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!

So I was channel surfing on the TV today and found two basketball games to watch.  The first was a route at halftime by the Dallas Mavericks over the Golden State Warriors on ESPN while the other game featured the Chicago Bulls at the Los Angeles Clippers on Fox Sports that just started. Those games were quite “appealing,” and as a result I continued to channel surf.  I came upon CNN and found that the House of Representatives had just passed the Bailout Package supported by our new president.  A light bulb hit my head and a question came to mind.

Usually in the world of capitalization and global economics, when a product does not sell well, either the product is given the shaft or improved upon.  However in the world of sports, we have teams such as the Clippers or Warriors who continue to survive even though their history is lackluster (to put it in “nice” terms).  It makes me wonder what the NBA has done to help these teams improve their image.  The NBA has in the past moved a team to a more accommodating site (e.g. Grizzlies).  Do these teams need to move or do they need more money?

Here is the heart of my question.  If these teams were given a bailout by a higher authority such as by directive of David Stern, would these teams improve?  Well I suppose it depends.  If a company has good management, then the bailout would be a boost but if you have bad managment, you will have the complementary reverse effect.  As for the Clippers and Warriors, maybe upper management and ownership needs to change before any real progress can be seen.  Tell me what you think?  Is a bailout needed, please?

I’m sure you’ve noticed as certainly I have.  The Celtics seem to be losing games left and right just as fast as Chris Paul dishing dimes.  They’ve lost 7 of their last 9 games with the latest being to the formidable Cleveland Cavaliers.  Though they are a worthy opponent, some of Boston’s losses have come against lowly teams such as the Warriors, Bobcats and Knicks.  It is as if they are content with the championship title they have. Continue reading