This week in the NBA

[alfdogg 0]

Sun, Jan. 7

Washington @ Toronto, 1:00

Houston @ Minnesota, 3:30

San Antonio @ Memphis, 4:00

Boston @ Orlando, 6:00

Golden State @ Phoenix, 8:00

Miami @ Portland, 9:00

Dallas @ LA Lakers, 9:30

 

Mon, Jan. 8

LA Clippers @ NO/OK, 8:00

Houston @ Chicago, 8:30

Milwaukee @ Denver, 9:00

 

Tue, Jan. 9

Detroit @ Philadelphia, 7:00

Atlanta @ Indiana, 7:00

Toronto @ New Jersey, 7:30

LA Lakers @ Memphis, 8:00

Portland @ San Antonio, 8:00

Dallas @ Utah, 9:00

Seattle @ Phoenix, 9:00

Cleveland @ Sacramento, 10:00

 

Wed, Jan. 10

Chicago @ Washington, 7:00

NO/OK @ Atlanta, 7:00

Indiana @ Boston, 7:30

Philadelphia @ New York, 7:30

Charlotte @ Detroit, 7:30

Toronto @ Milwaukee, 8:00

LA Clippers @ Minnesota, 8:00

LA Lakers @ Houston, 8:30

Portland @ Dallas, 8:30

San Antonio @ Denver, 9:00 ESPN

Miami @ Seattle, 10:00

Orlando @ Golden State, 10:30

 

Thu, Jan. 11

New Jersey @ Chicago, 8:00

Cleveland @ Phoenix, 10:30

 

Fri, Jan. 12

Milwaukee @ Philadelphia, 7:00

Dallas @ Indiana, 7:00

Toronto @ Boston, 7:30

Charlotte @ New York, 7:30

Detroit @ Atlanta, 7:30

Minnesota @ Memphis, 8:00

Washington @ NO/OK, 8:00 ESPN

Sacramento @ Portland, 10:00

Houston @ Denver, 10:30 ESPN

Orlando @ LA Lakers, 10:30

Miami @ Golden State, 10:30

Utah @ Seattle, 10:30

 

Sat, Jan. 13

Philadelphia @ Charlotte, 7:00

Boston @ Detroit, 7:30

Washington @ San Antonio, 8:00

New Jersey @ Minnesota, 8:00

Memphis @ Chicago, 8:30

NO/OK @ Milwaukee, 8:30

Miami @ Utah, 9:00

Orlando @ Phoenix, 9:00

Houston @ Sacramento, 10:00

Cleveland @ LA Clippers, 10:30

 

I'd love to see Dallas come in on Friday with their streak still intact and give us another crack at it, but I bet they go down to either LA or Utah. We almost had them on Thursday, though.

[alfdogg 0]

And sure enough, the Lakers take them out tonight, 101-98, with Sasha Vujacic of all people hitting the game-winner.

[Guest Vitamin X]

See, what'd I tell ya, King? The Lakers always own the Mavs. Ever since that huge comeback a few years back.

[alfdogg 0]

1. Dallas

2. Phoenix

3. Utah

4. LA Lakers

5. Houston

6. Cleveland

7. San Antonio

8. Washington

9. Chicago

10. Detroit

11. Minnesota

12. Indiana

13. Orlando

14. Golden State

15. Milwuakee

16. Toronto

17. Denver

18. Sacramento

19. New York

20. Miami

21. LA Clippers

22. New Jersey

23. Portland

24. Seattle

25. Boston

26. Charlotte

27. Philadelphia

28. NO/OK

29. Atlanta

30. Memphis

[Brett Favre 0]

The Knicks broke the top 20. Woa.

[Black Lushus 0]

The Knicks broke the top 20. Woa.

 

they need to get in to more squabbles!

[Guest]

See, what'd I tell ya, King? The Lakers always own the Mavs. Ever since that huge comeback a few years back.

I've had a hard time accepting that this team can beat anybody, on any given night. It's really unexpected.

[alfdogg 0]

I bet Vujacic doesn't hit that many shots in a game the rest of the season.

[Guest]

I bet you're right.

[alfdogg 0]

So, I just went to HoopsHype, and see the headline "Big trade coming?" And the teams mentioned are Portland, Atlanta, and Washington. So I'm thinking, maybe Zach Randolph could be involved. No, it's just yet another Jamaal Magloire rumor.

 

In case you're interested, the rumor has Magloire going to Washington, Brendan Haywood and Jarvis Hayes to Atlanta, and Lorenzen Wright, Salim Stoudamire and Esteban Batista to Portland.

 

There's also been rumors that the Sixers may buy out Chris Webber.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Lorezen Wright, yetanother Stoudamire, and Esteban Batista?

 

Oh yeah Portland REALLY lucks out there. Weren't we supposed to actually do something with this guy?

[alfdogg 0]

Word is now that Webber could be bought out in a matter of days, and the Knicks are also rumored to be in discussions to buy out Steve Francis. Even more bizarre, it's rumored that Francis could go to Philly and Webber to New York.

[naiwf 0]

Webber to NY sounds about right since Isiah hasn't done anything overly retarded this year. . . yet.

[Ripper 0]

Getting webber for league minimum is not retarded. Getting him with his current contract is.

 

And that rumored deal between atlanta, washington and Portland is bs. Sekou Smith (Atlantas beat writer) was just shooting out some of the deals that people have been emailing him then said that this one would benifit the hawks well.

 

I disagree however seeing as I still believe that Salim Stoudimire is probably the most amazing shooter in the league, and in the right system(ie: any one not coached by Mike Woodson) he could give you 20 plus a night off the bench.

[Just John 0]

What's T-Mac's 30+ point streak at now? It's gotta be 5 or 6 games at least.

[alfdogg 0]

6 in a row.

 

Pacers are 10 minutes away from being 3 games over .500!

[Vern Gagne 0]

Rumors around here are Flip Saunders is going become the coach of the Gophers.

[Brett Favre 0]

Buying out Steve Francis, then signing Webber, then Francis signing with Philly is retarded for both teams. Why can't they just make a trade?

[Black Lushus 0]

I don't know if Webber will make a huge difference, but it's gotta be better than having 80 gaurds!

 

so...is Steve Nash on his way to a 3rd MVP? No way they'll let that happen again, though I'd love to see it.

[alfdogg 0]

I think it comes down to Nash, Kobe, & Dirk, with Gilbert Arenas possibly being a darkhorse. ESPN keeps mentioning Boozer, but I just can't see him getting enough support from the voters, with him not being a "name guy" and all.

 

Of course, this is all just my opinion, they'd probably give it to LeBron before giving it to Arenas. And he does have an argument, since his team has a better record.

[Brett Favre 0]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...mp;lid=tab1pos2

 

By LZ Granderson

 

Isiah Thomas is a bit sneaky.

 

Isiah Thomas is a bit belligerent.

 

Isiah Thomas is a bit mathematically challenged.

 

But if I was rebuilding an NBA team, Isiah Thomas would be the first person I'd call.

 

In the Big Apple, Isiah is always the center of media scrutiny.Why?

 

Renaldo Balkman.

 

I was sitting in Madison Square Garden the night Isiah made Balkman the 20th pick in the 2006 NBA draft. I heard the boos and the scathing criticism. I also couldn't believe he didn't select UConn guard Marcus Williams -- at least for the purpose of having tradable talent.

 

And yet here we are, seven months later, and I can't find another rookie picked outside of the top 10 that makes more of a consistent impact when he's in the game than Balkman. I'm not saying Balkman's going to be a star, but I am saying it appears Isiah has done it again.

 

For all of Thomas' shortcomings as a general manager -- and he has his fair share of them -- his greatest strength, identifying talent, is among the best in the league. When you consider that eight teams passed on Tracy McGrady, six teams passed on eventual Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudamire, he swapped a faltering 34-year-old Kurt Thomas for a fairly talented 26-year-old Quentin Richardson, he plucked David Lee (the only second-year player averaging a double-double) with the 30th pick, and he watched Chicago overpay for 32-year-old Ben Wallace while 24-year-old Eddy Curry is developing into one of the best centers in the league, you begin to see that maybe, just maybe, Thomas isn't the fool so many pundits paint him to be.

 

Yes, the Knicks are below .500 and have been for much of his three-year tenure. But like it or not, they are only one game out of first place heading into Wednesday's game against Philadelphia. And while it is true that the Atlantic Division is downright awful, of all the teams that did not make the playoffs last year, the Knicks have the best core of young talent. Consequently, they are a lot closer to regular playoff appearances and being NBA Finals contenders than you may think.

 

Yeah, that's right, I said it.

 

If Lee, Curry, Richardson, Channing Frye and Jared Jeffries stay healthy and together, within three years they will be in a tug-of-war with LeBron James' and Dwight Howard's squads for supremacy in the East.

 

Unfortunately, the architect behind this will not be there to see it happen. And that's too bad, because before Thomas arrived in December 2003, this team had no hope at all. Now, I see a young squad that is beginning to understand how to beat good teams. These Knicks should lose to Phoenix, San Antonio and Dallas, because one of those three teams is going to win the championship this year. But they are 10-10 after their 5-11 start and watching Curry dominate Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace in wins over the Bulls and Pistons I can see better days are not too far ahead.

 

Gotta give Zeke credit for David Lee -- he's been outstanding.Don't get me wrong, Thomas can be prickly. And he's made his share of personnel mistakes -- Jalen Rose, Jerome James and Malik Rose, to name three -- but I can't fault him for being aggressive. He gave up Trevor Ariza, a No. 43 pick, for a shot at seeing whether three time All-Star Steve Francis could coexist with Stephon Marbury. I don't fault him for trading Keith Van Horn for Tim Thomas because, as we saw during last year's playoffs, Thomas is an incredible talent when motivated.

 

And I especially no longer fault him for drafting Balkman, who blocks more shots than No. 2 pick LaMarcus Aldridge, grabs more rebounds than No. 4 pick Tyrus Thomas, and has managed to earn 14.3 minutes per game and cheers at The Garden while the Warriors sent Patrick O'Bryant, their No. 9 pick, to the D-League. Balkman is a guy few thought would make an NBA roster, and yet his 15 rebounds in a 97-96 win over Utah is the most a rookie has grabbed this season. Some say Isiah could have gotten Balkman in the second round, or even signed him as a free agent. I say take a look at the 2006 NBA draft and point out a player selected after Balkman who could have helped the Knicks more this season.

 

Thomas gets blamed for the CBA's filing for bankruptcy, but few mention that the league was headed in that direction before Thomas even got involved.

 

Critics say the Pacers floundered with Thomas as coach, but few care to mention the roster he inherited was not the roster Larry Bird led to the Finals the season before. Or that he was dealing with Ron Artest before the general public knew what a distraction Ron Ron could be.

 

And now Thomas is being blamed for the futility of the Knicks, as if a championship banner was unfurled the day before he arrived. This franchise has not won it all since 1973. It hasn't done anything of significance since making the Finals in the shortened season of 1999-2000. But that doesn't matter, everyone is out for Thomas' blood and he is certain to be run out of New York. Then a new guy is going to come in, find a point guard who works, and ride Thomas' eye for talent to a 50-win season.

 

Some say Isiah faces extra scrutiny because he's black. I'm not sure if that's true. After all, Zeke has made a lot of enemies and burned a lot of bridges over the years -- and that was before that strange sexual harrassment lawsuit. But if snake oilers such as Don Nelson, Larry Brown and Pat Riley can still find work, so should Thomas. Because the truth is if you look at his entire post-playing resume -- and not just the bad -- you will find an incredibly sharp basketball mind. One who has this uncanny ability to spot talent where other "geniuses" see none.

 

I would hire him. I just wouldn't leave him alone with the checkbook.

 

Isiah finally getting support.

[Ripper 0]

Buying out Steve Francis, then signing Webber, then Francis signing with Philly is retarded for both teams. Why can't they just make a trade?

 

Um...its cheaper?

[Brett Favre 0]

They both lose waste money on players they don't have by buying them out.

[Guest]

The Webber buyout is finished, and there are rumors that he could be headed to Washington or Los Angeles. There will definitely be more to come before the end of the weekend.

 

Personally, I hate Chris Webber. He can go suck a dick. He's a good fit for the offense, but I hate him.

[alfdogg 0]

Dallas apparently likes him, as well.

[Precious Roy 0]

The whole point of buying someone out is to get their contract off the books, neither team wants the other's contract back. The Knicks might have interest in Webber for the veterans minimum, but not for $20 million/2 years or whatever is left on his deal. Ditto for the 6ers with Francis.

 

I like Webber, but under no circumstances should the Knicks persue him. He can't defend, he'd take minutes away from Lee and Frye, and touches away from Curry. And I don't see any reason why Webber would want to sign with NY.

 

Webber to Dallas probably makes the most sense. He can come off the bench for 15-20 minutes a night and try to ride Dirk & co. to a championship. It would be best for everyone if he accepts a small role on a playoff bound team. Like Glenn Robinson that year he played for the Spurs.

 

I'm pretty sure the whole Webber to NY, Francis to Philly thing was cooked up by Peter Vescey to give him a sexy column in the wake of Larry Brown going back to the 76ers.

[alfdogg 0]

Tony Allen tried to showboat on a dead play, and came down and hurt his knee. What a dumbass.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

Rumors around here are Flip Saunders is going become the coach of the Gophers.

 

*hopes and prays* (not to mention it'd be a good way to get rid of him and save face instead of "detroit fires yet another coach")

 

by the way, the Pistons are very close to landing Webber according to the detroit media. Not sure how I feel about that, if they get him on the cheap its good I guess, but there's too much of a logjam down low. Webber can only take away minutes from Jason Maxiell, who has worked his way into a solid 15-20 minute rotation spot.

There'd be Sheed/Maxiell/McDyess/Webber/Nazr/Davis all manning the frontcourt, to say nothing of the age factor (and believe me, Flip is not good at rotations as it is, it'll be a trainwreck seeing him try to manage all those guys).

This really only works if they're planning on trading somebody soon (... and hopefully ship off Flip "everybody with my first name sucks" Murray also)

[Brett Favre 0]

Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge were traded to Milwaukee for Steve Blake.

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

Shit, the Bulls are fading fast. They really need to beat the Nets and Grizzlies to keep the Pacers at bay. Now I know the New Jersey Nets are like the Bill Russell-led Celtics to us, but maybe if the Bulls try really really hard, they can do it! They can BEAT THE NETS!