i think Brown is exceedingly mediocre, but the uptempo-style in Phoenix should suit his game nicely.

12/9/2011 12:25:05 AM

here's my attempt, can't beat the derek fisher/cp3 face though

12/9/2011 12:28:16 AM

@Chris_Broussard Nets have emerged as No. 1 choice for Dwight Howard, multiple sources say. D12 is expected to ask Magic to trade him to NJ.

i like it. Deron Williams and Howard in Brooklyn would be a fun, competitive team.

if the Lakers end up missing out on Paul and Howard, i'll laugh my ass off. especially considering they may now have a disgruntled Gasol and Odom on the roster.

12/9/2011 12:50:51 AM

^^lol. stern'd.

12/9/2011 1:06:20 AM

If the Lakers really wanted to be smart they'd trade Kobe for Paul straight up and build around Paul, Gasol, Odom, Bynum. They could win titles with that lineup. Kobe is almost done as a star, and he will be a huge pain in the ass as he fades as a player.

[Edited on December 9, 2011 at 3:00 AM. Reason : a]

12/9/2011 2:59:13 AM

^assuming Paul would sign an extension, i totally agree

apparently, Dan Gilbert was leading the charge to have the trade rescinded. he sent this email to Stern:

Quote :

"Commissioner, It would be a travesty to allow the Lakers to acquire Chris Paul in the apparent trade being discussed. This trade should go to a vote of the 29 owners of the Hornets. Over the next three seasons this deal would save the Lakers approximately $20 million in salaries and approximately $21 million in luxury taxes. That $21 million goes to non-taxpaying teams and to fund revenue sharing. I cannot remember ever seeing a trade where a team got by far the best player in the trade and saved over $40 million in the process. And it doesn’t appear that they would give up any draft picks, which might allow to later make a trade for Dwight Howard (They would also get a large trade exception that would help them improve their team and/or eventually trade for Howard.) When the Lakers got Pau Gasol (at the time considered an extremely lopsided trade) they took on tens of millions in additional salary and luxury tax and they gave up a number of prospects (one in Marc Gasol who may become a max-salary player). I just don’t see how we can allow this trade to happen. I know the vast majority of owners feel the same way that I do. When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals? Please advise…. Dan G. "

this sounds like the same kind of whiny emails you occasionally encounter in fantasy leagues

12/9/2011 4:03:39 AM

"Please advise..."

12/9/2011 8:16:22 AM

Quote :

"When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals? "

12/9/2011 9:30:11 AM

The letter actually looked like this:

12/9/2011 9:36:30 AM

12/9/2011 9:37:11 AM

^haha wow...people really don't know what "trepidation" means? it means the hornets are the NBA's bitch, they know it, and they're scared about trading chris paul because of it.

12/9/2011 9:43:00 AM

Brandon Roy expected to retire as soon as today, for medical reasons (degenerative knees)

12/9/2011 10:10:57 AM

For some reason, I'm not buying this Dwight Howard to the Nets talk. Seems bogus, a)because Chris Broussard has a history of being full of shit as a reporter, and b)because for some reason I have a hard time believing Dwight Howard would want to go to the Nets over other teams. It's kind of a lateral move from Orlando to New Jersey, even if they do move to Brooklyn.

12/9/2011 10:16:39 AM

Haha, I hope the Hornets end up keeping him all season & get absolutely nothing

^Deron Williams & Brook Lopez would be the 2nd & 3rd best players on Orlando

[Edited on December 9, 2011 at 10:18 AM. Reason : ^]

12/9/2011 10:17:35 AM

Its not an "if" about moving to Brooklyn; its set in stone for next fall. Any as someone who's spent a considerable amount of time in both locales, Brooklyn is not much different than Manhattan these days, and lots of folks actually prefer it.

12/9/2011 10:19:26 AM

^Yeah, sorry, that should've said "when" not "if." And I've got absolutely nothing against Brooklyn, just as a franchise I'm not seeing why Dwight would prefer them over the Lakers. I can see why he'd prefer the city of NY over the city of LA obviously, I just would think that him being someone who wants to win championships, he'd rather come to the Lakers than the Nets.

^^Brook Lopez would almost certainly be included in the Howard trade. If they somehow kept Lopez AND landed Howard...holy shit, look out Eastern Conference. That would be an epically good team. Deron Williams is good but he's been a baby about being on the Nets since he got traded there and I'm not sure he's a good enough sidekick for Dwight to win championships with just him. Adding Lopez to the mix would change that.

[Edited on December 9, 2011 at 10:35 AM. Reason : ^]

12/9/2011 10:34:46 AM

This whole thing is crazy

It's almost like the NBA just punched Chris Paul in the nuts

12/9/2011 11:46:26 AM

Hearing Rumors of C. Billups to Heat? Any sources or word? I true, that will be huge....a true PG Big Shot Billups...

III

12/9/2011 12:02:30 PM

Quote :

"For some reason, I'm not buying this Dwight Howard to the Nets talk. Seems bogus, a)because Chris Broussard has a history of being full of shit as a reporter, and b)because for some reason I have a hard time believing Dwight Howard would want to go to the Nets over other teams. It's kind of a lateral move from Orlando to New Jersey, even if they do move to Brooklyn."

are you a Lakers fan by chance?

a) please give examples of Broussard being a shit reporter

b) its not a lateral a move, at all. maybe Orlando wants more than Brooke Lopez, draft picks and cap relief, but for Howard its a definite upgrade. he gets paired with one of the league's best point guards, another top-15 player. Deron Williams plays great defense and is a willing passer, but he can also score on his own, so that frees up Howard and his terrible free throw shooting in late game situations. also, being in New York would seem to satisfy his supposed desire for the biggest media spotlight and by avoiding LA he's able to avoid further accusations of just following in the footsteps of Shaq. lastly, he gets paired up with one of the wealthiest owners in the league who's allegedly crazy enough to spend whatever it takes to make a championship contender.

12/9/2011 1:10:46 PM

Lakers reportedly out of the running for Paul and they have to trade Odom to the Mavs anyway for nothing but a goddamn trade exception (because he was reportedly devastated by being traded by LA). Thanks a fucking lot, David Stern. Senile piece of shit. Now the Lakers lose the biggest advantage they had over the rest of the league, their length, and they get absolutely nothing for it just because of this fucking trade veto bullshit. AND they gave Odom to their biggest competitors in the West, the Mavs. I don't even know what the fuck is going on anymore, but I know I hope Stern gets fucking fired.

^Yeah, I'm obviously a Lakers fan, but even objectively, there's no way the Nets are better with Dwight Howard than the Lakers with Dwight Howard. I understand your point, though, and you might be right that the Nets might have a slightly better supporting cast for Howard than the Magic.

[Edited on December 11, 2011 at 12:38 AM. Reason : ,]

12/11/2011 12:32:27 AM

Quote :

"ESPNChrisPalmer chris palmer Clippers are now primed to make a move for Chris Paul. But it will cost them Eric Gordon. "

please let this happen.

12/11/2011 12:46:06 AM

Eric Gordon is nothing special. He's okay but he's destined to be way overpaid when his rookie deal ends.

If they aren't willing to part with a solid SG for a consensus top five superstar that would just be baffling.

Paul, griffin, and Jordan is a great nucleus and would make them one of the most exciting teams in the league.

12/11/2011 2:01:16 AM

Quote :

"Roy informed the team he intended to retire after a Thursday exam with team orthopedist Dr. Don Roberts revealed the extent of damage to Roy's degenerative knees. Roy is 27, the age when basketball players enter their prime, but in November of last year Roy revealed that four knee surgeries dating back to his high school career left him with no meniscus in either knee. Every time he jumped and cut, his knees were absorbing bone-on-bone friction."

12/11/2011 2:10:07 AM

Quote :

"Yeah, I'm obviously a Lakers fan, but even objectively, there's no way the Nets are better with Dwight Howard than the Lakers with Dwight Howard. I understand your point, though, and you might be right that the Nets might have a slightly better supporting cast for Howard than the Magic."

without a doubt the Lakers with Howard (assuming they kept either Gasol or Bynum) are better than the Nets with Howard. i didn't mean to suggest otherwise. i was just saying that Nets would be a really good team, a top contender in the East actually, with Deron Williams and Dwight together. i also could understand why Howard would maybe prefer the Nets. depending on the size of his ego, and how motivated by ephemeral things like legacy he is, than Brooklyn would be a much better destination. there he could carve out his own identity and not just become another link in the chain of Laker greats.

Quote :

"Eric Gordon is nothing special. He's okay but he's destined to be way overpaid when his rookie deal ends."

i'm not saying they shouldn't part with him for Chris Paul (who i think is one of the 5 greatest point guards of all time), but Gordon definitely has special potential. in two years, he could easily start a long run of being the best SG in all of basketball (i say that assuming Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will play small forward when he gets in the league).

12/11/2011 3:10:21 AM

^Really? Better than Wade? Or do you mean once Wade starts to decline?

12/11/2011 8:27:36 AM

I will go out on a limb and predict that Gordon will be somewhere between garbage contract & best sg in the league

12/11/2011 10:29:52 AM

12/11/2011 1:15:15 PM

Quote :

"^Really? Better than Wade? Or do you mean once Wade starts to decline?"

potentially, yeah

Wade turns 30 in a month, he has a history of injury and a game highly dependent on his athleticism

with his post-up game, Kobe should stay very productive as he gets older and his physical tools diminish; i'm not sure Wade will have another strong option after he can't drive by and dunk on people

12/11/2011 2:36:33 PM

i really hope the Lakers get Howard

not only would Kobe get more titles than Jordan, but the Heat would continue to not win it all

12/11/2011 2:46:32 PM

the dream scenario for me is Dwight Howard in Brooklyn and Chris Paul with the Clippers without having to give up Gordon. then you have...

Eastern Conference
Bulls - Rose, Noah, Deng, Boozer, Gibson, Asik
Heat - Lebron, Wade, Bosh
Brooklyn - Deron Williams, Dwight Howard
Celtics - Rondo, Pierce, Allen, Garnett
Knicks - Carmello, Amare, Chandler

Western Conference
Mavs - Dirk, Odom, Terry, Kidd, Marion
Thunder - Durant, Westbrook, Harden
Lakers - Kobe, Gasol, Bynum
Clippers - Griffin, Paul, Gordon, Jordon
Grizzlies - Z-bo, M. Gasol, Gay, Conley, Tony Allen
Spurs - Duncan, Ginobili, Parker

that's potentially 11 teams entering the playoffs with reasonable title expectations

then there's decent bottom of the half playoff teams in Indiana, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Denver, Portland, Phoenix

and amongst the dregs there's exciting young players with plenty of all-star potential: John Wall, Steph Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, Kevin Love, Derrick Williams, Ricky Rubio

and you have Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Perry Jones, Austin Rivers, etc. set to enter the league

despite all the recent turmoil, the NBA and its future is in great shape

as the NFL approaches the playoffs, i find myself way more excited about the regular season of professional basketball kicking-off

12/11/2011 3:25:38 PM

Pretty much every team in the league right now is either a title contender, playoff team, or has a young potential superstar.

Except the bobcats of course who have washouts

12/11/2011 11:36:49 PM

I happen to think Kemba is a young potential superstar

[Edited on December 11, 2011 at 11:42 PM. Reason : v we talkin bout practice?]

12/11/2011 11:41:05 PM

so true. It's unbelievable how the bobcats have had so many high draft picks and don't have a single promising young talent. A couple two guards in point guards bodies.

12/11/2011 11:41:16 PM

what position is Kemba gonna play for Charlotte? point guard? don't see the superstar potential. and I like him a lot.

12/11/2011 11:47:50 PM

Kemba's gonna play point. no superstar, but he'll be good. with the amount of quality PGs around the league, his ceiling is probably being a borderline all-star.

i think the Bobcat's should have put a waiver claim for Gilbert Arenas. he probably wouldn't have helped the team basketball wise, but at least they'd be more interesting. they're going on what, the 8th straight year of being the least compelling team in basketball?

part of their problem has been failing to truly bottom-out. getting 30-35 wins every year ensures no playoff hopes and shaky draft position. this year they'll be contending for the worst record in the league. maybe they'll land the first pick in the draft and Jordan will be smart enough to pass on Harrison Barnes for future multi-Defensive Player of the Year winner Anthony Davis. if that happened, and they'd redesign their garbage uniforms, they'd be assured relevancy for the first time in the franchise existence.

12/12/2011 12:18:42 AM

Quote :

"i think the Bobcat's should have put a waiver claim for Gilbert Arenas"

12/12/2011 12:21:23 AM

understandable

i'm typically opposed to considering things like personality/character when it comes to artists or athletes, but Gilbert Arenas is a rare exception

i can't help but dig the guy

12/12/2011 12:26:03 AM

Arenas has sucked lately but mostly because of health reasons. He might have something left in the tank, hard to know.

Huge get for Dallas with lamar odom. I left them for dead without chandler but odom provides most of the rebounding and size chandler did. They are dangerous again

12/12/2011 12:34:47 AM

Odom helps a lot, but he doesn't protect the rim like Chandler can

i'll be interested to see what the Mavs look like with him, Dirk and Marion on the court at the same time; three different players who's games are different than their bodies would seem to indicate

the biggest advantage in getting Odom is really just how it depletes the Lakers. they've got to do some other moves, because they are decidedly worse than last year.

12/12/2011 12:46:09 AM

Yeah as of right now the lakers are fucked this year. Odom isn't as good defensively but he's significantly better offensively than chandler. They are really an even swap.

12/12/2011 12:58:03 AM

Quote :

"Arenas has sucked lately but mostly because of health reasons. He might have something left in the tank, hard to know."

Even if he has something left in the tank, claiming him and his $62+M salary over the next 3 seasons is a god awful move for any team

12/12/2011 1:02:09 AM

that's not how it works with amnesty players

you don't take on the whole contract

you put in an offer, and if you're bid wins, you get the player for that amount; then the team that amnestied the player pays the difference between the original contract and the bid amount

at least that's my understanding, am i wrong on that?

12/12/2011 1:07:38 AM

If so, then by all means. I kept hearing the amnesty guys being said to be waived, in which case the claiming team picks up the tab

12/12/2011 1:09:07 AM

nah, you can get the amnestied guys on the discount

guys like Arenas, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Baron Davis maybe, etc. are potential bargains for the contenders

12/12/2011 1:15:44 AM

^ Hamilton is completely done but you are right about the other guys.

If the grizzlies can pull off this McRoberts for Mayo heist that will really ease the blow of losing battier.

Still a lot of talent out there surprised its not being snapped up faster.

Great move for the clips locking in Jordan for 4/40, he's a stud.

12/12/2011 1:34:28 AM

Wheres your boy Nene going?

The balance of power in the league hangs on his decision

12/12/2011 1:43:19 AM

Quote :

"Hamilton is completely done but you are right about the other guys. If the grizzlies can pull off this McRoberts for Mayo heist that will really ease the blow of losing battier."

i think Hamilton might have something left. he's always been renowned for his physical conditioning, and his game was never predicated on athleticism, just stamina, focus and a good midrange jump shot. there's a lot of buzz about him going to the Bulls. i think he could help them, but it'd be better if they had a starting shooting guard who could shoot better from the outside. Aaron Aflalo is the perfect fit, but no way they can afford him.

i don't get your fascination with McRoberts. i'm gonna watch him more closely this year, because i envision him as useful as Matt Bullard or Pete Chilcutt were. Mayo's a great pick up for the Pacers. they really needed someone who could create off the dribble from the perimeter.

12/12/2011 2:01:46 AM

Hamilton hasn't been good since 2008 though so its a bit of a stretch to bank on a comeback.
Nene is a huge pickup he proved me right last year that he's better than carmelo and stoudamire. I'm guessing he ends up with the nets if Howard falls through. Wouldn't help them that much though as they'd be losing humphries in that scenario most likely.

Mcroberts was really productive last year, Mayo had a tough year though.

12/12/2011 2:19:32 AM

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7342778/report-los-angeles-clippers-close-deal-new-orleans-hornets-chris-paul

Quote :

"The Los Angeles Clippers are close to acquiring All-Star point guard Chris Paul in a multi-player blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Hornets, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times. The paper, citing two sources familiar with the discussions, reported late Sunday the deal would cost the Clippers center Chris Kaman, backup guard Eric Bledsoe, second-year forward Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 No. 1 pick."

Well, I'm excited.

12/12/2011 7:36:05 AM

Paul's numbers have been trending south the past few years. His bad knee is gonna get worse, not better.

12/12/2011 8:13:04 AM