Ineligible Man Downfield

Courtesy of mandalin88 on Webshots.com

Have you guys been checking out the latest news in the NBA lately?  If not, then you should be keeping up as these developments have a major impact on fantasy basketball in the fall.  Other than Ricky Rubio drama and the obvious Blake Griffin first pick by the woeful Clippers, the trades in the offseason have been interesting.  It is like trash turning into gold.  Its not even finding a needle in a haystack.  Its magic!

So why do I have a picture of Pau Gasol?  He is the first trade in recent times that follows this “gold from trash” pheonomena.  You could say Mitch Kupchak (or was it Jerry West) started a trend.  Some teams are dumping major salary to get under the cap due to economic times (or is it 2010 free agent bonanaza?)  Other teams are taking advantage, using the trade to beef up their rosters making them contenders for the 2010 championship.

Here is the wrap-up of what has happened so far in the “trades sector.”  Its hotter than a muggy summer day in Hotlanta:

1.  Spurs trade for Richard Jefferson:  With this trade, they automatically get a reliable and legitimate third scoring option after Duncan and Parker.  If Manu Ginobli is healthy next season, this team is downright scary.  As a Laker fan, this is horrifically disappointing, especially when Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza are not resigned yet.

2.  Shaq hanging out with King James:  This deal is sick!  Shaq will try to win a fifth championship and doing it with the future king of the NBA, Lebron.  This deal is absolutely a win now situation.  We all know how the Cavs got dismantled by Orlando’s Dwight Howard, so this deal makes perfect sense.  Even if he plays only 30 games this season and all of the playoffs (thanks to jadamusss for that assessment), it’ll be worth it.  Plus Shaq is “off the books” in terms of salary after next season anyway.  An added bonus.

3.  Poof, the Magic are all stars, literally with Vince Carter!:  If Hedu Turkoglu resigns with the Magic, they will have players that have all played in the All-Star Game at one point or another in their career.  This move is to continue the success they were riding on when the Magic got to the playoffs and it gives them another player that can create his own shot.  The Magic are making sure they can neutralize the effect of the Shaq trade.

4.  Amare Stoudamire to Golden State?:  Though this trade has yet to happen, this would be another big one.  Why?  Amare being coupled with Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette would absolutely make the Warriors automatic contenders due to their offensive prowess.   Amare already knows how to play in a fast paced system and would fit naturally in Don Nelson’s running game.  This team, if this trade does happen, would score probably in the upper 90s to 100s almost every night.  It would be fun to watch.

Trash for Gold.  We’ll see if these plans work out or will the teams saving money by dumping salary win in the end in 2010?  Only time can tell, but I”m looking forward to next season already.  Can the Lakers play ball in this new landscape?  I certainly hope so.  Get to work Mitch!

I would like to thank a friend of mine, Marcus, who recently graduated from UC Irvine MBA for giving me the inspiration for this post.  Actually, he’s always utilized this moniker in place of his real name to represent his online presence in our fantasy basketball league, but I have finally some time to put a reasonable post together.

Indeed, the Lakers are Kobe’s Lakers.  He is the unquestioned leader and he believed that running “his” team would lead to the championship.  Today we find that it is true, though I’m not so sure a healthy Boston Celtics team would necessarily foster the same result.  The Lakers of 2009 are quite different from the Lakers 0f the early 200o’s.  Obviously, one major difference is the leader of that team was Shaq.  Kobe was only playing second fiddle at that time.  That is important because the Lakers of old were a team of Phil Jackson’s image, the triangle offense, with Shaq in the middle, Kobe playing the versatile guard and Derek Fisher running the point.
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As I was watching the San Antonio Spurs win a close one against the Los Angeles Lakers, I saw very fine clutch shooting by both teams:  Kobe hitting that three with twelve seconds left and Roger Mason hitting that two with Derek Fisher fouling him earning an extra point at the free throw line.  Too bad the Lakers lost.    This got me thinking, who would you rather have the ball to make that winning shot at the end of the game?  I’m sure you guys have debated this for yourself as well.

Roger Mason Jr?  Well not exactly, however he’s been making some clutch shots lately (at least three games and counting now).  I guess you could say that he’s filling in nicely for the now retired Big Shot Robert Horry.  Some are even calling Big Shot Mason.  I wouldn’t get ahead of myself that quickly.  He’s only been in the starting lineup this past few months over Bruce Bowen (the man who can shoot threes but not free throws).  Only time will tell if he lives up to the “big shot” billing.

Lebron James?  Maybe.  While I was watching NBA highlights on ESPN today, I saw Lebron miss a possible game winning shot at the end of regulation.  In overtime, the Cavaliers lost to the inconsistent Bulls.  He’s hit some good shots before, but as we all know there have been times where he’s been a bit “scared” and allowed another teammate to take the shot.  Kind of odd don’t you think since he’s an “all-star.” So no, Lebron is not clutch just yet, but he could be one day. Continue reading