post, with excellent perimeter players in Dirk, Howard & Terry. This also gives Avery Johnson great flexibility given that Dirk can play the 3 or 4, Howard can play the 2 or 3, and Terry can play the 1 or 2. Dampier, Shaq, Dirk, Howard & Terry would give them great size on D which will allow them to compete w. a Laker or Spur front line in a potential post season match up. Or they can play one or even no big men @ times and compete against smaller quicker teams, Golden State or Phoenix for example. Cuban has his core guys secured in long term contracts and can afford 1 more season with Shaq than he would have to with Kidd, after all Cuban has been paying Michael Finley 20m a year to play for the Spurs. Starting 5: Terry, Howard, Dirk, Shaq & Bass
From the Suns perspective, this is one-part damage control, only committing to 1 year contract with Kidd as opposed to two years with Shaq & one-part setting Steve Nash free again. We all know how salary cap adverse is Robert Sarver is, and this will give him 20m in salary relief for the 09/10 season. A full season with Shaq might take the life out of Nash, and force the Suns into a terrible predicament, not taking the team’s option on the final year of his contract and ending his tenure w. the Suns or paying 13m for an old spent pg. Bring Kidd into the mix and that changes. Nash & Kidd can split time @ the PG always having a HOF point guard on the floor. Anyone who has followed the Suns knows Nash has one of the highest +/- ratings in the NBA and the Suns struggle when he is not on the floor. That problem is solved. Nash one of the best shooters in the league can slide to the shooting guard position when they are both on the floor at the same time. The Suns would have a 48 minute relentless attack on their opponent. All D’Antoni has to do is commit to giving Brian Skinner his 18-24 minutes a game and let him take the fouls for the team. Starting 5: Nash, Bell, Hill, Stoudemire & Skinner. Bench: Kidd, Barbosa, Diaw. Think about watching these 5 on the floor: Nash, Kidd, Barbosa, Hill, Stoudemire. The Suns might average 125+ a game. They might not win a championship but SHOWTIME will be fun to watch even if just for 1 season. Hell, they might even win a championship.
Kidd to Dallas? The trade is acceptable only to the extent they @ least still have a chance with Kidd. Although now, they HAVE to win. The problem with this trade is that it wasn’t needed. Dallas was already a very good team, as a trip to the NBA finals and a 67-win season would indicate. They were 24-7 vs. the West this season before the trade and they gave up a very good young point guard. The 2nd point guard Cuban has sent out of town in the last 4 years. This was a lateral move @ best and the Mavs gave up some size & depth in Diop. Makes you wonder if the 06 finals were officiated differently would this trade ever been made?
Shaq for Kidd! This will never happen simply because it makes way too much sense. The Mavs & Suns gave up very valuable assets in acquiring aging superstars that simply don’t fit their respective systems. These stars, Shaq & Kidd can still play in this league. The way I see it, the only way these two teams can survive these poor decisions is to do the unthinkable. Trade Shaq & Kidd in the off-season.
Shaq fits perfectly with Dallas. He can be the anchor in the post, with excellent perimeter players in Dirk, Howard & Terry. This also gives Avery Johnson great flexibility given that Dirk can play the 3 or 4, Howard can play the 2 or 3, and Terry can play the 1 or 2. Dampier, Shaq, Dirk, Howard & Terry would give them great size on D which will allow them to compete w. a Laker or Spur front line in a potential post season match up. Or they can play one or even no big men @ times and compete against smaller quicker teams, Golden State or Phoenix for example. Cuban has his core guys secured in long term contracts and can afford 1 more season with Shaq than he would have to with Kidd, after all Cuban has been paying Michael Finley 20m a year to play for the Spurs. Starting 5: Terry, Howard, Dirk, Shaq & Bass
From the Suns perspective, this is one-part damage control, only committing to 1 year contract with Kidd as opposed to two years with Shaq & one-part setting Steve Nash free again. We all know how salary cap adverse is Robert Sarver is, and this will give him 20m in salary relief for the 09/10 season. A full season with Shaq might take the life out of Nash, and force the Suns into a terrible predicament, not taking the team’s option on the final year of his contract and ending his tenure w. the Suns or paying 13m for an old spent pg. Bring Kidd into the mix and that changes. Nash & Kidd can split time @ the PG always having a HOF point guard on the floor. Anyone who has followed the Suns knows Nash has one of the highest +/- ratings in the NBA and the Suns struggle when he is not on the floor. That problem is solved. Nash one of the best shooters in the league can slide to the shooting guard position when they are both on the floor at the same time. The Suns would have a 48 minute relentless attack on their opponent. All D’Antoni has to do is commit to giving Brian Skinner his 18-24 minutes a game and let him take the fouls for the team. Starting 5: Nash, Bell, Hill, Stoudemire & Skinner. Bench: Kidd, Barbosa, Diaw. Think about watching these 5 on the floor: Nash, Kidd, Barbosa, Hill, Stoudemire. The Suns might average 125+ a game. They might not win a championship but SHOWTIME will be fun to watch even if just for 1 season. Hell, they might even win a championship.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Zero Tolerance
Gilbert Arenas has made it clear he intends to opt out of his current contract and will seek a max deal in the off-season. With “Agent Zero’s” return seemingly right around the corner, the Wizards and Gilbert face a conflict of agendas. Because Gil hasn’t played in a year, his desire to play for a max deal versus playing in a team dynamic that will allow the Wizards to make a serious playoff run could prove to be a volatile formula. Adding to the equation is the fact that Caron Butler has emerged as a true leader for the Washington Wizards for all the right reasons; an unselfish, unassuming, hard-working player on both ends of the court who has shown he wants the ball at crunch time.
The Wizards have shown they can compete with anyone while “Agent Hype” was rehabilitating his knee. For the Wizards to succeed and make a run in the playoffs, Arenas doesn’t need to score 28ppg, 18-20ppg would be fine. Scoring the ball is not a deficiency of this Wizards team. What they DO need from “Agent Offense” is a willingness to dig in on the defensive side of the floor. To date, Gil is considered one of the weakest defensive guards in the game. He likes to gamble and will secure a few steals a game, but this ultimately sacrifices the Wizards team defense. To his credit, Arenas is a tremendous one-on-one offensive player, his combination of quickness and range make him a near impossible cover, but he’s also gained a reputation as a “gunner” and rightly so (he shot 41.8% from the floor last season, while among the league leaders in attempts). I guess the “Hibachi” is not as hot as he would like you to believe. The question is, can Gilbert refrain from playing only for himself, or better yet, does he even want to?
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The Wizards have shown they can compete with anyone while “Agent Hype” was rehabilitating his knee. For the Wizards to succeed and make a run in the playoffs, Arenas doesn’t need to score 28ppg, 18-20ppg would be fine. Scoring the ball is not a deficiency of this Wizards team. What they DO need from “Agent Offense” is a willingness to dig in on the defensive side of the floor. To date, Gil is considered one of the weakest defensive guards in the game. He likes to gamble and will secure a few steals a game, but this ultimately sacrifices the Wizards team defense. To his credit, Arenas is a tremendous one-on-one offensive player, his combination of quickness and range make him a near impossible cover, but he’s also gained a reputation as a “gunner” and rightly so (he shot 41.8% from the floor last season, while among the league leaders in attempts). I guess the “Hibachi” is not as hot as he would like you to believe. The question is, can Gilbert refrain from playing only for himself, or better yet, does he even want to?
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