This week in the NBA

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

Jigga owns the Nets! Don't you have love for Hova? Unh!

 

There are 450 roster spots in the NBA, and I'm not sure that isn't too many. Yeah, there are American players tearing it up in the European leagues, sure, but we all know that's quite a bit below the NBA level. By expanding the league, you're adding less qualified players. That's just how it is. One reason I might give for the talent pool being thin is how pitiful the bad teams in the league are. There's just too much. I'm not saying that every league should seek to emulate the Original Six, but there are so many things wrong with expanding to 35 teams with 5 in Europe beyond the dilution of the talent pool, like travel and scheduling. What's a better ticket: Bulls vs. the Knicks, or vs. the Prague Springers?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I posted this in the Chocolate Socket as well, but here is some more insight on the Kidd-Harris swap and the potential impact:

 

The Lakers must be falling over with laughter by now.

 

...

 

So let me ask you a provocative question that I brought up when the three-way version of this deal was kicked around: Would you trade Harris for Kidd, straight up?

 

Based on notoriety alone, most would offer a quick yes. But shine that light a little closer. Kidd's PER this season is 16.07, while Harris is way ahead at 18.66. This may shock some people who have only seen the reports of his triple-doubles, but Kidd is scoring at a much lower rate this season, shooting a hideous 36.7 percent from the field, and his turnover rate has skyrocketed. While he's far from the only culprit, his decline is one reason the Nets are 25th in offensive efficiency; the Mavs, in contrast, are second with Harris as quarterback.

 

Per 40 minutes, Harris averages nearly seven points more; that's huge. He also gets to the line more than twice as often and shoots a far better percentage from the field. His true shooting percentage of 59.2 dwarfs Kidd's 48.3. Think about that difference for a second -- for every nine shots they take (including free-throw sessions), Harris has a one-point advantage.

 

Finally, Harris is a huge plus at the defensive end, where he has the quickness to defend the Parkers, Pauls and Nashes of the West and was second in the league in offensive fouls drawn last season, according to 82games.com. By my methods, he was the best defensive point guard in the league in 2006-07.

 

...

 

Additionally, Kidd's passing skills are most lethal in transition, but the Mavs run infrequently. While some still imagine this as a Wild West Don Nelson outfit, Dallas has been one of the league's slowest-paced teams ever since Avery Johnson took over.

 

...

 

But before you get too excited, look into the future. Kidd is 10 years older and costs five times as much; even after Harris' extension kicks in he'll be triple the cost. Which player do you think you'd rather have in 2008-09? What about in 2009-10, presuming the Mavs extend Kidd, when he'll be 36 and Harris 26?

 

I know, I know -- this move was made primarily with this season in mind. So let's say after all that you still like Kidd better than Harris. Do you like him so much better that you're willing to include Stackhouse and Diop and two first-round draft choices?

 

...

 

Diop was Dallas' starting center and best low-post defender (Side note: guess that Shaq trade had them real worried, huh?), while Stackhouse was one of their most important bench players. In fact, the irony of this trade is that a big reason for Dallas' recent struggles is that Harris and Stackhouse have been injured.

 

...

 

In the final analysis, then, it seems Dallas gave up quite a bit to make what is, even with the most rose-colored glasses, a marginal upgrade at the point. It's possible it could work, but my issue with this deal is that the risk and reward seem out of line. Much like Phoenix with the Shaq deal, I can't help but wonder if the Mavs are fixated on what Kidd was 18 months ago rather than what he'll be over the next 18 months.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

Don't be fooled by shooting and scoring numbers. Harris is a good energy guy that can get to the basket but he can't get others going or run an offense at this point. Having watched many Dallas games in recent weeks, Avery Johnson was having to call many, many, many plays from the sideline when Harris would get lost and this was probably frustrating. A smart guy that can get great scorers like Howard and Dirk going is what they need right now, not yet another slasher. You also have to consider that Kidd hasn't really been his most motivated this season and playing with Dirk and Howard could sharping him up again.

 

I do agree that Dallas needs to get some more depth in there as they are already showing some wear and tear.

[dh86 0]

5 Euro expansion teams? That is a terrible, league crippling idea. Look at the D league rosters, look at the rosters overseas. Are there 60-75 NBA caliber players out there? Will we have to wake up at 7am to watch a Detroit-Moscow game? Most importantly, will the Europeans in England,Russia and France pay NBA season ticket prices to support the teams?

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Devean George uses his right to block trade to prevent the trade from happening... I don't get why, his contract is expiring anyway.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

And George becomes a hero in Dallas, if true.

[dh86 0]

Devean George uses his right to block trade to prevent the trade from happening... I don't get why, his contract is expiring anyway.

 

He doesnt have a no trade clause or a trade kicker in his contract. How could he block it?

[alfdogg 0]

via ESPN.com's Trade Machine

 

1-Year Bird: Must receive consent to trade players with a 1-year contract, excluding options, who will become Early Bird or Bird free agents at the end of the contract, or players who have accepted a qualifying offer for a 5th season following the 4th option season on the Rookie Scale. If the player consents, he will lose his Bird rights and become a non-Bird free agent at the end of the contract.

[dh86 0]

via ESPN.com's Trade Machine

 

1-Year Bird: Must receive consent to trade players with a 1-year contract, excluding options, who will become Early Bird or Bird free agents at the end of the contract, or players who have accepted a qualifying offer for a 5th season following the 4th option season on the Rookie Scale. If the player consents, he will lose his Bird rights and become a non-Bird free agent at the end of the contract.

 

Devean had a 2 year contract that he signed in 2006.

 

edit-guess not..im sure Dallas can just throw in Hassell and the Nets and throw in another bench guy to make it happen

[Ripper 0]

I was about to say "Who the FUCK gave Deven George a no trade clause?"

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

Speaking of relocations/contractions/expansions, I'm once again advocating moving the Milwaukee Bucks. There's just no real fanbase there. This summer, I discovered that it just can't work, demographically. I heard, and still hear, a lot of coded messages from Milwaukee sports fans expressing their dissatisfaction with NBA basketball. You know the coded messages: when asked why they prefer the college game more, it's things like "the NBA doesn't call traveling enough," "there's not enough teamwork," "they don't respect authority," "it's too much about me-me-me all the time," "I don't like these players like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson," all the way to the transparent "it's a thug league." I think moreso than a lot of NBA markets, there's a conscious rejection of the pro game in favor of the college game (Wisconsin, Marquette, UWM). This has to do with a lot of factors, namely that it's prohibitively expensive for a city with a notoriously poor black population, the Bucks were awful in the shadow of the Jordan Bulls for my generation, the Bucks still aren't that good, and stupid old white guys who say the things above. The Bucks are about to ask, or have been asking, for a taxpayer-funded replacement for the Bradley Center. I submit that there's a replacement in Kansas City.

[alfdogg 0]

Another All-Star sub

 

Caron Butler is out, Ray Allen is in.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

I heard something about George loses his bird rights if he gets traded. I'm not sure what that means exactly but okay i'll buy that.

 

edit: here we go, found it:

 

The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is the only player in the league with a specific no-trade clause in his contract, but league rules dictate that it's a right George also possesses because he's on a one-year contract (worth $2.4 million) and because Dallas would have Early Bird rights to re-sign him this summer.

 

If such a player is traded, Bird rights are not traded with him. So league rules compensate for this by requiring George's consent in any trade.

 

long story short, he doesn't want to lose his bird rights to be signed over the salary cap, plain and simple.

[dh86 0]

I heard something about George loses his bird rights if he gets traded. I'm not sure what that means exactly but okay i'll buy that.

 

edit: here we go, found it:

 

The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is the only player in the league with a specific no-trade clause in his contract, but league rules dictate that it's a right George also possesses because he's on a one-year contract (worth $2.4 million) and because Dallas would have Early Bird rights to re-sign him this summer.

 

If such a player is traded, Bird rights are not traded with him. So league rules compensate for this by requiring George's consent in any trade.

 

long story short, he doesn't want to lose his bird rights to be signed over the salary cap, plain and simple.

 

I doubt Dallas will resign him anyway though given that hes been out of the rotation most of the season, crying about wanting to be traded and then blocking it when he did get traded. The Mavs can always throw Keith Van Horn or any other guy whos rights they havent renounced in the deal to make it happen.

[Guest]

One thing.

 

Theoretically, a player with Bird rights can be traded at the trade deadline right before becoming a free agent and his new team can use the Bird exception to re-sign him. There is no specific tenure requirement with one team. The only rule is that the player can't have been waived or changed teams as a free agent for three seasons. However, if a team renounces a player (see question number 33), they can't use the Bird exception to re-sign him for one year.

If George doesn't have a contract extension put in place, there's no reason for him to move. It's a blatant money-grab. So there you have it. The thing is, Hassell has Bird Rights too, but not only that, he's their only defensive stopper. They can't exactly get rid of him as easy as George, considering that Hassell has a relatively huge contract for a bench player. I think he's making 4.3 million a year, and any player that the Nets would throw in with a contract to match would be someone they'd like to keep around, I'd imagine. They don't have any bums that they could just toss in and send to Dallas.

 

As for the actual trade, there are some really extreme negatives. We all know that the trade makes it so the Mavs don't have enough big bodies, but how exactly are they supposed to guard a player like Steve Nash, Chris Paul or Tony Parker now? Harris was the guy they had who could contain Parker, for the most part. They really get hurt in that without Harris they don't have a guy who can play Kobe well enough, so I don't know what they're going to do about that. Josh Howard can't guard Kobe, because then one of Kidd or Terry would be guarding Odom. That sure as hell wouldn't work, but at the same time, Terry and Kidd can't keep Kobe from shooting over them at will. At least with Harris, you had a player with length, but without him, you're playing two very short (and athletically limited) players in the backcourt who are easily exposed on the defensive end, despite what they do on offense.

 

The Mavs have a look of a team who you could pick and roll to DEATH. Their guards aren't able to fight through screens and use their length to close on shots and close the passing lanes. And without Diop, they don't have anyone who can force guys to make foul shots. We already know that they couldn't really guard bigs even with Diop, but still, it's a nice thing to have those fouls to use.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

I heard something about George loses his bird rights if he gets traded. I'm not sure what that means exactly but okay i'll buy that.

 

edit: here we go, found it:

 

The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is the only player in the league with a specific no-trade clause in his contract, but league rules dictate that it's a right George also possesses because he's on a one-year contract (worth $2.4 million) and because Dallas would have Early Bird rights to re-sign him this summer.

 

If such a player is traded, Bird rights are not traded with him. So league rules compensate for this by requiring George's consent in any trade.

 

long story short, he doesn't want to lose his bird rights to be signed over the salary cap, plain and simple.

 

I doubt Dallas will resign him anyway though given that hes been out of the rotation most of the season, crying about wanting to be traded and then blocking it when he did get traded. The Mavs can always throw Keith Van Horn or any other guy whos rights they havent renounced in the deal to make it happen.

Re-sign him? If I were Cuban, I would outright waive him, just for the aggravation he's caused me.

 

EDIT - and given what big fucking babies professional athletes tend to be, it'll be interesting to see how Harris, Diop etc play for the Mavericks going forward.

[Rendclaw 0]

Rendclaw, I really don't think that the Phoenix trade had anything to do with gasol, because if anything, the Suns had to feel pretty good about that trade, because as I have said before....The Suns Bitch was officially traded to the Lakers and if nothing else, gasol was going to have to guard someone Marion or Diaw...all of which have done a good job of shutting him down and making him look bad on the offensive end.

 

I think that trade happened because they were going to lose Marion anyway and trading for shaq gives them 20million off the cap in the summer of great free agents and Phoenix is a desirable location AND they think they can win achampionship with the big guy.

 

Bynums emergence is way more important for the Lakers than aquiring Pau Gasol.

 

Maybe this a future kind of move, but I doubt that they are worrying about the cap as much as they are trying to keep up with the Lakers. I do think that they have to take into account that Steve Nash is getting older, and while I like Amare as a player, he should be three times the defender he is now, and he is not... Grant Hill is going to play maybe two more years, three tops. I think that this is step one in Steve Kerr trying to make the Suns more of a half-court team. Money under the cap doesn;t mean shit if you don;t have a good team to draw free agents.

 

And I agree totally, Bynum's development is more important than the Gasol trade, but that trade made them a big time threat for the Weatern Conference title. Once Bynum rounds into shape and they learn to play together, look the fuck out.

[UZI Suicide 0]

Devean George blocks the trade and then proceeds to play 33 minutes, shooting 0-11 from the field last night.

 

You have to admire that man's swagger.

[Ripper 0]

Rendclaw, I really don't think that the Phoenix trade had anything to do with gasol, because if anything, the Suns had to feel pretty good about that trade, because as I have said before....The Suns Bitch was officially traded to the Lakers and if nothing else, gasol was going to have to guard someone Marion or Diaw...all of which have done a good job of shutting him down and making him look bad on the offensive end.

 

I think that trade happened because they were going to lose Marion anyway and trading for shaq gives them 20million off the cap in the summer of great free agents and Phoenix is a desirable location AND they think they can win achampionship with the big guy.

 

Bynums emergence is way more important for the Lakers than aquiring Pau Gasol.

 

Maybe this a future kind of move, but I doubt that they are worrying about the cap as much as they are trying to keep up with the Lakers. I do think that they have to take into account that Steve Nash is getting older, and while I like Amare as a player, he should be three times the defender he is now, and he is not... Grant Hill is going to play maybe two more years, three tops. I think that this is step one in Steve Kerr trying to make the Suns more of a half-court team. Money under the cap doesn;t mean shit if you don;t have a good team to draw free agents.

 

And I agree totally, Bynum's development is more important than the Gasol trade, but that trade made them a big time threat for the Weatern Conference title. Once Bynum rounds into shape and they learn to play together, look the fuck out.

 

 

See I don't see it as making the lakers a west title threat.

 

If they find somehow to mix bynum in with Gasol and Odem, then okay, but I think that their offense, the way it is set up now with Odom at the PF and Rad at the SF spreading the court, is better. You can't bench Bynum since he is roughly 3 times the defender Gasol is, and you can't bench Gasol because he is that good. Odom isn't that consistant of a shooter, so now you have a team that people can double and or play zone against because the only shooters on the court would be fish and bryant.

 

If anyone can make it work, it will be Phil and Tex, but I have to see it to believe it.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Devean George blocks the trade and then proceeds to play 33 minutes, shooting 0-11 from the field last night.

 

 

Devean George doing his best Jason Kidd impression?

[Ripper 0]

If he hadn;t requested a trade just last week then I thnkit would be different. Its a little silly to even try and pretend he is being selfish because he doesn't want to get traded and potentiall losing money.

 

(although, I am pretty sure his NBA career is over after this season. Nobody is resigning him.)

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Does anyone remember this? I certainly don't.

 

But if George's veto ends up spiking this trade -- as well as a separate trade that would send Nets swingman Antoine Wright to Dallas for a future second-round pick -- it wouldn't be the first time that a peripheral name caused a monumental deal to collapse. In the summer of 2000, Matt Geiger's refusal to waive his trade kicker squelched a four-team deal between the Sixers, Pistons, Lakers and Hornets that would have sent Allen Iverson to the Pistons.

[Rendclaw 0]

And from what I understand, people in Detroit back then went berserk because Geiger spiked the trade. They still get bitter beer face when Geiger's name is even brought up.

 

 

Rip: I think its going to be Odom at the 3, Gasol at the 4, and Bynum at the 5. Bynum had already proved he has the ability to play center with a bit of an edge, a little nastiness. Hes a good defender in the post and can rebound, which is what was needed. Its still a little shocking to see Bynum bust out the way he did when everyone was screaming for the kid to get traded for, well, Kidd. I think Odom is the key, if he can defend other teams' small forwards consistently, and be able to deal with being the third option at best on offense.

 

There is no way Gasol comes off the bench, not after that one game where he and Kobe both scored I think 30 points.

 

To coin a phrase from a favorite local sports radio jock, Kobe has to be smiling like the butcher's dog right about now.

[Guest]

Odom has been playing excellent since the trade. It's helped him to move the ball better and focus on defense, where he's played solid. With the Kobe-Gasol pick and roll, every single guy is getting an easy shot. Even the bench players are really cashing in, Vujacic has shot 50% from behind the arc since the trade itself. Not having Kwame Brown on the court has completely changed what this team can do on the offensive end. A large portion of Gasol's points are coming off the pick and pop, not so much him going to the basket. Plus, when you have that Kobe guy on the court, you don't need many guys who can spread the floor, so everything's going to work out great.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

Possible line of the year contender by Steve Kerr on the Herd this morning...

 

Colin: So what are you getting your wife for Valentine's Day?

 

Kerr: I getting her some HGH.

[Ripper 0]

Odom has been playing excellent since the trade. It's helped him to move the ball better and focus on defense, where he's played solid. With the Kobe-Gasol pick and roll, every single guy is getting an easy shot. Even the bench players are really cashing in, Vujacic has shot 50% from behind the arc since the trade itself. Not having Kwame Brown on the court has completely changed what this team can do on the offensive end. A large portion of Gasol's points are coming off the pick and pop, not so much him going to the basket. Plus, when you have that Kobe guy on the court, you don't need many guys who can spread the floor, so everything's going to work out great.

 

Yeah, I think the offense looks great now. But i just wonder when they have to move Odom to the SF will it look nearly as good.

 

I don't think he can consistantly guard Small Forwards. he is a better rebounder than Gasol, and could create a mismatch on offense, but his face up game could take a hit if moving to the SF(where he has been hurting opposing PF's right now).

 

Like I said, I will be convinced when I see it work. I think offensively, the line up they have right now could be the best they can put on the floor;. Defensively, you would need to trade Bynum out for Gasol and that would be the best defensive lineup they can put on the floor. How you merge those two...I don't know.

 

Will be intersting to watch when Bynum gets back.

[Guest]

I think the offense won't skip a beat, but defensively, I'm worried about it. Lamar is too focused on the glass to really guard a small forward well. As it is right now, with Radmanovic out there, he gets lost defensively. We really aren't getting much from him on that side of the ball, although he's good at jumping the pass.

 

It depends. If we're playing against a guard that can penetrate and kick, we're ok, because the size of our team isn't really going to allow guards to get into the lane in the first place. When Bynum was healthy, he was cheating towards the pass and swatting layups back in people's faces. Teams that run strictly pick and roll are going to play really well against us, because we have three players who are used to converging on the lane, leaving a guy open all the time. Ball movement is the key.

 

That said, our bench is really deep, so if we're getting burned, players can be switched in and out. Offensively, those guys can carry their share of the load, too.

[Ripper 0]

Yeah, I will probably be watching alot more Laker games the rest of the year, as I think they have potentially the most interesting lineup options in the league and seeing how it all works.

[Guest]

Honestly, I can't say that everything has pointed to a Lakers/Celtics Finals like so many people are predicting. Nobody's taking into account that we won all those game against some of the worst teams in the league. The only good team we beat on that whole trip was Orlando, and they scored 113, I think.

 

I'd like to see what we do against the top teams in the West, but the only top teams we play more than once are Dallas and New Orleans. The schedule is a cakewalk.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

This has the potential to bet he most interesting playoff season in forever. Some of these line-ups (on paper at least) are mind-boggling:

 

LA: Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Bryant, Fisher

Phoenix: Shaq, Staudamire, Hill/Diaw, Bell, Nash

Dallas (assuming the trade happens): Dampier, Nowitzki, Howard, Terry, Kidd

 

That's not to mention the always dependable Spurs (Duncan, Parker, Ginobli), Hornets (West, Chandler, Paul), Denver (Camby, Anthony, Iverson), Houston (McGrady, Yao) and Golden State (Davis). Unbelievable amount of star power.