The Nets Finally Have The Star They Wanted

The New Jersey Nets were one of the major players in Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes.  The Nets wanted Melo to upstage New York and Mikhail Prokhorov wanted to make his stamp on the NY-NJ metro area. After the Knicks took Melo, the Nets got laughed at like the red-headed stepchild they have always been. But then today, they land superstar Deron Williams.

At the gym today, I saw this news broke and couldn't believe it. I knew the Jazz figured to have a hard time signing him. Sports fans knew they could have be going through the same thing with Anthony for the last seven months. That role belongs to Chris Paul and maybe Dwight Howard.  I couldn't believe the Bond Villain pulled it off.  The Nets get a monster deal one and this is a better deal than Melo's if (big if) he signs an extension.



Williams cannot sign an extension until July 8th under the former CBA, and according to the Salt Lake Tribune, he is devastated. DWill got completely blindsided by management making this deal.  I cannot think of any player who would be excited about going to New Jersey. The franchise known for having the duo of Kenny Anderson and Derrick Coleman on the same team. But the Nets have a good amount of cap room to spend more money in the following years. Prokhorov and Jay-Z will convince Williams that this will be a good thing for him. Additionally, Brook Lopez will become such a better player with DWill, maybe he will remember to rebound again.

As for Utah, I don't know where to begin because they have been one of the most stable franchises in the NBA, which is rare to find. The NBA doesn't have many of them, only the Spurs, and Lakers come to mind.  No Jerry Sloan, no Deron Williams, and no combination like Stockton-Malone. Granted, they have developed a nice front line with Derrick Favors, Paul Milsap, and Al Jefferson but nobody is a star on that team. I doubt Ty Corbin stays on as coach unless he takes this ragtag bunch to the playoffs. The Jazz need to find an identity, something they haven't had to do in 25 years.

The final storyline is the budding rivalry between the Nets and Knicks. They play against each other on March 30th, and I will bet the house,it's a very chippy affair. The NBA is back having rivalries again- Heat/Celtics, Heat/Magic, Bulls/Celtics, Lakers/Spurs to name a few. I love it and will enjoy watching these two teams battle it out for free agents and Metro dominance for years to come.

-Charlie.

This Day In NBA Trades

It seems liked just a normal day with the NBA Deadline...

Chicago Bulls sends SF James Johnson to Toronto Raptors for a draft pick

New Jersey Nets sends PF Troy Murphy to Golden State Warriors for C Dan Gadzuric, PF Brandan Wright

then, a mega deal went down.

The Nets receive Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz for..
PF Derrick Favors, PG Devin Harris, New Jersey's 2011 1st Round Draft Pick, and Golden State's 1st Round Pick via New Jersey.

Obviously, more to come later.

Magic Acquired Nets Guard Vince Carter

Orlando Magic have brought in All Star New Jersey Nets guard Vince Carter in a 5 player trade. Magic also acquired forward Ryan Anderson, and in return gave NJ Nets Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. The Magic Nets trade will allow NJ Nets to clear almost $18 million of cap space for the 2010-11 season and ships the 32 year Vince Carter back to his home state of Florida. Vince Carter now lives in Orlando. He spent almost five years with New Jersey Nets, after coming over in a blockbuster deal from Toronto early in the 2004-05 season.

The Darko Domino

The Memphis Grizzlies have announced the signing of Darko Milicic to a 3 year, $21 million contract. (According to Ric Bucher) The ramifications of this deal however, go far beyond the Grizzlies lineup. The signing of Darko also has a profound impact on the futures of both Anderson Varejao and Mikki Moore.

Varejao: It has been well documented in the past few weeks that the Grizzlies were seeking an athletic big man to pair with Pau Gasol, and their pursuit of free agents such as Anderson Varejao and Andres Nocioni arguably drove up the asking price for those players. With the signing of Darko however, the Grizzlies will no longer be out there to sign Varejao to an offer sheet. What this likely means is that Varejao will end up staying in Cleveland at a much lower price than he would have received if the Grizzlies had signed him to an offer sheet. Many people had speculated that if the Grizzlies signed Varejao to a contract too far above the mid level exception that the luxury tax wary Cavs would be faced with an extremely difficult choice; either let Varejao leave and focus on signing Sasha Pavlovic, or match the offer sheet and risk going over the luxury tax. The signing of Darko eliminates that difficult quandry alltogether.

Moore: The other player that is affected by the signing of Darko is New Jersey's free agent center Mikki Moore. According to reports Moore has rejected a 3 year, $10 million offer from the Nets and was set to meet this week with Golden State, Chicago, and Memphis. Now that Memphis is out of the running Moore could find it extremely difficult to find much more than the $10 million the Nets have on the table. And if he isn't able to find it, New Jersey may no longer be an option as the Nets have already made contact with Jamaal Magloire. Moore now finds himself in an extremely difficult spot, as he is 31 years old and has had very little playing time or success before this past season. If he has burned bridges with the Nets could quickly realize that not many teams are willing to pay big for an aging and unproven player.

What Happens To Zach?

Leading up to the NBA Draft there are All-Star caliber players whose futures will be signifigantly altered depending upon who their teams select. If the draft goes according to plan and Portland takes Greg Oden and Seattle takes Kevin Durant, than both Rashard Lewis and Zach Randolph will likely leave their respective teams. In Lewis' case he will just merely choose not to sign with the Sonics, but Randolph is in a much more complicated situation. There is no way that the Blazers can afford to keep Randolph and his $13+ million salary if they draft a center with a top two pick for the second consecutive year. (Portland picked LaMarcus Aldridge #2 overall last year) With both Oden and Aldridge, along with Raef LaFrentz and Joel Pryzbilla as well, Randolph will need to be moved to a different team. The question then is, where? And for who?

The "who" aspect of the equation is fairly simple. The Blazers are in desperate need of a SF. They started journeyman Ime Udoka last year, and Darius Miles is likely a non-factor after missing all of last season with microfracture surgery. Therefore the obvious move would be to ship Randolph to a team that 1.) Needs a scorer in the low post and 2.) has a dispensable SF. The following scenarios would fit those criteria:

Scenario #1
Portland Receives: Ron Artest and John Salmons
Sacramento Receives: Zach Randolph

In this scenario the Blazers would essentially be taking a one year loan out on Artest, as he has a player option he would likely decline after next season. Salmons however, would be the real catch of the deal. Salmons is signed through the next four seasons at base salaries ranging from $4.7 million to $5.8 million which would make him a very affordable starter while Portland's young core of Roy, Aldridge, and Durant developed. On Sacramento's end the Kings would rid themselves of Artest while gaining some sorely needed rebounding and inside scoring. The Kings ranked 30th in rebounding this past season, and Randolph would certainly go a long way in improving that ranking.

Scenario #2
Portland Receives: Andrei Kirilenko
Utah Receives: Vince Carter (sign and trade)
New Jersey Receives: Zach Randolph and Gordan Giricek

This three way deal would fill large voids for all of the teams involved. Utah has not had a solid SG in ages, and Carter would give them an elite scorer that could generate offense when the Utah offense stalls. Paul Milsap would then likely move into Kirilenko's former starting position. For New Jersey it would provide them the inside scoring threat they have been missing since Kenyon Martin left town and would also allow them to go after a SG prospect such as Rodney Stuckey or Morris Almond in the draft. From the Blazer's perspective Kirilenko would be the perfect SF for them, a player that does not need to score in order to make a big impact on the game. The trio of Oden, Aldridge, and Kirilenko would automatically become the best defensive frontcourt in the NBA.

Scenario #3
Portland Receives: Shawn Marion
Phoenix Receives: Vince Carter (sign and trade)
New Jersey Receives: Zach Randolph and Dan Dickau

The logic here would be the same for the Nets, and for the Suns this deal would alleviate the locker room tension between Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire while still being able to bring in equal value in return. Carter could slide to the 3 for the Suns with Boris Diaw then starting at the 4 spot. For Portland, Marion would give them the best chance at making an early splash in the West while Roy, Aldridge, and Oden are still on their rookie contracts.

What The Lakers Need

Now that Kobe has made it painfully obvious that he wants out of Los Angeles, all eyes are turned toward Mitch Kupchak to see if he can swing a deal. The problem being of course, that trading Kobe is not as simple a process as it may at first seem. For starters, Kobe has a trade kicker in the neighborhood of $13 million that any new club would have to pick up, and Kobe also holds a no trade clause. Rumor has it that Kobe is aiming for one of four destinations, Phoenix, Chicago, New York, or staying in L.A. with the Clippers. In looking at those four destinations, it is obvious that the Lakers would not make a deal to either Phoenix or L.A. since they would never help out an intra-conferenence rival, much less an intra-city one. This leaves Chicago and New York, neither of which is realistic without massive help from a third or even fourth team. New York is a complete pipe dream, since their best offer would be something along the lines of Jared Jeffries, Channing Frye, Jamal Crawford, and future draft picks. Not exactly the kind of return the Lakers would be looking for in such a deal. Chicago certainly has enough talent, but their current contract situation, in that most of their young talent is still on their relatively low rookie contracts, would mean that in order to get Kobe the Bulls would have to offer something along the lines of Tyrus Thomas, Chris Duhon, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Thabo Sefolosha. While the Lakers would love such a deal, the Bulls would never make such and offer.

So, what would the Lakers be looking for in a trade, and who can give it to them? The Lakers' greatest need as a team is at the point, so any Kobe deal would have to involve a point guard of some flavor, especially since Acie Law and Javaris Crittenton will likely be off the board b the time the Lakers draft at #19. Secondly, if Kobe is headed out of town the Lakers would need a wing player of at least near All-Star caliber to compensate for the loss of Kobe in the lineup. The third piece that would be required would be a high draft pick, most likely to be used by the Lakers to add an elite young frontcourt prospect to ply alongside Andrew Bynum. Now lets limit the scope to the Eastern Conference, as the Lakers showed a few years back in the Shaq trade that they are unlikely to trade a star within their own conference. So which teams in the East would be able to put all three pieces of the puzzle together, and make the salaries match? There are indeed three teams that could make such a deal.

Boston Celtics
Package: Paul Pierce, Delonte West, #5 pick
Analysis: This package would give Kobe a chance to play in a fairly large market and for a historic franchise, as well as the chance to play with some great young talent with the likes of Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Gerald Green, and Rajon Rando. Jefferson would of course be the main draw for Kobe, as a Bryant-Jefferson duo would automatically vault the Celtics into the top 4 in the East. From the Lakers perspective, West would be an automatic upgrade over Smush Parker, and Pierce would slide into Kobe's spot in the starting five. The #5 pick would also likely garner Yi Jianlian, a prospect that the Lakers are allegedly very high on.

New Jersey Nets
Package:Vince Carter (sign and trade), Marcus Williams, #17 pick, 2008 First and Second Round picks
Analysis: Going to the Nets would again give Kobe a chance to play in a large media market, as well as the opportunity to play alongside Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson. That trio would all likely be All Stars in the East, and would give the Nets a two to three year window where they would likely be favored to win the East every year. For the Lakers, Carter would slip into Kobe's role and Williams would split time with Jordan Farmar at the point. The #17 pick could garner a frontcourt prospect along the lines of Josh McRoberts, Tiago Splitter, or Jason Smith. This trade would probably be the least attractive of the three from the Lakers perspective.

Charlotte Bobcats
Package: Gerald Wallace (sign and trade), Raymond Felton, #8 pick
Analysis: This trade would be excellent for both sides. Kobe would step into a starting five including Brevin Knight, Adam Morrison, Emeka Okafor, and then a Sean May and Primoz Brezec rotation. The talent is there in Charlotte, and with Kobe being added to a team that has been improving steadily each year the future would be very bright for the Bobcats. From L.A.'s perspective, they would have the chance to sign the 24 year old Wallace to a long term deal. Since Wallace played in Charlotte with little attention paid to him, many people are not aware that he is essentially Shawn Marion Lite. Wallace is one of the best defenders in the NBA, and has been steadily improving his offensive game, shooting over 50% the past two seasons. Felton could step right in as the starting point guard, and the #8 pick would likely garner Joakim Noah to pair with Andrew Bynum in the post. Maybe it is just me, but a young core of Wallace, Bynum, Felton, and Noah (all currently 24 years old or less) would put the Lakers in fantastic shape for the future.

(Photo Credit: Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)

Which Way to the Finals?

Throughout the post-season, LeBron and Company have done enough to put away the Wizards and Nets, but now it's time for them to step up. Last season, the overconfident Detroit Pistons, led by the ever obnoxious Rasheed Wallace, allowed the Cavs to snatch a game away from them in a series that many media outlets declared should have been a sweep. Then Rasheed worked his magic, opening his loud mouth to declare that the Cavs wouldn't win any more games in the series. Obviously this is really stupid...remember how Greg Oden threw down on Joey Dorsey, after Dorsey talked trash? So the Cavs won another game...oh yea they won one more, too. In games 6 and 7 there was Detroit, on the brink of elimination, when the Cavs collapsed, bringing more woe to Cleveland...as if we need any more of it.

If I was rational, I would say the Cavs are going to lose this series, too. But I'm a Cleveland sports fan, and obviously not rational.

So without further ado, I present THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS' KEYS TO REACHING THE NBA FINALS!

Get physical!: After watching the Cavs fail to retaliate against Mikki Moore's hard foul against Sacha Pavlovic in the Nets-Cavs series, I came to realize just how "buddy-buddy" the NBA can be. I don't care if you're friends with an opponent, LeBron. This is the playoffs...retaliate...foul them hard. Same goes for the rest of the Cavs. EVERYONE must play physical, from Daniel Gibson to Damon Jones. Yesterday, the Pistons announced they had a big, bad hurting awaiting LeBron whenever he tries to drive to the basket. Fine...Zydrunas should hear that and elbow Rasheed Wallace in the head (kind of like what Wallace did to Ilgauskus last year, which required the Cavs center to have multiple stitches).

Find a killer instinct: If the Cavs go up in the series, they MUST put the nail the coffin. After watching Game Six of the Nets series, it seems they learned their lesson from last year, as the Cavs drained three after three to put the Nets away by sixteen. However, the Cavs cannot just live and die by the three. Too often some of the Cavs *cough* Larry Hughes *cough* have a tendency to clang jumper after jumper off of the rim, when they're obviously cold. In the past two games, Hughes was a revolting 4-23 from the field and 2-5 from the line, while averaging 3.5 assists. The whole idea of playing Hughes at point was to cut down on his trigger-happy tendencies...Mike Brown has to pound this into Larry's head again. So instead of continually shooting wild jumpers the Cavs must......

DRIVE!!! DRIVE INSIDE, DRIVE INSIDE, DRIVE INSIDE!: Everytime I see someone throwing up a ton of low-percentage shots, I want to vomit. Bang it inside to Z or Drew Gooden. Even Anderson Varejao could throw in the occasional basket if they get it to him inside. Of course, this would require the Cavs to actually get physical...and they had better be against the Pistons. Mike Brown could also use LeBron and Hughes to make slashing cuts to the basket. Who knows, maybe it'd even cut down on Hughes jacking up random jumpers. Drives could be ugly, but at least they don't produce rim-clanging nausea.

Defend the pick and roll!: In the Nets two wins, they ran the pick and roll with impunity. It was disgusting...over and over and over. The main culprit: Drew Gooden. He let Mikki Moore (on his 7th different NBA team in 9 years) blow by him again and again. Gooden better learn how to play better defense for the Pistons, or else it's going to be a long series.

Crash the Boards: The Cavs did a terrific job out-rebounding the less physical Nets in the first couple games of the series, but then went soft. They can't afford to go soft against the nasty Pistons. Once again, the big men HAVE TO get physical, crashing the boards and fighting for every loose ball.

Point guard?: Uhh...what's that? The Cavs need to find a permanent solution in the offseason at point guard. Eric Snow can be a great defender, but is simply not an offensive threat. The Larry Hughes "band-aid" isn't really working, as he still attempts to operate as more of a shooting guard. Mike Brown could take a risk, and attempt to play Daniel Gibson at PG for longer spurts in the game, as he performed well in Game 6 against the Nets.

If the Cavaliers can play up to their potential, and play with intensity, they have a decent shot at winning what could be a long and brutal series.