With the way I keep being out of town for weekends, maybe I should just call this the “Whenever I Feel Like It Wrap-Up.” Oh well. Anyway, as usual the Weekly Wrap-Up is your source for all the happenings and tidbits from the previous week in the NBA, all in rambling bullet-point form.
- First, I have to address the Marion/O’Neal trade that went down last week. I was really down on this one for the Heat when I first read about it, but I’ve come around a bit now, especially after we learned Jamario Moon and Marcus Banks would be switching places as well. Miami gets out from the terrible Banks contract, and they bring in a true center to a roster desperately in need of size on the frontline. Moon is an extremely underrated piece, almost a Marion-lite, and should help their depth on the wing. So long as O’Neal is able to stay healthy, the team should be much-improved for the rest of the season. The big issue is taking on O’Neal’s contract, but unless they were going to go after Boozer in the offseason (not real likely after his injury), it doesn’t really hurt the heat. The free agent market next year is very poor, and O’Neal’s massive deal comes off the books in time for the huge ‘10 class of free agents. Since they apparently weren’t in the running for Stoudamire anyway, I don’t see much to dislike about the trade for Miami. For Toronto, it was pretty easy to pull the trigger on this one. Obviously, they’re not thrilled about taking back Banks, but getting out from under O’Neal’s deal was huge for a team that isn’t going anywhere. Also, I think we can probably expect better play from Marion in Toronto. He’s a finisher, not a shot-creator, so he needs someone to set him up. Enter Jose Calderon, one of the league’s best pure distributors. Getting rid of O’Neal should also mean a few more minutes for Kris Humphries, who has quietly had a very good season off the bench. All in all, I think this may be the rare deal that is actually a win/win for both sides.
- Other trade thoughts:
Apparently the Clippers are adamant about keeping Marcus Camby on their sinking ship, which is bad news for Cleveland, who would’ve been a great fit for the big man. It’s looking more and more likely that the Cavs will just keep Wally Szczerbiak’s expiring contract and “maintain their chemistry.” Frankly, that strikes me as ridiculous. You’ve got a great team and a chance to make it significantly better. Take a chance and make a run to get a title, these opportunities don’t come around all that often. If they do decide to make a move, a few other likely candidates could be Brad Miller or Tyson Chandler.
Expect to see Portland make a move before the deadline on Thursday. GM Kevin Pritchard is looking to make a deal, and he’s got one of the biggest pieces to move at this trade deadline. At a time when everyone is looking to cut salary, Raef LaFrentz’s expiring contract is in high demand. Not only does LaFrentz’s $13 mil deal expire next year, but because of his injuries, insurance pays 80% of that salary. If you’re a team looking to cut costs, it doesn’t get much better than chopping almost $10 mil off your payroll. When you consider that, along with Portland’s treasure trove of young talent, they’ve got the assets to pursue pretty much anyone they want. Pritchard wants to find a top notch point guard or small forward to complement the core of Roy-Aldridge-Oden. Rumor is they’re looking at Richard Jefferson (not a good fit in my opinion), and have talked to Memphis about Mike Conley. If we know anything, it’s that Prichard works the phones like no other GM, and there’s no knowing what he’s going to come up with this week.
- In the wake of his ridiculously strong play since Michael Redd and Luke Ridnour went down, I’m going to readdress this point. How in the world do you sit Ramon Sessions behind Ridnour? Seriously, against two good defensive teams and two bad defensive teams this month, he’s averaged 26 points, 10.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals on 55% shooting. Seriously, that guy can’t beat out Luke Freaking Ridnour?
- Anyone still think that Kevin Durant didn’t deserve to be an All-Star? With a win at HORSE and an impossibly easy 46 in the Rookie-Sophomore game, I think it’s safe to say Durant had a pretty good All-Star Weekend. He’s just an impossible cover with his length and shooting ability. I think we could be talking about Durant as the best pure scorer in the game as early as next year, he’s just an immense talent.
- Quick run-down of the top 5 dunks from the dunk contest on Saturday.
5) The criminally underrated J.R. Smith double-bounce windmill. The throw and timing on that dunk is so much tougher than it looks, and he did it on the first try. He also got great elevation and really threw it down hard. Great dunk.
4) Dwight Howard’s 12-ft rim Superman dunk. Great showmanship, should’ve been his final dunk. The ease with which he dunked on the higher rim is amazing. He could’ve gone a foot higher and still done it.
3) Nate Robinson’s “Kryptonate” dunk over Howard. Again, great showmanship. Nate has video game hops. It’s amazing to see a guy his size elevate like that. Sure, he pushed off of Dwight’s shoulder a bit, and it’s not quite VC over Weis, but still pretty impressive.
2) If Smith’s dunk was criminally underrated, then the low score for Rudy Fernandez’s crazy, one-handed, behind-the-backboard reverse dunk was an absolute felony. Sure, it took him a lot of tries, but come on, the rules say you get 2 minutes plus 2 tries. If you’re going to penalize people for missing a bunch of attempts, you’re just penalizing guys who are willing to try high degree of difficulty dunks, which are really the dunks we want to see. Anyway, to do what Fernandez did with the one-handed catch and the body control and hangtime to swoop under the backboard and stuff it home, that was fantastic.
1) Howard’s self-toss off the side of the backboard was just a sickening display of athleticism. He didn’t even make a great toss, but that made it more impressive as he was able to reach way back and grab it anyway. Then he rammed it through the rim so hard that it’s a surprise the net was still attached when he was done.
Maestro Award
The Maestro Award is my recognition of the best performance from the previous week
And the award goes to…Shaquille O’Neal, for turning back the clock with his All-Star performance, and for his fantastic dance with the JabbaWockeeZ
Honorable Mention – O.J. Mayo, for his shot from the crowd, the unequivocal highlight of the HORSE competition.
- xphoenix87 is a Contributing Writer for BallerBlogger.com.
February 17th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Why would Camby be a good fit for the Cavaliers?
February 17th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
The Cavs need one more big in their post rotation unless they want to count on J.J. Hickson as their 4th big. They’re already one of the top defensive teams in the league, image how good they could be if they added a shotblocker and rebounder like Camby. He’s also a much better offensive player than either Wallace or Varejao. He can hit the mid-range jumper, meaning they can use him like Big Z on the pick-and-pop, and he’s a good passer out of the high post. Between Williams, West, Gibson and Pavlovic, they’re pretty set in the backcourt. I think adding a frontcourt player like Camby, who is quietly having an excellent year toiling in futility, puts them over the top.
February 17th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Camby is a horrible shooter. But that doesn’t stop him from firing away from midrange.
Camby would help Cleveland on the boards.
But as a Lakers fan, I wouldn’t mind seeing Cleveland trade for Camby.
Gasol housed him in the first round last year.
He’s a good shot blocker from the weakside, which may come in handy against the Celtics but if the Lakers and Cavaliers meet in the Finals, he’ll be a non-factor.
Just my two cents…
February 20th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Waaassappeneeeng? (Go watch “Born in East L.A.”)
Rudy Fernandez had the best dunk.
The three-point contest was the worst. I could have beaten Rashard Lewis. 7? 7? Terrible.
I think Camby would be good with the Cavs although, for as much talk as there is for them needing a big, I think John Salmons would have been a great piece for them. They already have Wallace, Z, Varejao and Hickson. They have a few shooters who can’t do much else. Then there’s LeBron and Mo Williams.
I’m not crazy about Mo–I think he can shoot and get his shot, but I don’t consider him a playmaker. He’s more like Mike Bibby to me, except not as good of a shooter. I think the Cavs getting a John Salmons, Hedo Turkoglu, Richard Jefferon kind of player is more so what they need. Hell, even if these just added Matt Barnes or Stephen Jackson or Corey Maggette, etc., it would helped a lot.
By the way, if I haven’t said this 100 million times already, the NBA is terrible. I watched that Kobe-LeBron matchup and puked in my mouth. These two cats are supposed to be the game’s best two players? Today’s superstars should be called, “Kings amongst Mediocres.”
I’m changing my vote. Two best players in the game remain Dwyane Wade and Tim Duncan. Howard and Paul are up in there in terms of game impact. But LeBron and Kobe? Man, they dominate the ball and often times hurt their team as much as they help. Kobe’s too good to be pulling up with 27-footers. LeBron is too big, strong and quick, to get to the hoop with ease only to blow layups.
Today’s players are dumb. Not as dumb as they were from 1998-2006 but still dumb.
I need to get back to watching college basketball.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Also, about the trade deadline… the Cavaliers dropped the ball by not moving Wally Szczerbiak’s contract. They have the best record in the East–and we all know they made the Finals two years ago with an even lesser team–but does anybody really believe they can knock off the Celtics or even Magic? Eh.
The Magic improved by getting Rafer Alston. The Knicks improved with their trades. The Bulls improved. The Raptors improved. The Heat improved.
I know the Bulls, Raptors, Heat, Knicks, Nets, etc., aren’t particularly scary. But say a team like the Raptors lands the final playoff spot. They’re going to give the Cavs some problems in the first round. Marion will defend James. No Cavs post player can stop Bosh. Calderon is as steady as they come at the point. They have guys who can shoot. Sure, the Cavs will win, but it won’t be easy. Had the Cavs improved just a little via a deadline deal, they’d be looking at a first round sweep and REST. Instead they’re going to play six games each round before facing off against the Celtics or Magic. Fatigue is a huge factor in the playoffs.