Bleacher Report - Articles by Bhavik Darji

Denver Nuggets: 2009-2010 Season Preview; Window Slowly Closing.

Bhavik Darji — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:30:26 -0400

For the first time in more than a decade, the Denver Nuggets are heading into the regular season with high expectations among their own locker room. They are heading in as championship contenders, albeit not as great as the Lakers, Spurs, Cavaliers, Magic, and Celtics, but right behind them.

They made it past the first round for the first time since 1996, when Dikembe Mutumbo led the eighth seeded Nuggets over the George Karl's first seeded Sonics, and the last time they made it to the conference finals, they met the Lakers once again, who would go on and win the championship that very same year. Similar to this year with the Lakers going on to win the championship against the Magic in five.

Everybody on the Nuggets are healthy this year, and they did not lose their core. Although there always is a negative for every positive.

J.R Smith has to serve a seven game suspension starting Wednesday against the Utah Jazz after he was suspended by the NBA for reckless driving back in the summer of 2007. J.R Smith was pivotal in the Nuggets rotation last year, and will be even more important this year because of the loss of Linas Kleiza.

Both Kenyon Martin, and Nene are healthy as they have been in their career. Nene has only played in 64 percent of his NBA games, while Kenyon has played 83 percent, but missed pretty much the entire 2006-2007 season, and was limited to 56 games the previous year.

It's obvious that when the Nuggets are healthy, they are one of the teams to beat. It was proved this year, but people can argue that is was the early arrival of hometown hero Chauncey Billups that turned this team into a winner.

Billups brings leadership to the team, something the great Allen Iverson could not do. Billups brings a defensive mentality, and knows how to share the rock. Something that happened in Detroit for many years. With Iverson in a Nugget uniform the Nuggets averaged 110.7 PPG and allowed their opponents to shoot 45.7 percent from the field, and 36.3 percent from beyond the arc.

With Billups in a Nuggets uniform, the Nuggets averaged 104.3 PPG, and their opponents shot 44.7 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from beyond the arc. With Iverson, the Nuggets shot 1.2 percent less than opponent's from downtown, and 1.3 percent higher from the field.

With Chauncey they shot three percent higher from the field, and five higher from downtown. The Nuggets could always play defence, they never did, until last season.

From all the season predictions over at ESPN and NBA.com only a handful had the Nuggets to win the Northwest, and none picked them to win the WCF. It's probably because the Nuggets stood pat, and didn't pick up any big names like a bunch of other teams this off season.

The defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers added defensive stopper Ron Artest to their squad, making them even more defensive then ever. Spurs went out and traded for Richard Jefferson while Northwest division rivals, the Portland Trailblazers signed former Nugget Andre Miller.

Then we have the Dallas Mavericks who went on a free agent frenzy and added Tim Thomas, Quentin Ross, Drew Goodon, and Shawn Marion through trade. Most of these players have been former starters, while Marion still in a starter form.

Who did the Nuggets acquire? They traded for Arron Afflalo after Jones bolted to Indiana, traded for Malik Allen in a salary dump. They then traded for James White, signed Joey Graham, and drafted super rookie, Ty Lawson.

Afflalo is a upgrade over Jones, as he has an offensive side to him. Malik Allen should provide some more options for the big man reserves. Joey Graham is a good player and should help fill the void Kleiza left behind, and Ty Lawson should be the backup PG behind Chauncey Billups. He is a speedy demon, who is just as fast as the Tony Parkers, and the Chris Pauls.

The question is though, can the Nuggets fix their problems?

They got hounded by the 7'0" monsters of LA, and Nene tries to be over aggressive on way to many occasions, which puts him into foul troubles. He also shouldn't go after referees and try picking a fight with them...that leads to suspensions.

Carmelo Anthony needs to continue his dazzling pre season performance up in the regular season. No bum elbow can slow him down this year.

And Chauncey Billups, he's getting older by the second and the Nuggets don't have very long left. He needs to play the best he's played in his career, and try scoring more often when things are not working.

Then we have George Karl.

Here are the best five years of George Karl, and the years following;

1987 Warriors: 42-40, lost in second round to eventual champs
1988 Warriors: 16-48, Karl was fired

1993 Sonics: 55-27, lost Game Seven of Western Conference finals
1994 Sonics: 63-19, lost in first round to No. 8 seed (first time ever)

1996 Sonics: 64-18, lost in NBA Finals
1997 Sonics: 57-25, lost in second round

2000 Bucks: 52-30, lost Game Seven of Eastern Conference finals
2001 Bucks: 41-41, missed playoffs

2009 Nuggets: 54-28, lost in Western finals to eventual champs

How is 2009-2010 going to pan out?

With this said, can the Nuggets fix them self's up to take on the newer challenges of the West, and East? How healthy can the Nuggets stay? ESPN has the answer on Wednesday Oct. 28 at 7:30 Pacific and 10:30 Eastern.

Prediction

Season Record: 53-29

Post Season: Second round.

4th in West

1st in NW

Analysis: Denver Nuggets Sign Forward, Joey Graham.

Bhavik Darji — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:54:50 -0400

It really has been a long off-season. Thing is, it's still not over.

There's about a month left until a regular season tips off that many expect, will have the Denver Nuggets falling from their No. 2 perch in the Western Conference.

George Karl's Nuggets have been the least productive team this off-season. It's arguable that it was better for them to stand pat, than do anything at all.

They lost defensive stopper Dahantay Jones to Indiana, and Linas Kleiza got lured by the money that Olympiacos offered him (12.2 million USD).

In response, the Nuggets traded for Detriot's Arron Afflalo, picked up Malik Allens expiring contract, traded for James White, and just recently signed Joey Graham to a one year non guaranteed deal worth about $900,000 taking the Nuggets final roster spot.

Graham seemed to be the last option as the Nuggets failed to sign Grant Hill, Rashard McCants, Flip Murray, Wally Sczerbiak and Desmond Mason. Although Mason or Murray would have been a better option, it just wasn't meant to be.

The Nuggets new addition will probably be a back up SF to Carmelo Anthony, something the Nuggets needed after losing Kleiza.

The key thing we have to look at here is the age.

Graham should be entering his prime soon, if he already isn't in it. Kleiza is only 24, yet, he had some pretty big games. He didn't receive much minutes because George Karl said he wasn't much of a "playmaker."

Obviously, throughout the years, Kleiza has proven to be a much better player than Graham. But now that he's gone, does this mean Graham can get playing time.

For those who think otherwise, Graham can play basketball. As a starter in 2008-2009, he put up 11.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.1 APG shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from behind the arc through 28 minutes.

On the other hand, Kleiza put up 7.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 1.3 APG on a dreadful 28.6 percent shooting from the field and 24 percent from beyond the arc.

The Nuggets obviously lost a bigger body and rebounder in Kleiza; something they needed more of, as the three man rotation of Andersen, Nene and Martin couldn't compete with Gasol, Bynum and Odom.

The signing of Graham brings them back to even. Even though he's a smaller body, he's a better decision maker. But even with this signing, the Nuggets need to do more to surpass the Lakers; most notably, find a way to use that $10 million in trade exemptions.

It can only help.

Dwyane Wade's Run With The Heat Over?

Bhavik Darji — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:25:34 -0400

We're not in Miami Dwyane. Lamar is staying in Los Angeles, and it seems Boozer will be with the Jazz for the start of the season.

Where does this leave Wade and his status as a member of the Miami Heat?

Frankly it looks like that the Heat have tried to keep their All-Star happy but they were not able to have success like they had in the 2005-2006 season when they traded for a surefire hall of famer, Shaquille O'Neal who helped lead the Heat to their first ever NBA championship over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Heat currently have Jermaine O'Neal, and Michael Beasley: O'Neal has been on the downside of his career since his last days as a Pacer, but Beasley has shown signs of becoming a scoring machine through out the 2008-2009 season.

Beasley and Wade is not going to win a championship anytime soon, but it could be possible when Beasley matures as a player in the near future.

I don't think Wade wants to wait that long though. He is going to be 27 when the season starts, and 28 in January. He is older then his 2003 NBA draftees, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

Having Boozer by Wades side instead of Jermaine O'Neal would help the Heat be a better playoff team, not a contending team.

Only Wade, Dorrell Wright, and Udonis Haslem remain from their championship caliber team they had in 2006. The Heats roster is filled with young players, unlike that veteran squad of Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and such.

Dwyane wants another ring, but it seems impossible that he will even be a contending for it.

August has just started, and most of the big names are gone. Jermaine O'Neal isn't hot trade bait, and Lamar re-signed with the Lakers.

Boozer is currently the only option the Heat have, but as I have said before it would not make this Heat a contending team. They would fill a PF void, but still would need answers at the Center spot, and the point guard spot...Mario Chalmers doesn't exactly cut my list as contending starting material.

Even If they brought in Lamar Odom to play alongside Dwyane Wade, and Carlos Boozer the Heat don't have that great of a bench. Like Shaq said: "No one is asking me to play with Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis. I'm actually on a team again."

Trading away Marion was also a bad move.

They landed O'Neal who's contract doesn't expire until 2010, the year Wade will be eligible for free agency. Keeping Marion could have had left the Heat with a large amount of cap space for this year to jump at one of the marquee players, and complementary players to build around Wade to ensure his status as a Heat player for the start of the 2010 season.

I could be possible that the Heat would use the money from O'Neals contract to sign Wade, and have more money to sign another player who could help the team out, like Chris Bosh.

From my standpoint it seems the Heat are ready to let go of Wade, and take a shot at some other all star. With Wade's and O'Neals contract coming off for a total around $34 million that would be enough to go after LeBron.

From the current looks of it though, it seems that Dwyane is most likely heading to Chicago.

He signed with the brand, Air Jordan a couple of weeks ago, and he grew up in Chicago. I bet he would love to play with a PG like Derrick Rose, I mean who wouldn't?

Sorry, but Wade isn't in Miami trick.

NBA: Breaking Down 2009-2010 Western Playoff Seeds by Offseason Moves

Bhavik Darji — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:33:54 -0400

Throughout the 2008-2009 NBA offseason in the West, we have seen some moves that well, shocked us to put it bluntly. The San Antonio Spurs made a splash by acquiring Richard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks. The defending NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers signed a Kobe Bryant rival in Ron Artest.

After Artest jumped aboard the Lake Show express, Ariza jumped ship to the Houston Rockets where he saw a spotlight with his name on it. We have also seen the Rockets dwindle down to a lottery pick team, and some select people could argue the Hornets have lost their playoff status.

Today (or tonight, depends where you are in the world!) I will be breaking down possible playoff seeds throughout the Western Conference.

Playoff Seed No 8. Phoenix Suns

The 2008-2009 will see the return of the high octane Phoenix Suns once again. The Houston Rockets have undoubtedly slipped out of the playoffs, losing Yao Ming for the season, Ron Artest to the Lakers, and McGrady for half the season. That leaves one team to make a push.

The West now has one less dominant team to play against, which should mean more wins for the other teams out in the West, and the East to. Let's not forget the Suns won 46 games last year. In my books that's pretty good.

They still have their core in Nash and Amar'e, and Grant Hill is back for another two more years. The team will now be able to run more, just like Alvin Gentry likes to do. With their promising rookie Earl Clark, the Suns can still be a contender. Trading Amar'e would be a bad choice.

Playoff Seed No 7. New Orleans Hornets

It was tough to determine who I would put in this spot, the Hornets, or the Jazz. I choose the Hornets because of the recent trade between them and the Bobcats.

The Hornets gave up an athletic player in Chandler, for a less athletic Emeka Okafor. Chandler had no offensive game. He all got it from Chris Paul. Okafor now will play along side David West, another high volume rebounder. Both players are big and take up space in the lane. Chandler is a toothpick compared to Okafor, and Okafor will clog the lane for Paul.

Both are slow, and don't have the greatest footwork. Peja is also on the downside of his career. He can still shoot the ball, but that's it. He is a non factor for this Hornets team.

Playoff Seed No 6. Utah Jazz

It has been acknowledged that Boozer could possibly still be starting for the Jazz when November rolls by. Yes the Jazz are a mess right now, but it is a strong mess. They pretty much have the same team as last year.

People forget they won 48 games with Boozer only playing 37 of them, and Williams not being in his groove for half the season due to an injury he sustained.

This team went to the Western Conference Finals back in 2007 with pretty much the same team.

With their whole roster currently injury free, they can make a huge splash.

Playoff Seed No 5. Portland Trailblazers

I originally intend to have the Blazers at the fourth spot, but decided against it. I compared their team to the Denver Nuggets, and saw the Nuggets as superior. Nene played great for the Nuggets averaging more then his season averages and shooting 62 percent. The Blazers obviously don't have an answer for him.

Aldridge played the same against the Nuggets as he did in the regular season. Joel and Oden split time at the center position and were not as effective as the Nuggets front two, Nene and Kenyon Martin.

They did loose Channing Frye and Martell Webster should be ready to play at the start of the season. Adding Andre Miller certainly does help the Blazers, and him and Billups are very similar.

I do have a feeling though the Blazers and Nuggets will be in a neck to neck race for the Northwest title next year.

Playoff Seed No 4. Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets were one of the biggest surprises last year. They made a blockbuster trade about four games into the regular season sending Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups and other players.

Currently they have not done anything outstanding that helps them out next year. They lost Dahntay Jones and filled his void by adding Arron Afflalo. Ty Lawson is an okay addition for the future, but not really for the present. Malik Allen isn't very headlining either.

They were hounded by the bigs of the Lakers last year and had no answer for Lamar Odom. If they insert JR into the starting line up they would not see the same success. Keeping JR coming off the bench is vital. He ignites them when he checks in at the five minute mark along with Andersen.

Playoff Seed No 3. Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are going to be a force to reckon with. With the recent acquisition of Tim Thomas I had to put them over the Nuggets. Cuban certainly has drawn a lot of attention this offseason, but not from Kenyon Martin.

The Mavericks have gotten deeper by adding Gooden and Thomas, and also acquiring Shawn Marion to add to the starting lineup. Thomas can shoot the three ball very well and so can Quinton Ross when he has a good point guard running the show.

They certainly are deeper than the Nuggets and it seems they have solved their center dilemma.

Playoff Seed No 2. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs should once again be healthy and roaring to go. They added some more offensive talent in Richard Jefferson this offseason. It's uncertain if Duncan is still able to bang bodies with Pau Gasol due to his age and knees.

It is also unknown if Manu can be kept healthy. That is a big reason why the Spurs are placed below...well you know who.

Playoff Seed No 1. Los Angeles Lakers

It was a coin-toss between the Lakers and Spurs for a while, but then I thought a little bit harder and saw who the clear winner was.

The Spurs lost an underrated defender in Bruce Bowen, and again they are getting older by the micro-second.

The Lakers currently don't have Odom, but they do have Artest. Artest will be given the assignment to guard either Ginobli or Jefferson, and will defiantly make their life harder than it should be.

Scratch that, Lakers just got Odom resigned.

This makes the Lakers favourites to repeat automatically.

From the Hedo U-turn, to the Nuggets not doing anything big, the stage is set for the 2009-2010 NBA season, and who makes the playoffs and who does not.

Lamar Odom Offer Rescinded by Lakers: Some Tension Between Odom and LA

Bhavik Darji — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:52:19 -0400

It was reportedly in the books. Lamar Odom and the Los Angeles Lakers had agreed to a contract worth $27 million for three years.

Despite the reported agreement, Odom was upset that the Lakers did not give him a lengthier contract. Lakers owner Jerry Buss did not give Lamar a deadline but decided to pull the contract because of no response from Lamar.

In an interview with the LA Times this past Monday, Odom discussed why the deal was not finalized.

"I don't know. That's why there are negotiations. I don't know. Of course I hope they can get it done. It's negotiations. Both sides are going to give and take. That's part of it. I don't know how long it's going to take," Odom said. "... The Lakers have been too good to me to rub people over there the wrong way. The Lakers have been nothing but great to me, and I want to keep the relationship great."

Odom's agent has been talking to other teams for a possible deal, giving Buss extra incentive to pull the deal. Mark Cuban in Dallas and Pat Riley in Miami were both contacted. Depending what happens between Paul Millsap and the Trail Blazers, Portland is another option for Odom.

Both the Mavericks' and Heat's offers are believed to be three-year, $19 million deals. They would have Odom re-sign with his Bird rights.

On the other hand, the Blazers would be able to give Odom the five-year, $50 million contract that he wants. It would be the same contract Hedo Turkoglu was offered before he made a U-turn to the Toronto Raptors.

Odom said during the season and the playoffs that he wanted to remain in LA. The Lakers organization said they wanted Odom back.

This seems to be the furthest thing away from true at the moment.

The LA Lakers lost Trevor Ariza already but replaced him with hard-nosed defender Ron Artest. It's also uncertain whether if Odom would start if he re-signed. Lamar initially expressed disinterest in coming off the bench but did well in the sixth man role.

Odom is a key part of the Lakers rotation. He fills in when Andrew Bynum picks up those two early fouls in the first quarter. He also takes a load off Kobe Bryant's shoulders when he's in.

With the addition of Artest, the Lakers are being picked as the favorites for next year. How will people feel if Odom is not with the Lakers when the ball tips next November?

Odom and Ariza planned to come back. With Ariza gone, the Lakers must do whatever they can to make Odom happy so they can have a bigger chance to win the "whole enchilada."

Looks Like Grizzlies and Heat Have Some Compettion: LA Wants Allen Iverson

Bhavik Darji — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:14:41 -0400

It seems like the hunt for Iverson has taken a new dive.

The Los Angeles Clippers are seriously considering in bringing in ten-time all star and former MVP, Allen Iverson. They are reportedly offering Iverson their full MLE, or mid level exception, which is $5.8 million for one year.

Both the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies. have also been trying to sign Iverson. The Grizzlies have been reportedly offered Iverson the same amount of money the Clippers are, and the Heat want Iverson for half of that. It has also been noted that the Bobcats have been interested in Iverson near the season's end.

The Clippers drafted Blake Griffin with the number one pick, and traded away Zach Randolph for Quentin Richardson this off-season.

The Clippers currently have promising SG Eric Gordon and it is uncertain if the Clippers would start Iverson or bench him, something he hates.

Iverson caused some controversy and lowed his value this year, but not wanting to come off the bench for the Detroit Pistons.

This was first reported by ESPN.

Arron Afflalo and Walter Sharpe Traded to the Denver Nuggets

Bhavik Darji — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:58:53 -0400

While it was known to happen already, the deal sending Arron Afflalo and Walter Sharpe to the Denver Nuggets has been finalized today.

In return, the Detroit Pistons received cash considerations and a future second round pick.

Losing Dahntay Jones to the Indiana Pacers, the Denver Nuggets lost a defensive presence at the guard spot, and bringing in Afflalo helps them out at the two spot and provides defense and some offense as well.

The Nuggets also get a 350,000 they can give to Sharpe's contract as a bonus in acquiring Afflalo.

Sharpe was drafted 38th overall by the Sonics in 2008 and was traded to the Pistons immediately, and is going to be entering his second NBA season. Afflalo will be entering his third NBA season with the Denver Nuggets.

This move gives the Pistons cap flexibility toward signing a player. They have expressed interest in signing a big body.

Amar'e Stoudemire Could Be Heading to the Denver Nuggets

Bhavik Darji — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:39:17 -0400

The Nuggets made a blockbuster about three games into the regular season last year. I sort of expected the same in the offseason. Currently they have not made any major moves to help their championship run.

A person close to the Nuggets have told me that there are currently some small whispers going around between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets. Those talks have been reportedly about bringing Amar'e Stoudemire to the Mile-High City.

Although it is still being talked about, this is the NBA, where, in Kevin Garnett's words, "Anything is Possible," and also where "Amazing Happens."

Amar'e has been shopped by the Suns since around the trade deadline, and he has also stressed his displeasure with Suns management. The Suns are currently in rebuilding mode, yet they go out and re-sign Grant Hill. The guy is 36 and will be 37 when the season starts.

The current proposed trade would be:

Nuggets Get

Amar'e Stoudemire

Suns Get

Kenyon Martin

Linas Kleiza

Future Draft Pick

Cash Considerations

Kenyon Martin might opt out of his contract 2010 giving the Suns $15 million in cap space. Linas Kleiza is also a young forward who would fit into the Suns rebuilding process.

However, it doesn't seem to make the Nuggets any better, but it would make them worse on the defensive end.

Kenyon Martin is a better defender then Amar'e at the four spot. He is more physical and isn't afraid to make a statement. Ask Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki. He shoved Dirk Down in game one of the second round.

Denver has already lost Dhantay Jones, a defensive specialist, and losing Martin, another great defender that doesn't take away from Carmelo's and Billups shots would hurt the team.

Sure Amar'e would be a force, but it's too good to be true. Every plan has it's flaws. Amar'e, Carmelo, JR Smith and Billups have that scoring mentality and at times take over games. Nene can come up with 20 on any given night as well.

Having the majority of your starting lineup being offensive threats and no defense isn't going to win you a championship. However, Billups would be able to level out Amar'e and control a starting line up of Billups, Smith, Melo, Amar'e and Nene.

JR has proved that he deserves to start, but I don't think it should be the case. The Nuggets gave up a key part in their bench, Linas Kleiza and the bench is already weak enough.

Ty Lawson, Chris Andersen and Renaldo Balkmen would be the first three to come off. Arron Afflalo is rumored to be heading to the Nuggets so he would take that Shooting Guard position.

Afflalo should start, and let JR continue to ignite the bench.

Overall this deal should no go down as it may look good on paper, but it won't work out during the regular season. Again talks are small but they can heat up quite fast.

Report: Carlos Boozer in Trade Among Trail Blazers, Bulls, and Jazz

Bhavik Darji — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:58:12 -0400

Current reports are citing that the Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, and Utah Jazz are all involved in a three-team trade that would send Carlos Boozer to Chicago, Kirk Hinrich to the Blazers, and Tyrus Thomas to the Utah Jazz.

ESPN.com has reported that no deals are forthcoming at the moment because the Jazz and Blazers are still pondering possible trade solutions.

The Jazz are currently open to moving Boozer, who didn't opt out of his contract this year, because he is going to be a free agent next year. The Jazz have worked up a team and don't want to start building up from scratch and have the possibility of losing Deron Williams when his contract expires.

The Bulls get a low-post presence that they have been longing before Ben Gordon jolted to Detroit. Even though Boozer will be a free agent in 2010 and can leave Chicago, the Bulls will have around $13 million available from Boozer's contract alone to sign one of the highly touted free agents of 2010.

The Blazers get somebody to compliment Brandon Roy in the backcourt in Kirk Hinrich, who was a good sixth man and three-point shooter this year for the Bulls.

The Jazz do get Thomas, who is nowhere in Boozer's league. Although there were signs of improvement this year, Thomas won't be that big of a deal in Utah.

A further breakdown of the possible trade is to come.

"Lithuanian Lighting" Linas Kleiza Being Targeted By Cavs and Raptors

Bhavik Darji — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:06:31 -0400

Denver Nuggets' Linas Kleiza has been targeted by some teams in the past couple of days. Those teams include the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors.

Kleiza, the up-and-coming star from Lithuania, is a restricted free agent and has been targeted by teams because he is a versatile forward who can shoot the three ball, slash, and rebound. At a very young age (24) Kleiza is looking to become a starter and help a weaker team out.

A very talented player, Kleiza had a career high of 41 points last year against the Utah Jazz coming off the bench. Although his shot selection this year wasn't the greatest, he still managed to catch the eye of the Cavaliers.

He would be an instant back-up to LeBron James if the Cavaliers choose not to re-sign Wally Szczerbiak. Kleiza is pretty much a young Wally, but a much more athletic player.

He has currently been offered a starting deal of $2.7 million from the Denver Nuggets, but can be pursued by other teams. Since he is restricted the Nuggets can match any offer other teams offer to Linas Kleiza.

Currently, the talk has died down on the Raptors side, but it could still be there. Joey Graham is a good back up to Hedo, and they Raptors don't seem to be as needy as they did a couple of weeks back.

Current talk is that both Kleiza and the Cavs have mutual interest in each other. It would be a huge signing for the Cavs for the present and the future. He won't start anytime soon, but only LeBron holds the key in that.

"The Answer" in Chicago, or Maybe Even With Dwyane Wade in Miami

Bhavik Darji — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:52:01 -0400

We all know that Ben Gordon has agreed to terms to sign with the Pistons as soon as the players are eligible to sign on July 8. It's how Ben Gordon is going to get to Detroit city that has been talked about recently.

Although the talks between the Bulls and the Pistons are not heated at the moment, there is always a chance the Bulls would do a sign-and-trade for Allen Iverson.

It has been revisited a ton of times and talked about how it would benefit Gordon and the Bulls.

Ben Gordon would probably get an extra year in his contract, worth around the same the Pistons have offered.

The Bulls, on the other hand, would receive Allen Iverson, a surefire Hall of Famer who does seem on the downside of his career.

Just picturing Derrick Rose and Allen Iverson is pretty mind-shattering actually. Both are very speedy guards, but Iverson would have to accept the secondary role behind Rose, Deng, and maybe even Salmons.

The only way this would be possible is if the Pistons gain anything else out of this besides Ben Gordon. That gain is cap savings.

With the recent verbal agreements between Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon, the Pistons have taken themselves out for that highly anticipated free agent class for 2010.

He would fill in the role of SG and could possibly be the No. 1 scoring option. Allen Iverson's career is far from over. He was on a team that oriented around being a team. There was never really a true all star. Although, Billups does seem like one.

Then there have been reports that Allen Iverson has been in contact with Miami's Pat Riley.

Seeing Iverson and Dwyane Wade together in the backcourt seems exhilarating. Wade would be able to control Allen, and I really think Iverson would love to play with someone as explosive as Dwyane Wade.

It would either be moving Wade to the point guard spot or having Iverson start at the point guard spot. With a healthy Jermaine O'Neal and Wade, the Heat could possibly have a great chance of going far next year in the playoffs.

Allen would not be getting those amazing contracts that he has been offered in the past. He would likely receive the mid-level exception, starting at $5.4 million and moving up. I would say at least around $7 million.

Iverson would help both teams contend, and I would hate to see him go to the Bobcats. He wants a ring, and going to Charlotte is just killing his career.

Rockets Forward Ron Artest Says He Is Going Strong With The LA Lakers

Bhavik Darji — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:04:50 -0400

Somebody should check out Kobe's elbow—it has some sort of mind controlling powers. After getting in Kobe's face, Ron Artest has decided he will indeed be going strong with the Los Angeles Lakers.

First reported by CBSSports.com, Artest sent a text message to ESPN stating, "I am happy to say I am goin' to L.A."

Artest was suspected to go to either the Cavs or Lakers, or maybe stay with the Houston Rockets. Houston was dead set on signing Artest this offseason, as it was a priority after learning Yao might be done forever along with the possibility of McGrady missing half the season.

It was hard not to see this coming.

Artest was going to the Lakers games after he got eliminated and he also resides in Los Angeles during the summer. This also means Ariza will not be going back to the Lakers at all.

The Lakers did not want to sign Ariza for more then the mid-level exception and he took offense to that, seeing how well he performed in the postseason. That said, it looks like he might go to the Rockets in a similar situation that happened with the Warriors and Clippers when Davis went to LA while Maggette went to Golden State.

Ariza has also been contacted by the Cavaliers.

A breakdown will be followed. Stay tuned for more.

Nuggets Free Agency Update: Gant Hill to Mile High City? Chris Andersen in LA?

Bhavik Darji — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:47:49 -0400

We have already seen the big blockbuster from the Pistons, saying that both Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva have agreed to terms to sign with them. These may not be blockbusters, but they are signings that would have made the Nuggets stronger as a contender.

Chris Andersen

Chris Andersen is currently in Los Angeles meeting up with Denver Nuggets personnel Mark Warkentien.

"I think it's fair to say that both sides are motivated," Warkentien said Wednesday afternoon. "That's why we're in L.A. and meeting today."

Andersen is looking at a deal around five years worth the mid-level exception, which is $5 million range.

"I think that's possible. But we're a team player," Bryant said Wednesday morning. "We'll make the necessary adjustments if we can and find the right fit."

A lot of teams—such as the Houston Rockets—are after Andersen. Former Nugget Dikembe Mutombo has retired and Yao Ming is apparently out for the season. They are in need of some help right now and a 6foot-6 Chuck Hayes isn't going to cut it.

Teams like Dallas, Portland, and Memphis are also interested in Andersen's services. It's known that Andersen has stayed in Denver during his two year ban in the NBA and returning to Denver would be an emotional decision rather than anything else.

Dahntay Jones

Jones has been reportedly been eyed by the Indiana Pacers. Mark Bartelstein, Jones' agent said, "it's too soon to tell" if Jones will be back with Denver. Jones, the defensive specialist, started for the Nuggets this year and his stock rose this year after his spectacular defense.

Anthony Carter

Carter's chances of returning is low. After the Nuggets drafted Ty Lawson to back up Billups, Carter is most likely on his way out.

Linas Kleiza

Kleiza said he is currently in "waiting" mode for free agency. A couple of months ago, it was reported that Kleiza would sign an extension for one year around $2.3 million and have a better chance next year in free agency when the market could be better. Like I previously said in my other article, losing Kleiza would be horrible for the Nuggets.

"Letting Kleiza walk would be one of the worst decisions ever. Kleiza is a proven scorer. He had a career-high 41 points coming off the bench against the Utah Jazz—not starting, but off the bench. He is good enough that the Nuggets were in talks of shipping him to the Kings for Ron Artest.

He is a good backup to Carmelo Anthony and can be put at the two spot if the Nuggets go small.

Let's not forget he is only 24 and if he works on it, can be a premier SF in this league. He has talked about signing a one-year extension with the Nuggets because the economy is weak, and could expect better in 2010.

Re-sign him."

Grant Hill

There is no "if" in this. The Nuggets are going to contact Grant Hill. They have shown interest in the current Suns star.

Hill is a veteran the Nuggets need. Hill will be 37 when the season starts and at this age, he wants a championship. The Nuggets have reportedly offered Hill a contract worth $3 million a year, which is a steal even at the age of 37.

With Jones possibly leaving, Hill could start in the shooting guard spot for the Nuggets or come off the bench for JR Smith.

Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon: Breaking Down the Two New Pistons

Bhavik Darji — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:13:12 -0400

Wasting little time, the Detroit Pistons have reportedly agreed to terms with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. The initial intention was lunging for Utah's Carlos Boozer, but he opted to stay with the Utah Jazz.

Ben Gordon has reportedly agreed to a five year, $55 million contract, and joining him is former UConn teammate Charlie Villanueva, who has reportedly signed for $40 million for five years. That pretty much takes up all the cap space the Pistons had left.

Looking at it from the Bulls' side, they lose a player that wanted to leave, even after what happened this year. It's clear that Ben Gordon does not want to share the spotlight with Derrick Rose.

Looking at it from the Bucks' perspective, they didn't really want Charlie anyways as he opted to sign Sessions over Charlie.

Ben Gordon, the third overall pick by the Bulls in 2004, has been wanting out of Chicago the past two years. He turned down two $50 million-plus offers. He put on a remarkable display this year against the then-defending champion Boston Celtics, helping the Bulls push that series to seven games.

The Bulls had stated that re-signing Gordon was their top priority this offseason, but that failed to happen, and it showed Gordon's loyalty to the city of Chicago even after having a remarkable performance in the playoffs this year.

Charlie Villanueva was the seventh pick by the Raptors in 2005, and played one season there before being traded to Milwaukee in which he played three seasons for the Bucks.

After making that shaky trade that sent Billups to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson, the Pistons were looking at the rebuilding mode. Rasheed Wallace, their formidable power forward for a couple of years was getting old and his contract expired this year.

The Pistons quickly fell off the map finishing the season with a record below .500 for the first time since 2000-2001 season, ending their six consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals. They were eventually swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers, putting an end to a dismal season.

It was quite obvious that the Pistons were going into a rebuilding mode and they have. Ben Gordon is only 26-years-old and Charlie is 24.

They picked up three players in the draft this year, and already have developing point guard Rodney Stuckey.

The Pistons have been trying to move Hamilton for some time—frankly, he's on the wrong side of 30. He is 31-years-old and will be 32 next February. He is still a good player on and off the ball, and could possibly back up Ben Gordon, but I don't think he will like backing him up, as Gordon and Iverson's ego's can be compared. In my opinion, Ben's is bigger.

Wallace is likely done with the Pistons, and will be moving on. Like I mentioned previously, Boozer was the initial player the Pistons wanted, but he made a shocking move and stayed with the Jazz after saying in previous months he will "opt out and get a pay raise."

Charlie is there to fill in that spot that Wallace is leaving behind. He can stretch the floor like Wallace, and is becoming a much better three-point shooter. He can operate very well in the post and actually plays until the final buzzer sounds, unlike Wallace this past year.

Villanueva posted career highs this year in points (16.7), rebounds (6.7), and assists (1.8), only starting 47 out of the 78 games he played. There is a lot of room for improvement in this 24-year-old, and I think the Pistons jumped the gun on him.

The Cavaliers made it look like Charlie was an All Star—no disrespect to Charlie, but he isn't. He was supposed to go to Cleveland as the player to help LeBron win the title by playing the way he did in Milwaukee.

Charlie's paycheck is fine at $8 million, but what do the Pistons want from him?

Let's not forget that things could change. Free agents are not allowed to sign until July 8.

But with about $2 million left over, it seems like the Pistons free agency has already ended.

The Denver Nuggets are still on the Radar for a Championship

Bhavik Darji — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:02:24 -0400

Ever since Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers powered by the Denver Nuggets in the final two games (to advance to their record breaking 30th Finals' berth), and the Orlando Magic beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (for their second Finals appearance); the majority of people I have seen, choose the Cavs as favourites and the Lakers to repeat.

Some even have the Magic listed to take it all next year.

It's funny how quickly people overlook the Denver Nuggets.

It's funny how people overlook every team.

Many can't help themselves to think the Cavs are superior and can now take it all with the addition of Shaq.

Magic fans are jumping around that they got Vince Carter, but forget they are possibly losing a player that has been the heart of the franchise for a while, Hedo Turkoglu.

This past year, the Nuggets tied a franchise record with 54 wins (as an NBA franchise), which was set back in the 1987-88 season. They went on to break a lot of franchise records as well as league records. This included a 27-14 start going into the All-Star break, and was the first time they won consecutive 50 wins or more in a season, also tying the NBA record for the biggest blow-out in NBA history at 58.

Moving on to the WCF for the first time since 1987-88 the Nuggets lost the series to the Lakers 4-2.

Nobody has said a word about the Nuggets since then, and continuing into today and possibly tomorrow.

So, let's bring some spark into that!

The Nuggets sit atop as one of the teams that could win the championship next year along with the Lakers, Boston Celtics, Magic, and Cavs.

Sure they didn't pull any "Vinsanity" or "Big Cactus" type of trades, but maybe they don't need to.

The only thing the Nuggets need to do, is find a player to slow down Kobe, as he is nearly impossible to stop, and also find a way to slow down LeBron, while containaing Shaq or Dwight Howard.

It wasn't long ago people had the Nuggets winning the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy. They breezed by the first and second rounds before having some struggles with the Lakers. Four out of the five games played were close with an average margin of five points.

Let's also not forget the Nuggets achieved as much as they did without Billups participating in their training camps during the summer. He learned it all while the season was well underway.

Call Billups the NBA championship that should have never happened along with the Pistons, but lets not belittle the fact that hes a proven winner and leader.

If it wasn't for Billups trying to get Carmelo and company going, the Nuggets could have possibly won one more game against the Lakers, maybe even the series.

If Billups tried to find his own shot, and become that scoring machine he was in the Hornets' series, this series against the Lakers could have lasted longer, and once again I'll say it, Denver could have won.

Sure, adding Ty Lawson doesn't mean the Nuggets automatically are greater than before, they still do need to add more to their puzzle to win, but they are on the verge of it.

They are still a championship caliber team and with a couple of moves here and there, the Nuggets will once again be in the talks for NBA championship.

Timberwolves Going To Get Fifth Pick, Are Now Eying Grizzlies' Second Pick

Bhavik Darji — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:27:26 -0400

Recent Reports have talked about the Wolves reaching an agreement to trade for the fifth pick. This could be another possible scenario.

As Draft Day is right around the block most of us can expect trade rumors to be flying out here and there involving players, and draft picks. This one has a big potential of happening. It's pretty similar to what the now defunct Seattle Supersonics did back in 2007.

They had property over the second overall pick in which they used to select Kevin Durant out of Texas. They than traded Ray Allen and the rights to Glen Davis for Wally Sczczerbiak, Delonte West and the fifth overall pick, which they used to select Jeff Green.

The Thunder are now looking to be an upcoming team in the NBA and have caught many peoples attention.

The T'Wolves are planning to do the same.

They currently hold the sixth pick in the draft this year and speculations have lead to them drafting Stephen Curry, or the best player available. That might not happen now. The Washington Times are reporting that the Wolves might be interested in trading for the Wizards' fifth pick for a couple of players and their draft picks.

Looking at the Wizards current standpoint they have had interest in trading away their picks for a veteran(s).

Looking at the Wolves they recently let go of Kevin McHale and are looking to head in a new direction. Getting the most out of this draft seems what they are aiming at.

Now we look at the Grizzlies who have had offers from other teams for their second pick.

This is would could happen:

Wolves get

Second Pick

Wizards get

Mike Miller

Randy Foye

28th pick

Grizzlies get

Fifth pick

Kevin Love

18th pick

Now Wizard fans are probably killing them selves right now. It seems like you guys get nothing. That's wrong.

Miller is a good player, who is only 29. He is in his prime and will be playing great. He did not fit in with the Wolves system that's the reason why he averaged 9.9 PPG. He can be a 16-18 PPG guy if given the minute and right system. The Wizards are lacking in the perimeter spot as well. He is also a veteran, something the Wizards have wanted.

Stats taken from the 2007-2008 season

Foye has also been coming along nicely improving his scoring averages each year he has been in the league. He would serve as a good back up point guard or could be traded, or possibly take over the spot if the Wizards decide to ship Arenas.

With having the 28th pick, the Wizards can also select a good role player to fill their needs.

Looking at the Grizzlies stand point of view they get a good upgrade in he PF spot and can select either Stehpen Curry, Holiday, or Evans. The could possibly land Tyler Hansbrough if he falls that far. Love was originally drafted by the Grizzlies and was traded off the Wolves for OJ Mayo.

The Wolves get the best out of this. The receive the second pick and have their own pick in the number sixth selection. They could possibly lob for Thabeet at the second selection and still go for Evans or Jrue, like the Grizzlies. Ricky Rubio is a possible shot as well at the second spot.

"You could say that would complete our front line if we had somebody of that size and rim-protecting capability," Kahn said on Thabeet. "You could actually make an argument, and I'm not making that for me right now, but somebody could make that argument, that he would be the perfect fit."

With the Wolves reportedly agreeing with the Wizards for the 5th pick, the Grizzlies are now next.

Draft Day is on the 25th on ESPN.

Steve Kerr Heading to New York: Steve Nash's Future?

Bhavik Darji — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:20:09 -0400

Steve Kerr, the Phoenix Suns GM, will be in New York Thursday (today).

No, he won't be talking with any member of the Knicks or head coach Mike D'antoni. No early draft talks, nothing to do with David Stern.

Nothing to do with the city of New York or any of its pro teams.

He's going there (New York) to talk to Steve Nash, the Suns current starting point guard who lives in New York during the summer, and his agent Bill Duffy.

"It's more about letting each other know how we feel," Kerr said. "I can give him some ideas (of a plan), but there's no telling what can happen."

Steve Nash, who will be turning 36 next February, has one more year left on his current deal. Kerr will be trying to secure Nash for about two more years as the team's starting point guard.

"We're not a championship team right now," Nash said bluntly.

That pretty much explains what Nash thinks of the team right now, and could want a trade or won't sign with the Suns in 2010.

"It's their team and they can do whatever they want," Nash said on the players that could of been Suns. "At the same time, when people are critical of us they should keep in mind we can very easily have a different roster. Go through and look at the players we've given up that were still cheap and very valuable."

Nash signing an extension is not very likely and its possible people could see him wearing the green in Boston, or backing up point guard Tony Parker in San Antonio, or maybe even returning to Dallas. Nash wants a championship and I don't think he would care if he came off the bench as a back-up to somebody like Billups.

There will be a lot of championship caliber teams looking at Nash even at the age of 36.

Atlanta Hawks Looking To Deal Josh Smith, Memphis Grizzlies Interested?

Bhavik Darji — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:09:16 -0400

There has been numerous rumors flying around the league since the Los Angeles Lakers won their 15th NBA Championship in Orlando a couple of nights ago. Rumors that involve Shaq to Cleveland, and Hedo Turkoglu leaving the Magic with the added bonus of Lakers choosing between Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza.

Now we have this one.

The Atlanta Hawks are looking to ship off Josh Smith for financial reasons, that and he is supposedly hard to coach. The Hawks have key free agents this year in Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams as well as Zaza, Josh Childress and Ronald Murry. Childress is playing in Europe right now though.

Its going to be hard to keep them when you have Josh smith being owed $10 million per year.

Keeping Smith around might not necessarily be good. Like I've stated above, Smith has been hard to coach. Also, if Josh Childress comes back, the Hawks would have Johnson, Al Horford, Smith and Childress all scoring mentality type players. Having four of them won't work out.

The thing with Smith though is he has a $6 million trade kicker in his contract. What this means that the team that he gets traded to has to pay him $6 million right away. In the state that the economy is it seems unlikely that this would happen.

"You are going to see very few owners willing to do things like that anymore," one GM said. "I'm not saying he's impossible to trade. There are a few owners like Paul Allen, James Dolan, Mark Cuban and maybe Daniel Gilbert who would pay the money. But there aren't many."

The Grizzlies might.

Memphis is currently lacking a player at the four position. Darrel Arthur isn't cutting it out for them.

As you can see from the first chart , Smith is not injury prone which is an upside for the Grizzlies. He also has shot a high percentage this season and his points are down this year because of Mike Bibby.

He is a great inside presence, as he attempts 53 percent of his shots in the paint and gets 8.4 Pts out of it.

Here is what could be offered:

Grizzlies Get

Josh Smith

Hawks get

Hakim Warrick

Chris Mihm

Darko Milicic

Grizzlies 2nd pick.

This trade would have to take place during the draft, or before July the 1st as that is when their contracts are up.

This brings Warricks and Mihms expiring contract to the Hawks worth about $4.6 million in total. They get $7 million off the cap in 2010 from Milicic. That pretty much solves their financal problems, but like the Suns, the Hawks would want actual value for their team. They do get the 2nd pick though.

With that pick they could select Rubio and afford losing Bibby. They could also go for Thabeet which would then move Horford to the four spot.

Possible starting five would look like this.

Thabeet, Horford, Johnson, SG, Mike Bibby

The Grizzlies get an athletic PF, who can shoot up close fairly well, as well as rebounds and overall scoring.

The Grizzlies could have a starting five of Gasol, Smith, Gay, Mayo and Conley. That's pretty much a good starting five right there and you don't have to wait and see if Thabeet is going to be a bust or not.

Nothing is set in stone, but this is just the start of what should be a very exciting off-season.

Hedo Turkoglu of the Orlando Magic heading to Pistons, Spurs or Raptors?

Bhavik Darji — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:12:00 -0400

After following a great performance in the 2009 NBA Playoffs and Finals, the Orlando Magic have some key decisions to make.

Or maybe its Hedo Turkoglu that needs to make a key decision.

Perhaps both? Yes, possibly

The Orlando Magic have five players coming off the books and off into free agency this year. That includes Hedo as well as Adonyle Foyle, Marcin Gortat, Tyronn Lue, and Jeremy Richardson.

Most of these players the Magic would let walk, with the exception of Gortat and Hedo.

Gortat only played 12.6 MPG this season and averaged 4.5 RPG and 3.8 PPG. That is pretty good for a guy who only plays 12.6 MPG. Expect the Magic to work hard to retain Marcin Gortat.

As you can see, almost every player took a hit every single category this season (expect GPY which stands for Games Per Year). Nelson is the only one that has improved, which could explain less productivity from Lewis, and Turkoglu. Courtney Lee could also be the reason this some of the players' productivity has decreased.

Now, Hedo Turkoglu is currently getting paid $7.6 million a year, and has announced through his agent that he will be opting out of his final year to become a free agent. Hedo will be looking to get paid more than what he is currently getting paid, but can the Magic afford him?

They could try trading away some players to make room for Hedo, but the luxury tax threshold might be in the high $60 millions next season.

"We're not a team that would relish being in the tax, and with that said, we have our work to do, and we'll do our due diligence in doing our work. We like Turk, and we want to keep Turk here in a Magic uniform, but there are some challenges in doing that," Orlando general manager Otis Smith told ESPN.com on Saturday.

"Management doesn't want to be a tax team, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. We haven't been a tax team in three years, but that doesn't necessarily mean we won't be going forward."

If it wasn't for that huge Hall of Hame-like contract that Otis Smith offered Rashard Lewis, the Magic wouldn't be in this predicament. If it wasn't for Lewis though, they wouldn't be where they are.

There is always at least one player every year that gets a contract that he won't live up to. Last year, it was Golden State's Monta Ellis getting $66 million. Three years ago, it was the Bulls giving Big Ben $60 million. Hell, the Cavs gave Larry Hughes $70 million!

Where are half these guys right now?

Then the Magic were next to follow, offering Lewis $113 million for six years. That's around $18 million a year!

"We have a plan, we're in motion on the plan. Yeah, it would be a key loss to lose Turk because he's been such a vital part of what we do for a number of years," Smith said. "But that doesn't necessarily mean we're going to break the bank to keep him or not break the bank to keep him, it's just that he's a vital part of what we do."

That plan could be to move "Skip to My Lou" Rafer Alston, as well as Tony Battie and Anthony Johnson. Those moves, though, could hurt the Magic in the bench perspective.

Hedo is the commander on the floor, and is the go to guy in those clutch situations. Losing him would mean losing a chance at the NBA Championship.

It would also mean that Nelson would have a chance to expand as a player and become that 20 PPG point guard.

With that all said though, the Pistons could be a possible destination for Hedo.

They have a lot of cap room this offseason and are going after the bigs this year in Lamar Odom, Carlos Boozer, and Hedo. The Pistons have enough to sign two high-level superstars and work their way back into contention without having the need to rebuild young.

The Raptors are also a viable option. They recently lost Jason Kapono, their only consistent three-point shooter to the 76ers, in exchange for Reggie Evens. They need a strong player at the three spot and that could convince Bosh to stay for many years to come.

Hedo would also have the luxury with playing along side a a past-first point guard in Jose Calderon.

There is probably a big chance Hedo wants to go to a team that can contend. He is 30 years old, and after that he will no doubt be declining.

If anywhere, I expect him in San Antonio if they are able to afford him. Another possibility is the Portland Trailblazers. They are not contenders, but they could be in three to four years.

Lamar Odom or Trevor Ariza: After the Cheers and Tears, Who Will Head to LA?

Bhavik Darji — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:49:27 -0400

TV announcers have said the Lakers will need to make a change once the playoffs are over.

Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza have been competing to win their first NBA championship, which they did yesterday. They achieved their goal trying to avoid the fact that one of them won't be on the Lakers next year.

The Lakers have eight players that are owed $74 million next year, assuming Kobe Bryant does not opt out of his contract. That figure is over the salary cap, and it will be a challenge to bring back both players.

There may be a solution though. Jerry Buss said he won't cut away some salary, saying after the 2002 NBA finals, "We're going way over the tax!" Next season, 10 players made it back to the Lakers roster.

Odom is currently paid $14.4 million a year, and this is the last year of his contract. Ariza is paid $3.1 million a year.

We can expect Ariza, 23, to get one of his first big contracts of his career. Expect him to make double the amount he made this year. Expect this to be Odom's last big contract. Something that sounds reasonable is the MLE, (Mid Level Exception) starting at around $5.6 million and expanding to around $8 million.

"Sometimes you have to make tough decisions," a Lakers official said.

Both players are iron men as shown above, playing in almost every single game this season. Odom has played more minutes throughout the season than Ariza, hence his averages are much higher. This reason is because Odom has been a backup to Pau Gasol.

If Odom leaves, that would impact the rotation of the Lakers in a huge way. They would need Josh Powell to become one of the most improved players in the league to be a solid back-up to Pau.

It also takes away the luxury the Lakers had in which Odom, a 6'10" PF, could bring the ball up the court, lead the way, and ignite a fast break. It also takes away having that big lineup, consisting of Bynum, Pau, Odom, Bryant, and Fisher.

It also hurts when Bynum gets in foul trouble too early, limiting him to 15 MPG. They can't have Odom come off the bench anymore to help fill in that void offensively and defensively.

The games in which Lamar has not started, he has averaged 9.5 PPG and 6.1 RPG playing 26.5 MPG.

In the 60 games Ariza came off the bench, he averaged 8.5 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 23 MPG.

A key stat is the Lakers went 5-1 in the playoffs when Lamar had a double-double. Odom averaged 12 PPG and nine RPG in the playoffs.

Ariza is an energy guy, whether it's at home or on the road. Like we saw in Orlando, Ariza was fired up after the altercation with Hedo, his former teammate for two years.

"I just go out and play the game," Ariza said. "You start messing up when you put too much pressure on yourself. Just come into the game clear and just try to play hard."

Ariza led the Lakers in three-point shooting at 47.6 percent, and also shot 49.7 percent from the field, playing 31 MPG and averaging 11.3 PPG.

Now that's consistent.

Now people say Kobe might opt out and take a pay cut for the Lakers to sign both players. Kobe is going to have to pretty much play for free in order for that to happen. It's not going to happen.

The Detroit Pistons is a realistic place that Lamar could go. They have a lot of cap coming off this season and signing Lamar alongside Ben Gordon could make this team a contender, without having to start young again.

The Lakers don't need Lamar to win, but when he performs at a high level, they are pretty much unbeatable. That's a nice luxury to have.

Picking Ariza over Odom has a risk though. Yes, he still has time to develop, but he might not turn out to be that player that people expect him to be in the long run. Odom on the other hand is ready here, and now. Keeping him would guarantee championships for the next couple of years unless some team pulls a Boston Celtics move anytime soon.

It's a tough decision either way.

The Lakers have to act fast if they want to have a chance to repeat.

Chris Andersen: Our Experiances Shape Who We Are; The Story of Birdman

Bhavik Darji — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:59:01 -0400

Had to write this as a practise for my English 10 Provincial (equivalent to a final exam, except given out by the government and is with 20 percent of our final grade).

Topic: Our experiences shape who we are

Most of us have heard that same lulling line millions of times through out our life. Maybe said in a different way like "If you don't experience this, you will never know how it feels." I know I have heard this as my mom nags me that if you don't experience fruits and vegetables, you will never get a chance to like them.

Weather the person is a story book character, like Simba, or a person that you know really well in real life, that same line applies to every single human being. Without going through experiences, your outlook on the projected subject will never change.

If Simba never experienced Mufasa's death by his own uncle, he would have never had grown the will to kill.

Another example would be that a person has never experienced love. That person has undoubtedly been walking around depressed and has been sulking through out his life. If he or she actually went through real love (no I'm not talking about "love" you nasty children) their outlook on love, and life would change.

They would be more happy and energetic, and would have the will to interact more with his/her fellow peers.

It goes to show that people can change themselves without losing their personality. That is exactly what Chris "Birdman" Andersen did.

Chris Andersen, more commonly referred to as the, "Birdman" has gone through worse things then people with heart disease, and people can even argue, worse the Alonzo Mourning's kidney problems.

His childhood was plagued with his parents going in and out of his life. His mother rode off on her Harley, while his Father tried to sell his art work around the world. He had the opportunity to pick between military school and a foster home.

"I'm thankful that I actually got the choice to pick one of the two, and I picked the children's home."

His first drink happened in his freshmen year in High school and he has looked at alcohol and drugs to solve his problems since his suspension.

After dropping out of Blinn College in Texas, Chris Andersen declared himself to partake in the 1999 NBA draft, which is annually held in the Big Apple, New York. Not going to College hurt his chance of being a highly touted prospect.

Like expected, Andersen went undrafted, and then decided to move to China to play for the minor leagues there before moving to New Mexico, and North Dakota.

Andersen had his first taste in the majors when he signed with the Denver Nuggets, which were struggling at the time.

It was his stint with Denver that got him noticed in the NBA as a fan favourite, and he eventually signed with the New Orleans Hornets, a city (New Orleans) that is based on people going out and night and getting drunk. No knock intended New Orleans-ers, the Jazz life there is great.

It was when Andersen was a Hornet, the success came flowing in. He was invited to partake in the Sprite Slam Dunk competition in 2004 and 2005 and eventually signed a $16 million contract extension with the Hornets.

His style of play was energetic and wild, and that was the same case for his night life, too. With that much money, there is a lot of drugs and alcohol you can buy.

He was experiencing he luxury life the NBA had given him. Living in a big house, owning a nice car, he had everything he could have ever imagined. Andersen's past demons quickly caught up with him.

Like a lot of teenagers, Andersen had tried some drugs, and eventually got addicted to them. He got heavily inked while he was young and that carries over to his current days.

During 2005 and 2006 Andersen lost a lot of things close to him and he went to the one thing he could do to solve his problems. Those drinks.

"I always had control over my drinking. It's just when it hit me all at once I was like What do I do? I was like I'll find the answer at the bottom of a bottle, that one didn't have the answer. Try a can, that can didn't have the answer. Solve one problem 10 more come along."

Those problems included falling out with his mother due to finances. His father and himself were not speaking as well. Then came Hurricane Katrina, destroying his home and everything that he possessed.

What hurts the most is that his fiance, Brandy Newman ended their engagement. Having all that happen to a man could possibly lower the demeanor of that person.

You can see what he means by saying "...when it all hit my at once." He was going through such hard times and he had no sense of direction. He lost his loved ones, and his home.

A man can only go through so much in his life before finally breaking. Andersen had to find a way to relive all the stress he had accumulated from his parents and the sheer destruction of his house.

No he did not go get a massage, he went back to his teenage days.

He did not just resort to alcohol, but drugs to. He was suspended on Jan. 27 of 2006 for violating the NBA's drugs of abuse policy. Drugs on those list include Cocaine, PCP, LSD, and Methamphetamine.

He has publicly stated through his agent he is not going to reveal the drugs he took. "Everybody wants to know. Don't do drugs. Why does it got to be a specific drug."

It took about three days of more alcohol for it to sink into Andersen. He responded by talking to him self about it saying, "This ain't right. What am I doing? Man you know what, I can't live like this anymore."

Andersen then spent four weeks in rehab and then moved in with his agent, and good friend Mark Bryant and his family which were located in Denver. While in Denver, Andersen passed weekly drug tests for two years.

"I wanted to be the one that said I told you so, said Andersen. I didn't want to be in the other position where they said I told you so."

He was eventually reinstated into the league nearly two years and two days after he got suspended. As a free agent, he signed with the New Orleans Hornets who were at the time, looking to make a playoff push. He ended up playing five games with the Hornets that year.

He wanted to return to the place in which he turned his life around, and he signed with the Denver Nuggets.

"We spent a day or two talking, said George Karl, head coach of the Nuggets. It was some what emotional, in him telling me his values. Now I'm not an expert on the drug situation, but I wouldn't bet on Chris Andersen.

"I have no desire to go back down that road, Andersen replied.

With the Nuggets he played in 71 one games and had the best of his pro career.

Andersen maintained his wild personality on the court while he got rid of it off the court, and especially at night. In his two year suspension, his experience shaped himself into a totally clean person, with keeping what people like best about him.

"I wanted to come back and make a statement", said Andersen.

"What statement did you like to make", asked the ESPN reporter.

"Look at me now."

The Big Aristotle and the King in the Kingdom? Shaquille O'Neal to Cavs

Bhavik Darji — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:51:14 -0400

We have heard the talk of Shaquille O'Neal going to the Cleveland Cavaliers since the trade deadline was approaching in February.

Nothing happened.

According to ESPN, the trade talk between Cleveland and the Suns have been going on since the deadline happened. Danny Ferry, Cleveland's GM, and Steve Kerr, the GM of the Suns, have been talking on a consistent base.

Looking at the current situation with the Suns, it would not be the greatest decision to part with Shaq yet. His contract is set to expire in 2010, making him a member of that same legendary free agent class that includes LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. His contract is worth roughly about $20 million per year, and that's $20 million off the cap for the Suns.

Then you look at Steve Nash. He will also be part of that illustrious class. The Suns would be relieved of $11 million. That's about $31 million off the cap for the Suns, giving them enough money to sign a marquee player, like James, and add a player to complement that marquee player.

But, then you have Amare Stoudimire. He has the option to opt out of his contract and join that illustrious class of 2010. If he does, you would have a total of $45.6 million coming off the shelf for the Suns. That's just about enough to sign three marquee players for $15 million a year. The Suns just have to hope that he does.

There is no question they would want to move one of their big contracts to get under the cap if salary relief is what they want.

That's where the Cleveland Cavaliers come in.

They traded for Mo Williams to be able to contend with Boston, but that wasn't a problem as Kevin Garnett got injured. When they reached the Easter Conference Finals, they met with Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. They didn't expect the Magic to come as far as they came this year during the offseason.

They were not ready for them. They had no one to stop Howard and they eventually fell to them, 4-2.

Now the Cavs realize LeBron is entering the final year of his contract and they do not want to lose him to free agency. They are going to do their best to satisfy him and the city of Cleveland. Bringing in Shaq might be the answer to their problems (sorry Allen Iverson).

Currently, here's what's being proposed.

Cavs get

Shaquile O'Neal

Suns get

Ben Wallace

Sasha Pavlovic

With Wallace contemplating retirement and Pavlovic's contract being $4.5 million with only $1.5 million guaranteed, that saves the Suns some money this year (around $10 million to be exact). They can even save some more money if Wallace agrees to a buy out worth less then his face value.

They are taking a gamble, because Wallace's contract does not expire this year, and he might not retire. They would actually prefer Wally Szczerbiak, as his contract is coming off the shelf this year.

As you can see on the chart, Shaq proves to be a much better upgrade from Ilgauskas and Varejao. Shaq can play the post position, something Ilgauskas is fairly weak at, and has enough strength to defend Howard.

His weaknesses are his health and his inability to play the pick and roll as well as he used to. It also hurts LeBron's driving lane since you would have Shaq camping in the lane waiting to get the ball. You won't have Ilgauskas waiting on the perimeter for LeBron to drive and kick.

Shaq will probably not resign with the Cavs once his contract is over, but go and sign with the Lakers to get one more chance to play with Kobe Bryant. If the Cavs don't do well that season, you could see LeBron leave. That leaves the Cavs with $35.75 million relief from their cap.

That's good enough to lure in Dwayne Wade, or another marquee player to complement the marquee one.

This trade could happen any time, seeing as how Ferry and Kerr are good friends dating back to the San Antonio playing days. Both would be willing to do favours for one another.

Magic Look To Stop a Lakers Championship Parade in Orlando

Bhavik Darji — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:17:27 -0400

In what has been a very exciting series the past two games, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to redeem themselves after getting blown out of last years Finals against the Boston Celtics.

Derek Fisher, being the clutch shooter that he is, made a three pointer to send Game Four into overtime, and another three pointer to win the game. Fireworks went off as the Lakers won that game and took a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Now, we have the Magic fighting for their very existence.

Game Four was a game the Magic should have won. Game Two was a game the Magic should have won, but they didn't.

Now, it's pretty obvious that this is a game the Magic must win. They certinally don't want the Lakers partying on their own court. Preventing that could pose a probelm though.

The Magic need to slow down Kobe Bryant. There is nobody that comes to mind that can actually stop Kobe, but people can slow him down. Stan Van Gundy should put Hedo back on Kobe Bryant during the second half as Hedo did a good job defending him in Game Two.

Game Four would not have been so close if Rashard Lewis actually hit his shots. He went two-for-ten (both where three pointers) and finished with six points. He also did not go to the free throw line at all. In order for this Magic team to win, Lewis has to produce.

Free throws were also the issue. The Magic missed 15 free throws, which could have been another 15 points right there. That and think if Lewis actually played well, a blow out possibly?

"I just missed them," Howard said. "I've been working on my free throws. They just weren't falling tonight."

Either they weren't falling, or the pressure got to him. Being a poor free-throw shooter and being put into the pressure situation that he was in, we all expected this to happen.

Keeping Ariza in line was another reason why the Magic lost. He scored 16 points and grabbed that pivitol offensive rebound to give Fisher that three pointer to send the game into overtime.

"I have a responsibility to my team that if I'm going to be on the floor, then I have to make a difference," he said. "None of us can continue to expect that Kobe is going to save us."

They did keep Odom in line, as he was held to just 10 points. Keeping him in line is going to be a problem for Game Five tonight. The Magic need to step up to the challenge if they want to come up with a win tonight.

They needed to shoot 64 percent in order to secure their first ever Finals victory. They're going to need to shoot a high percentage without letting the Lakers shoot a high percentage. The three ball is going to have to go in tonight if they want to survive one more game.

Denver Nuggets: Free Agents To Go after: Bring Lamar in

Bhavik Darji — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:45:32 -0400

The Denver Nuggets have been one of the biggest surprises this season. After barely making the playoffs in the 2007-2008, the Denver Nuggets were not expected to have the success they have had this year.

The early blockbuster trade that sent future Hall of Famer Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheikh Samb was the franchise changer.

Billups brought leadership and a winning attitude to the team, as well as a secondary coach. After having an amazing playoff run end against the L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets' front office has some decisions to make.

Re-sign/Don't Sign Free Agents.

Chris Anderson

Chris Anderson has been the feel-good story of the NBA this year. Few players have come back from something he has been through. Anderson's suspension for two years due to drugs is just as bad as Alonzo Mourning's kidney problem back in his New Jersey days. Taking in heroin and other substances kills you slower than a kidney, but it's a slow, painful death.

He has brought energy off the bench this year and was second in the league in BPG, behind Dwight Howard playing on 20 MPG. He sets the tone on the defensive end at the Pepsi Center.

He has stated himself that he won't leave Denver. He wants to play there as that's where he went through rehab and it is very special to him

Resign him.

Anthony Carter

Carter has proved to be key for this Nuggets team coming off the bench. Let's not forget that last season, Carter started at the point guard spot for the Nuggets. He is a solid contributor, as last season he averaged 5.5 APG on 28 MPG, while this year, coming off the bench, he played 22 MPG and averaged 4.7 APG.

He brings that veteran guard presence, but he is not a big scorer.

Try hunting for a backup PG, but if you cannot, re-sign him.

Jason Hart

Denver signed him to the remainder of the season as a third string PG. He has not brought anything to this Nugget squad and having him gone relieves $2.4 million from the cap.

Let him go.

Dahntay Jones

Jones has proved to be a stopper against smaller guards like Chris Paul. He cannot guard players like Kobe Bryant, so he resorts to tripping and such. He sometimes tries to get his offense going even though his shot is horrible. If he becomes smarter, he will get on my good books. He is in between as of now.

Teams would probably be looking at him as he is a gritty defender. I have heard the Celtics might be interested in him.

Re-sign him.

Johan Petro

Not much to say here. He is not a good enough player to be on a championship-caliber team. He collects silly fouls and tries to do things he cannot. Letting him walk would give the Nuggets $1.9 million off the cap.

Let him go.

Linas Kleiza

Letting Kleiza walk would be one of the worst decisions ever. Kleiza is a proven scorer. He had a career-high 41 points coming off the bench against the Utah Jazz—not starting, but off the bench. He is good enough that the Nuggets were in talks of shipping him to the Kings for Ron Artest.

He is a good backup to Carmelo Anthony an can be put at the two spot if the Nuggets go small.

Re-sign him.

Free Agents Nuggets Should Go after

It is pretty hard to go after free agents when you're over the cap, $11 million over the cap to be exact. Let's forget about that for now.

Rasheed Wallace

Yes, bring Wallace to the mile high city and pair him with his former teammate Chauncey Billups. He would be able to stretch the floor while backing up Nene, or possibly starting for him. It is highly unlikely Wallace would take the back seat though.

Mehmet Okur

Okur, like Wallace, would be able to stretch the floor and can fill up the backup center spot. He is a seven-footer and would be able to make plays. He could possibly start, but I don't think the Nuggets want Nene's development to be slowed down.

Eddie Jones

Who? Eddie Jones.

Yeah, he is not retired officially. He was traded to the Indiana Pacers, and his contract was bought out. He could seek retirement, or he could play for one more team and try to win that championship.

He brings a good veteran presence and could back up Jones at PG or J.R. Smith at the SG spot. He would, however, play limited minutes due to his age (37).

Lamar Odom

This is probably the least likely to happen.

Lamar would not take anything less then $7 million. If he does take a pay cut, bringing in Lamar would be the best thing to ever happen to the Nuggets. It would officially make the Nuggets good enough to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Nuggets would have to bring Kenyon Martin to the bench if this were to happen. Lamar would not want to be that sixth man again.

He would bring size, something the Nuggets are laking, and could play the PF or the C if the Nuggets go small. A small lineup the Nuggets would have Odom, Nene, Carmelo, Smith, and Billups.

If either Wallace or Okur does sign with the Nuggets, we could see a second string of Wallace/Okur, Kenyon Martin, Linas Kleiza, Dahntay Jones/Sonny Weems, Anthony Carter.

Sonny Weems?

Yup, I'll get to him right now.

Sonny Weems

Weems is not a free agent, but I feel like I have to address him.

You probably remember Weems for throwing the alley-oop passes to J.R. Smith in this year's dunk contest. Yup, they were horrible.

Weems was traded to the Denver Nuggets from the Chicago Bulls right after being selected by the Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft. Weems is a high scorer and is very fast and has a lot of agility.

This guy can be the next Stephen Jackson, heck, maybe even a Manu Ginobli. If he continues to grow, I expect him to be a key factor in the Nuggets rotation for years to come.

With all of these little moves that could happen, we are looking at a team that can challenge the Lakers and the rejuvenated Boston Celtics.

Expect another great season from the Nuggets next year.

Breaking News: Nelson has Just Checked into the Game.

Bhavik Darji — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:50:09 -0400

Nelson has just checked into the game at the start of the second quarter.

He was slated to not play in game one, but it seems that he will even though it could possibly be limited minutes. He was activated before game one tipped off.

Nelson was shut down about two weeks ago by general manager Otis Smith saying that he would not play in the NBA finals; "It's a long ways away," Smith said as Nelson shot around with assistant athletic trainer Keon Weise. "He just started shooting last week. He's a long ways away from playing basketball."

He also added by saying " No way in Hell", on Nelson playing. He said this week, "That was a week and a half ago," said Vander Weide when asked about Otis Smith ruling out the idea of Nelson playing.

"I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think Coach will use him," Rashard Lewis told the Orlando Sentinel. "I don't know for how long he can play, but he can help us win."

"The chance to get an All Star point guard on the floor for 15 minutes a game ... you'd have to look at that," said Bob Vander Weide, president of the Orlando Magic.

There was talk about Chemistry issues that Nelson adressed. "I don't think I'll go out there and mess things up," Nelson told the Orlando Sentinel. "Coach has put me in a position to make me successful."

Nelson injured his shoulder against the Dallas Mavericks on February 2nd while going for a steal and has been out for four months.

"We're being cautious ... But like I said, I'm a competitor, and at the end of the day, I want to compete," Nelson said. "Sitting on the bench, that's not what I'm here to do."

Nelson has recorded two points on one of one shooting and three assist in three minutes.

Baron Davis and the LA Clippers' First Pick on the Move?

Bhavik Darji — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:33:27 -0400

As draft day moves closer more rumors are thrown out into the basketball world. Some are just absurd, others reasonable, and some very possible. No matter if they are absurd, reasonable or possible, they are still fun to imagine.

This one is no different.

The Clippers survived 14 other teams and landed the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, out-lasting the favourites, the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards.

The Oklahoman is reporting that a possible trade is in the works between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder involving each respective teams' draft picks.

There have been numerous reports that the LA Clippers want to move their top point guard Baron Davis, who is owed $54 million for the next four years after just signing with the Clippers last offseason.

There is also talk if Davis does leave they are in need of a good point guard. Ricky Rubio is the most likely selection.

Now, there is a lot of talk that the Clippers are going to draft Blake Griffin which started right away when the Clippers won the lottery draft. Actually, according to the Clippers assistant general manager, their mind was made up much longer ago.

“I’d say we made the decision June 2008,” assistant general manager Neil Olshey said Wednesday at the team’s practice facility in Playa Vista. “When he decided to go back to Oklahoma, that if we got the No. 1 pick in ‘09, he’d be the guy.”

Griffin will no doubt be going to LA, but will Davis be there playing with him?

Probably not. Griffin might not even be playing in a Clipper uniform.

The Oklahoma City Thunder hold the third pick in the NBA draft and have a good chance of taking Rubio as the Grizzlies are expected to draft Thabeet. They already have Mike Conley, the point guard they selected in the 2007 NBA draft with the fourth overall pick. They could afford passing up Rubio.

Davis going to OKC does not seem likely as I don't believe the Thunder would part with Green or Westbrook. Why trade two core players to get Baron Davis who has been injury prone through out his career?

Now, the Clippers already have a nice core of young players in Eric Gordon, Al Thornton and possibly Griffin or Rubio. You can't go wrong with any of them. Moving over the older players to make room for the great class of 2010 isn't a bad idea also.

Scenario One

The Clippers draft Blake Griffin, OKC gets Rubio. A three-player trade would take and would look like this.

Clippers Get

Ricky Rubio

Jason Kid

Mavericks get

Baron Davis

Marcus Camby

Thunder get

Blake Griffin

The Mavericks get Camby's contract that will expire in 2010. He actually gives the Mavs a good veteran player who can defend, block shots and rebound. Davis and his contract length would probably not be accepted in Dallas. Since his past injury history there is a likelihood that he will miss a lot of games.

This helps the Clippers the most, as the Clips get $20 million off their cap this year and can wait 'til 2010, or sign somebody this year. Rubio, EG, Al, Randolph and Kamen as a starting five don't seem that bad.

The Thunder will get what they want without losing anything. They already have an athletic Russel Westbrook playing the PG position and will certainly be a force in this league for many years to come.

Jeff Green would probably be send to the bench, or they would have Griffin start at the center spot but that's highly unlikely as you would have a front court consisting of three players that are 6'9".

With a good back up guard in Shaun Livingston, this Thunder team would be set for the future and will seriously be legit championship contenders if they can keep that group around.

Now your probably saying "Why can't the Clippers just draft Rubio, and the Thunder draft Griffin"? Well I thought the same thing until I actually thought a little bit harder.

The Memphis Grizzlies: Scenario Two

If the Clippers draft Rubio, the Grizzlies would not hesitate to draft Griffin. It would be a better pick then Thabeet if you ask me.

You would land with a starting five of Gasol, Griffin, Gay, Mayo and Conley. Jeff Van Gundy would probably coin their front-line the "Big G's".

Now, having Thabeet as the starting center for the Thunder would not be that bad. It would allow Green to start with Durant, Thabo, and Russel.

This would probably not result in trading unless one of the team wants to move up, or down. I would have a feeling the Clippers would package Davis and a future draft pick to one of the teams that want be the Celtics.

Trade your draft picks and win a championship right now. Trade half your team and get the best players available, than sign free agents. That's not bad though.

It may not happen, but it's fun to think about it.

Jameer Nelson Returing to Magic Lineup?

Bhavik Darji — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:56:33 -0400

Otis Smith, general manager of the Orlando Magic, addressed a possible Jameer Nelson comeback last week.

"It's a long ways away," Smith said as Nelson shot around with assistant athletic trainer Keon Weise. "He just started shooting last week. He's a long ways away from playing basketball."

However, word has started again that the Magic want Nelson to be re-evaluated and take another MRI to see if the doctors clear him to play.

Nelson was initially ruled out for the rest of the regular season and the postseason. He dislocated his shoulder against the Dallas Mavericks after going for a steal on February 2.

But nobody explicitly said Nelson would be sitting out the NBA finals.

"The chance to get an All Star point guard on the floor for 15 minutes a game...you'd have to look at that," said Bob Vander Weide, president of the Orlando Magic.

"That was a week and a half ago," said Vander Weide when asked about Otis Smith ruling out the idea of Nelson playing.

"We're being cautious... But like I said, I'm a competitor, and at the end of the day, I want to compete," Nelson said.

The Orlando Magic made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in 14 years by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers four games to two. With how tough it is to reach the finals, it's no surprise Nelson wants to be part of the experience. It could only be his only opportunity to play in the Finals in his career.

If Nelson does return, it could spell trouble for the Lakers. Even with Nelson playing just 15 to 20 minutes, he could cause serious damage for his opponents.

"Sitting on the bench, that's not what I'm here to do."

A Story Book Matchup: Disney Land Vs Disney World

Bhavik Darji — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:48:33 -0400

It's in the books.

The 2008-2009 NBA finals will start in Los Angeles, California, after Dwight Howard's 40 point performance helped the Magic beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and advance to the NBA finals for the first time in 14 years.

"We believe we're contenders,'' Jameer Nelson said after a win against L.A. "The naysayers say we're not. This means a lot. I think it's a statement game. It shows we're serious and we're contenders for the East.''

Now starts the sequel to the NBA Playoffs, the NBA Finals.

In which should be a very entertaining matchup, both teams will try to take the early advantage by either stealing home court, or keeping it.

The Lakers are looking in much better shape, even going the distance against the Rockets and having to be tested by the Denver Nuggets. They have a healthy Andrew Bynum, who has been producing well. Trevor Ariza has been the X-factor for the Lakers all season and postseason long.

The former Magic player that was involved in the trade to bring Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to the Magic has been nothing but spectacular. Last year, they didn't have the luxury of having Ariza at his full potential as he broke his foot in mid-January.

Phil Jackson, the Los Angeles Lakers head coach said it did not matter who the Lakers team faced.

"The only thing that makes a difference is if it's Orlando, we make one road trip in this setup," Jackson said after Friday's victory.

One road trip is only needed at the NBA Finals due to the setup, which is different from the NBA playoffs. Instead of having a 2-2-1-1-1 format, the NBA Finals has a 2-3-2 format. This could possibly give the advantage to the Magic if they steal home court against the Lakers.

To top if off the Magic beat the Lakers twice in both of their meetings, winning by a combined nine points, in Orlando and Los Angeles respectively.

Both teams can make a tie to one another.

The first time Orlando made their first ever appearance in the NBA Finals was in 1995, when they had Shaquille O'Neal. The Lakers made their first Finals appearance since, 1990-91, when they had Shaquille O'Neal.

The Magic have not been to the finals since Shaq left, until yesterday. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have not won a championship without Shaq, and Kobe will try to do everything to change that.

Both Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu should have problems with Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. Unlike the Cleveland series, Lewis and Turkoglu now have people that can matchup with them. The Magic still made 12 three-pointers in both of the games against the Lakers, so I'm optimistic on that part.

The battle of the centers should be interesting as Howard will dominate Andrew Bynum on the offensive end, but who will stop Gasol? From their previous matchups, Gasol has only averaged 12 PPG, eight rebounds, and shot 40 percent from the stripe playing 37.5 MPG.

I don't expect Gasol to repeat his performance of last years finals against Kevin Garnett. He will probably struggle for the first two to three games, but will find a weakness and use it, like he did with the Denver Nuggets.

It is possible that Howard will switch onto Gasol as Lewis is not big or strong enough to contain him and his jump hooks.

One major thing that can change the outcome of this series is that the Magic don't have Nelson in the series, but they did in the season against the Lakers. Against the Lakers, Nelson put up 27.5 PPG on 58 percent shooting from the field! Now that's insane.

Who is going to make up for that large chunk of points though? Alston, against the Lakers this year has only averaged nine PPG on 34 percent shooting and below 30 percent from beyond the arc.

Some Laker fans have said its going to be a sweep, I whole heartedly, disagree. The Magic will be tough, especially if Nelson comes back...I'll save that for another day.

Richardson, Shaq Going to the Mavs? Top Hornets to LA, Suns?

Bhavik Darji — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:50:46 -0400

Earlier this season, Tyson Chandler was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith, and DeVon Hardin—only for the trade to be rescinded because Chandler failed to pass a physical.

The biggest reason Chandler was being traded was because of his health, and because the Hornet wanted to shred salary cap. Chandler is owed $25.5 million for the next two years, and the money does not pay for what he is producing—a measly 8.8 PPG and 8.5 RPG in 77 games played this season, down from the 11.8 PPG and 11.7 RPG in the Hornets successful season last year.

Make no mistake the Hornets will undoubtedly be trying to ship one of their players, whether it be Chandler, Stojakovic, or both.

A possibility that he could land in Phoenix is real.

The Hornets have had interest in Shaquille O'Neal, but it seems like he might be going to Dallas (more on that below). The Hornets should target J-Rich.

Richardson has three years remaining on his contract, which is worth $12.2 million a year (about $900 thousand more than what Chandler is worth, who also has three years left), including this year.

Richardson would benefit from Chris Paul and would become a legitimate 20+ PPG scoring threat again. This would also move either Posey to the starting spot instead of an aging Stojakovic, or still having Stojakovic start. Richardson would then start and have either Mo Pete or Posey come off the bench for him.

This would give you a starting five of Paul, Richardson, Posey/Stojakovic, David West/Stojakovic, and C/West (Robin Lopez if this deal was to go down one on one).

It gives the Hornets another three-point shooter and allows the Hornets to spread the floor even more. Peja has the size to play the four position and West can play the five, or vice versa.

Then you have the rumor that Shaq might be going to Dallas. It has been brought up millions of times and is probably the most likely to happen.

The Mavericks would give up Jerry Stackhouse, Eric Dampier, and Shawne Williams for Shaq. This could possibly persuade Jason Kidd to stay in the lone star state for another year. It would also make a formidable front court and a good shot at a championship run.

This would give a starting five of Jason Kidd, Antoine Wright/ Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitkzi, and Shaquille O'Neal.

The Mavs could have Terry start, but he should be placed in there with a second unit.

Now, with this all said, the Hornets would have a hole in the middle and the Suns would pretty much be depleted.

That's were the Clippers come in.

The Clippers are most likely to draft Blake Griffin, but they are already loaded with big guys and could be looking to part with them for expiring contracts.

Here's what I am suggesting.

The Mavs Get

Shaquille O'Neal

Robin Lopez

The Suns Get

Tyson Chandler

Eric Dampier

Zach Randolph

Marty Collins

The Hornets Get

Jason Richardson

Marcus Camby

Jerry Stackhouse

Goron Dragic

Mike Taylor

The Clippers Get

Peja Stojakovic

Antonio Daniels

Jarad Dudley

Rasul Butler

Shawne Williams.

Click here to see it on the ESPN trade machine.

For those who did not see it on the ESPN trade machine, the Mavericks are projected to get five more wins, Suns have a projected minus three losses, Hornets have a projected plus seven wins, and the Clippers have minus 19 losses according to Holligner's analysis, but the Clippers don't have Griffin yet so they should win more games.

The Mavericks pretty much stay the same, but would get Lopez to be a back up center.

The Suns get a real good revamped roster that actually has a chance to make the playoffs while rebuilding. Chandler, Randolph, and Dampier have a combined $111 million owed to them for the next three years and their contracts all expire in 2011.

Players that are free agents in 2011 consist of Paul Perice, Derrick Rose (if the team does not pick up his option for 2012), Josh Howard, Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Durant, and Tony Parker. That is a very good draft class—arguably better than the 2010 draft draft class. It's possible the Suns could pick up Josh Howard or J.R. Smith then.

A healthy Chandler playing along side Amar'e could be very dangerous with Steve Nash running the point. Randolph would be a good back up and can split minutes with Amar'e. With Hill on the verge of retirement, they can sign a good free agent this year, possibly Lamar Odom.

A starting five would look like this: Chandler, Stoudemire, Barnes, Barbosa, and Nash. It actually does not seem like much on paper, but this team could be deadly.

The Hornets could have over $20 millions in salary cap space going into the 2010 free agency. Camby and Stackhouse make up for $17 million of that projected $20 million. It is expected that Stack would be bought out of his contract.

Dragic and Taylor would split minutes at the backup point guard but expect the Hornets to shop for a better one. Bringing in Camby is basically bringing in another Chandler. Although Camby was hampered with injuries this year, he still averaged 10.3 PPG on 51% shooting and 11.1 RPG, while playing 31 minutes—much more productive then Tyson.

This would give an intimidating starting five of Camby, West, Posey, Richardson, and Paul. The bench needs to be improved, but they can do that with free agency.

Finally—the Clippers.

They would benefit the most as all the players they are getting $12.5 million salary relief from four of the five players they have in 2010. Stojakovic has three years left on his contract expanding to 2011, which has that great draft class that I have already gone over. That's $12.5 million off the cap. There is also the possibility that they won't sign some of the free agents this year.

Stojakovic could help develop the jumpers of basically everybody on the team. Antonio Daniels is a good back up PG and will complement Baron Davis splitting minutes with him.

A starting five would look like this: Chris Kamen, Blake Griffin, Al Thornton, Eric Gordon, and Baron Davis. That is a great rebuilding team, not to mention a possible playoff contender.

Who knows, this would be great in my opinion. Now, let's just hope the GMs read B/R articles.

Lakers Fluster Nuggets: Take 3-2 Series Lead

Bhavik Darji — Thu, 28 May 2009 01:02:19 -0400

This game was probably the most consistent game played in the series—that is, until the fourth quarter.

After being tied in the beginning and end of the first, second, and third quarter, the Lakers flustered the Nuggets and went off on a 25-5 run spanning from the near end of the third quarter and started off the fourth with an 11-0 run. It also marked the fourth time in NBA playoffs history that a team was tied during the first three quarters.

"Got to come ready to play,'' Kobe Bryant said. "We made a lot of mistakes the last time, the mistakes that took place were execution, and we didn't do things at the defensive end."

The Nuggets had their chances to bring the game close. They went on a 13-6 run and were down 96-89, but could not convert as neither team had a point added to their total until the 1:24 mark, when Carmelo Anthony made a finger roll layup.

Nene once again played over aggressive and dumb. He picked up really bad fouls and let his temper get the best of him as he was nailed with a technical. As good as Nene is, he needs to learn how to play smart, and not try using all the muscle. He finished with four points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes, which was nothing compared to Game Four, in which he finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes.

Carmelo Anthony, who played horribly in his two games at home, came out and scored 31 points. What made the difference was that Billups only had 12 points and J.R. Smith was limited to seven on 3-for-13 shooting. The Nuggets bench, which is key in wining games, got demolished 34-26, with Lamar Odom having 19 of the 34 bench points for the Lakers.

Nobody else on the Nuggets had more than 12 points besides Anthony.

The Lakers also distributed the ball, winning that matchup, 25-17.

Rebouding was nearly equal between the teams, Nuggets 43 and Lakers 42. Bryant had an all around game with 22 points, eight assist, and five rebounds.

"It was a big gamble for me coming in, but I wanted to change my approach this game and be more of a decoy,'' he said after adding eight assists, several out of double-teams in the fourth quarter. "The past couple games they really were loading to my side and I figured I could be a decoy and try to give chances to my teammates.''

History is on the Lakers side as they have not lost a best-of-seven series that is tied at 2-2 after wining Game Five since the 1969 NBA finals against the Boston Celtics.

The Nuggets have not won a best-of-seven series when trailing 1-0.

Game Six will be on Friday at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Start time is 6 PM PT/ 9 EST on ESPN.