Knicks make moves, score T-Mac & cap room

In a blockbuster 3-team deal, the New York Knicks have not only landed Houston Rocket Tracy McGrady, but also have cleared cap room for the upcoming 2010 free agent wars. It was reported earlier on Thursday that the Rockets and Kings were working out a deal to trade Kevin Martin and several players in exchange for McGrady and other players. Right before the NBA trade deadline struck, the Knicks managed to acquire Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez (Kings).

The Knicks have now traded away Nate Robinson, Darko Milicic and Jared Jeffries, freeing up plenty of cap space to sign two max free agents. That could mean their #1 choice Lebron James will suit up as a Knick starting in 2010-11, and that another player such as Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade will join him in the lineup. The Knicks may have upped their status as potential title contenders for that next season with these moves, which at first appeared odd with them simply trading away Nate Robinson to the Celtics for bench player Eddie House.

The Houston Rockets now acquire Jared Jeffries (Knicks) along with Kevin Martin from the Kings. Also, Sacramento picks up Larry Hughes (Knicks), Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey both from the Kings. Tracy McGrady will be a member of the Knicks but has an expiring contract as well, and has mentioned a desire to play for a playoff contender like the Lakers or Cavaliers. However, the Cavaliers wouldn't exactly be a contender if King James is long gone.

Confused yet? The important things to note are that Kevin Martin is now a Rocket, and Tracy McGrady is now a New York Knick. Oh and that the Knicks just might be able to woo King James with enough money to have him switching from a red-maroon Cavs jersey to Knicks blue and orange for 2010-11.

Read more about today's trade here at NY Daily News.

Cavs get Jamison & Celts Knicks Nate Robinson trade

Two teams who made moves on Wednesday were the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston's move which was rumored earlier Wednesday afternoon has the Celtics sending Eddie House to the New York Knicks in exchange for the 2010 Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers didn't get Ama're Stoudemire as they'd initially hoped, but most likely got the second best option available in terms of a versatile power forward, with Antawn Jamison. The Jamison trade is a 3-team affair which involves the LA Clippers in addition to the Cavs and Wizards.

For the Antawn Jamison deal, Cleveland will also pick up guard Sebastian Telfair. The Clippers get Drew Gooden, while the Wizards receive Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, Brian Skinner and a Cavs first-round pick.

The Celtics trade is a bit peculiar as Boston is looking to be a serious competitor in the 2010 Playoffs and return to their glory of two years ago with a trip to the Finals. Eddie House was an integral part in their championship team providing scoring ability from off the bench. It's possible the trade for Robinson could be part of a multi-team deal which also involves Ray Allen or other members of the team. The Wizards appear to be in complete rebuild mode now after trading away Caron Butler to the Dallas Mavericks and now Antawn Jamison. Their only legit superstar remaining is Gilbert Arenas who is currently suspended for the remainder of the season due to the gunplay incident involving teammate Javaris Crittendon. It's questionable if the Wizards will hold onto Arenas following his suspensions or seek to free up more salary space.

With the NBA trade deadline looming for Thursday, Ama're Stoudemire is still the big name out there that several teams are looking to acquire. Stay tuned!

Wizards Mavs 7-player trade swaps Howard & Butler

The city of Dallas is looking ahead to the 2010 All-Star game to be played Sunday, but meanwhile the Mavericks swung a trade Saturday while not many were looking. It was speculated that Caron Butler would be dealt from the Wizards and he was on Saturday. Dallas traded away Dwight Gooden and Josh Howard as well as two other players in exchange for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson and cash. The Mavs are looking to build up momentum for their 2010 playoff run by bringing in Butler, who president of operations Donnie Nelson calls a good fit for their team. He also admitted it was a tough decision to give up Howard, but said you've got to "give quality to get quality".

The Wizards meanwhile are hurting with a record of 17-33 and low expectations since losing Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for the season following their gun incident in the locker room. The team president expressed their needs in the current season:

"We're all disappointed in how our season has gone. We need some freshness and we're getting proven players who will help us, and it gives us some flexibility down the road," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said. "We want to remain competitive and maybe this group can provide a spark. The group had gotten stale, and we needed a change." (NBA.com)

Also involved in the deal were James Singleton and Quinton Ross who the Wizards acquired. This marks the 8th new team for Drew Gooden who is becoming a journeyman of sorts, while Howard has spent all his career since 2003 in Dallas. The Mavs will now acquire the additional skills of Butler who is averaging about 17 points and 7 rebounds per game, while Haywood was averaging around 10 rebounds a game.

There may be more moves in the days ahead, as the NBA Trade deadline officially hits on February 18, 2010.

Read more about today's trade at NBA.com

Qunetin Richardson's 3rd Trade of Summer

Quentin Richardson is apparently part of a three way trade. That's three trades this summer. In his latest move, Q-Rich was swapped from the LA Clippers to the Minnesota Timberwolves for three players: Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair and Mark Madsen. Previously, he was sent from Memphis to the Clippers for Zach Randolph, and on NBA Draft 2009 night he was swapped with the Knicks to the Grizzlies in a deal for the mysterious superstar, Darko Milicic.

Will the third team be a charm this summer? This will be Richardson's 10th NBA Season, and he's starting to play musical teams as a swingman it seems. He's part of Team Jordan, and previously had his best season stats wise with the Clippers back in 2003-04. Unfortunately, Richardson spent just a weekend with his former team and now will head over to the ever-rebuilding Minnesota Twolves. For now that is....

More about Q-Rich's trade to Minnesota here

2009 Trade Deadline brings few moves

While the recent rumors of Shaq going to Cleveland have been squashed, there were a handful of deals made by teams looking to improve...

One of the bigger deals saw the Bulls and Kings swapping several players, with the Bulls clearly looking to chase down a playoff spot. Here's the ESPN Recap:

The Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings reached tentative agreement on Wednesday to trade Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons to the Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons.

The Kings then turned around and shipped Ruffin to the Portland Trail Blazers for forward Ike Diogu and cash considerations. The Kings waived guard Quincy Douby and veteran Sam Cassell, acquired on Tuesday from Boston, to make room for their new players.

- NBA Trades before 2009 Deadline -

RAEFER ALSTON TO MAGIC, KYLE LOWRY TO ROCKETS

LARRY HUGHES TO KNICKS, TIM THOMAS TO BULLS

CHRIS WILCOX TO KNICKS, MALIK ROSE TO OKC

WILLIAMS TO WOLVES
- Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown to the Timberwolves
- Kings will receive Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth

BRAD MILLER, JOHN SALMONS TO BULLS
*(see above ESPN recap for full deal)

CHRIS MIHM TO GRIZZLIES, LAKERS GET FUTURE PICK

Suns & Bobcats Swing Deal

The Suns and Bobcats swung a 5 player trade on Wednesday with the Bobcats Jason Richardson heading to Phoenix, and Raja Bell and Boris Diaw now heading to Charlotte. According to an NBA.com interview with Richardson he was initially surprised at the trade, not having heard about it, but once it hit him, he was pleased to be bringing his skills to Phoenix where Shaq and Nash are playoff bound again:

NBA.com: How satisfying is this deal, especially because you helped build what was going on in Golden State and you had to leave that winning culture to a rebuilding program? To know that you're entering a team that has a lot of recent success, how much does that energize you?

Richardson: That's exactly right. I think my whole career I've been on rebuilding teams. It's been tough because I've only been to the playoffs once and even with that team, we didn't have a winning record. So if you give me the choice to play with guys who have been there before, who have won it, that's a rush. I've never had that in my career, guys of that caliber.

Here's a look at the exact details of the trade:

Phoenix Suns acquire:
G Jason Richardson
F Jared Dudley
2010 2nd-round pick

Charlotte Bobcats acquire:
G Raja Bell
G Sean Singletary
F Boris Diaw

The former slam dunk contest winner Richardson, now will suit up for his third team in his NBA career. Richardson started out in Golden State, then was traded to Charlotte, and now brings his high-flying and potential high-scoring game to Phoenix. Both teams seem to benefit here, although Charlotte gets two solid veterans with defensive skills and playoff experience. Of course, the Bobcats need to make those playoffs first, but in the East it's always possible with teams finishing with .500 records and making the post-season.

Iverson's Move to Detroit

At one time, Allen Iverson vowed that his pairing with Carmelo Anthony on the Denver Nuggets would bring a title to the squad. This came after Iverson spent many controversy-filled seasons in Philadelphia. He had incidents with coaches and teammates, the famous "Practice?" clips on ESPN, an MVP award and then a trip to the Finals where the LA Lakers eventually dismantled his Sixers. Denver seemed like a bit of a saving grace for Iverson as he mellowed out with Melo. AI made the All-Star squad and the team made the playoffs, but heightened expectations didn't translate into a strong playoff presence. Team D was blamed for the team not making a strong push.

Now just a day ago, Iverson has been traded to his third NBA Team, the Detroit Pistons. In exchange for AI, Denver picks up Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb. The questions of who got the best of the deal already start pouring out. Mr. Big Shot Billups would be a welcome addition to most squads, but will he fit in well with Denver and Melo? The same goes for AI, will he work in the style of play the Pistons use? The Pistons are not as much an uptempo run and gun type team as Denver has been. Iverson now plays alongside Rip Hamilton, but he'll most likely be the Pistons lead scorer and go-to-guy. His talents will be welcome but may disrupt Detroit.

Experience is a factor in the NBA, but age can be as well. It might not be the popular analysis, but Denver may have added more at this point than Detroit. Billups provides veteran playoff experience and leadership. He's won the title that Melo wants and can help guide the team in a playoff run. Not to mention he plays D and can knock down the big shots. McDyess helps in the defensive needs as well as rebounding, even though he's up there in age. He'll most likely defer to Melo as lead scorer and set him up with the shots he wants. At the same time, Iverson is on a squad with a few guys left over from that Pistons Championship Squad. Iverson, McDyess and Billups aren't exactly young though, and aging players don't always guarantee a team is going to win it all.

Read the Washington Post article on Iverson's trade

Celtics Land the Rockets

Last night Houston had a problem. As the luck of the Irish continues, the Boston Celtics were able to use tight D to finally ground the Rockets, with a 94-74 triumphant victory. It not only crashes T-Mac and his crew to the earth, but also continues to prove just how tough and good a contender the Celtics make for NBA champions. According to a Wall Street Journal blog, the last time the Rockets lost, the New York Giants were underdogs in the Superbowl. From there the Giants won an impressive game over the Patriots to become champions, and the Rockets began their ascension into the stratosphere, winning 22 straight. Yao Ming was also lost for the season along the way, but that didn't stop the Rockets from winning 12 games without their Great Wall. The streak lasted for an impressive 48 days and really revved up Houston fans for their team's hopes at winning a title.

Chris Sheridan of ESPNprovided the following about the streak:

“The Rockets did, after all, write their own little piece of history with the streak, accomplishing something the NBA hadn’t seen in nearly four decades,” “But that made it all the more surprising to see them wilt in the toughest test they’ve faced during the streak, a night when a national-television audience tuned in to see what all the buzz about the Rockets was about, then switched their TV sets off shaking their heads at how good the Celtics looked.”

So what we have learned is Houston can succeed without their man in the middle, Yao, and that T-Mac and his supporting cast are definite West coast contenders. We also learned that the Celtics are capable of beating any team, in any place, at any time. This will go a long way towards their momentum and championship hopes. The loss puts Houston into a tie with the Lakers for first, not too depressing for fans of the Rockets. Unfortunately, another loss or two could push them back down to the bottom tier of the Western Conference playoff teams.

Ben Wallace's Central Division Tour

Ben Wallace's Central Division Tour

The Cavs finally pulled the trigger on a move to bring in more talent to help out Lebron's quest for an NBA championship. On the final day of NBA trading, Cleveland orchestrated a 3 team trade involving 11 players total. The big name, Ben Wallace came to Cleveland as Drew Gooden went to Chicago. Here's a look at who each of the 3 teams got in the deal.

Chicago Bulls
Drew Gooden, F
Larry Hughes, G
Cedric Simmons, G/F
Shannon Brown

Cleveland Cavs
Ben Wallace, F/C
Delonte West, G
Wally Sczerbiak, G/F
Joe Smith, F
Bulls 2nd round draft pick (2009)

Seattle Supersonics
Ira Newble, F
Donyell Marshall, F,
Adrian Griffin, G

The trade is pending approval from the Commissioner's office. Charles Barkley on TNT's pre-game coverage Thursday night seems to like the trade for the Cavs as it gives them a much needed point guard and better defense/rebounding. Barkley added that Wallace should play better with Lebron James than he was in Chicago. However, it still remains to be seen if this brings Lebron and the Cavs back to the NBA Finals, but on paper it looks good for the Cavs.

See TheClevelandFan.com's analysis of the deal

It's also starting to look like Ben Wallace is on a seasonal tour of the Central Division as he's played for Detroit, then Chicago and now Cleveland. Indiana and Milwaukee take note; if Wallace doesn't pan out in Cleveland, go for the deal!

Here's some of the other trades completed Thursday:

¶The Portland Trail Blazers sent guard Taurean Green to Denver in exchange for guard Von Wafer.

¶The Detroit Pistons shipped center Primoz Brezec to Toronto for guard Juan Dixon.

¶The New Orleans Hornets acquired Mike James and Bonzi Wells from Houston, in a three-team deal in which the Hornets sent guard Bobby Jackson to the Rockets.

¶The Rockets, in a separate deal, acquired guard Gerald Green from Minnesota, in exchange for guard Kirk Snyder. (Source: NY Times)

Changing of the NBA Guards

We now have a shift of guards going on in the NBA from East to West, West to East. Just as All-Star weekend descended upon us, we saw Mike Bibby sent over to Atlanta in a multiplayer deal. This gives the Hawks a better floor general and greater chance at a playoff spot. While Bibby is a great player, he won't put the Hawks into the Finals this season. He makes for an extra scorer and passes well, but it's hard to see him leading them to the promised land. Playoffs? Yes. out of round 1? Probably not.

The other move is Jason Kidd is finally headed back to Dallas. The funniest part of this trade was that Keith Van Horn, a retired NBA player, had to make the decision to finalize the trade. How often is that seen in the NBA? Van Horn's contract amount allowed the trade to happen, so Van Horn returns to his original team, the Nets. It remains to be seen if he will play. Kidd arrives into Dallas to help Dirk and Josh Howard try to get back into the Finals and win it. Everyone knows Kidd immediately improves any squad he's on. The Nets have just shown us this season an example of lackluster play by the rest of the team despite Kidd's continued all-around floor leadership.

Both moves improve these teams easily. Kidd will definitely have the bigger impact of these two trades, which is a no brainer. The Nets will probably start to play more like the Heat, and the Hawks just may take the Nets' playoff spot away. The Mavericks are still considered amongst 3 or 4 West coast teams with a legitimate chance to make the NBA Finals and win it all.

Kidd Trade on Hold

Thanks to the contract of Dallas Mavs' player Devean George, the Jason Kidd trade has been put on hold. George blocked the trade by saying he did not want to give up his "early Bird rights", which is a provision he earned by being in his second year and on a second contract with the Mavs.

According to the Associated Press:

Under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, a player who has "early Bird rights" at the end of a contract - like George has this year - has veto power over a trade because he'd lose those rights if dealt. By keeping them, Dallas could exceed the salary cap to re-sign him.

"We're not trying to hold things up or be difficult, but just like teams make tough decisions all the time - about cutting players or making trades - they do what's best for their team, and it's my obligation to do what's best for Devean," his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Wednesday night.

"You don't want to stop teams from doing their business, but we don't feel like it makes sense at this time. He's starting right now and things are going pretty good."

It was not immediately clear whether this was just a snag or a deal-breaker. (SOURCE: AP)

Have no fear Mavs fans... J-Kidd can still move from NJ to Dallas within the next week, prior to the February 21st trade deadline.

J-Kidd Returns to Dallas

Call it a come back. According to ESPN.com, the Jason Kidd trade is a done deal. Kidd will be moving back to Dallas where he began his career, and the Nets will acquire Jerry Stackhouse with Devin Harris.

"Dallas is sending 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse, the expiring contracts of center DeSagana Diop and swingman Devean George and guard Maurice Ager to New Jersey for Kidd and forward Malik Allen.

Sources say Dallas will also send the Nets the league-maximum $3 million, the Mavs' first-round draft pick this June and a first-rounder in 2010."(SOURCE: ESPN.com)

So now the Mavs improve with the services of J-Kidd, who is coming full circle. Kidd will definitely help Dirk and Josh Howard compete for a title with the West's elite teams, such as the Lakers and Suns who both made big moves.

Read the full ESPN.com story here.

Better Deal: Heat or Suns?

Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni was interviewed via phone on the Mike & Mile show for ESPN2. The Phoenix head coach spoke about the excitement of now having Shaq in their system and the doubts over Shaq's ability to play well at his current age. He stated Shaq will definitely be of help and he is anxious to play along with Nash, Stoudamire, Raja bell and others. The lingering question seems to be over Shaq's ability to contribute.

Shaq's averaged 19.6 and 9.1 boards from 2004 to present with the Heat, which are almost 10 points and 2 rebounds below his averages with LA and Orlando. Other notable centers like Hakeem, Alonzo and Dikembe continued to move from team to team late in their career. Mourning even achieved a title (in Shaq's shadow).

The question remains who got the better deal here, Phoenix or Miami? Miami is clearly going into rebuild mode. It's hard to argue that Shawn Marion and D-Wade will be able to turn this into a title team. So most likely, D-Wade is gone from Miami as soon as he gets the chance. That means Miami is not going to be a title winner. Speculations have said Wade may head to the Chicago Bulls in a year.

The Suns on the other hand have added one of the all-time best Centers in the game to their lineup. Regardless of age and physical ability, he's still a solid contributor and imposing force. To think this doesn't add at least a little to the Suns' chances against San Antonio and Dallas is crazy, because the thing lacking against those teams was inside presence. Shaq adds that easily. While Marion is a tremendous player who does it all, it's still hard to say bringing him to Miami puts them into "contender status" again.

So expect Phoenix to have a better shot at competing with the likes of the Spurs, Mavs, Lakers and rest of the West. Once again, the West may continue to be, the best.

The trade deadline is February 21st, so other names may be on the move including the likes of Jason Kidd and Ron Artest.

Shaq Headed to Phoenix?

If ya can't stand the Heat, get the Shaq out the kitchen...According to a report by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Shaquille O'Neal may be on the move, heading to the Phoenix Suns:

O'Neal was planning to be in Phoenix on Wednesday, which, according to several reports, is when the Suns plan to have him take a physical - presumably the final roadblock before the deal that will send Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami gets finalized.

The Miami Herald reported earlier Tuesday that the Heat were in "serious and ongoing" trade negotiations with the Suns, and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel said the deal could occur "within 48 hours." The Arizona Republic also reported a deal could be imminent and that O'Neal had contacted some Suns players Tuesday night.

A Heat spokesman said the team had no comment, and several Suns officials didn't immediately return phone calls from the AP. The Suns did, however, push their morning shootaround practice back seven hours, perhaps because of the uncertainty over the O'Neal situation. Phoenix plays New Orleans on Wednesday night.

The deal is rumored to include at least Shawn Mario, who's made it know he wants to be traded out of Phoenix. Kobe Bryant was surprised at the news saying "Really? "I know he likes the warm weather."

Shaq's currently averaging a career low 14.2 points for a struggling Heat team. The Suns surely want to add something to get them over the hump in the playoffs so they can beat teams such as the Spurs or Mavericks. The question is, is Shaq the answer? He's definitely not young and spry like he used to be.

Power Shift to Lakers?

A great trade was pulled off on Friday involving Pau Gasol being sent to the Lakers. Gasol was traded along with a draft pick to LA in exchange for basically Kwame Brown, who's been a bust in the NBA. Kobe is definitely happy with the move because he now has more star power in addition to himself, and Lamar Odom. Gasol brings about 18 points, 9 rebounds and a few blocks per game which will make for a strong front court. Many analysts now say the Lakers are among the best of the West.

The Grizzlies will clearly be in rebuild mode now. They have several young stars on the team, including emerging star, Rudy Gay. With the trade they will be able to clear up extra salary money once Kwame's contract is up. They can also use the extra draft picks to add to their team.

So will this make the Lakers the best in the West? It's tough to say, but as long as they keep superstar Kobe Bryant happy, all is good in Hollywood.

NBA Trade & Durant Injured

The big news, if you want to call it that, had the Timberwolves and Heat pulling the trigger on a deal yesterday, which sent Ricky Davis from the Timberowlves over to the heat, and Antoine Walker to Minnesota. Other guys were involved, but those two are the focuses. I guess the idea would be for Davis to provide some scoring relief for Wade, or even be his back up with Gary Payton not really there. In Minnesota, Al Jefferson should shine and Walker may be able to take him under his wing to help improve him even more. Walker's aged and I don't expect him to be a top scorer in Minnesota, but stranger things have happened. Most likely the Twolves will belong to Big Al or Randy Foy this year, as they struggle mightily.

Greg Oden will be sitting the sidelines this season after knee surgery. It seems now that the #2 pick in the draft is now hurt as well, but not as seriously. Kevin Durant suffered an ankle sprain this past Tuesday against Golden State, which may keep him out of the lineup for the season opener next week. Luckily this injury is not as serious as Oden's, so Durant should see time and success this season.

SeattlePI.com has a Supersonics season preview here.

Check back here for an article full of prediced NBA award winners in 2007-08 on Friday.

KG Officially Joins Celtics

The rumors of a KG trade to Boston have now turned into a real deal. KG will suit up alongside Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. The Celtics gave the TWolves 5 players, Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, Gerald Greene along with 2 future NBA 1st round draft picks.

The Celtics held a press conference from Boston this evening, where Garnett, Allen and Pierce spoke as did Celtics GM Danny Ainge and Coach Doc Rivers. KG said the more he talked to the Minnesota about the future, the more it contradicted what he thought would make the team better. Allen added that he remembers the days when the great Celtics vs Lakers rivalry exited and the Lakers were scared to enter the building. Ray said he believes this team could return to that status where teams fear to enter the arena.

KG told the press he informed Pierce of his decision by calling all 4 of Pierce's phones, and Ray Allen's 2 phones. KG said it feels like being in a Lamborghini with your head out the window going 200mph based on how its been since the rumors and the announcement. Pierce says he feels like a rookie again and is very excited about his new teammates in Boston. KG said he feels less pressure and the chances of winning games each night are alot better now. The 3 players were asked if the Celtics are now the team to beat. KG said time will tell and they will be a "force to reckon with". KG said this was the only obvious decision he could make in his career. Danny Ainge noted that KG is a big time Red Sox baseball fan and has a big Red Sox hat collection.

It was reported on ESPN that Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are two of the top 5 scorers in the NBA over the past 11 seasons. All 3 players have been all-stars with KG and Allen having recent appearances.

Check out NBA.com for more info on the trade and press conference.

Draft Thoughts

I have to say even though I don't know a ton of the names drafted, I find this to be one of the more exciting drafts. I think it offers a class of great talent to spark many great rivalries and championship runs to come in the NBA.

The no-brainer 1 and 2 picks of Oden and Durant are definitely exciting. People compare Oden to Duncan, Shaq even Bill Russell. He seems almost prophetically guaranteed to win titles now. Kevin Durant is supposedly 50/50 in the debate of who's better, which makes that yet another exciting prospect for Seattle. They now have a young team full of talent. While I'm not familiar with Jeff Green so much, Im anxious to see how both Portland and Seattle look next season.

Aside from that, 1 of my 2 favorite teams picked up Joakim Noah. Adding this guy to the Bulls to me is a great move. He fits in great with the energetic and youthful movement that John Paxson has going in Chicago and makes them an ultra-deep squad. It makes me even more excited about a possible championship run now. Many debated the choice of Noah, but I think he fits perfectly and can't wait to see what he adds.

After that, I'm barely familiar with the other names who went first round aside from guys like Acie Law and maybe Al Horford. Yi from China is someone I've heard mentioned here or there. All in all this will be one exciting class, because I'm not sure what to expect, but hear good things. In addition to that we had several big name players move to new addresses including Zach Randolph going to NYC, Ray Allen moving To Boston and Jason Richardson to Charlotte. It's starting to look like it will be one interesting 2007-08 season..

Does Ray Got Game in Boston?

The recent trade of Ray Allen to Boston in exchange for the Celtics' #5 draft pick, Jeff Green, as well as Wally Sczerbiak and Delonte West has definitely met with a mixed reaction amongst fans. On one hand you have those who are ready to lead a small army of fans to Danny Ainge's office with pitchforks and torches in hand. On the other hand you have fans willing to embrace a new star to the city and give it a chance.

Ray Allen is someone who I've met personally and seen in action all throughout college. He's the real deal, both on the court and off. A quality character and a quality shooter. The knock against him and the trade is his age and ankles. People are ready to persecute General Manager Danny Ainge for the trade. I think you have to see it 1 of 2 ways. Either Ainge keeps Paul Pierce happy by bringing in some help to assist him in getting back to the playoffs; OR Ainge would have to rebuild, which includes trading Pierce. Paul Pierce would not want to sit around seeing if a #5 pick pays off next season, I almost can guarantee that.

Bringing in a quality all-star veteran like Ray Allen is not a bad move. You now have 1 of the purest shooters in the game, a guy who holds the single season record for 3 pointers made, and who has the ability to win games. With Pierce, Allen and Jefferson, I like the Celts' chances to get back to the playoffs this coming year. Throw in Rajon Rondo and Gerald Green along with others for good measure. The Celtics also got a steal in my opinion in Big Baby Glen Davis late in the draft. He has health questions as of the draft, but from what I saw of him in college he works pretty damn hard. It's hard to be disappointed in this team, and only time will tell if the moves pay off.

I would think fans in Boston should be concerned first and foremost with winning. If they're unhappy with the Allen trade, they should most likely consider this: how happy they would be with no Ray Allen, no Paul Pierce and a team of youngsters building for a playoff appearance someday in the future?

The 4 Team Trade Equation

Minnesota and Los Angeles Lakers are trying to work out a trade to bring Kevin Garnett of the Timberwolves to play alongside Kobe in Los Angeles. This is how the proposed trade looks so far, according to ESPN.com:

Lakers: Kevin Garnett F (from T'Wolves)

Boston: Jermaine Oneal F (from Pacers)

Minnesota: Al Jefferson & Celtics 5th pick in draft

Indiana: Lamar Odom & Andrew Bynum (from Lakers)


These talks are still going on and may need to include more players/cash to get a deal done around the time of the NBA draft.