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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Watching The Stars Align By Ron Jumper It certainly has been a busy time in the NBA and, in that time, it has certainly been more productive for some than others. I was starting to do an article just on the Gasol trade to L.A., but the talk of a Shaq-Marion trade broke out before I could even do that. So I thought I would break down both deals and take a look at the new landscape of the Pacific Division (as well as the NBA for that matter). Here goes nothing… (Before I get started, did anyone notice the “One-Up Effect” taking place in the Pacific Division? The Warriors sign Webber, so the Lakers do one better and get Gasol. After the Lakers deal, the Suns do an even bigger “One-Up” and bring in Shaq. For those that say it was all coincidence, what are the odds of three teams in the same division bringing in new big men and the talent improving in chronological order?) Gasol Trade: Grizzlies Get: F/C Kwame Brown PG Javaris Crittenton 2008 and 2010 1st Round Picks Lakers Get: F Pau Gasol The Lakers now have a very nice starting five (when Bynum is healthy) of Fisher, Bryant, Odom, Gasol, and Bynum. That lineup is very talented and fits the triangle offense very well. Off the bench, they have a nice second unit of Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza, Vladimir Radmonovic, Ronny Turiaf, and Jordan Farmar. Suddenly, things are looking up in L.A. (and we ain’t talking about the Clippers). The Grizzlies get very little in this deal and I just can’t understand it for the life of me. Why would you want Brown or Crittenton, if you are the Grizzlies? They already have Darko, Swift, and Hakim Warrick so how does Kwame Brown help? Also, looking at the point guard position, where in the world is Crittenton going to find minutes with Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry already there? Remember, they just cut Damon Stoudemire. As far as the 1st round picks are concerned, what good do more young guys do? They have young players at every position already: Conley, Lowry, Gay, Warrick, and Darko. Also, the Lakers are going to be good so the picks will be in the 20’s and nowhere near the lottery. The second 1st rounder is in 2010, which I doubt any of the current coaching staff or front office will be around with the way things are looking. They had better pray they can sign a big time free agent this off-season or next, because they are looking at being the worst team in the league without question. The thing that bothers me even more is that the Grizzlies had better offers from the Bulls, Trail Blazers, Cavs, and others but decided to ship Gasol out West for next to nothing. The Bulls had tossed around offers of a package with any combo of Thomas, Noah, Nocioni, or Sefolosha. I don’t know about you, but that sounds better than Kwame and another young PG. The Cavs were offering Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes, while Portland had a package built around Travis Outlaw and expiring contracts. I just can’t figure out why they took the worst offer on the table. Shaq-Marion Trade: Suns Get: C Shaquille O’Neal Heat Get: F Shawn Marion PG Marcus Banks I was like everyone, in that my first reaction was shock, but then I started to think about this in more detail. I imagined the lineup that would be on the floor for the Suns and it can certainly work: PG Steve Nash SG Raja Bell SF Grant Hill PF Amare Stoudemire C Shaquille O’Neal That is a very talented lineup that can score and defend at a high level. I find it funny that the Suns critics always said they would never win a championship playing the style they do because they don’t play defense, rebound, etc. However, now that they have added Shaq they will be a very talented and traditional basketball club, yet those same critics are saying this is a silly move because he doesn’t fit their system and what have you. So which is it? I’m confused… In my opinion, no team in the West can match-up with their frontcourt. This really hurts the Spurs because now Duncan has to guard a legit post player, instead of resting on defense while Oberto checks the other teams best inside player. Look at teams like Houston, Golden State, and Dallas. Those teams have undersized power forwards and/or limited depth on the frontline. Can you imagine Dirk trying to guard Amare? That is just wrong (they might make an entire series of Amare posters from that one playoff series). The flip side of this whole thing is that Shaq is only going to play 25-30 minutes, so it isn’t like they will never get up and down the floor. They can insert Barbosa and Diaw in for Hill and Shaq then run all they like. For those curious, that lineup would look something like this: PG Nash SG Barbosa SF Bell PF Diaw C Amare You can certainly run with that lineup. You can run with Shaq as well though, consider they didn’t miss a beat in the playoffs last season when Kurt Thomas was on the floor. Are you really going to tell me Shaq is drastically slower than Kurt Thomas? I doubt it… Now, for the Miami Heat’s point of view. This season was done. Finished. Forget about it. They are awful. Shaq is old. This was the last chance they would ever have to get anything back in return for the aging big man. To think they were able to get Shawn Marion back in return is phenomenal. Throw in a talented young point guard in Marcus Banks and you have the framework of the future in place. From here, they will build around the nucleus of Wade, Marion, Haslem, Cook, Banks, and Quinn. The Heat need another big man or two, as I don’t see Mark Blout being the man in the middle for the long haul. With no Shaq, they are in better shape financially so free agents are an option. Don’t forget they will have a top-5 pick in the draft as well, so they might get the chance to take a promising young big man like Texas A&M’s De’Andre Jordan. The future is bright for the Heat, though how bright is yet to be determined. February 9, 2008 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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