One of the numerous rumors going around this week is that the Thunder are going to make an offer to Utah's restricted free agent Paul Millsap. He is a good young player that filled lifted his game when Okur and Boozer were out.  I like the things he can do for OKC. Or any team for that matter.  What I hope we don't do is pay to much for him.  Since Millsap is a restricted free agent, Utah can match any offer to keep him.  They are likely to do that since it appears thata they will be about 3 million over the cap.  They can trade Boozer and keep Millsap at a cheaper price.  This is  very likely because Boozer has another year left on his contract and isn't guaranteed to stay in Utah.  So, they may trade Boozer for some future stock.  Teams can start talking with players today and get verbal commitments.  However, contracts don't become official until July 8th.  The team spends this week determining the new salary cap.  Last year it was 57 million dollars.  A team may go over the cap to resign it's own players, or by offersing the mid-level one year contract of around 5 million dollars.  If it goes over the cap, it must pay a tax to the league.  This next couple of week's should be exciting.

Continue reading "Rumor "Mills"ap"

Portland coach Nate McMillen is flying to Orlando today to meet with free agent Hedo Turkoglu.  Then tomorrow, Turkoglu is flying to Oregen to tour the Trailblazers facilities.  Portland is definately a team that has changed it's direction the last few years.  The team figures to have 8 to 9 million under the cap to offer Hedo.  The starting lineup of Steve Blake, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Joel Pryzbilla wasn't bad during the playoffs.  Batum would start the game on the other team's best player and then not play much after that.  Now, Turkoglu  will start at small forward.  That leaves Batum, Channing Frye, and Gerg Oden as pretty good backups.  The next step will be to find better backups for starters Blake and Roy.

Continue reading "Portland working on Turkoglu"

If you were to glance at headlines yesterday, you might thing that the Los Angelos Lakers and the Houston Rockets made a trade.  What is happening is that they are recruiting the other team's free agent.  Ron Artest sent out a text saying he is happy to be a Laker.  Meanwhile, Trevor Ariza is saying that he might be a Rocket.  So, they are basically swapping small forwards.  It is a good move for both teams.  The Lakers want to win another championship and to do that, you have to mix things up a bit.  Artest makes them better.  He can score and defend.  Ariza is still developing and getting better, Artest is already there. 

I've created a formula that determines how many wins a player contributed statistically to his team.  Last year, Artest earned 7 wins while Ariza earned 6.  So, the Lakers get a win better, and the Rockets lose a win and a headache.

Continue reading "Lakers Rockets trade, sort of"

Here is the lineup based on how many wins each player got lost year:

PG-RAYMOND FELTON 6

SG-RAJA BELL 4

SF- GERALD WALLACE 5

PF-BORIS DIAW 6

C-EMEKA OKAFOR 5

BENCH:

DJ AUGUSTINE 3--V RADMANOVIC 3--J HOWARD 1--D DIOP 1--S MAY, N MOHAMMAD, A AJINCA.

That is a total of 34 wins possibly returning.  Juwoon Howard and Scott May are free agents and are likely to leave.  May had some decent years until last year where he only play  20 something games.  Howard will likely leave to go to a contender before he retires.  If so, the Bobcats will lose a win.  But, they will gain 3 with draft pick Gerald Henderson.  The 12th spot in the draft generates about 3 wins for their team.   So that is plus 2 and moving the team up to 36 wins.  That is one more than last year's 35.  But, figure in playing together for a full year, and that may add more wins.  Also, the development of last year's first rounders Augustine and Ajinca.  Ajinca didn't earn any wins last year and might could move that up one or two as well as Augustine. If they can improve by a total of 3, then Charlotte has 40 wins and a shot to make it to the playoffs.  Howver, all this is must if Felton gets an offer that Charlotte doesn't match.  Felton is a restricted free agent, so Charlotte has the right to match any offers and keep him. If his 6 wins leave, that is devastating for the team.  Spend the money and keep him.  He is worth it.

Continue reading "Bobcats need to keep Felton to improve."

David Lee is a restricted free agent.  That means any offer he receives, the Knicks can match it and retain him.  At the same time, the Knicks have been trying to create as much cap space entering next year as they can in order to lure LeBron James.  Since Hedo Turkoglu decided not to go to Portland, the Trailblazers now have enough cap space to offer Lee a 5 year $50mil deal.  That would be a lot for New York to match.  And if they match, they may take themselves out of the James sweepstakes.  A sign and trade is what the Knicks would like to do.  It will be an intersting week once July 8th arrives and teams can sign free agents.  Portland is trying to get better.  Lee is a good player, but I don't know if he is worth offering all of their cap

Continue reading "New York Knicks are drawing interest for Lee"

It has been a tough couple of weeks for me.  I used to watch Johnny Carson and I found out that Ed McMahon past away.  That was sad and yet happy.  It brought back memories of the tonight show and star search.  And, Mr. McMahon led a good, full life.  Then Farah Fawcet passed away in her valiant battle against cancer.  I remember my dad wearing an iron on of hat famous poster.  Then, the biggest loss, Michael Jackson.  I was looking forward to his new tour and albums and hoping that he could overcome the struggles of the past decade.  The King of Pop is gone....

Then, this morning, I heard that Steve McNair had been shot.  He was one of my favorites.  Not just because he was so exciting to watch. Not just because he could run, throw, and lead a team.  Not, just because he was a small college guy thriving in the NFL.  No, it was 50% those things.  The other half was because of who he was.  He was an upstanding gentleman, a model citizen, and a hero for kids to look up to.  Then, I learned of the circumstances of his death.  That broke my heart.  As a husband and a father, that hurt.  Where are all the heroes?  Poor choices usually don't lead to anything good. And, sadly enough, this is an example of that.  I hate to see this.  My heart goes out to his family and to his many childhood fans (regardless of your age now). 

Continue reading "Steve McNair"

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in a world of hurt, and it's likely to get worse before it gets better.  Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson, and Sebastian Telfair each earned 3 wins last year, while the rest of the returning roster earned 8. That is a total of 17 returning wins. When they traded away Foye and Miller, they unloaded 6 wins to acquire the 5th pick.  That pick usually earns 4 wins.  So, they traded away wins form something they hope pays off in the future.  With Ricky Rubio, Johnny Flynn, and Wayne Ellington as rookies, statistically, they should acquire 9 wins.  That would be a dismal 26. That number could even be lower if Rubio decides to bolt.  Also, 2 wins, Ollie and Carney are free agents.  This could be another, long hard year for the Timberwolves

Continue reading "Minnesota Timberwolves"

The Los Angelos Lakers have gotten better on paper.  When they let Trevor Ariza go last week via free agency, they lost 6 wins.  However, they gained 7 wins when they signed Ron Artest.  Here is a look at next year's squad and how many wins they achieved statistically this past season:

PG DEREK FISHER 7

SG KOBE BRYANT 12

SF RON ARTEST 7

PF LAMAR ODOM 8

C PAUL GASOL 11

A. BYNUM 5, J. FARMAR 4, S VUJACIC 4, WALTON 3, POWELL 2, BROWN 1, MBENGA 1, MORRISON 1.

That is a total of 66 wins for next year.  Lamar Odom is a key factor.  He is a free agent and adds a lot of flexibility to the team.  If he were to leave and take his 8 wins with him, LA would still be in good shape.  Luke Walton has played a lot of minutes before and fit right in. And, perhaps Adam Morrison will start to contribute.  Players usually blossom in their third to fourth year in the league.  If Odom stays, and Artest can keep it cool like last year, this team could approach 70 wins.  Bynum didn't play the whole year and still earned 5 wins.  This is the team to beat next year.

Continue reading "Lakers increase their win total"

Dewayne Wade said recently that if the Heat aren't contending for a title, he isn't staying.  He wants to win another.  This is a big year for the Heat for that very reason.  If things aren't going well this year, expect a lot of movement.  You might see some before then.  Wade has a player option next year and could bolt.  Udonis Haslem, Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Quinn will all be free agents next year.  Instead of losing the whole lot, you could see some deals again.  Let's take a look at the current lineup.  Listed beside each player is how many wins they achieved statistically last year.

PG-MARIO CHALMERS 6

SG-DEWAYNE WADE 10

SF-MICHAEL BEASLEY 4

PF-JERMAINE ONEAL 4

C-UDONIS HASLEM 4

D COOK 4, J MOON 3, C QUINN 2, J ANTHONY 2, J JONES 1, Y DIAWARA 1, J MAGLOIRE 1

Continue reading "A big year for the Heat"

The Thunder are in great cap shape.  They have a payroll of $42 million while the cap is somewhere near $57million.  They also have an option on Chucky Atkins at $3million.  I don't think they will sign any big names this year, but things are looking really good for next year.  The team has managed itself well.  Earl Watson has a 6mil salary and Damien Wilkins has a 3mil salary that both will expire after this year.  That frees up another 9.  This is a big year for Wilkins.  If he is to stay on the team and get a good contract, he has to show he is worth it this year. 

Also, Nick Collison is a fan favorite.  However, he makes 6mil this year and next year.  He would fit perfectly for a contender that needs help off the bench.  And, 6 mil isn't too much cap space. They could trade him and acquire another future pick to help keep this team moving 3 or 4 years from now.   They will have plenty of cap space to resign Durant, Westbrook, and Green.  This is an exciting time.  I think we have one more year of growing pains, then a push for the playoffs.

Continue reading "Thunder cap"

Marc Cuban pulled off one of his best moves yesterday in obtaining Shawn Marion.  Hedo Turkoglu was already heading to Toronto, but Orlando did a sign and trade with Toronto.  They also managed to drag Memphis into the mix.  Here is how the trade breaks down with the number of wins the players earned statistically this past year.

Dallas:   Shawn Marion 5    Kris Humprhies 0  Nathan Jawai 0  Greg Buckner 1----total of 5 wins

Toronto:  Hedo Turkoglu 9  Devon George 1 Antoine Wright 3----13 wins

Memphis:  Jerry Stackhouse 0  cash  Dallas future 2nd round pick.

Orlando:   nothing

Dallas gave away 4 wins and received 6.  So, they come out of this ahead.  With as close as the West was this last year, 2 wins can be the difference in home court advantage into the 2nd round.

Continue reading "Dallas got Marion"

Summer league is a time for development.  The Lakers are still deciding on what to do with Lamar Odom.  But, in the meantime, Adam Morrison is making the most of summer time.  He had 24 points 5 rebounds, 3 assist, and 1 turnover in his summer league debut.  Then, he had 22 points and hit 4 three pointers in his second game. Great numbers and improvement.  If Morrison can contribute off the bench, it will provide much needed insurance for if/when Ron Artest melts down.

The Milwaukee Bukcs are rebuilding and Joe Alexander had 14 points and 7 rebounds in his summer league debut.  Brenden Jennings had 10 points and Meeks had 14. 

Continue reading "Summer league--July 11"

I have done some research and tinkering with numbers and came up with a way to determine a player's value in wins.  As I discuss rosters, trades, draft picks, etc.., I will be talkng about a players wins.  LeBron James had the most wins with 15.  Kobe Bryant had 12 as did Chris Pual.  The system I have in place splits up the wins a team earns during the year based on the player's statistis.  Two players can have close to the same numbers but earn different win totals.  That is because they have one major number that is different, team wins.  There are players that score over 20, but can't win games.  Ricky Davis is an example of that.  Statistically, at one time, was very good.  But, he never won games. 

Ok, so here is some of the nitty gritty:  Scoring is a huge factor.  It's what the game is all about.  Whoever scores the most wins.  The teams with the higher point total had a fairly positive correlation.  But, not as near as good as field goal percentage.  FG% was a major factor.  The better a team shoots, the more they win.   FT% has absolutely now correlation. While FT attempted had a slight one.  Another scoring statistic to include was 3-pointers.  It was surpsrisingly strong correlation.  However, you can't rely on threes.  The more threes you shoot, the lower your FG% would be.  So, there has to be a good medium with the two.

Continue reading "NBA and player wins"

Orlando matched the Maverick's offer to Marcin Gortat.  He is to be paid $34 for the next 5 seasons.  He averaged 3.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 12 minutes last season.  He earned 2 wins for his team using the Howard winning system.   He never played extended minutes in the playoffs.  He is a very expensive limited backup for Dwight Howard.  One thing he does give the Magic is trading value.  He is young and now has a higher salary which could work for the Magic when it comes trading time.  There will be veterans out there that may have a higher salary.  Those teams may want to take a chance at a younger player like Gortat.   Orlando is still going to be very good, but looking different:

PG  Jamir Nelson--5 wins in an injury season. 

Continue reading "Orlando resings Gortat--over paid"

The Los Angelos Clippers sent Zach Randolph to the Memphis Grizzlies for Quentin Richardson.  A move that was needed after having a surplus of inside talent with newly drafted Blake Griffin.  Griffin has been sensastional in summer league and will likely start for the Clippers.  Using the Howard Sports winning system, Randolph earned 2 wins while Richardson earned 3.  So, it's a pretty even swap.  The Grizzlies acquired Richardson from the Knicks for Darko Milicic this summer.  So, Richardson never played a game for Memphis.

Here is the Lineup for the Clippers with last years wins earned by players using according to Howard Sports

PG  Baron Davis--3 the worst year of his career.  Usually a 6 to 8 game winner

SG Eric Gordon--3  A young star continuing to improve.

Continue reading "Clippers send Randolph to Memphis"

Earl Watson has been released by the Thunder.  He began last year as the starting point guard.  Then, became the backup to Russell Westbrook.  Towards the end of the season, Oklahoma City picked up Shaun Livingston.  He has battled injuries in his short career.  The trade for Chucky Atkins also gives the Thunder an experienced backup.  Watson earned 2 wins using the Howard Sports win system.  I is going to sign with Indiana, but must wait 7 days.

Continue reading "Thunder release Watson signs with Pacers"

The Chicago Bulls had a nice summer in Vegas:

James Johnson was the leading scorer with 16 points a game, 7 rebounds and 3.6 assists.  His number one downfall was the 40% fg shooting.

Rookie Taj Gibson only played in 2 games. He grabbed 20 rebounds and 26 points in those 2 games. 

Guard Anthony Roberson has a non-guaranteed contract this year and averaged 12 points with 1 assist.  He didn't hurt or help his chances of staying on the roster.  With the Bulls signing Janero Pargo this summer, it may be a no for Roberson.

Also, not on the roster but playing well was DeMarco Nelson.  He was the teams second leading scorer with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists a game.  He also shot a nice 48%.

James Johnson will compete for playing time this year as will Gibson.  They may have found another in Nelson.  Overall I would say that the summer league was a plus for this team.

Continue reading "Bulls summer league"

Minnesota has a long way to go, but they made progress this summer in Vegas.

Johnny Flynn is the real deal and should be the starting point guard from day one.  He averaged 15 points and 7 assists.  And, shot lights out!  Over 50% from 3-point and 91% from the line. He had over 5 turnovers, but that is to be expected.  Scoring and dishing at that level in summer league shows that he is going to be a good player.

Wayne Ellington also showed that he can play.  He averaged 14 points and 3 rebounds while also shooting lights out. 

Corey Brewer was the 3rd leading scorer at 12 ppg and played solid. He isn't the player that I thought he was going to be, but he can still contribute.

Oleksiy Pecherov was acquired this summer from Washintong.  He 9pts and 7 rebounds and shot well below 40%.  He will be a bench player at best, but is still developing.

Continue reading "Minnesota summer league a success"

The Thunder learned a few things in Las Vegas this summer.  One was the James Harden was a good pick.  Not only does he fit with the team image and chemistry they have established, but he can score, shoot, rebound, and handle the ball.  He averaged 14 points 3 rebounds 3 assist and 1 steal and 3 turn overs.  He also shot the ball well.  He will be starting by year's end if not sooner.  I don't think they will be able to keep him off the floor.

One player I really like for this year is DJ White.  He can score.  He averaged 10 points and 4 rebounds in only 19 minutes a game.  And, shot 55%.  He will be a great option on the second team in games this year. 

Other newcomers did some good things as well.  Robert Vaden shot 46% behind the arc.  BJ Mullens is definately a project with potential.  Serge Ibaka had oaver 5 rebounds in 17 minutes of play per game. Rebounding is such a big factor on the defensive end of the floor.

Continue reading "Thunder summer league."

Here is my take on the Hornets' summer league in Las Vegas.

Marcus Thornton was the team's leading scorer with 20ppg but only played in 3 games.  He doesn't have a guaranteed contract.  He did make a strong case to make the team.  Or at least, be activated when players get injured.

Darren Collison showed that he might be a viable back up to Chris Paul by averaging 18 points and 4 assits.  Antonio Daniels is the current backup. But has 6.6mil contract and isn't really what the team is looking for.

Julian Wright averaged 15points and 4 rebounds.  He may get an increased role this year.  He played more minutes indicating that the team wants more from him.

The only other signicant perfomance was Anthony Tolliver with 10pts and 6 reb per game.  He is not under contract. But, he may get  a 10 day contract later in the season.

Continue reading "Hornets summer league"

Quentin Richardson has traveled from New York to Memphis to Los Angelos, and now to Minnesota.  He takes with him $9mil for one year.  Last season he earned 3 wins for the New York Knicks (a Howard Sports statistic).  In return, the Clippers get Sebastian Telfair (3 wins), Craig Smith (2 wins), and Mark Madsen (0 wins). So, it was a good trade for the Clippers.  They gained a backup to Baron Davis.  Minnesota meanwhile gets to unload a huge salary after this season.  Richardson also fills a void that was created when Foye was traded to Washington.  Also, Ricky Rubio doesn't appear to coming soon.  After the terrific play of Flynn this summer in Las Vegas, Telfair became expendable.

Continue reading "Richardson traded again. This time to Minnesota"

With Chauncey Billups and JR Smith in the backcourt, things are looking fine in Denver. However, last year they did display some weakness coming off the bench.  They may have found some solutions.  Ty Lawson was very good during the Las Vegas summer league.  He lead the team in scoring with 17 points 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.  What was even more pleasing was that he only had 2 turnovers a game.  He may signal the end of Arron Afflalo.   The team has an option on him next year. And, if Lawson plays out like I think, Afflalo will be the odd man out.

Sonny Weems does not have a guaranteed contract.  So, this is a big summer for him. He averaged 16ppg and 6 rebounds.  Those are good numbers.  He did not shoot the ball well.  But, rebounding from the guard spot is a plus.  He may have earned himself a spot on this team.

Continue reading "Denver summer league"

Next summer is getting all the billing for the Knicks due to the LeBron James sweepstakes.  The Knicks currently have $71million in their payroll.  As of right now, only $27 mil will be on the books this time next year.  That means this summer the youngsters have to impress to stay on the team with their cheap salaries.

Highly drafted Jordan Hill did not dissappoint with 14 points and 8 rebounds a game.  He got the most amount of playing time. And, may likely be part of the LeBron core, should that work out.

Also drafted in the first round was Toney Douglas.  He averaged 9 points 7 assist 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.  He can play behind Nate Robinson for a year before taking over. 

Morris Almond averaged 14 points while Nikoloz Tskitishvili got 12.  Neither are under contract.

Continue reading "Knicks summer league"

Times are a changin in Detroit.  Gone are Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace.  Enter in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.   They draft three youngsters to go along with the newly acquired in hopes of quickly getting back to the conference finals. 

15th overall pick Austin Daye did not dissappoint.  He averaged 17 points and 8.8 rebounds.  He made some threes, although he hit less than 30%  of them.  They got a good player at the 15th pick.

Speaking of pick for the value, second round and 35th overall DeJaun Summers was the leading scorer in summer league for the Pistons.  18points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block per game. 

Another second round pick, Jonas Jerebko,  averaged 12points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.  They may have found 2 players in the second round who will contribute this year.  That is a rare feat. 

Continue reading "Detroit Summer League"

The Golden State Warriors can score, and hey found some youngsters that will fit right in.  Summer in Vegas was hot.

Anthony Randolph had a nice year for the Warriors last year.  He exploded this summer averaging 27 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.  He dominated.  There will be a lot more playing time for him his year.

Anthony Murrow does not have a guaranteed contract. He may have guaranteed himself a spot on the team with his 25 point 5 rebound average, while shooting 50% from 3-point range. 

The gem of the draft could be Stephen Curry.  He shot well as people expected.  He averaged 17 points.  But, what was extra nice was the 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game. 

Acie Law didn't play much.  But, he did have a 2 to 1 assist/turnover ratio.  The team has an option for him next year.  He didn't do much in Atlanta. So, he is playing for his NBA life this year. 

Continue reading "Warriors find firepower in summer league."

Rebuilding has begun in Phoenix and it's youngsters are going to have to step up.  Keeping Steve Nash and Armarie Stoudamire tells everyone that they want to stay competetive and get back to the top soon.  And that means some young guys are going to have to develope quickly.  This summer in Las Vegas was a step in that process.

They may have found Steve Nash's backup in second year player, Goran Dragic.  He scored 12 points per game while dishing out 5 assits.  He looks to be a solid but not spectacular backup.

Second year player Robin Lopez is coming along slowly. Very slowly.  He averaged 12 points and over 6 rebounds a game.  Other team's second year players are scoring more than that this summer. So, they may be able to count on Lopez to score. He did average 2 blocks a game.

Continue reading "Suns hoping to gain experience in summer league."

The Boston Red Sox fell out of first place this past week. They made two moves to try and regain the top spot. First they acquired Adam LaRoche from the Pirates for a couple of minor leaguers.  The move gives them some more pop off the bench.   He should take at bats away from Mark Kotsay.  He should also provide some rest for Mike Lowell and his hip.  LaRoche hit 32 home runs one year for the Atlanta Braves.

The second move came when they dealt Juilio Lugo to the Cardinals for Curtis Duncan.  Again some more pop.  Both players were struggling. Lugo had to be traded or waived, so the move makes great sense for the Red Sox.  Duncan had already been sent to the minors.  He may get called up later in the year.

Lugo give the Cardinals a lot of flexibility which Tony LaRussa loves.  The move also indicates that the Pirates aren't done cleaning house.

Continue reading "Red Sox making moves to stay atop"

Second round pick Chase Budinger lit it up!!! He led the team in scoring with 17.8 ppg in the Las Vegas summer league.  He shot 68% from the floor and 94% from the line. And, was 8 of 11 from 3 point range.  This is great news for a team that may not have McGrady until the halfway point and may not get Yao Ming back at all.  If they do get those 2 stars back, things will be different.  Until then, the youngsters are going to have to play.  They found one that can shoot.

This was not a good year for the Rockets not to have a first round pick.  But, they got 3 second round picks. Budinger was 44th overall. Jermaine Taylor was another second round pick.  He averaged 11 points, shot below 40%, and had over 2 assist a game.  Those are more like a second rounders numbers.  Sergio Lull from Spain did not play in summer leage.

Continue reading "Houston summer league"

I have developed a system to determine how many wins a player earned for his team.  If an NBA team wins 40 games, the statistics can be broken down into individual wins.  I have taken current NBA rosters and totalled up last year's wins along with rookie's estimated wins.  * Note: Unrestricted free agents do not count toward's a team win total.  For Example, Lamar Odom does not count towards the Lakers.

Here they are:

1--Cleveland 71

2--Boston 63

3--Lakers 58

4--Orlando 54

5--San Antonio, New Orleans, Portland 51

8--Dallas, Denver 49

10--Utah, Altanta 46

12--Phoenix 44

13--Miami, New Jersey 42

15--Toronto 39

16--Houston 37

17--Charlotte 36

18--Detroit 35

19--Philadelphi 34

Continue reading "Player wins and new NBA rankings"

Radio Shack is going to sponsor Lance Armstrong's new cycling team.  Now, he will be the main man and have a year to win the Tour De France.  Radio Shack will not only sponsor Armstrong's cycling team, but any marathons, triathalons, etc he might do during the next year. 

This is a smart move for Radio Shack.  They have lost some of that iconic American image they use to have.  Best Buy, Circuit City and stores like that have popped up everywhere in America over the past 20 years.  A name like Lance Armstrong will get them a lot of attention.  And, should Lance win the Tour, they look like geniuses.

Continue reading "Radio Shack and Lance Armstrong=2010 Tour de France"

If I had to put together a Boston Celtic Dream Team it would look like the following.  I am only going to use the players since I have been watching basketball.  They would dominate.

PG--Dennis Johnson--He could do everything. Defend, rebound, score, handle the ball.  He one a championship with Seattle prior to his days with the Celtics.  No nonsense type of guy.  He simply won games.

SG--Ray Allen--One of the best shooters of all time.  You can't help off of this guy at all.  Allen can beat players off the dribble, but doesn't have to do that because he needs such little space to get a shot off.

SF--Larry Bird--He would be on my all time dream team.  He had eyes in the back of his head.  He could find an open team mate anywhere on the floor.  He also could shoot over, around, under, and through people.  Perhaps the best pig player of all time.  And, no one hustled harder.

Continue reading "Boston Dream Team"

The Thunder traded away Damien Wilkins and Chucky Atkins for Etan Thomas and two second round picks.  The move was an even swap money wise.  Wilkins and Atkins make nearly 7mil together and that is what Thomas will make this year.  The Thunder are well under the cap and Thomas' contract expires this year.  So, not only will they have freed up money next year, they will also have 5 draft picks.  2 in the first round and 3 in the second round. 

So, financially and on paper it makes a lot of sense.  Also, the Thunder were heavily loaded with guards.  Sefaloosha and newly drafted James Harden have the 2 guard covered.  And Russell Westbrook is the starting point guard.  Shaun Livingston has played well enough this summer to be the back up.  Second year player Kyle Weaver can play both and is ever improving.  So, there just wasn't any room for those other 2 guys. 

Continue reading "Thunder continue to make small moves in the right direction."

The Kansas City Royals got Josh Anderson from the Tigers for some cash.  This was a good move for both teams.  But, a really good bargain for the Royals.  Anderson was designated for assignment and had to clear waivers to be put in the farm system.  That would be unlikely.  So, rather than wait their turn, the Royals gave the Tigers cash and made it a trade.  The Tigers get money out of the deal instead of losing him for nothing.  Win win.  He has hit .242 in 74 games and has 13 stolen bases.  He strengthens the outfield for the Royals and gives them a little more speed.  Since he is only 26, he has a year or two more perhaps to improve. 

Continue reading "Small improvement for Royals."

The Boston Red Sox on Friday acquired C/1B Victor Martinez and 1B Casey Kotchman while giving up right hander Justin Masterson and 1B Adam LaRoche.

Martinez gives them a first baseman and catcher. With Mike Lowell's sore hip, Kevin Youkilis has been playing third base. Now, Martinez can play first. He can also play some at cather where backup Kattaras is batting .224 with one homerun in 85 at bats. This is a major upgrade in both spots. Meanwhile, LaRoche backing up first and pinch hitting is lost. But instead of power, they traded for average with Kotchman. Also, with Ortiz struggling, Kotchman can dh or Martinez can. There is now a lot of flexibility on this team.

They had to give up Masterson to make this happen. Masterson had appeared in 31 games and 6 as a starter. With a 1.35 WHIP and 4.50 ERA, Masterson is a valuable pitcher on any staff. Boston has 4 very strong starting pitchers with Lester, Beckett, Penny and Wakefield. The 5th spot is currently John Smoltz and Dice K has been a bust this year. However, once youv'e made the playoffs, #5 doesn't matter. This is all about winning the world series.

Continue reading "Red Sox making push for Playoffs"