Bleacher Report - Articles by Robert C Binyon

Coke Zero 400 Mayhem: Whose Fault Was It?

Robert C Binyon — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:22:28 -0400

I don’t know if any of you caught the finish of the Coke Zero 400 (I miss Pepsi) the other night, but wow, it was a doozy. I’m a big Stewart fan, let’s start it out with that. And well, our family doesn’t like the Busch family in general. I’m just giving you the background before I start this article, so you can praise me for my impartial comments.

I started not liking them after Kurt won the series title, well, while he was winning the title. He was just too cocky; he thought he was the best there had ever been or would ever be. Well that was bologna, but whatever, he has finally taken that attitude down a notch or two. Then his brother comes along, now I’ll say this, he is one hell of a race car driver. That’s irrefutable, but he’s arrogant, annoying, and major league immature.

Need an example? Ok, here’s one for 'ya. So, we’re in Nashville, and Kyle wins the Camping World 200. The trophy for said event is a one-of-a-kind Gibson Les Paul Guitar that was hand painted by Sam Bass. What does he do when he is presented with this awesome, there is only one of these on the planet, sort of trophy? Does he take it home and place it on his already over-decorated mantle. No, he smashes it.

That’s right, doing a lousy imitation of a washed up rock star he smashed the trophy. And just what does he have to say for himself when all of NASCAR Nation is in an uproar over his juvenile antics?

"Everybody's (smashed a guitar) except race car drivers. Those sorry saps take it home in one piece. I'll break it up and share it with the team."

And when it doesn’t break up just the way he had envisioned, to add a little salt in that gaping wound his next comment is, and again I quote "It didn't break according to plan," Busch said. "We'll go back to the shop and cut it up into smooth pieces so everyone on the team can have one. Then I'm going to order two more for me and (crew chief) Jason Ratcliff."

That’s right boys and girls, if you have a big enough ego and a big enough bank account anything, absolutely anything can be replaced!

You should see my dad when he is telling someone the story, which he does every chance he gets, he's all red in the face, and I’m like “Mom he’s telling the Kyle Busch guitar story again, be ready to dial 911”. My dad is the son of a racer, as am I (nothing professional) and he states unequivocally he has never seen anything so disrespectful, ever.

Now that you have a faint idea how my family feels about Kyle Busch, let’s get down to business.

The Coke Zero 400. Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin were dominating the entire race, and Tony’s pit crew was awesome all day, getting him back to first every time he pitted, if he wasn’t first already. The whole race we hear and see how dominant Hamlin’s ride is, and while I’m rooting for Tony, I’m nervous of Hamlin taking the lead on this final restart.

For those of you who don’t know, this is Daytona, and if you’re at Daytona you’re drafting, and if you’re drafting you can go from first to worst in a heartbeat if you’ve got no one pushing you. Picture a deck of cards shuffling…you get the idea.

Anyway, here we go, they take the green, and Tony commands the lead, things are looking good, because all night long once he’s taken the lead, no one had really been able to challenge him for it. But that was on long runs. This was a very short run.

On the last lap, Kyle Busch gets a great run. I couldn’t tell if maybe Tony had gotten a little too far in front of the pack (that drafting thing again), or gotten loose and let off the throttle, but either way Busch takes the lead, and it looked as though he’d earn the win. Oh so comforting.

Tony stays behind him and makes his move coming out of the final turn. Tony fakes going to the bottom, Kyle moves down to block him, but by the time Kyle realizes he isn’t there (never was, Ky Ky, faked you out!) and starts to go high to block him again Tony already owns that real estate baby, his nose is where Kyle’s right rear should be, SHOULD BE but wasn’t…BUSCH IS SIDEWAYS, HE’S INTO THE WALL TONY STEWART WINS THE COKE ZERO 400!

Wow. Well what a finish, and of course the first thing that runs through my mind is, I hope no one got hurt cause there is a lot of twisted metal on the track, last lap of Daytona twisted metal. The second thing that runs through my mind is here comes the media.

Why, you might ask? Well, because many a time Tony Stewart has been on the wrong end of the media shaft. Usually relating to wrecks that could possibly be attributed to his "hot-headedness," which has sort of earned him the “Bad Boy of NASCAR” tag, in an era of NASCAR where the ratio of bad boys to pretty boys is about 0:42. So, when they showed the replay I was relieved.

It wasn’t Tony’s fault, he was racing and so was Busch. I really want to say it was no one's fault, but if it had to be blamed on anyone, it would more than likely be put on the shoulders of Busch.

Why? Well because if he hadn’t of tried that final block, I think he would have won. If he had just kept the low line he ended up in trying to block Tony the first time and raced him, side by side raced him, he might have had the car and the talent to still pull off the win.

I would have liked to see that, now that would have been a finish! No matter though. I got what I wanted, Stewart won. He’s hot. First year as an owner-driver and he is kicking butt and taking names! And he’s starting to get hot just at the right time, the better he does the closer we get to “The Chase” the more likely it is that there is yet another championship in his future.

Be careful NASCAR, Stewart is back, and he’s better than ever.

Breaking Down The Off-Season Pt. 2

Robert C Binyon — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:20:28 -0400

Lakers Land Artest, Lose Ariza

First off let me start this off with a NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....OOOOOOOOOOO....OOOO. Ok, got that out of my system. Damn, damn, double damn, I hate to see Trevor Ariza go. But I saw it coming, I really did. Not only due to the reports that we weren't "offering him enough money". But because of the way I saw him look at times down the stretch.

Yea, he always had that smile, that look of absolute ecstasy, that look that says "I'm living my dream", but when you really looked, you could tell that some people pissed him off. Take this for example, Kobe takes a fadeaway contested jumper over three defenders, Ariza is wide open.

You can see the look on Ariza's face. No longer is it that happy-go-lucky Ariza grin we're all accustomed to, it’s a look that I too am all too familiar with. It’s the, "HEY MAN! I'm wide open over here, so open I could walk the ball into the hoop, give it to ME!" That look.

That look is never good, anytime you get a look like that, with a kid who is only 24, who just had a great playoff run, developed his three-point shot, and played a pivotal role in your playoff success, you had either be ready to try and coerce him to come back with the big bucks, or come to grips with the fact that you already lost him, because he wants more attention.

There are reports that the Lakers offered Ariza the same contract that the Rockets did, but Ariza selected the Rockets deal instead. It makes perfect sense when you take into consideration what I just said. He wants to be the number one option, he feels he's ready, and wants to be the man.

I love you Ariza, but I don't think you're quite the feature-quality type guy yet. You thrived with us because you had guys like Kobe, Pau, Lamar and Andrew taking attention to leave you open, get you holes, and get you out on the break. When you’re the number one guy, trying to do it with the ball in your hands all the time...it's going to be a whole lot tougher.

I hope you can do it, but Houston is looking bleak. They have a young point guard, who can shoot, and could possibly blossom into one of the top young point guards. He's quick; he can shoot and has good vision. But now he has no one to pass to. Yao Ming is done at least for the beginning of the season, if not its entirety.

Tracy McGrady is most likely out for the start of the season. That leaves you, as of now, with a starting line-up of Aaron Brooks/Trevor Ariza/Shane Battier/Luis Scola/Chuck Hayes? That's assuming that the Rockets would rather have Ariza start over Wafer. That team right there has no REAL scoring threat. Brooks may go off from game to game, but other than that,

people will most likely be keying in on you Trevor. And that is going to be tough. I hope you thought about all of this before you left us. I'm not angry with you, nor am I disappointed. I totally understand, I just think that it will be tough. And sort of find it hard to comprehend

why you'd leave a team where you just won a championship, and leave the city where you've lived your whole life. In the end I hope it all works out for you. Your game improved leaps and bounds this past season, and I think you could become a very solid player in this league. Good luck to you Trevor, I hope it all works out.

NOW, on to Mr. Ron Artest. Welcome. At first I couldn't even comprehend what the heck was going on. It took me a minute. Then I liked it, I really liked it. I remember the beef Kobe and Ron would have when playing each other, disliked the thought of them playing together. Then I liked it.

You know why? If all goes as planned, Ron should bring that nonexistent grit to our team, that attitude that we won't be beat, and you won't man-handle us at all. He has that toughness you can't teach, and in many cases it has gotten him into trouble. But I think with guys like Phil and Kobe around, they can keep him in check.

Ron has been around UCLA a lot lately, in fact one of my roommates friends shot around with him about a week and a half ago. I didn't even think about putting two and two together. Now, that it looks to be official, I'm liking the thought of it. Ron is one of the best perimeter defenders in the game, sure he's lost a step over the past few seasons, but he still is one of the best.

He, along with Kobe, will form one of the best defensive back courts in the league. Adding to this, that you have Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, and possibly Lamar Odom backing them up in the paint? And wow, sometimes it won't even be fair for opposing teams.

I think Ron can be the perfect match for the Swagger of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Shaquille O'Neal. They push us, Ron will push them back. I don't want to be a thug, but I want him to stay tough. We've always needed that, and personally I think we got lucky winning it all last year without that toughness.

That's one of the reasons the Celtics beat us two years ago, they were just tougher, they wouldn't say die. Now, they had better get ready to. Welcome Mr. Artest, I welcome you with open arms, just don't make us all sorry that we're expecting you to deliver not only on the court, but off quite certainly as well.

Pistons Lure Gordon, Villanueva

If you read my last article, you know that I wasn't high on the Detroit Pistons, they were looking bad, and they didn't have a coach. Well now, they're looking a lot better, and they don't have a coach. Bringing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to town is absolutely great for the Pistons.

I like it a lot. You're bringing in a great all-around scorer, one of those guys that can just get absolutely and ridiculously hot against you. And you're bringing in Lamar Odom V2. Villanueva to me is a cheap man's Lamar Odom, in this case a lot cheaper. Of course, as most say, you get what you pay for.

These two "signings" have to scream to everyone though, that the Pistons are looking to now get rid of Rip Hamilton. Who for? I'm not quite sure; I've seen rumors of him being shipped to Houston for T-Mac. But what will really happen we don't know. We know that Gordon has been an electrifying sixth man before in his career,

heck, he won Sixth Man of the Year as a rookie. But did the Pistons just pay him for that? Rip Hamilton has the character to actually play off the bench, but the Pistons had better hope they win; otherwise they're going to need to trade Rip. Either way though, I see Hamilton playing for a new team at some point next season.

As for Villanueva, he looks to be the starting 4, and if the Pistons can bring McDyess back, that is a pretty nice looking front court. A little undersized perhaps, but look at the past Pistons teams. They were never huge. These moves set the Pistons up nicely; they get to add another couple of young guys to a team that they've wanted to build around Rodney Stuckey

since trading Chauncey away last season. Tayshaun Prince will be 30 this next coming All-Star break, but he still has 4 or 5 more energetic years left in him. And the Pistons always have the wonderful KWAM-EE Browncoming off the bench as the possible starting Center.

Good luck Detroit, I hope you guys can bring in Avery Johnson, and if you can teach BG to maybe play some defense I think you guys are looking pretty good next season. You're not quite going to be able to stack up to the STACKED teams next season, but you look to be going to the playoffs, and could even make it to the second round.

Z-Bo Headed To Memphis?

Zach Randolph looks to be moving to the Midwest. The Clippers, in a move that looks to be setting up the starting job for new "Face of the Franchise" Blake Griffin. They are giving up the better player in Randolph, but they are getting a better character in Q-Rich.

There are arguments to be made that having Randolph on your team automatically subtracts at least five wins from your win total. Why? Because he's a cancer. But, in all seriousness, for Memphis, I think that Randolph could be great for them. Now they finally have a legitimate low-post scorer.

Someone who, if he stays in the paint and doesn't shoot hook shots from half-court, can attract attention down low and allow some of Memphis' deadly shooters to get some open looks. Nothing like some open looks to help you win some ball games.

BUT, their defense still looks to get no better as of now. Smart move from the front office though, because they basically turned Darko Milicic into Zach Randolph, a guy who can night in and night out get you 20/8. I like the Grizzlies, I'm a sucker for young up-and-coming teams, and hope that Randolph works out well for them.

Like I said, it should allow Gay, Mayo and company to get some more open 3's, and maybe even help open up some lanes. Too bad Z-Bo isn't a great passing big man, but how many other players can we say that about?

Kidd going to New York? Dallas? Maybe Even L.A.?

Well, this was a little more possible last night, but now it looks as though the Knicks are trying to low-ball for the 36-year-old future hall-of-famer. It is no secret that the Knicks are looking to hold on to every penny for next year's Free Agency Bonanza(wouldn't it be hilarious if nothing really happens next off-season? I'll write an article on that soon).

But, it can also be said, that having J Kidd in New York would be a great piece to lure LeBron to The Big Apple. The recent acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal suddenly screams TITLE OR BUST for Cleveland. You guys better hope you win the title(which you won't) or else Bron Bron is probably skipping town. Because face it,

if you don't win it next season, what else can you do? You will have down everything in your power to try and win, and have nothing more than a disappointing ECF appearance and whatever happens next season. LeBron wants a title, he wants a big market, and he wants to be a billion-dollar athlete. If he can get two of those by going to New York I think he will.

But this is about Jason Kidd, not LeBron James.

Where will Kidd end up? Will he go to New York? Stay with Cuban? Or will he go to L.A.? Wait WHAT?! You must be asking, who the hell is this guy, and what the hell is he talking about. But really, there have been reports that Jason Kidd could be coming to L.A. Honestly, I hope he doesn't.

That to me just screams Payton-to-Malone-to-Bryant-to-Shaq. That's just too much. Derek Fisher handles the reigns just perfectly, and if we get Shannon Brown back, we have two great back-up point guards to help keep Fisher healthy and rested.

Jason Kidd is still a great point guard, but he's getting older, you know he wants a championship, which makes you think he could be eyeing Cleveland. They could use a point guard, because a lot of people were disappointed with how Mo Williams played in the playoffs last season. He proved he deserved to be an all-star after all the crying

from the entire area of Cleveland. Where Kidd goes could be big news, it is now secret that Cuban wants him back, he's not afraid to spend money, and he generally gets what he wants. But will he get Kidd? Or will Kidd be off to the races for the championship trophy?

Around the League: June 30, 2009

Robert C Binyon — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:13:48 -0400

Yao Ming Goes Down

News out of Houston is that Yao Ming could not only be done for this upcoming season, but more seriously, the rest of his career. This is obviously a huge blow to the Rockets, but the league itself seems to be taking the hit just as badly. When you sit down and think about it, it makes sense.

Yao is not only one of the top players in the world, but he's from China, and we all know that China is becoming a huge part of the fanbase.

I mean, just look at how many votes Yi Jianlian received last year. He almost made the All-Star team. Don't get me started on that.

League spokesman Tim Frank has been quoted as saying, "I think it's awfully premature for us to comment on that, let's see how this works out first."

So obviously, you can see the league's frustration with the situation. They're losing one of their top international stars, which will lead to a ratings drop, unless of course Kobe can pick up the slack.

On to the impact that this may have on the Rockets. Obviously, it would be devastating, because even if this injury isn't the end, I believe the end is near for the 7'6" center.

He is just so big that it makes him more injury prone, and the fact that his foot has needed surgery before, and it is now once again fractured, is not good news.

The Rockets showed life against the Lakers without Yao, and some may say they actually gave the Lakers the best run for their money. They still have Ron Artest, Aaron Brooks, Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes, Carl Landry, and Luis Scola—a good group of hard-working players, who together looked as though they wouldn't back down.

Add in a player in Von Wafer who, at times last season, showed glimmers of hope that he could possibly fill in for Tracy McGrady, and you have a team that doesn't need to completely start over. If Yao does come back, and doesn't have to retire in the next three or four seasons, then the Rockets are really no worse off.

But it will be hard for them to get rid of him, with the doubts, money, and risks of taking on the big man. Their best bet is to trade Tracy and work with what they've got, otherwise they're only prolonging the inevitable.

Boozer, Okur Stay with Jazz

While at first glance this looks great for the Jazz, it may not be the sugar-coated, candy-land adventure it seems. Carlos Boozer is scheduled to make $12.7 million next season and Okur $9 million. Add that to the $5.2 million guaranteed that Kyle Korver is coming back for, and the Jazz are getting closer and closer to that luxury tax threshold.

When they're healthy, Boozer and Okur make the Jazz a top four or five team in the West. When un-healthy, as we can see from last season, the Jazz are barely a playoff team. Deron Williams can only do so much on his own. Boozer's contract is normally a pretty good deal.

He's a guy who has averaged 19/10 since joining the Jazz five seasons ago, but he also has only played in 276 games out of a possible 410. As you can see, he has had a few injury problems over the years. His injuries have led to some positives, however, like the emergence of a young forward, Paul Millsap.

Millsap is a hard-working banger in the post. He started 38 games this past season for the Jazz, and averaged 16.2 points per game and 10.8 rebounds on 11.8 shots while shooting 53.4 percent from the field. When you compare these numbers with Boozer's from this past season (18.0, 11.6, 15.4 49%), you don't see much of a difference.

Yes, Boozer averages more points, but it takes him almost four more shots per game, and four percent worse shooting from the field. Boozer is the bigger name and has proven himself more than Millsap, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're on level playing fields very soon. So, do the Jazz benefit from this as much as once thought?

When we remember that Korver and Okur are coming back as well, and we remember that the Jazz are close to that luxury tax level, we realize why it matters. The Jazz may not be able to bring Millsap back if another team offers him a big deal.

When Boozer, Okur, and company are healthy, the Jazz will be good, but will they ever all be healthy together?

Michael Curry Gets Canned

Is this just me, or did this come out of nowhere? I'm not entirely tapped into the world of Detroit sports, but I'm decently entangled with the world of sports as a whole, and there really hadn't been any reports of this happening, had there?

I mean, he failed miserably with this team last season. He failed to fuse Allen Iverson into a lineup that could have been a pretty formidable, quick, efficient team who played good defense.

If he only could have made A.I. buy into his system—which, of course, he couldn't. He thought he could bench a guy who probably hadn't been benched since coming out of the womb.

I mean, really? How did you think that was going to work, Michael? Did you really think A.I. meant it when he said he'd do anything to help the team win? Well, if you did, no wonder you were fired. Iverson was never really a great point guard, as he was always a better off-ball scorer, so maybe it wasn't Curry's fault. Maybe it was Dumars'?

Either way, Curry is out, and since I didn't see this coming, who will coach them now? They aren't in terrible shape. Iverson is gone, 'Sheed looks to be leaving, Rip hates Detroit...okay, Joe, maybe your team is in worse shape than you think. Don't you wish you had drafted 'Melo? You can't deny it.

You even tried to trade for him before the start of last season, maybe thinking everyone would forget you drafted Darko? You've got some good building blocks, but the days of the perennial Eastern Conference champs are over for a while. As soon as you traded Chauncey, you lost everyone. He was the glue.

He was Rip's best friend, he kept 'Sheed in line, and he watched Tayshaun grow. You can't take the team leader away, trade him for a cancerous shooting point guard, and hope to reap the benefits.

Hey, at least you got the expiring contracts you were looking for. Maybe now you can bring Ben Gordon in, ship Rip Hamilton out, and start all over again.

But wait! I just saw on ESPN that maybe the Pistons will bring in Avery Johnson? Wow, that would make me absolutely happy, and I'd laugh.

I still don't understand why they didn't bring him in last season. You had a team that had built itself around defense, and you had a great coach on the market who had been fired for no reason, and whose philosophy revolves around...you guessed it: defense.

Well, here's hoping that you bring in Avery. I like him, and I'll miss his voice on TNT with Chuck, Kenny, and Ernie, but I think it would be great for the entire Detroit organization.

J.R. Smith Going to Jail

A judge sentenced the troubled and colorful shooting guard to 90 days in jail Tuesday. But this sentence was, of course, reduced. It was reduced to 30 days, and in addition to this, he must perform 500 hours of community service consisting of visiting sick kids in hospitals.

The sentence is a product of an accident that J.R. Smith caused and which killed his friend. The accident occurred in June of 2007. Smith admitted to running through a stop sign in his SUV and slamming into another car. One other person in his SUV was injured, and one person from the other car was as well. They both recovered.

Smith was reportedly driving 67 in a 35, and this isn't the only time he has sped. His license in 2005 had 28 points on it, including four speeding tickets. Smith's attorney asked for fines rather than jail time, but the judge said she couldn't let that happen.

She couldn't let that happen due to the disturbing fact that Smith has had two more speeding tickets since killing his friend. That is just ridiculous. How can someone say they are sorry and show true remorse, yet continue to speed.

He killed someone who "was like a brother" to him, yet he continues to speed. Five or 10 miles over the speed limit is one thing, but almost 25? In an obviously residential area? Come on, J.R.

I like Smith quite a bit, have always liked him, and I continue to root for him. But he really needs to become more mature, and he needs to do it fast. I'm pulling for you, J.R., and I hope that you can change as your attorney says you will during these 30 days in jail.

Smith began his sentence tonight, and the Nuggets have stated that they are indeed behind J.R. all the way, and will continue to support him.

Breaking Down The Off-Season: Pt. 1

Robert C Binyon — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:37:12 -0400

Suns Trade: Shaquille O’Neal
Cavaliers Trade: Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, Second Round Pick 2010, $500k

Ahh, the good old days. Kobe to Shaq, Shaq to Kobe…I miss those days. I wasn’t quite into basketball when Shaq was in Orlando, but boy was I in love with basketball by the time he was in L.A. And man, what a time to love basketball, three titles in a row?

Then what do we do? We go and get Karl Malone and Gary Payton, sending Derek Fisher and Robert Horry to the bench. Two of the greatest role players of their era, and make them play a small role, so we can have four hall of famers on the court at the same time.

Hey, at the time? It sounded great, although I was skeptical even then. I didn’t know as much about conflicting personalities then as I do now, but the thought crossed my mind, with the help of ESPN, that having 4 guys on the same team that were all used to being the go-to-guy most likely wasn’t going to end well.

I mean, it was hard enough to cut the ball in half every game for Kobe and Shaq already. Now throw in The Glove and The Mailman. Everyone assured fans that Malone and Payton just wanted a championship, and that they’d do whatever it took to get one. Hah. That didn’t work.

Throw in Kobe’s rape trial, and we single handedly ruined The Dynasty. That team(minus Karl and Gary) could have won at least two more championships, even possibly in a row. So what ended up happening? We gave the team to Kobe, gave Shaq away, and started over again.

Shaq went on to win a title in Miami, overstay his welcome and get traded to Phoenix. What did he do in Phoenix? He huffed and puffed for a half a season, and actually seemed to stay healthy. Got in better shape over the off-season and then proved this past season that he could still dominate if he truly wanted to.

He didn’t always play in back-to-back games, but when motivated, The Big Diesel still can drive like an 18-wheeler, not your dad’s beat up ’84 Ford. But, aside from proving he was still alive, he proceeded to gain his teammate’s respect, many Suns said he was the team leader, and go-to guy in the crunch.

So, in a way Shaq destroyed the Suns’ relationship with star forward Amare Stoudemire. Damaging another team. Now he’s on his way to the Cavs for basically nothing more than salary cap compensation. Sasha Pavlovic had his moments for Cleveland, but he really won’t be missed, and Big Ben was past his prime by the time he got to Cleveland.

He still helped on defense, but talks of his possible retirement mean that Cleveland would have been losing him regardless. The big question mark from this whole deal is this. Will it work? Will Shaq and LeBron be able to co-exist? Will Shaq be able to stay healthy? Will Shaq take the backseat, or will he want to be the co-pilot?

I’ve loved Shaq his entire career, I love his attitude, his zeal, all the charitable things he does for the community, the fun he has, when Shaq leaves he will be missed league wide. But this doesn’t take away from the fact that this trade to Cleveland may sound better than it really is.

As a diehard Laker fan I obviously don’t want the Cavaliers to instantly dominate, but the truth is, if this trade works, the Cavaliers are going to be scary. Real scary.

Magic Trade: Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, Courtney Lee
Nets Trade: Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson
When I saw the headline, I cringed. This makes the Magic a lot better, right now. Makes them an instant favorite to repeat in attending the NBA Finals. Barring unforeseen consequences. They really don’t get any worse, and that’s always a trade you’re afraid of when you’re an opposing team, especially an opposing team who just played this team in the Finals.

They give up Rafer Alston, who this upcoming season would have been nothing more than an overpaid backup to Jameer Nelson. They give up Tony Battie, who at times played great basketball for them. But he too, is a big contract playing off the bench.

So far they’ve shed two big contracts at the expense of no starting players. Now they lose something of some pretty considerable value. Their rookie guard, who started this season for them, showed a lot of improvement down the stretch and especially in the playoffs.

Of course, a lot of people may remember him for missing that alley-oop off the inbounds pass in game 2 of the Finals. But that’s unfair. He had really improved his mid-range game, and is a very tenacious player. Now to what the Magic get in return…a lot.

They get Vince Carter, an 8-time All Star, and 20 point per game scorer. A guy who can fit into their offense of run and gun, can shoot from everywhere, and hit the hole with a vengeance. The only real thing they lose with this is getting rid of a rookie guard, and replacing him with a guy who has 3 or 4 more good years left in him, once again barring serious injury.

The Magic also get a young guy in Ryan Anderson, who to be truthful, I haven’t really seen much of. We’ll see if maybe they can use him. What I do know is that he’s a big guy, kind of like Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu in that he’s tall and can play both PF and SF, he also has a little outside touch.

Who wins in this situation? Well really both teams do. The Nets at one point in time this past season looked like they could make the playoffs as a low seed. That was probably their peak with that group of guys, and I think they realized that.

They get rid of Carter, and his contract, and gain two guys who can play this next season, help the team, and then leave at the end of the season, leaving the Nets with a lot of money. In addition to that, they get the young gun Courtney Lee, who looks to have a good amount of upside to him. Only time will tell how that aspect turns out, but right now we know, that they really didn’t hurt themselves.

The Magic obviously improve right now. But do they really win? No because both teams achieve what they were looking for. The Magic add another piece to their championship puzzle, for basically nothing. Now they just need to hope the Turkish Michael Jordan returns.

Warriors Trade: Jamal Crawford
Hawks Trade: Speedy Claxton, Acie Law
This trade isn’t that exciting to me. The Warriors get rid of Crawford, basically because none of Warrior nation was impressed with him, Nelson didn’t like him, and they wanted Stephen Curry. Speedy Claxton is the contract to help facilitate the deal, and Acie Law is/was a shooter and the Warriors

are probably hoping that maybe Nelson can work his magic with yet again another guy who hasn’t had his name on the radar, and at least turn him into a guy who can shoot the three when put into the game. Nelson loves to switch things around, so who knows, maybe Law will actually see some time out in The Bay.

The trade doesn’t really help nor hinder the Warriors in any way. Jamal didn’t make that big of an impact on the Warriors. He put points on the board, but just about anyone can in that system. The Hawks however could gain immensely from this. I don’t know where he’ll fit, possibly as a sixth man PG/SG combo?

It really helps the Hawks score, and they have a pretty good defensive unit(not that Crawford will add to that), it will be fun to see how the trade works out for the Hawks. I like the Hawks, and hopefully this subtle move can help them out.

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