Just two years ago, the New Orleans Hornets were one game away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals. Led by spectacular G Chris Paul and F David West, the Hornets won the Southwest Division with a 56-26 record and a #2 seed in the Western Conference. They easily dispatched the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, and almost beat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs before succumbing to them in seven games.
That now seems a like a real distant memory, as it now has been reported that Paul wants a trade, particularly to the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, or the Mavericks. Paul has seen a lot of teams around the NBA get better, while the Hornets have failed to make any significant moves to keep up. F Lebron James' decision to join G Dwyane Wade and F Chris Bosh in Miami has headlined the summer of free agency. Paul is looking to make a move similar to the one James made.
Paul still has two years remaining on his deal. His desire to join the Knicks deals with the fact that they acquired F Amare Stoudemire via free agency and may acquire F Carmelo Anthony during next year's free agency period. Paul is looking to form another "Big Three" that can compete with the one in Miami, as well as compete for a championship.
This shouldn't be news to anyone because Paul announced at Anthony's wedding that himself, Anthony and Stoudemire will be the next "Big Three" in the NBA. Once he announced that, his days in New Orleans were automatically numbered. Unlike James, Paul isn't in control of his fate. The Hornets don't have to trade him, and it's hard to imagine a scenario where they do. Paul is among the top 3 point guards in the NBA, and one of the few players in the league who's very valuable to his team's success.
If Paul were to be traded to the Knicks, it would bring the Knicks back to the success they saw during the 1990s, when they were regulars in the playoffs. However, if Paul were to leave New Orleans, they would probably hate him the same way Cleveland hates James. Paul actually wouldn't be seen as a dark cloud in New Orleans, since their attention is to the Saints and how they'll follow up their championship. The only thing the city of Cleveland had was James, which is why he is hated.
The direction the NBA is headed in right now is not good. All of a sudden, there are stars thinking about joining other major stars to win championships at such a young age. When the Boston Celtics traded for G Ray Allen and F Kevin Garnett, both of those guys, along with F Paul Pierce, were veterans who have experienced failure many times. James is only 25 years old, and Paul is only 25 years old as well. He should be thinking about giving the Hornets a chance to surround themselves with pieces to contend for a championship. However, that may not be the case and the Hornets wouldn't be so bright if they get rid of Paul.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Heat Sign Ilgauskas, Rockets Sign Miller
The Miami Heat have continued on their expedition to fill their roster, signing C Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Ilgauskas has been the fourth center this week to sign with the Heat. C Jamaal Magloire, C Joel Anthony, and rookie C Dexter Pittman all signed deals with the Heat earlier in the week. Ilgauskas spent the past 12 seasons of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After superstar F Lebron James bolted the Cavaliers for the Heat, the unsigned Ilgauskas saw it as a logical fit to join James in Miami.
The Houston Rockets also finalized a deal with C Brad Miller. The deal is reportedly worth $15 million over three years. Miller had numerous teams who were interested in his services. However, he was lured by the fact the Rockets have his former coach Rick Adelman and his former teammate G Kevin Martin on the team. That was enough to entice Miller to choose the Rockets. Miller spent the past season and a half with the Chicago Bulls, which was his second stint with the team after spending two seasons with them from 2000-2002.
The Rockets have acquired a great veteran center who will fit in well because of his knowledge of Adelman's style of play. The Rockets played decent basketball this past season, despite losing C Yao Ming for the season, having an unhealthy G Tracy McGrady, and losing F Ron Artest to free agency. They finished the season with a winning record, and with Ming coming back healthy, along with the addition of Miller, this Rockets team could cause problems in the Western Conference. This all depends on if Ming can stay healthy, something he has not been able to do in the past couple of seasons.
I'm not sure the Heat acquisition of Ilgauskas does anything for that team. Their acquisitions of Pittman, Anthony and Magloire doesn't do much either. This team will be similar to what James and Wade had last year. They both were the superstars on their respective teams with not much help. This time around, however, they have joined forces, along with F Chris Bosh, which definitely significantly increases their chances of winning the championship. That trio is all the Heat needs and they know they can fill the roster with a bunch of D-League players and still get the job done.
Ilgauskas will have no impact on that team, as he hasn't had any impact on the Cavaliers in the past couple of seasons. Magloire hasn't been that good in his NBA career, and Anthony is a young center with limited offensive moves. Wade, James, and Bosh will combine for about three-quarters of the team's total offensive output next season, which is why the other players aren't needed. They are merely taking up space on the team to fill out the roster.
The Houston Rockets also finalized a deal with C Brad Miller. The deal is reportedly worth $15 million over three years. Miller had numerous teams who were interested in his services. However, he was lured by the fact the Rockets have his former coach Rick Adelman and his former teammate G Kevin Martin on the team. That was enough to entice Miller to choose the Rockets. Miller spent the past season and a half with the Chicago Bulls, which was his second stint with the team after spending two seasons with them from 2000-2002.
The Rockets have acquired a great veteran center who will fit in well because of his knowledge of Adelman's style of play. The Rockets played decent basketball this past season, despite losing C Yao Ming for the season, having an unhealthy G Tracy McGrady, and losing F Ron Artest to free agency. They finished the season with a winning record, and with Ming coming back healthy, along with the addition of Miller, this Rockets team could cause problems in the Western Conference. This all depends on if Ming can stay healthy, something he has not been able to do in the past couple of seasons.
I'm not sure the Heat acquisition of Ilgauskas does anything for that team. Their acquisitions of Pittman, Anthony and Magloire doesn't do much either. This team will be similar to what James and Wade had last year. They both were the superstars on their respective teams with not much help. This time around, however, they have joined forces, along with F Chris Bosh, which definitely significantly increases their chances of winning the championship. That trio is all the Heat needs and they know they can fill the roster with a bunch of D-League players and still get the job done.
Ilgauskas will have no impact on that team, as he hasn't had any impact on the Cavaliers in the past couple of seasons. Magloire hasn't been that good in his NBA career, and Anthony is a young center with limited offensive moves. Wade, James, and Bosh will combine for about three-quarters of the team's total offensive output next season, which is why the other players aren't needed. They are merely taking up space on the team to fill out the roster.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Lebron Chooses Heat
F Lebron James has decided to join forces with G Dwyane Wade and F Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat, apparently taking less money to win a championship. James had an hour special on ESPN where he announced his decision to join the Heat, over the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Chicago Bulls, among others. It was reported all day that James would be joining the Heat, leaving the Cavaliers hanging dry. However, the Heat's work is just beginning, as they only have four total players on the roster.
The Heat also traded F Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 2011 NBA Draft pick. All of the other eight players the Heat sign will have to be at minimum contracts, which could be very difficult. This now shifts the balance of power over to Miami, as they instantly have become the team to beat, even if the Los Angeles Lakers have won two straight championships.
There has been criticism from many about how James decided to reveal his decision to sign with the Heat. Many other players, such as G Kobe Bryant, got new contracts or contract extensions the traditional way, with a press conference. James decided to go out of his way to travel to Connecticut and reveal his decision to leave the Cavaliers, which didn't sit well in Cleveland. Everytime the Heat plays the Cavaliers in Cleveland, there will definitely be added security and extra police officers for the protection of James. James now has six years to get as many championships as possible under his new deal.
The Heat also traded F Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 2011 NBA Draft pick. All of the other eight players the Heat sign will have to be at minimum contracts, which could be very difficult. This now shifts the balance of power over to Miami, as they instantly have become the team to beat, even if the Los Angeles Lakers have won two straight championships.
There has been criticism from many about how James decided to reveal his decision to sign with the Heat. Many other players, such as G Kobe Bryant, got new contracts or contract extensions the traditional way, with a press conference. James decided to go out of his way to travel to Connecticut and reveal his decision to leave the Cavaliers, which didn't sit well in Cleveland. Everytime the Heat plays the Cavaliers in Cleveland, there will definitely be added security and extra police officers for the protection of James. James now has six years to get as many championships as possible under his new deal.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Knicks, Stoudemire Agree On Terms
F Amare Stoudemire has agreed to a five-year contract worth $100 million to join the New York Knicks yesterday. It was clear that the Knicks were Stoudemire's first choice, as he really only met and talked with the Knicks. The Knicks weren't really courting Stoudemire initially, but his interest in the Knicks was something the Knicks could not turn down. Stoudemire also made headlining comments a couple of days ago when he said Denver Nuggets F Carmelo Anthony and San Antonio Spurs G Tony Parker are ready to join him in New York when they become free agents next year. Stoudemire spent the first eight years of his career with the Phoenix Suns, averaging 21.4 points per game during his time there.
In addition to his personal success, the Suns have been as far as the Western Conference Finals three times in his eight seasons there. However, he has not been able to get them to the NBA Finals, and he'll try to start anew with the Knicks and his old coach Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni led the Suns to two of the three Western Conference Finals appearances Stoudemire has been involved in. The Knicks signing of Stoudemire could lure another top class free agent over to the Knicks. F Lebron James and G Dwyane Wade are still available on the free agent market.
The Knicks have only made the playoffs once since 2001, and they failed to get a win in that lone playoff appearance. The Knicks have been set back by failed free agent signings, and bad trades. The Knicks had a bunch of overpaid players who didn't contribute much or nothing at all. When Donnie Walsh left the Indiana Pacers to join the Knicks, he made it a goal to get rid of all the bad contracts to have financial flexibility for the 2010 free agency period. He blew up the team during the 2008-2009 season, when the Knicks were playing decent basketball with G Jamal Crawford and F Zach Randolph. He traded both of them in the same week in separate deals, freeing up cap space. It may now pay off for the Knicks and the fans, who haven't seen a championship since 1973.
In addition to his personal success, the Suns have been as far as the Western Conference Finals three times in his eight seasons there. However, he has not been able to get them to the NBA Finals, and he'll try to start anew with the Knicks and his old coach Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni led the Suns to two of the three Western Conference Finals appearances Stoudemire has been involved in. The Knicks signing of Stoudemire could lure another top class free agent over to the Knicks. F Lebron James and G Dwyane Wade are still available on the free agent market.
The Knicks have only made the playoffs once since 2001, and they failed to get a win in that lone playoff appearance. The Knicks have been set back by failed free agent signings, and bad trades. The Knicks had a bunch of overpaid players who didn't contribute much or nothing at all. When Donnie Walsh left the Indiana Pacers to join the Knicks, he made it a goal to get rid of all the bad contracts to have financial flexibility for the 2010 free agency period. He blew up the team during the 2008-2009 season, when the Knicks were playing decent basketball with G Jamal Crawford and F Zach Randolph. He traded both of them in the same week in separate deals, freeing up cap space. It may now pay off for the Knicks and the fans, who haven't seen a championship since 1973.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)