I don’t like doing a column like this and I want to state that up front. However, every great now-and-again it’s a good idea to touch base and give my views on all the news that’s popped up since I last wrote. Most times it’s a cop-out, which is why I don’t like to do it, but today I want to touch briefly on some issues and give you my opinion on players, teams, executives, and franchises that you will only find here on Inside Pulse.
So without further ado…..
My take on random NBA things:
The NBA Trade Deadline:
Is there anything more annoying than the NBA trade deadline? Typically, nobody moves who you think will (or should) and the only moves that DO end up happening tend to be worthless deals like: Juan Dixon for a broken XBOX, or Ruben Patterson for a ruben sandwich and a draft pick that’s lottery protected for the next 17 years.
Sure every great now-and-again you get the stunner. You get some “franchise” players exchanging teams who don’t want them. You get the 9 player deal where one team gets totally robbed because they were under the false hope that they had a shot that year.
So what I wanted to do this year is, unlike the dopes at ESPN, is simply give my opinion on what’s rumored. I’m not going to play fantasy GM (though teams can contact me through my editor/agent as I’m always looking for a new career) and talk about deals that SHOULD happen because they came from my brain. I’m not going to talk about the 5 deals that would happen if only teams had the balls (like anyone should really deal KG…idiots).
1) Lamar Odom for Steve Francis:
Interesting on all sides, but ultimately not worth it for the Lakers. Sure Odom has squandered more potential than most players in history, but what exactly does the Magic gain here? Odom is a player best used in a free flowing system where he can play big minutes at the PF spot to take advantage of his speed mismatch. On paper it seems like it might be a good idea because he seems willing to defer as an offensive option which would seem to benefit Dwight Howard. The problem is Brian Hill is still coaching this bunch and that means there will be no offensive flow or creativity…..it’s Brian Hill. The other problem is that the team would lose the only player who can create his own shot. Say what you like about Steve Francis, the guy can get into the lane and create shots all over the court.
On the Laker side it’s a mystery. One would think Francis would have more problems in the triangle than ex-Laker Gary Payton. One would also think that Kobe and Francis wouldn’t pass the ball enough to be able to play together. However, I do wonder….
First, Phil Jackson is smart enough to realize that you play to win games. If you don’t have the people to run what you want, you run what you have to run to win. Even with Francis the team has no players, besides Kobe of course, that deserve the ball on offense. This means lots of shots for Kobe and lots of shots for Francis. I’m not totally convinced that’s a bad thing. Surround those 2 with some shooters and I think you have something.
Final thought: Good deal for the Lakers providing Phil adapts his gameplan, worthless deal for the Magic. Interestingly, it probably won’t happen because of the Lakers.
2) Knicks end up with Kenyon Martin, Magic end up with Jamal Crawford and Penny Hardaway, Nuggets end up with Steve Francis:
Basically, there are a million variations of this deal, and most of them would involve spare parts to make the salaries fit. The gist here is that the Nuggets get rid of Martin’s medical issues for Francis, the Knicks get a PF, and the Magic get cap relief and some young players they can put with Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard.
Now in THIS deal the Magic make out. Nene can play as long as that knee is ok, he was slightly misused and underused in Denver. Jamal Crawford would instantly improve that team at the SG position (currently “manned” by Stevenson). They would have a young team to grow around Dwight Howard and the window would be extended open for a lot longer than it was under the Grant Hill/Steve Francis scenario.
The Knicks would be idiots to do this deal. Kenyon Martin hasn’t been healthy his whole career and I don’t see his getting older as making that MORE likely…I see it as making it less likely. A good clue about a player is that if a team with title hopes wants to get RID of a player…you probably don’t want him. They would give up a solid SG and a major trade chip in the expiring contract of Penny for the probability that they will hate Kenyon Martin’s contract in one year. Not good.
The Nuggs break even in my book. They get a guy (Francis) that will play well in an up tempo style and with a pass-first PG in Andre Miller, they get rid of Kenyon Martin, and they don’t get considerably older in the process of all that.
The downside for them is that they lose Nene in the process, which will dramatically hurt their big man depth next season. Losing Martin and Nene will put even more pressure on Marcus Camby to stay upright…something HE doesn’t do a hell of a lot.
Final Thought: If this deal happens someone needs to get Isaiah Thomas into A.A. and someone needs to get Steve Francis and Carmello Anthony marriage counseling. It’s a long story but apparently they might have a beef. This trade, to me, will happen in SOME form. Maybe the parts are different, but I think it’s probable that if Francis gets dealt it is going to be to Denver. Unless this is all one huge smokescreen.
3) Kevin Garnett….for anything.
Yes, Kevin McHale is a moron. Yes, Kevin McHale has no clue what he is doing when it comes to surrounding a perennial MVP with talent. However, even this guy wouldn’t do something this stupid unless Garnett put a gun to his head and demanded it.
Now, don’t get me wrong I’m sure some team out there could put together a nice package for the team. There are some team with enough young players to give it a go. Still, it’s NEVER a good idea to deal a player whom you can make the case is THE best player of his generation. That just isn’t good business and it isn’t going to help the team win either. In my view it’s much easier to find the parts to fill in the gaps. And imagine being this team’s owner:
“Sure McHale you totally blew finding the players to put around probably the most versatile player on Earth, but now suddenly I trust you to DEAL that player for a good package and not get totally ripped off. Your last deal was trading a quarter for 2 dimes and I’m going to trust you to deal Kevin Garnett?”
How does THAT conversation even go anyhow?
Final Though: Even McHale understands how important it is for a team to have a superstar (He should considering he played with one for a decade!!). I can’t fathom he makes this deal.
Trading Quick Takes:
Al Harrington- Deal him already! The guy would be insane to stay with that organization after this season. It would be like Mickey Mouse WANTING gonorrhea, just totally implausible. Deal him for cap fodder and a draft pick and get over it already. While you’re at it get a backup PG too.
Earl Watson- If you need a BACKUP PG than Earl is your guy. If you trade for him wanting him to be a starter you need to go back to GM school. Why does every GM seem to screw up the question: Who’s a backup PG in this league and who’s actually a starter?
Drew Gooden- What’s the rush to get rid of this guy. Ok….he’s stupid, big deal. Lots of guys are stupid and at least Gooden doesn’t demand the ball or act up. Maybe he misses some meetings, maybe he tries to get out of paying for that nights hookers. This guy isn’t why you aren’t a better team. You aren’t a better team because you appear to have an allergy that prevents you from finding a real live PG. Why not do what you know you want to do and pick up Earl Watson!!
The Knicks “un-tradeables” are Channing Frye and Eddy Curry- What planet are you from when these two guys are “un-tradable”? Is it a planet without oxygen? Eddy Curry is a center who don’t exactly nothing in his career except get fat and take peoples money. YES, I realize if he applies himself he has some great indicators that seems to bode well for him. High FG% and all that jazz. He COULD/SHOULD be amazing. But to make him “un-tradeable” is stupid. My only hope for sanity sake is that this is all just a ploy to pump up Curry’s value. As for Frye he appears to have an Al Harrington-type future. Nice player, won’t win you a ton of games, but also won’t be on the news for starting a riot or hiring Chinese illegal aliens to fold his laundry. When I think of players a team simply can’t trade I think of KG, Shaq, Duncan, Lonny Baxter. I don’t think of Eddy Curry and Channing Frye. Again….example 875 of why the Knicks don’t “get it”.
Theo Ratliff- Let me get this right: You play this guy for no reason except to depress the stats of Joel Przybilla so you can keep him this summer. You don’t rush out to deal him for a bag of pretzels the moment you can. You still somehow have a job? Some things in life I don’t get. Look, I realize there is chemistry and maybe you are trying to deal Ratliff under the radar. But why do I keep seeing articles about how you guys are waiting for the right deal? ANY deal for this guy is the right deal. Speaking of that why isn’t this whole team gutted? Has there been many mistakes in recent years bigger than Zach Randolph getting a max deal? Oh wait this is a team that has Ruben Patterson and Theo Ratliff on it.
Darko- This is your last shot. You blow this one and you have nobody to blame except yourself. Who would have thought that Zarko Crabakapa would be more valuable in the NBA than Darko Milicic. Who do we have to pay to get these two guys on one team. And can I be there when they are introduced to each other? “Darko…Zarko. Zarko…Darko.” I’d base a reality show around this.
The Slam Dunk Contest
I really debated even talking about this thing. It’s an abortion on wood panel flooring as far as I’m concerned. It used to be Jordan and Nique doing spectacular things that we had never seen. Now it’s some young guy with no career vs another young guy with even less of a career doing crap I’ve seen an 8 yr old do when he played on a 4 ft rim near my house.
The worst part about this is that there is no rule as to how many chances you get to complete these things. In this latest “contest” Nate Robinson, standing all of 5’9, got to try a dunk about 25 times before he hit it. It was anti-climactic and by the time he actually pulled it off I was looking in the other direction telling my girlfriend that, yes, I DID want bacon cheeseburgers instead of the more mundane REGULAR cheeseburgers. Next thing I know I miss the dunk and 4,000 idiots are standing up holding “10” signs.
Ok fine, so you want to make a boring even I can’t stop that. You still get the star power in the audience which adds some weight to the proceedings. However, don’t insult my intelligence and rig the event!!! The NBA is already on thin ice in many peoples minds for some shady ref work in previous years’ playoffs. I still know people who think the Lakers were given the series against the Kings a few years back. So under that kind of cloud what sense does it make to let a guy win the dunk contest just because he’s no larger than a 7th grader?
Any clear thinking person knows Andre Iguodala won that contest. It was so obvious he won that I said out loud “the fact that it’s THIS much of a run-a-way makes me even MORE nervous that he isn’t going to win”. Of course just then I see Spud Webb and realized this thing was in the tank the whole time. The event was an embarrassment and I hope sometime soon it’s dropped.
The Power Rankings
5) Spurs- A bit to banged up right now. Relationship life is killing Tony Parker.
4) Heat- It just takes time for all the moving parts to gel.
3) Suns- When Amare gets back they could be scary.
2) Mavs- I actually like the Suns more, but the Mavs have proven it on the court.
1) Pistons- Scary good, still not totally sold the bench will be there when they need them.
Go read
Eugene Tierney has an all breakout team. My only question regarding this great article is: Didn’t Chase Utley break out LAST year?
Pomazak wraps the NFL season up so go find him.
Patrick Nguyen….I don’t want to say anything and spoil the fun. Just go read it.
